BREW MASTER

How Bar Volo went from ristorante to the heart of Ontario’s craft beer scene

Ever since Ralph Morana tapped his first keg of Denison’s Weissbier in 2002, Bar Volo’s story has been the story of craft beer in Toronto, and across Ontario. Morana and his sons, Tomas and Julian, have fostered so many of the scene’s developments, including the hoppy beer boom, the cask ale resurgence, the importing of other provinces’ best beer, the collaboration between brewers – all bolstered by the belief that craft beer can be for everyone.

On October 1st, Volo’s last night, a community of beer drinkers and friends will gather to drown their sorrows before the three-storey brick building meets the wrecking ball. Morana’s success at 587 Yonge Street represented a triumph of the little guy – the kind of story that’s vanishing from the area as more and more condos are built and the street’s character slowly ebbs away. But the little guy’s not done yet. Morana first walked into Volo Ristorante on a Valentine’s Day date in 1987. At the time, he was living in Scarborough, and designing swimming pools as a landscape architect. A year later, he had married his date, and bought the place.

“I bought a restaurant with no experience, thinking it was going to be cool down on Yonge Street,” Morana says. He rebranded as “Caffé Volo Ristorante,” kept the Italian menu, and took over. “I went up to the bar and started talking to people, and I was shocked: ‘What the hell am I doing here?’”

Some 28 years later, Morana is sitting near Volo’s window, looking out on a Yonge Street that’s building up and bulking out. Now 61, he has the exasperated look of someone who has seen it all and is dubious about what’s coming next – but he’s ready for it regardless.

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