UPCOMING EVENTS
COOKING CLASS: Intro to Sourdough with Sonya Gammal
CSI Spadina 192 Spadina Ave., Suite 501, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaJoin Sonya Gammal for this popular sourdough bread baking workshop! Using organic hard wheat and spelt flours, you'll learn about the history of sourdough and its health benefits, how to create and maintain a starter, and be led step-by-step through the process of preparing and forming your dough ready to be baked off into a beautiful, hand-crafted artisanal — and very tasty — sourdough loaf.
COOKING CLASS: Hand-Shaped Pastas of Southern Italy with Chef Anthony Sestito
CSI Spadina 192 Spadina Ave., Suite 501, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaJoin Chef Anthony Sestito of Pastaio for a fun, hands-on class exploring a selection of traditional eggless pastas and shapes typical of Southern Italy. You'll ease into the class with […]
SUPPER CLUB: Shaqan Il Fatr by Fatima Khlifi & Zeyneb Rejeb
CSI Spadina 192 Spadina Ave., Suite 501, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaAll around the world, Muslims are celebrating the month of Ramadan with fasting, prayers and fabulous late-night meals known as iftar (called shaqan il fatr in Tunisia). Cousins Zeyneb and Fatima bonded in Toronto over their shared love of traditional Tunisian food, and are excited to share this great menu of traditional dishes that showcase Tunisia's distinctive blend of Mediterranean and Berber culinary traditions.
COOKING CLASS: Spring Pickles and Preserves by Camilla Wynne
CSI Spadina 192 Spadina Ave., Suite 501, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaHaving a cupboard full of zingy, homemade pickles is better than almost anything. Join award-winning cookbook author and master preserver Camilla Wynne for this fun, hands-on workshop where you’ll learn how to transform the first delights of spring — asparagus, rhubarb — into tangy pickles and delectable chutneys, perfect for bringing a big, bright flavour punch to your cheese plates, sandwiches and salads.
SUPPER CLUB: Sos Pwa by Marc Kusitor
CSI Spadina 192 Spadina Ave., Suite 501, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaChef Marc Kusitor has been interested in exploring the possibilities in the space between tradition and innovation in Afro-Caribbean cuisine since graduating from George Brown’s culinary program 10 years ago. […]
COOKING CLASS: As Easy as Apple Pie by Leslie Lindsay
CSI Spadina 192 Spadina Ave., Suite 501, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaOntario is overflowing with delicious apples — perfect for pies! Come learn how to make quick, easy, and delicious pies with baker Leslie Lindsay. In this hands-on workshop, Leslie will demonstrate how to make a classic apple and cranberry galette. You'll get all the tips, techniques and hands-on experience to make the flakiest pie dough, delicious filling and different ways to finish your pie, like a rolled crust, lattice or crumb topping.. There will be a slice of warm pie to share at the end of class, as well as a fully made pie for each participant to take home and bake (they freeze beautifully!)
COOKING CLASS: Spring Pickles and Preserves by Camilla Wynne [2]
CSI Spadina 192 Spadina Ave., Suite 501, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaHaving a cupboard full of zingy, homemade pickles is better than almost anything. Join award-winning cookbook author and master preserver Camilla Wynne for this fun, hands-on workshop where you’ll learn how to transform the first delights of spring — asparagus, rhubarb — into tangy pickles and delectable chutneys, perfect for bringing a big, bright flavour punch to your cheese plates, sandwiches and salads.
SUPPER CLUB: Filipino Kamayan with Maria Polotan
CSI Spadina 192 Spadina Ave., Suite 501, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaKamayan is a Tagalog word that translates to “by bare hand” and refers to a traditional Filipino style of communal meals. A typical kamayan meal — sometimes called a Boodle Fight, a name it earned among the hungry soldiers of Filipino army mess halls — features a table covered in banana leaves upon which a large mound of rice is placed, surrounded by a variety of meat and vegetable dishes, condiments and garnishes. The meal is then shared by everyone at the table, typically eaten by hand without plates or utensils. Join Maria Polotan, the Dep's go-to authority on authentic Filipino cuisine, for a fun hands-on foray into the unique culinary experience of kamayan.
COOKING CLASS: Syrian Brunch by Rahaf Alakabani
CSI Spadina 192 Spadina Ave., Suite 501, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaA popular dish throughout the Levant (Eastern Mediterranean), kibbeh comes in a vast array of shapes and flavours — in Syria, Aleppo alone is said to have more than twenty different kinds. Best known are made from a bulgur dough combined with finely ground meat and spices, carefully stuffed and formed into small football-shaped dumplings that are fried to a crisp, dark auburn. Making and stuffing kibbeh is a group activity just about every Syrian woman would have participated in at one time or another — virtually no major occasion occurs without the appearance of a platter (or mountain) of kibbeh at the table. Talented cook, musician and co-founder of Newcomer Kitchen, Rahaf Alakbani is no stranger to making kibbeh, and she will be sharing her favourite recipes and techniques in this fun, hands-on class.
MASTERCLASS: Discovering Wild Foods by Dyson Forbes
CSI Spadina 192 Spadina Ave., Suite 501, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaJoin Malav Naik for a tea party like no other; a deep dive into the history of chai and its customs. You'll discover a variety of easy ways to make delicious, fresh, authentic chai at home! The workshop will also feature tutorials on how to make some popular, traditional chai time snacks. Along with the hands-on tutorial, you will also get a chai making kit to take home and a compilation of delicious recipes.
