Marion Kane: Food Sleuth®

Vegetables

Surviving and Thriving in Toronto’s Kensington Market

(Left to right) Potsothy (Pots) Sallapa, Adam Zimmerman, Danny Zimmerman at
4 Life Natural Foods

Whither Kensington?

These are podcasts recorded a few years ago about the changing nature of Kensington Market.

Everyone knows him as Pots. His full name is Potsothy Sallapa. This popular, kind, soft-spoken man has found his roots — literally and figuratively.

His dream is to build a rooftop greenhouse above his store 4 Life Natural Foods on Augusta Ave. in Toronto’s downtown Kensington Market. These are the literal roots. Read more…

Greek Salad and Whole Roasted Cauliflower are Tops in “The Last Schmaltz”

Country Greek from “The Last Schmaltz” is a Salad Comprised of
the Usual Ingredients Plus the Welcome Addition of Chickpeas

What is a nice Jewish boy from North York doing with a mini-empire of quirky restaurants in a gritty neighbourhood of downtown Toronto? Doing pretty well is the short answer. Read more…

Mutual Love of Prunes is One Bond I Have with Gabriella

Prune Soufflé
The Prune Soufflé that my mother used to make from her 1940s edition of the ‘Joy of Cooking’

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It was May, 2004, during a glitzy dinner celebrating that year’s James Beard Awards at a mid-Manhattan hotel.

Gabriella Gershenson, at that time a fledgling food writer living in New York, was seated next to me. I discovered that I and this soft-spoken young woman with thick, wavy black hair and a winning smile were kindred souls. Read more…

Chef Lynn Returns to Scottish Roots with Mince ‘n’ Tatties

This recipe is from the excellent cookbook ‘AT HOME with LYNN CRAWFORD’.

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When I was interviewing well-known Canadian chef Lynn Crawford for a podcast, we chatted about our long friendship, her TV career, our joint project that raised $40,000 for a new kitchen at a Toronto homeless shelter for women called Sistering – and what we like to cook at home. Read more…

Linda McCartney Signed My Book “Go Veggie, Marion!”

This article by me appeared in the Toronto Star after I interviewed Linda McCartney in Toronto in October, 1991 about her vegetarian cookbook “Home Cooking”. Sadly, she died too young from breast cancer in 1998 at the age of 56.

In real life, Linda McCartney is nothing like the stilted photo that graces her cookbook.

And, say I, thank goodness for that. Read more…

I Discovered Brilliant Anthony Bourdain Many Years Ago

In Memoriam: Anthony Bourdain – an inspiration to me and the huge number of devotees who followed his ground-breaking, intrepid and wondrous work – committed suicide while filming an episode of Parts Unknown in France on June 8, 2018. He was one of a kind. RIP dear friend. Read more…

This Spud’s for You: Potato Salad from Old-Fashioned to Fancy

tater salad too

My creamy old-fashioned potato salad uses pickle juice

This feature appeared in the Toronto Star in 1996. My favourite version is the first one.

“Potato salad: A cold or hot side dish made with potatoes, mayonnaise and seasonings. It became very popular in the second half of the nineteenth century and is a staple of both home and food-store kitchens.” — John Mariani: The Dictionary of American Food and Drink Read more…

New York Vegetable Restaurant “Dirt Candy” is a Sweet Success

zukes smaller

Grilled zucchini with the Dirt Candy cookbook’s Yellow Tomato Coconut Curry Sauce

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Amanda Cohen was born and raised in Canada. Some years ago, she went to study in New York and has made that city her home ever since. These days, she has good reason to stay; her famous Dirt Candy eatery – what she calls a “vegetable restaurant” – located on the Lower East Side, is a huge hit. Read more…

Marion Kane, Food Sleuth®

Marion Kane has been a leader in the world of food journalism for a few decades. She is an intrepid populist whose work combines social commentary with a consuming passion for all things culinary. For 18 years, she was food editor/columnist for Canada's largest newspaper: the Toronto Star. She lives in Toronto's colourful Kensington Market and is currently a free-wheeling freelance food sleuth®, podcaster, writer and cook.

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