Photography by Ksenija Hotic
Christine Manning preparing marmalade
Doris Fin’s Medovik, a Russian honey cake
Karahi Aloo – Pakistani Curried Potatoes by Nasir Zuberi
Granola by Laura Repo
Camilla Wynne preparing her Fall Vegetable Pickles
Sana Mahmoud and her partner
Tibetan Momos by Tsewang Chodon & Lhundup Gyatso
Tunisian Couscous by Fatima Khlifi & Zeyneb Rejeb
Alissa Kondogiannis & her mom preparing latkes
Filipino Arroz Caldo by Hanna Grace Medalia
Seville Orange Marmalade by Christine Manning
The inimitable Chef Greg Couillard
Tsewang Chodon
Salatet Shmandar (Lebanese Beet & Chickpea Salad) by Sana Mahmoud
Bajan Crop Over Conkies by Shem Barker
From The Depanneur Archives
Gervais Nash bringing in a haul of organic tomatoes from Grant McPhereson’s Pairie Boy Farm
Dougie Kerr painting The Dep window. Dougie was one of the sign painters for Honest Ed’s, whose iconic signage was a cherished bit of Toronto heritage.
Jonna Pederson was not only our ace brunchatrix for a while, but was also a Korean food wiz, having lived there for many years. Here she is going full Dexter on a batch of kimchi
Cook, musician and activist Kalmplex preparing an Ital (a Rastifarian version of veganism) meal
Lisa Kates (left) was a mentor and inspiration from the very outset of The Dep. She went on to co-found an amazing food charity, Building Roots, which aims to address food insecurity in some of Toronto’s most underserved neighbourhoods. Her whole family is into food; here her two daughters joined her in the kitchen.
The early days of the Rusholme Park Supper Club ©Geoff-Fitzgerald
Danielle Mitrovic was one of the loveliest people to ever work FOH at The Dep, and not to shabby in the kitchen either, especially when preparing
Quinn Cruise, with her mom. Quinn went on to represent Canada at the International Deaf Culinary Olympics.
My nieces, Lucy & Grace, enjoying an ice cream out front
A traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony
Sara Lapell of Nice Buns was a tremendously talented baker, and neighbour
Maria Rozynska was a school teacher with a love of food. Here’s she’s making sausage from scratch for a night of Berlin-style curry wurst with her chum Agata. Maria eventual left teaching to start her own cooking school, Just Be Cooking.
Ginger Dean hosted brunch and many, many Drop-In Dinners in the early days of The Dep; occasionally her twin sister Yvonne would pop in to help, and it was always a bit trippy to watch them cook in sync.
Celebrity Chef Eddie Huang of Huang’s World visited The Dep for his episode on Toronto’s food scene.
My sister, Stephanie, pretending to cook at her birthday
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, with Esmaeel Aboufakher and Rahaf Alakbani of Newcomer Kitchen
Margret Hefner, an expert in Mexican fruits & vegetables, goofing around.
Sidney Littleton hitching a ride in Celine, The Dep’s late Montrealaise Depanneur delivery bike.
My dear friends Abel & Nicky cooking up a Cuban feast
One of the Newcomer Kitchen kids celebrating his first Canada Day
Lesley & Sara embracing the classic diner waitress vibe