Skip to Content Subscribe Our Offers My Account Manage My Subscriptions FAQ Newsletters Canada Canadian True Crime Canadian Politics Health World Israel & Middle East Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Comics NP News Quiz New York Times Crossword Horoscopes Life Eating & Drinking Style Sponsored Play for Ontario Travel Travel Canada Travel USA Travel International Cruises Travel Essentials Culture Books Celebrity Movies Music Theatre Television Business Essentials Advice Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Buy Canadian Home Living Outdoor Living Kitchen & Dining Tech Style & Beauty Personal Care Entertainment & Hobbies Gift Guide Travel Guide Amazon Prime Day Deals Savings National Post Store More Sports Hockey Baseball Basketball Football Soccer Golf Tennis Driving Vehicle Research Reviews News Gear Guide Obituaries Place an Obituary Place an In Memoriam Classifieds Place an Ad Celebrations Working Business Ads Archives Healthing Epaper Manage Print Subscription Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ Newsletters Canada World Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Life Shopping Epaper Manage Print Subscription HomeCultureMiss Vickie’s returns series driven by Canadian restaurants"The local communities especially here in Toronto know us and I think were excited to champion a local, small restaurant" You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.For “round two" of the Miss Vickie's Ristorani series release, starting July 12 Pizzeria Badiali in Toronto plans to have plenty of bags of chips in stock.We independently select everything we recommend. Buying through us may earn us a commission, which supports our work.For Toronto chef Ryan Baddeley, life at Pizzeria Badiali was a bit like FX’s The Bear last fall.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThat’s when a social media frenzy exploded over Miss Vickie’s releasing a limited-edition chip flavour fashioned after Badiali’s Vodka Sauce Pizza.“The shop itself kind of felt like that in the sense that we’re just a small little local shop, getting a lot of national coverage and a lot of people coming in from everywhere,” he said. “I think it’ll be exciting to see people come back just for the chips specifically, or pick up a slice and grab some chips at the same time.”For “round two,” available in major retailers starting July 12, the Toronto pizzeria — which has since opened a second location, in the works long before they partnered with Miss Vickie’s — plans to have plenty of bags of chips in stock.“It was just as hard for us to get them in as anyone,” Baddeley said.Family members in Vancouver sent pictures when they found a stash of the crispy beauties among the yogis and orcas. A business partner visited family north of Edmonton and bought a bag at a bona fide Prairie gas station.“It was pretty neat to see people in the grocery stores were grabbing these chips from a West End slice shop in Toronto,” the chef said. “They were in high demand and were hard to find, which kind of led us into this next season here.”To get ahead of the foodie frenzy this time around, Miss Vickie’s created a Bearish solution: The Chip Reservation.Snack-forward Canucks were able to visit the company’s website to apply for one of 100 free numbered chip kits on a first-come, first-served basis before they ship in bulk to retailers. The portal went live June 26 and was “fully booked” by lunch time.The exclusive boxes contained one bag of each of the returning flavours: Badiali’s Vodka Sauce Pizza, Ask For Luigi’s Cacio e Pepe (Vancouver), and Nora Gray’s Spicy Pepperoncini and Focaccia (Montreal).“The local communities especially here in Toronto know us and I think were excited to champion a local, small restaurant that was getting this national coverage of a potato chip,” Baddeley said.Baddeley said Miss Vickie’s reached out to him while they were researching the inaugural Ristoranti series, which launched last fall.“We were interested in doing something from the Miss Vickie’s perspective — being the best chips in Canada, in my opinion — from the Toronto perspective; I think we had something really unique to offer,” Baddeley said. “We’re a pretty well-established name here and I think it made sense for both brands to come together.”The vodka sauce pizza is what Badiali’s is known for, he said. When the Miss Vickie’s alchemists visited the shop, they tried that pie and the margherita, among others.“We got to see kind of how the minds of the Miss Vickie’s team work,” Baddeley said. “They were eating the plain, unsalted Miss Vickie’s with each bite, which was cool to see. We sent them away the next day with the individual ingredients of each pizza so they could do some more testing as well. We were happy they also thought the vodka sauce was the way to go.”The origins of Miss Vickie’s started much smaller than Badiali’s, or even The Bear. The company’s version of the series, starring New Lowell, Ont., potato farmers Vickie and Bill Kerr, might have been called The Cub.Vickie seeded the company making potato chips cooked in a kettle of peanut oil one batch at a time, creating a more nutritious alternative to mass-produced snack products for her kids.According to an entry in Randy Ray and Mark Kearney’s Canadian compendium I Know That Name …, the first 72 bags went on sale in a nearby variety store in 1987.For potential retailers, the pitch was a product that had more nutrients and less cholesterol than the big guys, though at a higher price point.But for the Kerrs, the fried spud racket was a way out of the “cutthroat” world of potato farming, according to Ray and Kearney.“One farmer would think nothing of cutting another out of the business,” reads a quote from the book attributed to Vickie. “Financially, we were always on the edge, so Miss Vickie’s was a godsend.”After nine years on the cusp, the Kerrs imported a cooking kettle from New Hampshire and left the fields for good in 1989. About 12 months later, their chips were available in Toronto.Hostess Frito-Lay, one of the original Kerr farm raw potato customers, bought Miss Vickie’s in 1993. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.