Sistering – a drop-in for homeless and marginalized women – has been a stalwart front-line facility in downtown Toronto since 1981.
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…
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…
Rob Firing’s barbecued ribeye steak with service berries and garlic scapes
Rob Firing has changed my life. Read more…
This recipe is from the excellent cookbook ‘AT HOME with LYNN CRAWFORD’.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
It took me a while to figure out an answer to the question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” (By the way, I’m not sure if I have grown up in spite of being what is politely called “middle-aged.” When people claim I don’t look – or act – my age, I have this answer: “Hair dye and immaturity keep me young.”) Read more…
