Newcomer Kitchen’s “Willing to Work” Entrepreneurship Training Program launches its first product!
As part of our federally funded entrepreneurship training program our Product to Market Team “Dreamer’s Kitchen” has developed a Make Your Own Kit a delicious middle eastern treat called Qatayef. Qatayef are small ricotta stuffed crepes that can be served at room temperature as both a brunch or dessert item. This kit includes the crepe mix, a jar of pomegranate and cherry jelly, pistachio and rose petal topping and an orange blossom and lemon syrup (ricotta cheese not provided). The kit contains enough ingredients to serve 4-6 people. It costs $20.00 (+HST) and is available through on-line farmers markets Dufferin Grove, Leslieville and High Park farmer’s markets as a pop up until the end of August. All of the proceeds of the sales go directly to the trainees. For more information email info@newcomerkitchen.ca. Here is a step by step guide to using your kit.
Redeeming Depanneur Gift Certificates or Discount Coupons
Looking to buy Gift Certificates for The Depanneur? Click Here
Using Your Gift Certificate or Discount Coupon
You (or the Gift Certificate recipient, if you requested it be emailed directly to them) will receive an email with a coupon that looks like this:
Simply click on it, and the Gift Certificate should automatically be applied to your shopping cart when you head to the checkout.
Whoever placed the order will also receive an order confirmation with a link to a downloadable/printable Gift Certificate
The printable Gift Certificate looks like this; it’s not required, it’s just in case you want a physical certificate to give as a gift. You’ll need to write in the coupon code you received
You can also download one here if you need it.
Alternatively, you can apply the code by copying & pasting (or typing) it into the Coupon Code field of the shopping cart screen
Holiday Hours & 2018 Schedule Changes
First Up: HOLIDAY HOURS
The Dep will be CLOSED from December 17 – January 18
BRUNCH will be OPEN every SAT & SUN throughout the holidays,
except for Sunday, Dec 24.
Stay tuned for an exciting New Year’s Day Brunch announcement!
Up Next: 2018 Schedule
Some changes to our scheduled activities
It’ll take a while before the whole website is updated with the new information – I’ll be working on that over the break.
SUNDAYS | Workshops 6:30–9pm
MONDAYS | Workshops 6:30–9pm
Our Workshops have become very popular, selling out quite often; as a result, we have been offering additional classes on subsequent dates. We’ve put some of these on Sunday nights, and that has proven to be a convenient time for many people. To make it as easy as possible for our instructors, it’s best if we can run classes on back-to-back dates, so I’m going to start scheduling workshop for Sunday nights, and if there is overflow, we can carry over the classes on to Monday nights as well.
We’re also going to be increasing the prices of our Workshops from $50 to $60. I’ve done a bit of research and many of our workshops we offer are less than half the price of equivalent classes in other locations around the city! Ironically, I believe The Dep also pays our instructors more than anywhere else: 60% of the ticket price! But like everyone else, we need to keep up with rising food costs, rent, etc. The increase will be split between instructors and The Dep, so that they will all take home a bit more from each class, and still be a great value for participants.
Note: I will send out a special discount coupon to anyone purchasing a Gift Certificate in December 2017 for $10 off any workshop in 2018 so that their Certificates can still be redeemed for a full workshop ticket.
1st TUESDAYs | Table Talks 6–9pm
Our popular speaker series with dinners by Dep founder Len Senater will continue on the 1st Tuesday of each month.
WEDNESDAYS | Newcomer Kitchen 6–7pm
Newcomer Kitchen will resume — hopefully, pending successful fundraising in December — in late Jan, but will be now be on Wednesdays instead of Thursdays.
THURSDAYS | Drop-In Dinners 6-9pm
The Dep’s popular Drop-In Dinner series will move to Thursday nights. Come check out a different guest chef each week.
FRIDAYS | Private Events 6-11pm
Many people host their own private parties at The Dep, so we’re dedicating Friday nights specifically for this.
SATURDAYS | Supper Club 7:30-10:30pm
Our fabulous family-style dinner parties will continue on Saturday nights
SATURDAY & SUNDAYS | Brunch — 10am–2:30pm
We’re stoked to have Mazeh, a great new Middle Eastern-inspired brunch, on the go every Sat & Sun.
