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Contents
Kitchen Tip
Book Club
Bonnie's Cookbooks
Restaurant Recommendations and More
Featured Recipes
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Bonnie Stern
Bonnie Stern is the founder of the Bonnie Stern School of Cooking in Toronto which she opened and operated from 1973 to 2011. She has studied and taught cooking around the world, authored 14 bestselling cookbooks, hosted three national cooking shows, and appears on various television and radio shows across Canada.
For 17 years Bonnie wrote a weekly column for the National Post and her articles have appeared in numerous magazines. She has conducted popular workshops for the James Beard Foundation in New York City and leads culinary cultural trips to various delicious destinations. Bonnie is also the creator of a ground-breaking book club in which authors are invited to discuss their work during thematic dinners.
Bonnie Stern is the recipient of many awards including ones from the Toronto Culinary Guild, the Ontario Hostelry Institute, Cuisine Canada and she was the recipient of the Premier’s Award. Bonnie's Essentials of Home Cooking won the coveted International Association of Culinary Professionals’ award.
Bonnie was inducted into the Taste Canada Hall of Fame in 2021. She is the 2024 recipient of the Junior League Toronto Culinary Trailblazer Award.
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Summer 2025
LOCAL FARMERS' MARKETS
I try my best to buy local fruit and vegetables at the many farmers' markets that are all over Toronto now. It's easy to think we have had these local farmers' markets since the beginning of time but I remember when we didn't. When I was in university and chef's school; I always loved going to Toronto's St. Lawrence Farmers' Market on the north side on Saturdays (and the new one now is amazing) because it was "the" farmer's market in Toronto. When I had my cooking school, throughout the 1990's, Jacques Pepin would come for a week each year as a guest teacher. On Saturdays, the whole class would go to the market with Jacques in the morning, He would create a menu from what was available and we would bring everything back to the school and cook. I also remember how exciting it was when Evergreen Brick Works and other farmers' markets in different areas of the city opened - around 2007. I used to take groups to St. Lawrence Market and Brickworks to introduce people to the new markets. A market revolution was happening in Toronto. Now there are so many smaller markets throughout the city and I am always happy that even the smaller ones, hidden away in little areas of the city, have lots of customers. You can check online for lists of Farmers' markets near you.
Here are three markets I love to go to that are more or less nearby:
The Stop's Farmers' Market
Saturdays 8am to 1pm
Entrance on Wychwood or Christie a block or two south of St. Clair, street parking
Located in Wychwood Barns, this market is often referred to as the Wychwood market. One of the few Markets that is open all year around. (During the winter it moves inside.) As well as fruits and vegetables, there is fish, cheese, bread, pastries, honey, maple syrup, prepared foods and so much more. Ayse, from Marvelous Edibles (one of my favourite spots), sends out a newsletter Thursday nights about the ups and downs of farmers' life and items coming to the Saturday market.
Bloor/Borden Farmers' Market
Wednesdays 3pm to 7pm (June to October)
In the Bloor/Borden parking lot (entrance just south of Bloor), street parking.
This midweek market was one of the first to open (2007) and has many regular vendors with surprise vendors each week. Vegetables, fruits, bread, fish, cheese, a fantastic blueberry stand and a popsicle stand (Jiggy Popz) featuring mango, strawberry and peach popsicles. They even send out a weekly newsletter, Bloor Borden's Newsletter, on Tuesdays. The newsletter includes any new vendors and what they are bringing to the market, a featured farmer, recipes and information like how to avoid ultra processed food and lots more. For more information or to become a volunteer click Bloor/Borden Farmers' Market.
Eglinton Way Farmers' Market
Sundays 8am to 1pm
125 Burnaby Blvd: located in the Green P parking lot on Burnaby Blvd just north of Eglinton near Castle Knock Rd. Street parking.
This is a small, relatively new market but growing in both vendors and shoppers all the time. It is located in the parking lot but there is also street parking. I especially like to go and support this new initiative because it is hyperlocal for me and helps me plan my meals for the week ahead.
