Comfort Hayashi Rice (Japanese Hashed Beef Rice)...

Have you ever heard of hashed beef rice?...  not to be mixed up with corn beef hash. Basically, it's thin slices of beef cooked with onions and mushrooms in a beef gravy but not so basic as you will read... and it's Japanese 🇯🇵! Well, a yoshoku western-influenced stew called hayashi and after tonight, it will be on rotation especially with fall on the horizon and back-to-school easy weeknight meals... The recipe was replicated from Just One Cookbook, and it turned out beautifully! A must try 👌

I was watching a missed last episode of 2017 series Samurai Gourmet on Netflix, where the lead foodie character searched high and low for a relocated restaurant in Japan to reminisce his beloved childhood dish hayashi rice.

The close camera shots of the succulent glossy demi glace being prepared with a 1-1/2 hours cooked down espagnole sauce (onions, carrots and celery in beef stock and red wine with a bouquet garni of bay leaves, thyme, black peppercorns and parsley sprigs) and then poured to stir and thicken into a 15-minute cooked flour and butter roux to chocolate brown, thus the gorgeous gravy... had me weak at the knees 🤤. A bit of a caramel nose and further seasoned with garlic, tomato paste and juice, worcestershire sauce, catsup simmered with the onions, thinly sliced beef, and white & shimeji mushrooms 🍄🍄.

Use frozen thawed sliced beef for easy convenience.

 Ahhhh.... 15 minutes later, served with hot steamed rice... heaven on a plate 🍛😇!

All Sorts of Action At Newcomer Kitchen...

 

Pizza and Champagne... you bet 🍕🥂! To inaugurate our move into our new office at Centre of Social Innovation (CSI) Spadina three months ago (posting late, better than never)... thanks to a generous grant from @cityofto 🤗. I also started in my new role as Program Manager so woohoo to that too 🎉🎉🎊!

It was a hop, skip and a jump over (next door) to a much larger office (previously occupied by @nowtoronto magazine). Hardwood floors, exposed brick, light soaked, panoramic view of the skyline in a beautiful 1920s building on the top floor. We built an enclosed office space, have a large common area with a couch, big dining table (doubles as a work table) and a kitchenette that also serves as a demo cook station for various food workshops. 

Here I am with chef Mary Freij, our Willing To Work Evening Program Trainer and Sandra Lefebvre, our XP Program Coordinator in charge of our newly launched next level up program for selected W2W alumnis who have shown the most potential in starting their own food business. Over a few months, they will take various business-related workshops and take on farmer's market and catering opportunities from our returning clients and new.

Notably, in May CSI held a Career Pathways event which gathered more than 26 organizations working in newcomer and settlement services to strengthen our ecosystem and partnerships. Here with Tamara Chaikin, NK Director of Operations and Cara Benjamin-Pace, NK Executive Director.

Past graduates catered to the event who are now part of our newly launched XP Program💥!! 

The XP program were also part of the celebrations with Carleton University and their graduates, catering to a 10 years anniversary event with their Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership program at CSI Annex. We served a beautiful array of Taiwanese and Syrian finger foods, dips and petit fours with the showstopper Ukrainian honey cake from my past group Taste Elle's Liza 💗! 

Catering for film 📽🎞! 

A joint effort with both Willing To Work Food Business Program and XP Program women!

The 14th edition of The 8 Fest @the8fest (July 28th to 30th) celebrated and presented films from Toronto, across Canada and from small-gauge creators (8mm, Super 8 and 9.5mm, as well as works in installation, loops, handmade, experimental, animations, diaries, etc.,) and communities around the world. Their first annual festival was held in February 2007.

Punjabi Kala Chana Chaat (Black chickpea salad)

Moroccan Vegetarian "Candy" Cigars

We offered on their opening night an International menu of appetizers ranging from deep-fried vegetarian South Asian bites and chana chaat to Turkish meat skewers to Eritrean agelgil (injera layered with shiro chickpea stew) and meat sauce to chocolate baklava. We heard we had the loudest raving cheers when they announced us as part of the credits at the end of the night. YAY 🎬😋!

Meet chef Mary who works with me! She is the owner of Tetaskitchen.com- notably recognized on @torontolife's best 20 restaurants to eat in Toronto 2023. Who better to learn from than a food entrepreneur who did just that, coming from Dubai seven years ago. Incredible 👊💥!

