How it all began
As told by our founder, Myra Sable.
It was the spring of 1970. I was pregnant with my third child and had just moved into a young, buzzing community where I met a neighbour who enjoyed cooking as much as I did. Without knowing it, Sable & Rosenfeld was percolating.
I began writing restaurant reviews for our local paper and during one of my interviews met my future partner and neighbour, Carol Rosenfeld. We started to import gourmet food products from Europe, the imported products were originally sold at the upscale, family-owned Creeds store in Toronto where they opened “The Good Taste Shop”. A very lucky beginning. They were also sold at Holt Renfrew outlets across Canada.
"When the fledgling company’s second Christmas shipment missed the boat– literally – We headed into our kitchens to create foods that would fill the shelves of their own freestanding boutiques."
Newspaper advertisement, 1970
The creation of Sable & Rosenfeld’s Tipsy Olives, Tipsy Onions and Tipsy Cherries, three of the most innovative cocktail garnishes of the 1980’s.
Our first product was Sweet Honey Mustard – at least until Canadian business magnate Garfield Weston, then owner of the iconic Fortnum & Mason specialty store in London, noted that he didn’t have a Russian mustard. “The strange thing was it actually was an authentic Russian recipe, as it came from a Russian uncle of Carol’s.
"Our turning point was in 1971, when the Russian mustard was featured on Esquire magazines' Christmas gift centrefold, Neiman Marcus came calling, and the Sable & Rosenfeld brand took off."
We began producing pears in Cointreau, antipasto, apple butter, strawberry jam in port, and zucchini pickles in our home kitchens, later renting commercial kitchens and hiring everyone we knew to cook, chop, and can. We exhibited at the Fancy Food Shows, winning some major awards in 1985 that brought instant success.
Featured in New York Newspaper, 1985
Emerging of the new trend 'tomato sauce' and 'antipasto' and mayonnaise in a jar.
But it wasn’t smooth sailing from there. We then went through many growing pains, hiring co-packers—some of whom stole our recipes, some of whom went bankrupt in the middle of a production season; and figuring out how to best reach the Canadian and U.S. markets, as shipping direct was no longer working well. We decided to close all our retail outlets, and hire brokers and distributors across both countries.
Although Rosenfeld is no longer part of the company, Sable & Rosenfeld continues to grow. With more than 50 products, including mustards, sauces, bruschettas, “Tipsy” cocktail garnishes Tipsy Tapas and more! Focusing on producing products that are all-natural, non-GMO certified, and aim ultimately, for simple and elegant entertaining.
Featured in Chatelaine Magazine, 1986
Myra Sable hosts terrific parties, with three great menus from Sable & Rosenfelds' cookbook
Inspiration for Sable & Rosenfelds' creations comes at the weirdest times and places, gathering ideas from their travel, observing new chefs and tredns at their restaurants, combined with their love of cooking is where the development of new products comes from.
" We are never short of new ideas, we have been copied numerous times, but we can honestly say we have never copied a product line."
We always have new products that we are eager to launch. As long as we’re true to our mission statement of creating easy-to-use, everyday condiments, we know what to do.
50 years of Sable & Rosenfeld, at a glance.
1970 - Shop Open at Creeds Department Store
Opened the ‘Good Taste Shop’ at Creeds department store on Bloor Street in Toronto's fashionable Yorkville neighbourhood.
1971 - Product Sold at Bloomingdale's Food Cellar
Sable & Rosenfeld becomes the first Canadian company to be sold into Bloomingdale’s famous food cellar.
1973 - Holt Renfrew in Canada
The Sable & Rosenfeld portfolio expands to 50 gourmet products and stores are opened across Canada in Holt Renfrew stores.
1974 - Fortnum & Mason Department Store in London
Invited by the late Garfield Weston to open a Sable & Rosenfeld department in London's Fortnum & Mason department store.
1975 - Fauchon in Paris
Sable & Rosenfeld is picked up by Fauchon in Paris
1977 - The Shift To Manufacturer
The focus shifts from the boutique retail space into making Sable & Rosenfeld a full-time manufacturer of specialty condiments.
1986 - Cookbook Published
Bantam Books publishes Myra Sable's first cookbook, 'Elegant Entertaining'.
1987 - Receive Top Awards
Sable & Rosenfeld wins all of the top awards at the National Specialty Food Show for product line and packaging.
1988 - Breaking The 3000-Mark
Sable & Rosenfeld celebrates breaking the 3,000-mark of specialty retailers carrying our products all across North America.
1995 - 2nd Cookbook Published
Myra Sable publishes her second cookbook, 'Favorite Recipes', published by Little Brown Canada and Firefly in the U.S.
The 2000s
Conquering food shows in New York and San Francisco was next on our agenda. In order to achieve this we rented commercial kitchens; we worked from home and we hired everyone on our block in addition to our friends to cook, chop and bake.