Masterclasses offer in-depth explorations of food topics, presented by experts and accompanied by demonstrations and tastings.

What does it taste like to live in Ontario? This is a tricky question to answer for two reasons. Firstly, although we grow a lot of things, most of what is cultivated here is not native to Ontario. The vast majority of food crops are essentially an invasive species that have been introduced and have taken over our local ecosystems. Secondly, most of the food plants that are indigenous to Ontario are not grown commercially nor available for purchase in stores. The only products actually native to Ontario one is likely to find in a supermarket might be maple syrup, blueberries and wild rice. So we find ourselves deeply disconnected from our terroir, seasons and natural environment, as well as sustainable local food traditions that reach back thousands of years.

But it doesn't have to be this way. Ontario is abundant with all manner of edible plants, mushrooms, herbs, nuts, fruits and vegetables, if you only know what to look for — and that is exactly what forager and guide Danijela Pulcini has been doing her whole life, first in her native Serbia and for the past nine years right here in Southern Ontario.

For this Masterclass, Danijela will be walking guests through a multi-course tasting session designed to showcase the unique flavours of wild foods from Ontario's woods and fields, with a special focus on mushrooms. Danijela will bring a selection of fresh mushrooms so you can see them, smell them and ask questions, and will speak to some of the overall considerations of foraging in Ontario as well as sharing fascinating culinary and medicinal details of particular species, including the benefits of eating and using medicinal wild mushrooms.
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Wild Nettle & Pickled Mushrooms
Wild nettle cheese from Mountain Oak, served with Danijela's pickled hedgehog and chanterelle mushrooms and crackers.

Wild Mushroom Sampler
 A selection of whatever fresh mushrooms Danijela finds that week — perhaps bear's tooth (similar to lion's mane), comb tooth, crown-tipped coral, blewits, boletes and shrimp of the woods — sautéed and served on crostini with her puffball salt.

Risotto Duo
Two risottos made with dried wild mushrooms: lobster mushroom with Parmesan, and maitake (hen of the woods) with miso.

Oat Cakes with Clotted Cream and Wild Berry Jam
Oat cakes with clotted cream and Danijela's own mulberry and serviceberry jams.

Candy Cap Mushroom Gelato
by Death in Venice Gelato

A selection of  wild foraged teas will be served throughout the evening with wildflower honey on hand for sweetening.

(Since many of these ingredients are wild forages, the exact items will depend on availability)

There will also be a selection of Danijela's products for sale at the end of the event, including dried lobster mushrooms and hen of the woods, puffball salt, homemade soaps scented with wild nettle, chamomile, lemon balm and lavender, a healing pine resin salve, and various medicinal mushroom tinctures.

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Danijela Pulcini has been a forager and guide in Southern Ontario for nine years. Her foraging began in her native Serbia, where she was taught by her grandparents and great-grandparents. She has taken thousands of people foraging, identifying plants and mushrooms along the way, and she makes her own medicine from everything she forages. Danijela has also foraged in Oaxaca, Mexico and in Colombia. She is the expert guide on The Dep's mushroom hunting and foraging expeditions. @lilchickcupcakes

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The Depanneur is where Interesting Food Things happen. For more than a decade The Dep has been showcasing Toronto’s remarkable culinary diversity by hosting unique food events.
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