“The strength is in the diversity we have. The Depanneur, by inviting all these different people in, really became a mirror of the remarkable diversity of the city. And so that’s one of the things I’m proud of in the book. It’s going out with cooks from 80 different countries in one book. That speaks to the food culture of Toronto more than any one particular kind of dish.”
When I think of a quintessentially Torontonian food experience, I tend to think of The Depanneur. Founded in 2011, The Depanneur was a tiny old corner store that transformed into a place where interesting food things happen, featuring hundreds of talented cooks and home chefs serving thousands of eclectic meals through unique Drop-In Dinners, cooking classes, table talks, and supper clubs. It was also the birthplace of Newcomer Kitchen, a non-profit social enterprise that helped create social and economic opportunities for Syrian refugee women through food-based projects.
Today on the show is the founder of The Depp, Len Senater, who speaks to the way he created space in Toronto’s increasingly gentrified hospitality world to maintain experimental approaches about food’s role in building community and celebrating diversity. He shares the story behind his recently launched cookbook, The Depanneur Cookbook, which launched as a Kickstarter campaign in November 2020. Equal parts documentary, manifesto, and cookbook, the book features delicious food, poignant stories, and beautiful photography by Ksenija Hotic. More than just a collection of authentic home cooking from around the world, it is the only cookbook that truly captures the incredible culinary diversity of Toronto.
Learn More About Len:
By The Depanneur Cookbook : https://thedepanneur.ca/home/the-depanneur-cookbook/
Upcoming Cookbook Events: https://thedepanneur.ca/events/2024-03/
Facebook: The Depanneur
Instagram: @thedepanneur