3 Writers Dine Together in Toronto!

Last Updated on: March 31st, 2021

Kerry, Glenda and Me outside Crepes Club in Toronto

During my October 2015 trip to Toronto (where I went to help my sister with my niece), I had the pleasure of meeting one of my online author/writer/blogger friends, Miss Kerry Kijewski.

Kerry is the blind woman whom I interviewed a while back. I’ll tell you more about her in a minute.

Geography First!

To put things in a geographical perspective, Kerry lives about an hour-and-a-half away from Toronto, whereas I live about a twenty-hour drive away. (But it’s only a two-hour flight, and I flew there!)

Because I generally don’t travel much, I decided to ask Kerry if she could meet me in Toronto while I was there. Of course, it didn’t dawn on me to ask her beforehand if we could meet; my main purpose of going to Toronto was to assist my sister with my niece, and I didn’t actually think I’d have time to do anything else while I was in the big city.

Once my niece was unexpectedly released from SickKids a bit earlier than anticipated, I realized that I could find a few hours to have lunch with Kerry, providing she could journey to Toronto to do so.

After sending her a message on Facebook, she told me that her mom would be able to drive her to meet me. YAY!

So, on Monday, October 19, 2015, I met both Kerry and her mother, Janet.

Lovely ladies!

We, upon my suggestion, decided to dine at Crepes Club.

My cousin, who lives in Toronto, and whom I was supposed to meet for dinner one evening but who cancelled on me that day, had suggested going to Crepes Club because it was close to Ronald McDonald House (RMH), where I was staying.

I had done some research on this place when he first suggested it. I read some Yelp reviews, took a look at their menu, and selected the three dishes I wanted to try.

Needless to say, when he cancelled on me, I was disappointed!

But then, when I learned that Kerry and I would be meeting face-to-face, I suggested we go to Crepes Club.

Unbeknownst to me, she had also invited a friend of hers to our gathering; a freelance writer named Glenda.

I was not disappointed or angry with Kerry, however. Instead, I was pleased to meet yet another writer!

Kerry and her mom inside Crepes Club

Kerry and Glenda outside Crepes Club

Good Food and Good Company!

I don’t want to bore you with what everyone ate or drank, but I will show you a screenshot from the Crepes Club menu of the three dishes I ordered.

I began my meal with a bowl of borscht, with sour cream on the side. (I have never put sour cream in any borscht I’ve ever eaten.) Turns out, that was a good call on my part, as I like plain borscht.

It was served in a bowl that was the size of a plate and only about one inch deep.

I also tried the Pelmeni dumplings. They were served in a teapot-shaped bowl that looked kind of small. As it turned out, there were about 20 dumplins in it, so I actually got quite a lot!

Thankfully, Glenda was there to help me finish them. (She only had a beverage, as she already had eaten lunch.)

I was too full to eat my dessert there, so I brought my order of sweet cottage cheese and raisins dessert crepe back to my room at RMH, and ate it later that evening. I had never tasted sweet cottage cheese prior to that night. I can’t say that I loved it, but when mixed with the other ingredients, it wasn’t bad. It sort of has the texture of cream cheese (which I love), but tastes slightly different. The crepe itself was delicious!

Here are some pictures of my entire meal:

Crepes Club food

Crepes Club dessert

I was definitely in good company while I enjoyed my meal. It was nice to have a girls’ afternoon out!

We talked about a ton of things, but always circled back to writing. Go figure! Put three writers together, and it’s inevitable! LOL

About Kerry

If you don’t yet know Kerry, let me tell you about her. She is a witty, fun-loving, kind and generous young woman who happens to be blind.

She’s a writer and blogger, and has been for a couple of years. Her blog is called Her Headache.

She is also now an officially published author, as Kerry is one of the contributors to After The Scars (A Second Chances Anthology). 

I Now Have an Autographed Copy of Kerry’s Book!

Kerry gave me an autographed copy of her book, too!

Me holding Kerry’s book

Me showing Kerry’s autograph

A Review of After the Scars 

I reviewed the entire book, including the story she contributed on my other site, Laying It Out There.

Hop on over there, and check it out!

About Glenda

Glenda is a talented woman who is involved in a myriad of things, including writing, blogging, photography, social media (she especially loves live Tweeting from events), and marketing consulting.

She’s also a fiction writer.

From her website:

Glenda completed the Sister Writes 2014 Workshop funded in part by the Ontario Arts Council. An anthology of the participants’ short stories was launched in June 2014.  Glenda’s short fiction story “Weather Report” as well as 25 of her photographs were included in the book published by Coach House Press.  Click here he to download a free PDF of the book. Glenda  was invited back for the 2015 Sister Writes workshop and is currently working on her contribution to the next book which will be published in December.

And, like myself, she’s chatty, too. LOL

Simply put, we enjoyed ourselves immensely chatting about a plethora of writing, blogging, freelancing, and business-related topics! I know I had a great time, and I am sure the same can be said by the others!

After Dinner, I Gave Kerry and Her Mom a Tour of RMH

Because I was staying in Toronto at the new facility of RMH, Kerry queried me about it. She had stayed at the old RMH years ago, which was a lot smaller.

Kerry was able, through descriptions given to her by both her mom and me, to get a feel of the new facility. (Yes, I mean this both figuratively and literally!)

Pic of Moose at hallway junction near Kitchen at RMH

At the junction of the hallway leading to three different places stands a life-sized moose. Kerri was able to feel the moose. She was also able to feel the 3-D painting that hangs on the wall at the entrance to the kitchen and dining area. This painting contains what looks like rocks, too, on the lower, left side, which protrude a few inches. Kerry was able to run her hands across them while I described the painting in detail.

Pic of Be Happy painting in Kitchen at RMH

Her mom took a picture of the two of us standing in front of this painting, which is extremely colourful and contains the words “Be Happy.”

Since both Kerry and I love colours, and were also very happy, this is now one of my favourite pictures, marking an experience I will never forget.

I particularly like how the two of us are smiling enthusiastically in this photo. Of course, I made Kerry laugh, to ensure the photo embodied the spirit of the painting! (Ask her, she’ll tell you!)

Wrapping Things Up

It’s not often that I get the opportunity to travel, which is something Kerry truly enjoys. (In fact, she enjoys it so much that she began a blog called The Insightful Wanderer.)

If you are wondering how a blind woman can enjoy travelling and/or why a blind woman would want to travel at all, I urge you to take a look at the pictures and read what Kerry says on her page, Why I Wander.

It’s truly mind-blowing to me that such a lady has these aspirations… and has had many spectacular experiences!

I’m so honoured that I was able to meet Kerry face-to-face, dine with her, and spend more time with her afterwards.

If we lived closer to one another, I’m sure that we’d meet regularly, like I do with fellow freelancer, Elna Cain. (Elna and I both live in Thunder Bay, and see each other on a monthly basis at Starbucks, our regular haunt.)

If Kerry is ever in our area, perhaps she, Elna, and I can be the 3 writers to get together next!

Until then, communications via technology will have to suffice. *wink wink*