TABLE TALK: Ksenija Hotic

Ksenija Hotic_Boz

Photo Credit Rick O’Brien

Last week marked the Hotic family’s arrival in Canada precisely 20 years ago. Ksenija Hotic, a photographer and fan favourite at the Dep, passed around childhood photos along with home-smoked sujuk and basturma (pastrami’s precursor) from her family in Rexdale.  Read more

TABLE TALK: Vanessa Yu

caterto

For an aspiring caterer to do well in an industry cornered by large food service providers is more daunting than most realize. Perhaps this isn’t news to you.

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TABLE TALK: Jose Arato

jose rebecca

Photo Credit KATHY HO

Once an accountant in Venezuela, Jose Arato’s life and career is one of transition and exploration. Arriving in Toronto some 13 years ago, Jose’s passion for food led him from culinary school to a job as a creative pastry chef working mostly in the wedding industry. Read more

TABLE TALK: Peter McClusky

Before turning to garlic farming and actively supporting the local farm movement, Peter McClusky left his near 20 year stint in New York City spent partly as a Digital Media Exec for a $50/week farming internship with Action Ontario (similar to WWOOFing); or as he calmly states, a move from the bland world of selling towards something he felt was moving and worthwhile*. Read more

TABLE TALK: Carlos and Sandra Flores

It’s somewhat fitting Carlos and Sandra Flores are the first to share a table with a handful of guests for our inaugural Table Talk. After all, it was only two years prior when Carlos strolled into our Brunch with his first-ever batch of his ‘insane’ hot sauce. Carlos says he brought his ‘insane’ sauce with him that day because someone had asked to try it — they loved it — and since then, he and Sandra have continued to hand produce, package, distribute and market what has now become No.7 HotSauce for the very same reason they started, someone had asked to try it. Read more

40 Homes for Dinner

40 Homes For Dinner fundraising event for Homes First — an organization actively addressing homelessness in Toronto.

Hosted by: MP Andrew Cash
Catering by: Rancho Relaxo

Toronto Mentions the Dep 2014

pop up pick

The Grid lists our Rusholme Supper Club in their “Joiner’s Guide”
Indie88 “the sly” Rusholme Supper Club finds a way on Indie88’s Secret Supper Club List
The Swallow Everyone Loves A Pop-Up
Toronto Life highlights Dave Mottershall’s Halloween Feast at the Dep

Healthy Local Food and Alex Mazer

Len Alex Mazer

AlexMazer.ca

“FoodShare and other Ward 18 food leaders such as Community Food Centres Canada, the Dufferin Grove Farmers’ Market, and The Depanneur have shown the exciting potential of good, healthy food, urban agriculture, and food entrepreneurship. It is a way to improve the health and sustainability of our ward, to encourage new local jobs and economic activity and to bring our community together.” — Alex Mazer, Ward 18 Candidate for Toronto City Council 2014

Video: Alex outlines why Ward 18 Matters and mentions the Dep

Why The Dep?

Because:

Hosting a pop-up is too expensive
Having to set up all the infrastructure for a pop-up from scratch: venue, kitchen, dining room, promotion, tickets, staffing, etc. is incredibly time/resource intensive. This limits who gets to cook/host.

Attending a pop-up is too expensive
The high setup costs drive up the ticket price; this limits who gets to attend.

Pop up culture lacks diversity
As a result, there ends up being a strong bias toward the same kind of people (e.g. privileged white guys) doing the majority of the cooking/eating and defining the aesthetic/ethos of pop-up culture. Read more