Pre-order online until THU Nov 18, 10pm Pick up on FRI Nov 19, 6-7:30pm Elements of Chinese cuisine can be found in nearly every country in the world, the product of hundreds, and in some places thousands, of years of Chinese emigration and trade. The Caribbean is no exception as the waves of labourers and […]

Like many middle-class families growing up in the Philippines, Maria Polotan’s family’s Sunday lunch centred around pochero — a hearty all-in-one meal based around a rich soup-stew of mixed meats and vegetables flavoured by chorizo or ham bones. The flavours speak to a strong colonial influence, a cousin of Spanish dishes like cocido Madrileno or Portuguese cozido, but the addition of saba (a cooking banana similar to plantain) as well as the accompanying berenjena (eggplant-garlic sauce) makes the dish uniquely Filipino. Bowls of the rich broth are served to start, followed by a big platter of the meats and vegetables neatly arranged, accompanied by a bowl of berenjena and, of course, rice.

Long-time Dep favourite, Chef Dali Chehimi brings a mix of traditional Tunisian and Moroccan favourites to the table for a delicious tour of North African cuisine. Complex spices, lush combinations of sweet, savoury and spicy, Mediterranean ingredients and a hint of French colonial influence make for an exquisite culinary adventure.

Greek and Jewish cuisine is not an especially common fusion, which is actually kind of odd, given the thousand-plus years of coexistence that they shared in antiquity, stretching back to at least 400 BCE. The ebb and flow of empires and diasporas severed ties and diverged paths, but some common threads remain — e.g. the tradition of leaning to the left during the Passover seder it considered by some to derive from the preferred leaning posture of reclining Greek & Roman nobles at their banquets… an emulation of the table manners of the ancient ruling class, emphasizing the luxury of eating like a free man vs. slave. Tonight’s dinner is a Greek-Jewish fusion, prepared by Alissa Kondogiannis, a Greek-Jewish mash-up herself, equally inspired by classic Hanukkah treats and the Mediterranean flavours of Greece.

In early 2016, shortly after hundreds of Syrian refugee families arrived in Toronto, The Depanneur reached out with an invitation to share our kitchen. From that small gesture of hospitality emerged Newcomer Kitchen, which evolved into a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating social and economic opportunities for newcomer women while enriching the culinary landscape of our city. Now, 5 years and thousands of meals later, a small group of the original participants have teamed up to form their own catering business, Syrian Sisters. Tonight’s menu features a selection of traditional Syrian dishes that were among my favourites from the Newcomer Kitchen project.