COOKING CLASS: Grande Ripieni – Spectacular Rolled Pastas with Chef Anthony Sestito
CSI Spadina 192 Spadina Ave., Suite 501, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaJoin Chef Anthony Sestito for an intermediate-level exploration of some of Italy’s most outstanding filled-and-rolled pasta dishes. You'll ease into the class with a beautiful spread of antipasto on arrival, and then dive into learning how to make a simple and versatile fresh pasta dough from scratch, with an emphasis on choosing the right flours and the importance of resting the dough. Chef Anthony will then walk you through the art of crafting not only classic cannelloni but also other large, impressive shapes like manicotti, rotolo, sacchetti, and pasta imbustata. You'll be guided through selecting and preparing a variety of fillings—ranging from classic spinach and ricotta to hearty meat or delicate vegetable blends—while demonstrating the essential techniques for rolling, stuffing, and sealing each shape. There will also be a discussion of the pairing of different shapes and sizes with their traditional sauces. The class culminates in a light meal of freshly-prepared spinach & ricotta Cannelloni con Pomodoro. (Vegan option available on request). Any extra pasta made in class can be taken home, along with PDF recipes and new skills to impress your friends!
INDIGENOUS FOOD LAB by Taylor Parker and Matthew Knight-Barton
CSI Spadina 192 Spadina Ave., Suite 501, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaThe Depanneur is proud to launch the Indigenous Food Lab, a new monthly residency with Chefs Taylor Parker and Matthew Knight-Barton, the duo behind The Dep's acclaimed and subversive Canada Day Supper Clubs. It is an honour and privilege to create a space where these chefs can combine their talents to explore the possibilities of an elevated, communal dining experience rooted in First Nations traditions. It is a laboratory to explore and experiment end experience a truly Canadian concept of terroir – the flavour of a place — a place to rediscover and redefine what Indigenous food means today.
COOKING CLASS: Afghan Mantoo & Ashak Dumplings by Frishta Ghafoori
CSI Spadina 192 Spadina Ave., Suite 501, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaThroughout Central Asia, delicious dumplings of all kinds are a staple of the local cuisine. Mantoo (or Mantu) is a popular traditional Afghan dish consisting of steamed dumplings filled with spiced ground meat and onions, or called Ashak when filled with a vegetarian leek filling. In Afghanistan they are served alongside split yellow lentils and a rich tomato gravy, then topped with fresh yoghurt and mint sauce.
Join Frishta Ghafoori (along with her aunt Samia, her family's resident dumpling expert) as they show you the traditional way to make mantoo and ashak from scratch. You will learn the whole process, from making and rolling the dough, preparing the fillings and sauces. You'll get to enjoy some delicious samples and take extras home to share along with all the recipes and your newly-honed dumpling making skills!
COOKING CLASS: Full-Day Breadmaking Intensive by Leo Baduria
Café ZuZu 555 Dundas Street East, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaJoin artisanal baker Leo Baduria for a full-day, in-depth exploration of the fundamentals of great bread. You’ll learn how to make your own sourdough starter, and how to prepare different types of dough, using various grains and flours. There will be hands-on practice of the techniques to folding, kneading and shaping dough to make focaccia/fougasse, baguettes, boules, batards and brioches, including challah braids.
SUPPER CLUB: Fat RICE by Rocheller Batuigas
CSI Spadina 192 Spadina Ave., Suite 501, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaFat RICE is a passion project of Rocheller Batuigas, a way to explore his Filipino history and identity in the lens of growing up in Canada and the path he took as a chef in the city. Come join him on his journey through Filipino and Asian food as they try to (sometimes confusingly and hilariously) cowboy and finagle my way on what it means to be Canadian.
SUPPER CLUB: Third Seder by Emily Zimmerman
CSI Spadina 192 Spadina Ave., Suite 501, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaJoin The Dep's resident vegan maven Emily Zimmerman (and her cabaret singer alter ego, Goldie Luxemburg) for a Passover dinner to tell our stories, comfort our hearts, fill our bellies, and remind us to keep fighting the good fight.
COOKING CLASS: Full-Day Croissants & Viennoiserie Intensive by Leo Baduria
CSI Spadina 192 Spadina Ave., Suite 501, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaJoin artisanal baker Leo Baduria for a full-day, in-depth exploration of the fundamentals of Viennoiserie, the magical butter-laminated pastry that is at the heart of croissants and many other classic European pastries from France to Denmark. Creating croissants from scratch is a somewhat complex, multi-day process, but Leo has expertly constructed a full-day workshop that will cover the all the steps so that you can begin making them at home. You’ll learn how to make your own brioche dough, and the processes of mixing, kneading, rolling, rising, laminating and shaping required to make Croissants, Pain au chocolat, Pain aux raisins, Kouign aman, Chaussons aux pommes, Palmiers and Brioches.
TABLE TALK: America the Bountiful by Capri S. Cafaro
CSI Spadina 192 Spadina Ave., Suite 501, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaJoin author, radio and TV host Capri S. Cafaro for a behind-the-scenes conversation about her new PBS television series, America The Bountiful. An in-depth look at American regional foodways, the show explores the cultures and histories that weaves a diverse tapestry of flavours across the USA, and how this food landscape fits in the wider context of North America. A self-proclaimed "Canadian groupie", Capri is also working on a special series of episodes of her podcast and radio show, Eat Your Heartland Out focusing on Canadian regional foodways. She'll be discussing how American Midwestern and Canadian food culture are both often overlooked and misunderstood... and why that needs to change.