Catching a glimpse of her mouth watering and economical mixed grilled platter for 2 #halal on insta, I had to give it a go. One of the highlights is “Pandan Kebab,” fusing the Southeast Asian herb with their popular customer Middle Eastern mainstays- sheesh tawouk, beef kafta, sumac fries, fresh salad and sauces (toum and tahini) atop spiced rice 😋. I also picked up their Beirut chicken wings with a spicy coriander garlic glaze and more potatoes- battata harra mixed with a spicy pomegranate sauce. Moist and flavourful all the way!

One of the fab perks of having our office at the CSI Spadina is being close to the regular action cultivated to bring members together- Tuesday community kitchen salad lunch bar, Wednesday community coffee chat and so much more 🥗☕..

Here at the first of two annual CSI laneway summer BBQ connecting members in work that supports people and planet- environment impact innovation, social injustices and empowering newcomers to name a few! Great networking event and walked away learning something new and inspired 💡🥰! 

“Every woman’s success should be an inspiration to another. We’re strongest when we cheer each other on” ~ Serena Williams

14 weeks from the very start of our 'Willing To Work' program and both evening and daytime program women graduate 🎓. Not only did they gain food savvy business skills and learn to punch out production as a team for three real life food events some have grown their language skills, confidence and fellow networking- an integral part of what we strive to do #empowerment 💥

Newcomer Kitchen trains newcomer women food preparation and entrepreneurship funded by the Immigration Refugee Citizenship of Canada (IRCC). This "learn and earn" program helps prepare their food ideas to market with all revenue generated going back in their hands. It was so incredible to see these ladies awarded with their certificates of completion alongside the money they generated (prepared take out meals, product to market and catering)... for some, it was the first time they earned money... ever! The proud look on their faces, made me so proud 🥰!

Congratulations Tasty Cultures and Sisters Multicultural Kitchen! Wishing you all the best 💖!

O Canada Day Feast With Newcomer Kitchen...

What a successful event it was with Newcomer Kitchen current Spring day program group Sisters Multicultural Kitchen and the one and only The Depanneur serving their curated O Canada feast menu 🇨🇦🍴 to a Sold Out crowd of 60! And that was even before our menu was posted 🤗! It was a beautiful Thursday evening- a celebration prelude just before the long 🇨🇦 weekend. 

The Bentway and Len Senator at The Depanneur have been teaming up again to bring you a fabulous lineup of diverse and delicious dinners. Newcomer Kitchen’s cohorts are made up of women from around the world who have come together to share their foods and cultures with Toronto. These ladies 🇲🇦🇪🇷🇮🇳 were excited to create a truly international meal just in time for Canada Day — a celebration of what makes this country home for so many.

Family-style dining in a truly unique urban setting. Communal Tables are seated, family-style meals, served and shared at 10 tables of 6, where you bring your own plates and cutlery.

Introducing themselves and the dishes they prepared, they were experiencing public speaking likely for their first time! They did so well 🤗!

Moroccan Mixed Vegetables Tagine anyone? Prepared with tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, onions, zucchini, chickpeas and black olives slow simmered with preserved lemons 🇲🇦😋- the vegetarian option for the main meal...

Or do you want Harpreet's Punjabi Lemon Chicken with a lemony black pepper sauce 🇮🇳🍛🍋... 😋?

How the rest of the delish menu looked like 🇨🇦🍽!

Asmait's Eritrean bread was a major hit- perfect served with the Moroccan eggplant dip, with the main meals or on it's own. Usually this is baked on a special pan with lid called a magogo and served on special occasions. What a treat our guests enjoyed.

Some more kitchen prep and incredible event plating shots!

Sucharita preparing her Indian onion pakoras. To be served with Asmait's green chili data'aa.

Madhuri prepares her tasty cumin basmati rice, a harmonious complement to either mains.

Indian Onion Pakoras with a dip of Eritrean Data'aa

Zaalouk- a lovely Moroccan Eggplant and Tomato Dip

Refreshing watermelon, cucumber, shallots and mint salad sprinkled with black salt- the only way Indians eat their watermelon. The sulfuric flavour elevates the cool and sweet taste with a hint of salt.

Ahhh, a cool frozen fresh strawberry infused kulfi- an Indian delight in individual containers for a portable finish to an AmaZing 🇨🇦 meal!

Enthusiastically working together and volunteeringly serving the great crowd of guests with a smile on their face is what we call a Dream Team 💥! 

Congrats Sisters Multicultural Kitchen 👏👏👏!!