Before signing off and saying I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer, I want to acknowledge the reality of writing this newsletter celebrating our access to farmer's markets, and choice of beautiful produce and vendors, and restaurants and recipes when we are all likely very aware that there are many people without the food they need and without the security they need. In light of that I hope we can all be grateful for what we have, do the best we can, and be kind and understanding to everyone.
Bonnie
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| Kitchen Tip |
Bubble Wrap
|  Repurpose that bubble wrap from mail order packages. Perfect for summer grocery shopping. Bubble wrap your ice cream and frozen food? I couldn't believe this one - wrap your ice cream in bubble wrap and it won't melt for at least an hour or two! |
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| Bonnie's Book Club | | Bonnie's Book Club is a labour of love. Nothing pleases Bonnie more than
to have the opportunity to bring readers and writers together in a
truly unique way that offers the rare opportunity to meet some of the
country's leading authors, discuss their work and enjoy a delicious meal
inspired by the book.
Drawing on her degree in English and her passion for food and cooking,
Bonnie Stern invites you to a literary feast you won't soon forget -
Oprah's book club never tasted this good!
Small print: All registrations must be paid in full when registering.
Please check your schedule carefully before registering. Cancellations
can be accepted only up to 14 days before event date, a $50 charge (plus
HST) applies to cover the administration fee and cost of the book. At
any time you may send someone in your place for no additional charge. It
is the attendee’s responsibility to mark their calendar with the date,
time and location of the event. |
| LINDEN MACINTYRE: AN ACCIDENTAL VILLAIN A Soldier’s Tale of War, Deceit and Exile |  Bonnie is pleased to launch the fall edition of the Book Club with one of the country’s most respected writers of both fiction and non-fiction. (And a real favourite of Bonnie’s Book Club!) Join us as award-winning writer and legendary broadcaster Linden MacIntyre launches his new book, An Accidental Villain: A Soldier’s Tale of War, Deceit and Exile.
From the bestselling, prize-winning author Linden MacIntyre comes an engrossing, page-turning exploration of the little-known life of Sir Hugh Tudor. Appointed by his friend Winston Churchill to lead the police in Ireland during the Irish War of Independence, Tudor met civil strife and domestic terrorism with indiscriminate state-sanctioned murder—changing the course of Irish history.
After distinguishing himself on the battlefields of the First World War, Major-General Sir Hugh Tudor could have sought a respectable retirement in England, his duty done. But in 1920, his old friend Winston Churchill, Minister of War in Lloyd George’s cabinet, called on Tudor to serve in a very different kind of conflict—one fought in the Irish streets and countryside against an enemy determined to resist British colonial authority to death. And soon Tudor was directing a police force waging a brutal campaign against rebel “terrorists,” one he was determined to win at all costs—including utilizing police death squads and inflicting brutal reprisals against IRA members and supporters and Sinn Fein politicians.
Tudor left few traces of his time in Ireland. No diary or letters that might explain his record as commander of the notorious Black and Tans. Nothing to justify his role in Bloody Sunday, November 21, 1920, when his men infamously slaughtered Irish football fans. And why did a man knighted for his efforts in Ireland leave his family and homeland in 1925, moving across the sea to Newfoundland?
Linden MacIntyre has spent four years tracking Tudor through archives, contemporaries’ diaries and letters, and the body count of that Irish war. In An Accidental Villain, he delivers a consequential and fascinating account of how events can bring a man to the point where he acts against his own training, principles and inclination in the service of a cause—and ends up on a long journey toward personal oblivion.
See you in October! | Date: Monday October 6, 2025
Time: 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Location: 7 Numbers
516 Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto
Fee: 195 + HST (includes dinner, beverages, gratuity, author talk and a copy of Accidental Villain sent out as soon as possible)
Advance registration only:
email bonnie@bonniestern.com with your full name and phone number (please indicate the best time to call) with subject line "book club" |
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| Book Club Location | | | 
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7 Numbers
Everything at 7 Numbers is delicious – calamari, lasagna, meatballs,
osso buco, sexy duck, everything.
