
by Aruna Antonella Handa | February 20, 2013 | Alimentary Initiatives
I absolutely love the Depanneur. I think Len Senater is a local food hero. He has truly revolutionized the notion of a corner store by returning the concept to what it once was.
When Len and I lived in Montreal (we didn’t know one another well, but our circles happily overlapped), the “depanneur” or the “dep” was the corner store where you went to get locally bottled cheap imported wine, cigarettes, a box of (usually) stale crackers and not much else. When Len took over the lease at his joint on Havelock and College, the place was a veritable dump. I could not believe it. But Len’s face was all shiny and new and full of optimism. I, on the other hand, could barely breathe in there. Len and his pal renovated the place physically, but while he was chipping away at the paint on the walls, Len was also chipping away at the traditional notions of a corner store. Instead of poisons like industrial candy and tobacco, Len was going to sell sour dough breads and organic vegetables. Instead of trashy magazines and porn, Len was offering serious food journals. And instead of a sorry patty reheated to within an inch of its life, Len served frittatas and wicked grilled cheese. In short he renovated the corner store, in form and in content. The Dep also features cookery classes and makes for an amazing venue for a private party.
Len is currently looking for someone to manage the corner store part of his operation as he has his hands full with running the Dep’s two kitchens, his remarkably successful and rather uniquely public supper club, the Rusholme Park, as well as his runaway success Drop-in Dinners. So, when Len asks for help? We all chip in. Alimentary’s Toronto Office Markets wouldn’t have been half as successful were it not for the brilliant support Len has quietly offered food start-ups with his kitchens by renting them commercial kitchen space. I call this small businesses weaving into one another to build resilience, to make it harder for strong winds to blow us away…
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Thursday Night Student Talent Showcase
/in Uncategorized /by lensenaterOn Thursday nights, The Depanneur hosts a Drop-In Dinner aimed at showcasing the talents of culinary students. If you are a student, and are interested in participating, contact Len at The Dep and we will look at scheduling you in.
How does it work? Read more
A Tale of Two Corner Stores | Alimentary Initiatives
/in Press & Media /by lensenaterA Tale of Two Corner Stores
by Aruna Antonella Handa | February 20, 2013 | Alimentary Initiatives
When Len and I lived in Montreal (we didn’t know one another well, but our circles happily overlapped), the “depanneur” or the “dep” was the corner store where you went to get locally bottled cheap imported wine, cigarettes, a box of (usually) stale crackers and not much else. When Len took over the lease at his joint on Havelock and College, the place was a veritable dump. I could not believe it. But Len’s face was all shiny and new and full of optimism. I, on the other hand, could barely breathe in there. Len and his pal renovated the place physically, but while he was chipping away at the paint on the walls, Len was also chipping away at the traditional notions of a corner store. Instead of poisons like industrial candy and tobacco, Len was going to sell sour dough breads and organic vegetables. Instead of trashy magazines and porn, Len was offering serious food journals. And instead of a sorry patty reheated to within an inch of its life, Len served frittatas and wicked grilled cheese. In short he renovated the corner store, in form and in content. The Dep also features cookery classes and makes for an amazing venue for a private party.
Len is currently looking for someone to manage the corner store part of his operation as he has his hands full with running the Dep’s two kitchens, his remarkably successful and rather uniquely public supper club, the Rusholme Park, as well as his runaway success Drop-in Dinners. So, when Len asks for help? We all chip in. Alimentary’s Toronto Office Markets wouldn’t have been half as successful were it not for the brilliant support Len has quietly offered food start-ups with his kitchens by renting them commercial kitchen space. I call this small businesses weaving into one another to build resilience, to make it harder for strong winds to blow us away…
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Secret Heart – the adventure…
/in Rusholme Park Supper Club /by lensenaterThis Thursday’s Valentine’s Day Supper Club, Secret Heart, is by far the most extravagant, outrageous and perverse culinary activity I’ve ever undertaken. I have been fantasizing about this meal for weeks, obsessively researching exotic ingredients and obscure recipes. Some of the highlights include: Read more
Spicy New Venture Award | FoodForward
/1 Comment/in Press & Media /by lensenaterSpicy New Venture Award: Len Senater and The Depanneur
by Darcy Higgins | 08/15/2012 | pushfoodforward.com
For a food-related business or entrepreneur whose recent work has led to the development of a delicious venture contributing significantly to increase good food, food justice, and/or good food job expansion in one or more of Toronto neighbourhoods.
Len Senater followed his heart and translated his passion for food into the recent establishment of The Depanneur, a self-described place “where interesting food things happen.”
Located between Dovercourt and Dufferin on College Street, Len and his restaurant have played host to an endless variety of community food events such as the Rusholme Park Supper Club and casual, drop-in Tuesday dinners where you get whatever Len decides to cook.
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Secret Heart Menu – NSFW
/2 Comments/in Rusholme Park Supper Club /by lensenaterMenu for Secret Heart: A Valentine for Adventurous (Food) Lovers.
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FOOD: Recipes for community hubs | Spacing
/in Featured, Press & Media /by lensenaterFOOD: Recipes for community hubs pt. 1
NOVEMBER 30, 2011 | BY ALLIE HUNWICKS | spacingtoronto.ca
The Depanneur was started by Len Senater, a former design firm partner who had never worked in the restaurant business before. Initially put off by the resto business model, Senater created The Dep and it’s sister company, The Rusholme Park Supper Club to reflect what he loved most about the communion of food. The Supper Club is a truly unique experience, wherein anyone (professional chef or otherwise) can take over The Dep’s kitchen and host a dinner party.
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Happy Anniversary to The Depanneur
/in Uncategorized /by lensenaterI first became acquainted with The Depanneur (or ‘The Dep’ as it has become to be known) this past winter when my husband and I signed up to become a member of The Rusholme Park Supper Club (Family Style dinner parties hosted by a rotating cast of chefs) and joined them for an evening with…
An open mic for culinary performers & a gastronomic journey for diners | Yonge Street
/in Featured, Press & Media /by lensenaterAn open mic for culinary performers & a gastronomic journey for diners
REA MCNAMARA | WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2012 | yongestreetmedia.ca
If you’re just looking at its former hole-in-the-wall bones, then yes, The Depanneur seems like any other cosy corner café of reclaimed architectural pedigree. Exposed brick, vintage hardware, antique windows and menu chalkboards are indeed the norm décor accents for now-fashionable Brockton Village storefronts. The painted cue card signage for homemade jams, organic local produce in wooden crates and ideal coffee grinds is Honest Ed’s-esque, while the tables that line its sunny windows are clearly repurposed chewing gum display racks. It’s all very much in keeping with the café’s franglais Québécois homage to Montreal’s ubiquitous convenience stores, and the building’s previous various retail iterations.
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The Depanneur
/1 Comment/in Uncategorized /by lensenateryelp.ca
The Dep is so much more than just a cafe, grocery stop, and sometimes restaurant. It’s also an inspiration and reminder to gather with loved ones, congregate with kindred spirited strangers, and let someone else do the cooking at least once in a while…
How Pop-Up Chefs Became the New Indie Rockers | Broken Pencil
/in Press & Media /by ryanandradeFood Not Bands
by Ryan Bigge | October 3rd, 2012 | brokenpencil.com
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