TUM, By the Numbers

25: The number of would-be chefs, home cooks, aspiring entrepreneurs and food purveyors who hawked their wares at the Toronto Underground Market on the evening of Saturday, September 24, the inaugural rollout of what promises to be a favourite for local foodies.

1,200: How many bellies rumbled inside the shadows of the Don Valley as a slew of food lovers hunkered down for the much-anticipated social food market at the Evergreen Brick Works. 

1: The number of weeks it took for the 1,200 tickets to sell out.

$2.99: How much it cost for one pulled-pork adobo slider, served with a mango and papaya slaw and deep-fried plantain chips, from the Bistro Filipino booth on Saturday night. 

20: The number of minutes one might have spent lining up for jerk chicken on a coco bun, lemon and lime rice, or cornbread grilled cheese under a blanket of sour cream and guac, some of the evening’s favourites.

$150: What TUM vendors each had to pony up for a booth. The fee included equipment, space and access to one of the Brick Works’ commercial kitchens.

$5: What attendees paid to sniff the offerings at this unorthodox collective, the Toronto version a spinoff of the San Francisco Underground Market, a not-quite-legal early kick at this can that was officially shut down in June.

$3 to $8: the price range of items on sale at TUM. Most nibblies were right in the middle.

100: Percentage of profits TUM vendors get to keep of their sales.

22: Day in October earmarked for the next TUM, an event, organizers hope will become a monthly standard. Tickets are available from at www.yumtum.ca

30: Number of vendors already signed on for the October event, five more than for September.