NEWCOMER KITCHEN — December 8
Kibbeh Summaqiyah كبة سماقية
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- Rez bel Shairieh
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- Tabbouleh تبولة
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- Mahalabia مهلبية
[beef ] Kibbeh summaqiyah كبة سماقية
Kibbeh in sumac sauce are a specialty of Aleppo, considered by many to be the culinary capital of Syria. Kibbeh – egg-sized elongated balls of finely ground spiced halal beef and bulgur stuffed with a ground beef and nut mixture, are fried and then cooked a tangy, dark red sumac-infused sauce with lots of onion and sometimes eggplant and/or lamb as well. Served with Rez bel Shairieh (rice with vermicelli)
[vegetarian] Kibbeh summaqiyah كبة سماقية
Vegetarian kibbeh, with a bulgur and potato dough and a mushroom and walnut filling, also cooked in a tangy sumac sauce
Tabbouleh تبولة
Originally from the mountains of Syria and Lebanon, tabbouleh has become one of the most popular salads in the Middle East. A fragrant herb salad of parsley and mint, tomato and onion, with a scattering of bulgur, and seasoned with olive oil, lemon, and salt.
Mahalabia مهلبية
A delicate milk and semolina pudding scented with rose water and garnished with pistachio and a touch of coconut.
$20 +HST
FOR TWO WEEKS ONLY!
Holiday Cookie Box by Newcomer Kitchen!
20 delicious homemade Syrian cookies — a perfect gift!
(If you can resist eating them yourself!)
Add one to your Thursday order for $20.
Meals are available for pickup from The Depanneur,
1033 College Street (between Dufferin & Dovercourt) from 6–7pm
foodora sponsors FREE Delivery within 3km radius
Delivery outside 3km can be arranged with Liam Woolacoot of Saoirse Couriers
647-676-6486 | liamgordonwoolacoot@gmail.com
Meals go on sale on Tuesday at 7am.
Please indicate “PICKUP” or “DELIVERY” in the Order Notes at the Checkout.
>> PURCHASE HERE <<
Newcomer Kitchen is a new project that invites groups of Syrian refugee women to use our kitchen to cook traditional Syrian dishes in a fun, social setting. Meals are prepared and packaged, and then sold online for pickup or delivery to pay for all the ingredients and provide an honorarium for the cooks.
We also offer 1 spot to help/hang out in the kitchen, learn the recipes and join the ladies for family meal on Thursday afternoon. We are asking for a $50 donation for this, which will go to topping up the $ we have to share with the cooks. This is available for purchase online, on a first-come, first-served basis.
Proceeds from the sale of meals goes directly to the newcomer cooks. However this does not cover the costs of the enormous amount of behind-the-scenes coordination required to keep this project going. You can support the Newcomer Kitchen project directly and our vision of expanding this model to support more women in more neighbourhoods!
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Help us take this idea into any restaurant kitchen, in any city in the world!
http://bit.ly/2gpUUu8
Learn more about the Newcomer Kitchen project.
https://newcomerkitchen.ca/
Newcomer Kitchen Brunch at Butler’s Pantry
We invite you to join Newcomer Kitchen at Butler’s Pantry for Toronto’s first authentic Syrian brunch!
brought to you with the generous support of Westbank
This is the first official public Newcomer Kitchen spin-off project, in a trial-run, limited seating engagement. Come enjoy a lavish spread of traditional Syrian home cooking prepared by the talented cooks of Newcomer Kitchen.
Every Sunday until December 18 — SOLD OUT
NEW SATURDAY SEATINGS AVAILABLE!
Prix fixe menu — sold in pairs of 2 — $30 per person
11am, 12, 1 & 2 pm — Tickets must be purchased in advance
(note: each seating is for nearly 2 hours; no one wants to rush Sunday Brunch!)
LOCATION
Butler’s Pantry, 591 Markham Street, Toronto, ON M6G 2L7 View Map
Shay
Bottomless tea!
MEZE (all included, for sharing for 2 people)
Khabaz Saj
Warm flatbread prepared on the domed sag oven
With za’atar and olive oil for dipping
Labneh
Homemade yogurt cheese balls cured in olive oil and seasoned nigella and sesame seed
Kebbeh Bel Sayniyeh
Baked bulgur dough stuffed with walnuts, potatoes, onions, tomato and pomegranate
Baba Ganouj
Smoky eggplant dip with tahini, pomegranate molasses, walnuts and pomegranate seeds
Salatet Na’ameh
Fresh salad of finely chopped tomato, cucumber & onion with lemon, olive oil and mint.
Mukhallat & Atun
Pickled turnips and wild cucumbers; sun-dried black olives spiced with herbs, lemon and Aleppo pepper
Khdarawat
Selection of fresh vegetables to accompany the meal
MAINS (choice of one)
Jazmaz
The Syrian version of the classic Middle Eastern shakshouka; sunny eggs cooked in a rich, chunky tomato sauce with garlic and olive oil.