516 Eglinton Avenue West
Toronto
416 322 5183
www.sevennumbers.com
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| Some of Bonnie's Cookbooks | | | 
Bonnie's new cookbook, written with her daughter Anna Rupert, who, although has a healthcare related career of her own, has in fact, been in the kitchen cooking beside Bonnie her whole life. Bonnie and Anna are here to help cooks of all experience foster comfort and connection through food.
Published by Appetite by Random House of Canada, 2022, 293 pages, hardcover.
AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE BOOKS ARE SOLD
$35
Kindle edition
$16.99 | 
Friday Night Dinners
Bonnie's last cookbook with her favourite menus, recipes, photos and stories. Over 170 delicious recipes for every occasion - holidays, barbecues, fast suppers and fabulous feasts - and Bonnie makes sure you can make fantastic meals and still enjoy the food and fun with everyone else. You'll want to use this book every day of the week.
Published by Random House of Canada, 2010, 320 pages, paperback
$29.95 | 
Bonnie Stern's
Essentials of Home Cooking
Winner of the 2004 International Association of Culinary Professionals Award. A beautiful cookbook filled with Bonnie’s personal favourites - dishes that reflect the way we are cooking today.
Published by Random House of Canada, 2003, 208 pages, paperback
$34.95 | 
HeartSmart
This wonderful compendium is a must for every kitchen featuring over 300 favourite recipes from the bestselling Simply HeartSmart Cooking, More HeartSmart Cooking and HeartSmart Cooking for Family and Friends, as well as 75 brand-new recipes to add to your HeartSmart repertoire. Many of the classic recipes have been fully updated to incorporate current food trends and new nutritional information.
Published by Random House of Canada, 2006, 480 pages, paperback.
$34.95 | 
Desserts
Over 120 recipes for decadent cakes, pies and pastries, scrumptious cookies, creamy mousses and ice creams – A collection of recipes from a master that stand the test, and tastes, of time.
Also provided are elegant decorating tips, helpful information on equipment and ingredients, and black-and-white illustrations throughout demonstrating basic techniques that will make these recipes absolutely no-fail.
Published by Random House Canada, 1998, 214 pages, paperback
$21
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| Restaurant Recommendations and More | TORONTO, ONTARIO Bar Clams
802 Dundas Street West
Toronto
416 815 8484 | Matty Matheson's casual East Coast seafood restaurant where cocktails are great and service and food are casual and fun. It is all bar seating inside and when the weather is good there are picnic tables on the patio.
Moderate |
Pearl Yorkville
730 Yonge Street
Toronto
416 920 1233
| We loved the dim sum so much when we went for Mothers Day we went back for Fathers Day. We especially love the pan fried hockey pucks (yes the real name) and also the steamed bbq pork bun, siu mai (pork and shrimp dumplings), har gow (shrimp dumplings), pan fried turnip cake, rice noodle roll with bbq pork. There are other choices such as fried rice and various noodle dishes available for those who might not like dim sum.
Moderate |
NEW YORK, NEW YORK COQODAQ
12E 22nd Street
New York
646 490 5099 | Korean American fried chicken at its very best from the gluten-free rice flour batter to cultured oil.
I would recommend ordering the 'Chef's Signature Fried Chicken Feast' and then order other dishes that appeal to you. Cocktails are great and the reasonably priced Champagne is a treat. And then there is also chicken nuggets with caviar which was delicious but a little more expensive! Service was amazing.
Moderate to Expensive |
Win Som Bakery
23 2nd Aveue
New York | This Taiwanese bakery cafe is perfect for breakfast and lunch. They had the most delicious gluten free treats (including mochi donuts), scallion pancakes with many additions and so much more.
Moderate |
Wayan
20 Spring Street
New York
917 261 4388 | We went for lunch with Adeena Sussman (also in New York when we were there) and we all agreed that everything was delicious at this lovely Indonesian restaurant. Don't miss the scallop satays, pork ribs with soy tamarind glaze and for dessert the pandan custard with passion fruit topping was really incredible. Service was great.
