Marion Kane: Food Sleuth®

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…

Sistering’s Vintage Cookbook Yields a Lovely Lemon Loaf

Sistering – a drop-in for homeless and marginalized women – has been a stalwart front-line facility in downtown Toronto since 1981.

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Today, this busy place is located on Bloor West at Dovercourt and, for the past three years, it has expanded its services to be a “low-barrier” shelter. That means that they operate 24/7 and turn away no-one. With the homeless crisis reaching a peak this year and only getting worse, it’s a crowded spot. 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…

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…

“It’s Only Shepherd’s Pie But I Like It!” Says Keith Richards

Keith Richards liked my article so much, he signed a copy. It appeared in the Toronto Star in the summer of 1994 while The Rolling Stones were living in Toronto rehearsing for their Voodoo Lounge tour. (Update: I’ve recently perfected the ultimate version of Shepherd’s Pie that appears on the Recipes page of this site.)
 Read more…

Matty Matheson’s Easy, Fluffy Pancakes May Be World’s Best

Chef Matty Matheson is a rising star mostly thanks to his inimitable wit, outrageous antics and yes, cooking talent. His never-dull hit show “Dead Set on Life” on VICE TV along with his huge – and growing – popularity on social media are icing on the cake.

“You need almost no cooking skills to make the world’s greatest pancakes” – Munchies Staff Read more…

I Net the News on Fish and Chips from Humble to Haute, from London To Toronto

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My love of fish and chips dates back to formative years growing up in London, U.K., the historical home of this popular, populist, down-home dish.

In my early teens, I recall joining Girl Guides where we lived in the North London suburb of Finchley – then a white-collar, white-bread enclave where my Jewish family stood out like a sore thumb. Read more…

Masala to Almond Cake: Restaurant-Hopping in Toronto’s East End

It’s been a rough few weeks.

In mid-December, my wise therapist, inspired spiritual teacher and beloved friend Terry Flynn died. It was sudden and unexpected. Although he had been diagnosed with the dreaded disease called ALS (Lou Gehrig’s), Terry assumed he had months, maybe more, to live. I miss him with all my heart.

Hot on the heels of this came two work-related setbacks. In both cases, I didn’t see them coming. Both triggered strong emotions. Both made me doubt my judgment, something that’s been shaken up since I quit the corporate world in 2007 after 18 years as food editor/columnist for the Toronto Star, Canada’s largest newspaper, and embarked on my intrepid, often lonely, frequently bumpy path as a fledgling freelance food sleuth. Read more…

David Chang’s Asian Take on Brussels Sprouts – my Fave Underdog Veg – is Delish!

I’ve been championing Brussels sprouts for many moons.

Some time in the 1990s, when I was food editor for the Toronto Star, I penned a piece on “underdog foods” in which I named those that have a bad rep, some of them for no apparent or justifiable reason.

The list included these items: Liver, prunes, turnips, tofu, tapioca – and Brussels sprouts.

Ever one to support the misfit and maligned (something that dates back to my childhood as a secular Jew growing up in a white-bread, white-collar suburb of North London, England), I immediately came to the rescue of these culinary underdogs. 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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