Fattet Maqdoos
Crispy pita bread, topped with baked eggplant, yogurt- tahini sauce, caramelized onions, pine nuts & parsley. Vegetarian -or- with awarma (confit halal beef)
Beid bel Toum
Syrian hash! Eggs scrambled with potato and whole confit garlic cloves, garnished with pine nuts and herbs.
Vegetarian -or- with awarma (confit halal beef)
Salatet Sabaneh
Wilted spinach tossed with a warm sautée of chickpeas, mushrooms and onions, garnished with lemon & olive oil
Vegan -or- topped with an olive-oil fried egg.
SWEETS, FRUIT & NUTS
Helawiyaat
Figs stuffed with walnuts & dates stuffed with almonds, with grape molasses and tahini for dipping.
Namoura
Semolina and yogurt cake, topped with an almond and infused with orange blossom syrup
Barazek
Buttery pistachio and sesame cookie
Beverages available a la carte | Gratuity not included
>> PURCHASE HERE <<
Butler’s Pantry + Newcomer Kitchen + Westbank
Newcomer Kitchen invites Syrian newcomer women to share their remarkable cooking skills through collaborations with local restaurants. newcomerkitchen.ca
Newcomer Kitchen Brunch at Butler’s Pantry — SUN Nov. 20
We invite you to join Newcomer Kitchen at Butler’s Pantry for Toronto’s first authentic Syrian brunch!
This is the first official public NK spin-off project, in a trial-run, limited seating engagement. Come enjoy a lavish spread of traditional Syrian home cooking prepared by the talented cooks of Newcomer Kitchen.
Prix fixe menu — sold in pairs of 2 — $30 per person
3 seatings — 11am, 12 & 1 pm — Tickets must be purchased in advance
>> PURCHASE HERE <<
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Shay
Bottomless tea!
MEZE (all included, for sharing for 2 people)
Khabaz Saj
Warm flatbread prepared on the domed sag oven
With za’atar and olive oil for dipping
Labneh
Homemade yogurt cheese balls cured in olive oil and seasoned nigella and sesame seed
Kebbeh Bel Sayniyeh
Baked bulgur dough stuffed with walnuts, potatoes, onions, tomato and pomegranate
Baba Ganouj
Smoky eggplant dip with tahini, pomegranate molasses, walnuts and pomegranate seeds
Salatet Na’ameh
Fresh salad of finely chopped tomato, cucumber & onion with lemon, olive oil and mint.
Mukhallat & Atun
Pickled turnips and wild cucumbers; sun-dried black olives spiced with herbs, lemon and Aleppo pepper
Khdarawat
Selection of fresh vegetables to accompany the meal
MAINS (choice of one)
Jazmaz
The Syrian version of the classic Middle Eastern shakshouka; sunny eggs cooked in a rich, chunky tomato sauce with garlic and olive oil.
Fattet Maqdoos
Crispy pita bread, topped with baked eggplant, yogurt- tahini sauce, caramelized onions, pine nuts & parsley. Vegetarian -or- with awarma (confit halal beef)
Beid bel Toum
Syrian hash! Eggs scrambled with potato and whole confit garlic cloves, garnished with pine nuts and herbs.
Vegetarian -or- with awarma (confit halal beef)
Salatet Sabaneh
Wilted spinach tossed with a warm sautée of chickpeas, mushrooms and onions, garnished with lemon & olive oil
Vegan -or- topped with an olive-oil fried egg.
SWEETS, FRUIT & NUTS
Helawiyaat
Figs stuffed with walnuts & dates stuffed with almonds, with grape molasses and tahini for dipping.
Namoura
Semolina and yogurt cake, topped with an almond and infused with orange blossom syrup
Barazek
Buttery pistachio and sesame cookie
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Beverages available a la carte | Gratuity not included
on Facebook
on Eventbrite
Newcomer Kitchen invites Syrian newcomer women to share their remarkable cooking skills through collaborations with local restaurants. newcomerkitchen.ca
Butler’s Pantry has become a Toronto institution, serving international comfort foods since 1985. butlerspantry.ca
WORKSHOP: Syrian Home Cooking with Newcomer Kitchen
MONDAY, Oct. 10 | 10am-5pm
An all-day cooking workshop on Thanksgiving Monday!
Back in the spring, The Depanneur reached out to the Syrian newcomer community and has been delighting in the delicious results ever since. Our Newcomer Kitchen project has become something of a local sensation, serving up 50 meals of traditional Syrian home cooking every week.
In that time, many people have expressed tremendous interest in learning some of these fabulous recipes, so for this Thanksgiving Monday, The Dep and Newcomer Kitchen are teaming up to offer a full-day, hands-on workshop delving into a some of our most popular Syrian dishes. The class will be led by Rahaf Al Akbani, one of Newcomer Kitchen’s coordinators, along with 2 of our talented Syrian cooks, and facilitated by The Dep’s Emily Zimmerman.