Moderate |
Superiority Burger
119 Avenue A
New York
212 339 7425 | This vegetarian restaurant, with many vegan items also, has a huge following. Whether you like vegetarian burgers or not, all the dishes are interesting and well cooked. I think we ordered everything! Located in a historic diner it reminded me of the beloved vegetarian restaurants of yesteryear - no one agreed with me but no one else was there in yesteryear! (Sad way to win an argument.)
Moderate |
Il Buco Alimentari
53 Great Jones Street
New York
212 837 2622 | Anna and I had a wonderful time at "The Great Nosh Picnic" on Governors Island. Our challah demo was so much fun; we visited with so many friends; we ate such wonderful food and were tired out by the time we returned to our hotel (Untitled at 3 Freeman Alley - very cool). Where to go for an early dinner? Il Buco Alimentari was perfect - a restaurant, market, salumeria and bakery all in one. We had lots of wonderful vegetable dishes and it was perfect for our last meal in New York.
Moderate |
OTTAWA, ONTARIO Trofi Restaurant
343 Somerset Street West
Ottawa
613 421 0053 | Fara had been hearing great things about this Greek restaurant. We loved the dips with pita, the hummus, fattoush salad, grilled haloumi, calamari and the flaming souvlaki brochette that comes with salad, rice, tzatziki and grilled pita. Portions are quite large so be careful when ordering, especially if you are hungry.
Moderate to Expensive |
Supply and Demand
1335 Wellington Street W.
Ottawa
613 680 2949 | Fara and Mark's favourite restaurant, Supply and Demand, is one of Ottawa's favourites too. We have been a few times and it is always great. We loved the tuna crudo with lemon puffed rice and cilantro; the kale salad with caper vinaigrette, manchego and bacon; tagliatelle with duck ragu, ricotta ravioli with guanciale, ramps and peas, but the big winner was dessert - their summertime favourite - Eton mess with meringue, whipped cream and rhubarb! Amazing. Look at our recent instagram post for our Ottawa highlights.
Moderate to Expensive |
Heartbreakers Pizza
465 Parkdale Avenue
Ottawa
613 724 1144 | We finally made it to Heartbreakers after hearing about it for so long. We ordered the Sweetheart pizza, the chicken wings, kale salad and their amazing chocolate cake! Everything was delicious.
Moderate |
KINGSTON, ONTARIO Pan Chancho Bakery
and Cafe
44 Princess Street
Kingston
613 544 7790 | On the drive to Ottawa, we stopped for lunch in Kingston and decided to go to Pan Chancho - the bakery and cafe of Chez Piggy, located down the street. I had been to the bakery before but had never eaten there. Mark had the breakfast sandwich and I had the smoked salmon sandwich on the charming patio in the back. Both sandwiches were delicious. Instead of eating dessert at the cafe, we bought a selection of treats for Fara and Mark.
Moderate
Note: Zal Yanovsky, of Lovin' Spoonful fame (1960's pop group) opened Chez Piggy with his partner Rose Richardson in 1979. And later opened the bakery cafe Pan Chancho down the street. They were a big hit, won many awards and produced a few cookbooks. When Zal died in 2002, his daughter Zoe took it over. Fun act - I went to nursery school with Zal and we 're-united' (so to speak) in 2000 when we did a cooking demo together at a food festival in Kingston |
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Featured Recipes
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| ROASTED BEET SALAD WITH SPICED WALNUTS AND PESTO | 1 1/2 lbs beets, cleaned2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil1 tbsp sherry or red wine vinegar1 tsp pomegranate molasses1/4 tsp flaky salt (eg Maldon or Falksalt)
spiced walnuts:1/4 cup maple syrup1/2 tsp vadouvan (or mild curry powder)1 cup walnut halves*1/4 tsp flaky salt (eg Maldon or Falksalt)
pesto:1/4 cup spiced walnuts from above1/2 cup cilantro stems and leaves (save some leaves for garnish)1 large clove garlic1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil1 1/2 tbsp sherry or red wine vinegar
to serve:two handfuls of arugula or sturdy lettucepomegranate seeds |  This salad was inspired by Alice Zaslavsky's beet salad in her gorgeously delicious new cookbook Salad for Days (Murdoch Books).
