Emily Zimmerman walked into the Depanneur about two weeks after it first opened and proposed a schmancy vegan pop-up dinner. From there she quickly became one of the O.G. Depanneers, teaching classes, running a weekly PWYC dinner, supporting other chefs, contributing to the award-winning Depanneur Cookbook, and hosting many, many fabulous dinner parties.

Today she revisits the esteemed tradition of the old-school, New York Jewish brunch, but with a modern, plant-based sensibility. With kosher rules requiring that meat and dairy be kept separate, this was often the domain of the world of 'appetizings' — milchigs (non-meat, ie. dairy dishes) like egg, dairy and fish salads that could be spread on bread or bagels — along with a variety of baked goods. This brunch celebrates all the creamy, savoury indulgence of a classic Jewish 'dairy platter' but with a fully vegan twist.
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Soup: Chilled Schaav 
Homegrown lemony sorrel and chard, cooked with potato and onions and puréed until creamy, topped with coconut sour cream

Salad: (Non) Dairy Platter
Jackfruit “whitefish” salad, mock egg salad, smoky cheezy tofu schmear, and pickle-spiked potato salad, served with thin sliced pumpernickel

Savouries: All The Knishes
The quintessential New York Jewish street food. A sharing platter of quartered knishes so you can try all the different flavours: caramelized onion and potato, mushroom and buckwheat, and a Chef’s choice based on what’s nice in the market. Served with a crunchy chopped salad.

Sweet: Street-style Charlotte Russe.
Vegan sponge cake topped with cherry jam and whipped coconut cream

Sips:
Celery seed and angelica seltzer, dill pickle lemonade, and melting pot Jamaican-style sorrel.
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Emily Zimmerman is a chef, community worker, food justice activist, cooking up deluxe, delicious vegan dishes and retro comfort food like whoah. She can be found at food events around the city and at The Depanneur hosting the occasional vegan Supper Club or Workshop. She comes from a large family of loudmouthed, pinko-commie, Brooklyn Jews, who relocated to Toronto 50 years ago, but still root for the Mets. She’s also occasionally appears on the cabaret circuit as ‘Goldie Luxemburg’, Toronto’s Yenta of Burlesque.
@goldieluxemburg | @spiceboxsoirees