UPCOMING EVENTS
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: Hot (or Not?) Ones – A Taste For Life Fundraiser
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.
MASTERCLASS: The Past and Future of Maiz by Iván Wadgymar
CSI Spadina 192 Spadina Ave., Suite 501, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaJoin Ivan for a journey into the origins of maiz in Mesoamerica and discover how millennia of skillful crop domestication created a foundational food for Pre-Columbian civilization that lived the centre of their cosmology. These sophisticated agricultural practices coevolved with the technologies like nixtamalization, which transforms the nutritional profile of corn, and creates the masa used in tortillas, tamales, and even the ubiquitous supermarket corn chips. The place maiz holds in Mexico's socio-political-economic web has undergone dramatic changes from the colonial period until now, and projects like Maizal help protect this unique cultural inheritance, from seed to table.
SUPPER CLUB: Diasporist Third Seder & Cabaret 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: Tamales by Iván Wadgymar
CSI Spadina 192 Spadina Ave., Suite 501, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaTamales are an essential and ancient Mexican dish – soft cornmeal masa (dough) stuffed with a flavourful filling, wrapped in corn husks and steamed. Portable and self-contained, tamales are a popular street food with countless variations found all across Mexico, and a beloved part of many Holy Week and Easter celebrations. Join Iván Wadgymar of Maizal for a fun, hands-on class where you will learn how to make delicious tamales from scratch using traditional, freshly ground masa de maiz instead of the industrial maseca (dried corn flour) that many recipes call for. As a local grower, miller and processor of artisanal Mexican corn, beans and chiles Iván connection to Mexican culinary traditions runs much deeper than most. More than just recipes and techniques, you will learn about the roots of the ingredients and traditions in Mexican and cuisine — literally what puts the culture in agriculture. You'll be making Tamales de Rajas (Poblano Pepper) and Tamales Verdes (chicken in salsa verde), as well as a fresh Salsa Verde Cruda. There will be tamales to snack on in class, and everyone gets to take home the tamales they make, along with all the recipes.
SUPPER CLUB: Kerali Sadya by Shilpa Kotamarthi
CSI Spadina 192 Spadina Ave., Suite 501, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaA sadya is a type of special traditional lunch from the state of Kerala in Southern India. It is typically served on religious holidays, birthdays, weddings and temple festivals, and consists of a variety of traditional vegetarian dishes served on a banana leaf and eaten with one’s (right) hand. Around a centrepiece of rice (often Keralan red rice), dozens of elements are arranged: curries, chutneys, pickles, sauces, and sweets, with the most elaborate versions clocking in at over 64 dishes!
COOKING CLASS: KFP Plant-Based Desserts by Emily Zimmerman
CSI Spadina 192 Spadina Ave., Suite 501, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaEmily Zimmerman, The Depanneur’s OG plant-food maven, will guide you through three matzah-centric, kosher-for-passover desserts you’ll want to eat all year. Serve them at the family feasts on the first nights, or use them at the end of the week with your last box of matzah. Each dish has its own history and background, and delicious flavour profile.
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.