Len Senater has a vision and a mission. Len founded The Depanneur in a Toronto convenience store 10 years ago. It’s grown into several creative projects. Among them, the Newcomer Kitchen and The Depanneur Cookbook. Len is currently on sabbatical. He will spend some time in Bhutan and in the south of India thinking about the next incarnation of The Depanneur. We had a conversation in my kitchen in downtown Toronto.
Montreal is famous for smoked meat and bagels. Both foods had humble beginnings in Mile End – a former immigrant, working-class Jewish neighbourhood. My father also grew up in the ‘hood so, on a recent trip, I decided to visit two of his old haunts: Schwartz’s Deli and St-Viateur Bagel. At St. Viateur, Saul Restrepo shared the owners’ history across three generations including how their bagels compare to those of long-time rival Fairmount Bagel. But first to Schwartz’s, renowned for its smoked meat and now partly owned by Celine Dion, for a chat with general manager Frank Silva.
Picture a homeless person. Do you see a family? A child? My guest today sees many families in crisis and works tirelessly to help. Wendy Bray is Senior Fund Development Manager at the Red Door Family Shelter. She’s a compassionate woman with years of experience working on the frontlines in Toronto. I started by asking about our mutual friend Eva(Ibi)Gabori, who is now 93 years old. Eva inspired Wendy’s positive outlook in the face of incredible hardship.
Donate to support her work at reddoorshelter.ca.
Lesleigh Landry cooks for a living but, unlike many in the industry, she does it from her home kitchen. Lesleigh is a freelance recipe tester, developer and food stylist. We’ve worked together for decades and I know she’s always up for a tasty challenge. So I asked her to make a few chicken wing recipes – baked and fried – which we compared in her Toronto home.
Rosemary Kelly is my long-time friend. Her Facebook name is: rosieonthemove. Her LinkedIn profile is: Independent Health, Wellness and Fitness Professional. Rosemary is an intrepid traveller. She cooks. And she’s treated cancer patients with massage. She is a free spirit. Rosemary told me her story at the kitchen table in her cozy apartment in downtown Toronto. I began asking how long we’ve known each other.
John Ota and his wife don’t like their kitchen in downtown Toronto. His search for the perfect kitchen took him across North America to 13 famous kitchens including Julia Child’s, the Pilgrims’, Elvis Presley’s and Louis Armstrong’s, among others. He describes them in his brilliant book “The Kitchen: A Journey Through History in Search of the Perfect Design.”
This podcast is dear to my heart – it’s about my Toronto home: Kensington Market. As a podcaster, I notice what I call “good talkers” in my daily life. Carlos Pereira is a character and a good talker. I’ve known him for about 40 years – since I moved into my beloved downtown neighbourhood. Kensington Market is a unique, colourful mix of old houses and small shops where waves of immigrants have long shopped and made their homes. Carlos started working at House of Spice as a teenager in 1977; he bought it in 2012. I talked with Carlos at the famous and popular store in the heart of the market where things are changing. Please listen to the end of the podcast when he says nice things about life – and about me.
Haven is just that: it’s a downtown drop-in open 365 days/year offering hot meals and a warm welcome to marginalized men ages 50+. Lauro Monteiro, Haven Toronto’s Executive Director, has a steely determination and a compassionate heart. I visited Haven to chat with Lauro and discovered how he cultivates hope and humanity amid Toronto’s cruel housing crisis. But first Scott, a panhandler briefly shares his story.
To learn more about Haven Toronto or to make a donation, visit www.haventoronto.ca
Chef Sean Brock grew up in Appalachian banjo country. He left Charleston and his restaurants called ‘Husk’ recently for his new hometown of Nashville. He’s a James Beard award winner for both his cooking and his writing. He appeared in an iconic episode of ‘Parts Unknown’ with Anthony Bourdain in which they dined together at a Waffle House. He talked with me about his new-found sobriety, his new baby son and the tragic death of his friend Tony.
Toronto street nurse Cathy Crowe is an author, filmmaker, activist and a distinguished visiting practitioner in the Department of Politics at Ryerson University. Cathy has been on the front lines of Toronto’s housing emergency for decades. Her new memoir A Knapsack Full of Dreams recounts her lifelong commitment to social justice. She has led a fascinating life and I feel lucky to call her a friend. We met at Cathy’s co-op apartment in downtown Toronto. Please listen until the end – it’s a powerful moment.
