

(Left to right) Rosemary at work several decades ago in Toronto: In the kitchen at Bumpkin’s Take-Out and behind the bar at the Empire Diner.
(Left to right) Bumpkin’s Take-Out menu. Rosemary at the Varanasi flower market in northern India in 2016 with her goddaughter and stepdaughter. Rosemary in the kitchen.
I can picture her working at Courage My Love in the late ’70s.
With a vintage small black hat perched on her upswept dark hair. And her ivory skin contrasting with red lipstick.
She spoke clearly and she was charming. Rosemary Kelly is beautiful inside and out.
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Courage My Love is a landmark vintage store in Kensington Market – a colourful, feisty downtown Toronto Victorian neighbourhood akin to Camden Town in London (U.K.) and The Village in New York. The Market began as the Jewish Market more than 100 years ago. It has changed ever since. Jewish merchants and residents have mostly disappeared. A different, assorted ethnic mix, organic butchers and natural grocery stores have replaced them. Hipsters and tourists, instead of families, mainly shop here.
Rosemary and I have known each other for about 45 years.
At the time we met, I lived in the shabby chic apartment above Courage My Love. She calls us “Kensington Market veterans.” We are attracted to the bohemian vibe. I call the unique community my family and my home.
Rosemary describes the history of the Market fondly: “Kensington was vibrant – full of the most interesting, independent businesses. People were creative and we weren’t living in the oppression and homogenization of corporations.” Compared to the state of our city Toronto, this hasn’t happened to our beloved enclave. The Market is still lively and alive. Listen to my podcast recorded in 2012.
“I’ve loved travelling since my teens. I love moving around,” Rosemary explains, “I’m pretty sure it comes from my grandfather who was a captain on the Great Lakes.” Aptly, her Facebook moniker is “rosieonthemove.”
She describes herself as “adventurous, vivacious, fearless and an extraverted introvert. When I was young, I hitch-hiked around North America – Banff, New York City, Dallas, New Orleans. In the ’80s and ’90s, I lived and worked in London for 15 years.”
She grew up in Montreal, is bilingual and the oldest of six children. She learned to cook by babysitting for a Jewish family as a teenager. She has friends in India, the U.K. and has visited European cities like Prague, Barcelona, Vienna and Zadar.
Rosemary describes her cooking as “plentiful, versatile and paysanne. Very basic fare – chicken, salads, always a vegetarian option and dessert.” She often ends up being “the inadvertent caterer.” She lists her most memorable meals: “George Penner, my friend and host, had a huge dinner for his alumni from an international school in India.” She adds, ” I also made a couple of big lunches when I was in London and Bath to celebrate my 65th birthday. And I made gourmet vegetarian sandwiches for a bride’s henna party – it’s a part of the Hindu wedding tradition where the bride’s hands and feet are painted with elaborate designs.”
She chronicles her travels in India, “I have attended a conference in Delhi, visited the wineries in Nashik, explored the Ellora and Ajanta caves, lived at an ayurvedic hospital in Derisanamcope for three weeks and volunteered at one of the world’s top lymphedema hospitals in Kasaragod.” She has travelled alone or with friends, by bus, plane and car.
When Rosemary’s friend got breast cancer several years ago, she researched the disease. She developed a program called Laughing Lymphercise: chair-based, gentle movements incorporating music and laughter to stimulate the lymphatic system in breast cancer patients. She has spoken about this at world conferences in Delhi, Hamilton and Winnipeg.
She now also has a health challenge: osteoarthritis. She walks with a cane and she says, “I strategize my moves” and she is happy with the protein injection therapy in her knees. Rosemary is cheerful and has a positive approach to life. She thinks – and acts – outside the box. In a nutshell, she inspires me.
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Rosemary cooks a chicken coconut curry similar to this. The recipe is from the terrific book “Peace, Love & Fibre” by my friend Mairlyn Smith.
Chicken and Chickpea Curry
Mairlyn wrote this intro in her book: “This recipe is for all the people who want to incorporate more pulses into their diet but don’t want to go all plant-based cold turkey, pardon the pun. If I lost you at the word pulses, here’s the Pulses Refresher Course: they are chickpeas, beans, lentils and split peas. All of them are heart-healthy and full of fibre which is why I love them so much.” I sometimes replace the spice blend with a good curry powder and fresh tomatoes with canned. I adjust the salt at the end of cooking. I cooked the curry in a large, flat-bottomed wok. Mairlyn suggests serving the curry over quinoa or barley and add hot sauce, if desired. I serve it over mashed potatoes.
Spice blend:
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
¼ tsp salt
Chicken Curry:
3 tbsp canola oil
8 oz/225 g boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 onions, peeled, cut into thin half moons
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger root
1 large sweet potato, scrubbed well, cut into quarters and then into ½-inch slices (about 4 cups)
5 Roma tomatoes, chopped (about 2 cups)
19 oz/540 ml can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
400 mL can low-fat coconut milk (shake well before opening)
1 cup baby peas, frozen or fresh
In a small bowl, mix together the Spice Blend. Set aside.
Heat a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add oil and then chicken; brown well, 3 to 6 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium. Add onions and garlic; sauté until the onions are turning a golden brown. Add ginger root, sweet potato and the Spice Blend, stirring to combine. Add tomatoes; sauté until they start to break down and release their juices, about 2 minutes. Add chickpeas and coconut milk, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet as they are loaded with flavour. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to a medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove lid and cook for an additional 15 minutes, adjusting the heat so it’s still simmering. Add peas, stir in, remove from heat, let sit uncovered until the peas are heated through.
Makes about 4 to 6 servings.