Newcomer Kitchen Spring Term Ends On A Strong Note...

Already missing these lovely ladies 🌸! But it's never too late to extend the great. Congratulations Global Pan in completing our Spring 12 week Food Entrepreneurship Program at Newcomer Kitchen and a very successful last experiential catering event 👏! Here's a fond look back on the term...

Started as strangers, they are now almost sisters 👭. Coming together strong as a team, like professionals they produced several multicultural menus, prepared multiple meals in the kitchen, demoed at the farmer's markets, interacted with the public and served at a party. I couldn't be more proud and honoured 💓... Way to go!

For our last event on catering, we prepared finger foods for 25 guests invited from our city's immigration settlement agencies to enjoy food and conversations with our ladies at CSI on Spadina Avenue. Meanwhile, we had professional photographers snapping shots for social media marketing. It was bustling pre-party, adding the finishing food touches while taking instructions for photo poses. The team did Ahh-MaZing 👊💥!

Assembling Chinese app favourite- braised beef slices rolled with onion and cucumber slivers in hoisin sauce basted panfried green onion pancakes. Then sliced to serve as yummy skewered mini rolls.

What a pretty spread! We got Afghanistan stuffed chicken sambosas, fried Bahamian plantain poppers, cold shrimps and snappy asparagus served with a homemade Syrian roasted pepper and tomato sauce and to wash it all down, a refreshing pomegranate twist to switcha (a Bahamian limeade with fresh lemons and concentrated lime juice).

These ladies served a vegan Chinese layered cold dessert with creamy almond jelly topped with fresh fruit suspended in agar agar. So deliciously goood 😋!

This Bahama mama knows her Mac and Cheese 🇧🇸. Cut into bite size pieces, her personal touch with green peppers and celery gave it bite and colour to the raving joys of our crowd.

I love the engagement. As part of the exercise, speaking and interacting with the public was just as an important part as delivering great tasting food!

Niiiice work ladies!

At the cooking event prior... Sitting down for a photo op and talk with Len Senator, owner of The Depanneur, who paved the way for the philosophy at Newcomer Kitchen. What an absolute pleasure it was to end a busy two days prepping for his communal picnic with Global Pan 🌏 🍳 to inaugurate the summer events at The Bentway Studio- Canoe Landing.

Newcomer Kitchen started at The Depanneur in 2016 as a grass-roots initiative to create social and economic opportunities for newly-arrived Syrian refugees. After a wildly successful 3-year pilot at The Depanneur, Newcomer Kitchen expanded to become an entrepreneurial training program aimed at helping diverse groups of newcomer women gain experience in the food sector.

The exciting international menu we put together included:

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Syrian Muhummara spicy roasted red pepper dip + Cong Yu Bing (Chinese green onion pancakes)

Taiwanese Pickled Daikon

Afghani Chapli Kebab (meat)

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Bahamian Macaroni Pie (veg)

Afghani Borani Banjan- simmered oven-baked eggplant and tomato topped with lashes of thick garlicky yogurt and mint.

Caribbean Citrus Salad with a light avocado and lime dressing.

Chinese Almond Jelly with fresh fruit

The Dep, as most who knew it may be shuttered but Len continues to do great things in the name of food and community, including writing a cookbook with newcomer stories and their recipes. Follow him at The Depanneur and be in the know of upcoming delicious events!

And for Canada 🇨🇦 Day....? Delish food kicked off the long weekend celebrations at The Bentway with The Depanneur and Newcomer Kitchen 🤗!

Gorgeous multi vegetable platters graced tables for a communal dinner with one of our evening program ladies (Mamas Cuisine) warming up naan on a hot saj 🔥. This is part of the catering experiential learning in our W2W food business program where 100% of the generated profits goes to the ladies.

My new summer term with 4 ladies from Egypt, Afghanistan and India is underway. Stay Tuned...