Workshops

Today's class by Zhanar Khamitova showcases Manti. Though they share a name with their small Turkish relatives, these larger Central Asian dumplings are closer in spirit to Afghan mantu or Tibetan momos. Filled with meat and vegetables, manti are a holiday staple with the whole families pitching in to roll the dough, scoop the filling and fold the dumplings. Zhanar’s manti are filled with lamb, onions, butternut squash and seasoned with traditional spices such as cumin, coriander, and black pepper. We will prepare these together, preparing the filling, rolling the dough, then stuffing, shaping and steaming the mantis. There will  also be a vegetarian version with green lentils, onions, and butternut squash; both are served with 2 sauces: a white yogurt, garlic and coriander sauce and a red tomato and bell pepper sauce. 

What could be more fitting for the Dep's first event in our new kitchen at CSI — our 'birthday' so to speak — than to host an event in celebration of Mother's Day? For this special class, Alissa Kondogiannis is crafting an exquisitely festive babka: rose water-infused raspberry jam combined with a decadent dark chocolate filling ribboned throughout tender, warm braided brioche, delicately sprinkles with dried rose petals.

Mexican street food goes way beyond tacos, but we rarely see the other amazing delicacies featured on Canadian menus. In this fun, hands-on workshop Erika Araujo will introduce you to two popular Mexican favourites, sopes and tlacoyos, along with recipes for the delicious fillings and salsas that make these dishes shine. After dinner, Erika will take guests on a guided tour of Agua Santa Mezcal, a premium artisanal mezcal from Santiago Matatlan.

A 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.

This event takes place at CSI Spadina, 192 Spadina Ave., Suite 501 Join Chef Anthony Sestito of Pastaio for a fun, hands-on class exploring a selection of traditional pastas and shapes typical of Southern Italy. You'll ease into the class with a beautiful spread of antipasto on arrival, and then dive into learning how to […]

Emily Zimmerman is an OG Depaneer, with a long tenure as the Depanneur’s resident plant-based balabusta (home cook and homemaker supreme). Emily has been veganizing classic New York-style Ashkenazi dishes for years. Now she brings you the mighty knish — delicious, flaky pastries with hearty, savoury fillings. We’ll be making a pair of classic knishes – one with potato and caramelized onion filling, one with sautéed mushrooms and buckwheat.

Join 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.