The class will cover a number of delicious and traditional Syrian recipes, and will include a meze lunch and food to take home.
— Morning —
Mutabal kousa متبل كوسا
Syrian home cooking is notable for its economy and minimal waste. The pulp scooped out of the middle of the zucchinis when they are cored to make Kousa Mahshi is not thrown out, but rather cooked up and combined with tahini and lemon to transform it into a subtle and delicious meze dip akin to baba ganoush.
Kibbeh bel Senia كبة بالصينية
Kibbeh is one of the most quintessential Syrian dishes, made from a thick dough of bulgur (steamed, dried and cracked whole wheat). Many types of kibbeh are individually stuffed, shaped and fried, which can be very labour intensive, but this delicious vegetarian kibbeh is stuffed with a combination of walnuts, potatoes, onions, tomatoes and pomegranate seeds, garnished with pine nuts, baked in a tray like brownies!
Salateh Naameh سلطة ناعمة
This essential Mediterranean salad can be found throughout the middle east, with tomatoes, cucumber, and white onion are finely diced and seasoned with olive oil, mint and lemon juice.
Khabaz Saj (خبز الصاج)
A simple fresh flatbread, handmade on the traditional domed oven of the same name.
LUNCH
— Afternoon —
Kousa Mahshi كوسا محشي
Stuffed zucchinis were cherished by the former Ottoman Empire, and they made them popular from the Balkans to the Levant. Most popular are the beautiful, pale green young marrow or summer squash, but regular zucchinis work just fine. They are hollowed out with a special implement called a manakra (an apple corer works well in a pinch), and stuffed with a mix of ground halal beef and rice, or a spiced rice mixture for a vegetarian option.
Namoura نمُّورة
An classic Syrian dessert, a rich buttery semolina and yogurt cake, garnished with almonds and drizzled with a orange-blossom infused syrup.
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$125 +HST
>> PURCHASE HERE <<
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Newcomer Kitchen is a new project that invites groups of Syrian refugee women to use our kitchen to cook traditional Syrian dishes in a fun, social setting. Meals are prepared and packaged, and then sold online for pickup or delivery to pay for all the ingredients and provide an honorarium for the cooks. The project now supports over 55 women and has paid out over $16,000 directly into the community in only a few months.
Proceeds from the sale of meals goes directly to the newcomer cooks. However this does not cover the costs of the enormous amount of behind-the-scenes coordination required to keep this project going. You can support the Newcomer Kitchen project directly and our vision of expanding this model to support more women in more neighbourhoods!
Learn more about the Newcomer Kitchen project.
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Every Monday, The Depanneur invites TO’s best culinary talents to lead fun, hands-on workshops.
2016: The times are a-changin’…
Hey y’all… Can you believe The Dep has been putting out interesting food things for nearly 5 years?!? You can expect more great culinary adventures in 2016; I’m presently working on nailing down some moving parts, but here are some of the changes you can expect in the new year:
- We’ll be keeping our great hands-on Monday Workshops and weekend Supper Clubs. We haven’t raised the prices in 5 years, so starting in 2016, these events will be $50 (+HST).
NOTE: if you buy Gift Certificates before Dec. 31, you’ll pay the 2015 price ($40), but can apply it towards any 2016 event! - We’ll be keeping our Friday-night Drop-In Dinners, with a different guest cook every week; The Dep is still committed to being a showcase for all the amazing amateur & professional culinary talent we have in Toronto.
- We will be winding down our Tues, Wed and Thurs-night Drop-In Dinners. It’s hard to let them go, as I love cooking for our community, and have really enjoyed working with the talented Emily Zimmerman who has run our great vegan nights in collaboration with Fresh City Farms. You can be sure that she will continue to be a regular fixture at our Workshops, Drop-In Dinners & Supper Clubs.
- I will converting my own Tuesday Drop-In Dinner and the great Table Talks series into a ticketed monthly event so I can offer our guest speakers a honorarium in addition to dinner.
- B.K., the Free Range Human, continues his fantastic Thick Cut Brunch every Sat & Sun, and we’re presently scheming on ways to get even more amazing breakfast & lunch into your mouths.
- The Dep will still be available to rent for Private Events, both on weekends, and now we will be able to accommodate private workshops, team-building events and dinners on Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday nights as well.
The Dep will be CLOSED Dec 21–Jan 15 for a bit of a holiday break and a chance to put some of these changes in place. Brunch will continue every weekend throughout the break, plus stay tuned for details on a special New Year’s Day Brunchtacular event.