*Note: walnuts are often stale; be sure to taste them before using. I usually keep walnuts in the freezer. Or use pecans.
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400F. In a bowl toss beets (whole, halved or quartered, depending on the size) with olive oil, vinegar, pomegranate molasses and the salt. Spread on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, cover with aluminum foil and roast for 30 minutes, remove foil and roast another 15 to 20 minutes or longer until tender. (The larger the pieces the longer they will take.)
2. Meanwhile prepare the walnuts. In a mixing bowl combine maple syrup with vadouvan. Add walnuts and toss well. Spread on a small sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Roast 12 to 15 minutes in a preheated 325F oven. Sprinkle with the salt. Separate if sticky. Cool.
3. For the pesto in a blender or food processor combine 1/4 cup of the cooled walnuts with the cilantro, garlic, olive oil and vinegar. Blend on/off as for pesto. (I like it with a little texture.)
4. To serve spread the pesto over the bottom of the serving dish. Add the beets and greens. Scatter top with remaining walnuts and pomegranate seeds.
Makes 4 to 6 servings |
| GREEK LEMON ROASTED POTATOES | | 2 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes1 cup chicken stock (or vegetable stock)1/4 cup lemon juice1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil1 tbsp dried oregano3 cloves garlic, peeled and grated2 tsp kosher salt (or 1 tsp sea salt)1 tbsp fresh oregano and/or sprigs of fresh oregano, chopped |  About 15 years ago, my good friend Lynn Saunders introduced me to Greek Lemon Potatoes. And now, after all these years, they have become instantly popular, again. Easy to make and really delicious!
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Cut potatoes into halves and then wedges. Place in a roasting pan or shallow baking dish. Pour over chicken stock, lemon juice, olive oil, and sprinkle with oregano, garlic and salt and pepper. (Liquid does not have to cover potatoes completely.) Mix everything together. Bake 30 minutes. Turn potatoes over and bake 20 minutes longer. By then most of the liquid will have evaporated leaving oil behind. Transfer potatoes to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper (or continue in the same pan). Drizzle potatoes with any remaining oil (and any juices) left in roasting pan.
3. Roast 20 to 25 minutes or longer until potatoes are crispy with browned edges. Toss with fresh oregano.
Makes 6 servings |
| BROWN BUTTER APRICOT UPSIDE DOWN CAKE | For the cake:1/2 cup butter3/4 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs1 1/2 cups all purpose flour*1 1/2 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp baking soda1/2 tsp ground cardamom, optional1/4 tsp kosher salt3/4 cup buttermilk**
For the pan:1/4 cup butter1/2 cup brown sugar, packed1 1/2 lbs apricots, cut in half, pits removed |  I love upside down cakes and making them with our local fruit in season is very special. For this apricot upside down cake I combined my upside down rhubarb cake (recipe in Don't Worry Just Cook) with a brown butter and cardamom cake from my friend, Mitchell Davis, in his fantastic newsletter, Kitchensense (definitely worth signing up for).
I like to serve this with ice cream or whipped cream.
Notes:
Plums (I love the purple plums), peaches or nectarines can be substituted for the apricots.
*I made this cake with Cup4Cup gluten-free flour and it turned out perfect.
** If you don’t have buttermilk you can use yogurt or sour cream or make your own sour milk - place 2 tsp plain vinegar or lemon juice in a 1 cup measure and fill with milk to the 3/4 cup line. Let sit 10 minutes. Don’t worry if it curdles.
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9" square or round baking pan.
2. For the cake: to brown butter, cut the 1/2 cup butter into 1" chunks and place in a heavy bottomed saucepan and melt on medium heat. Continue cooking until the milk solids sink to the bottom and start to brown and it smells incredible. Stirring once in a while, but never leaving the pot alone, as it can easily burn, cook until the milk is deep golden brown - about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer immediately to a large mixing bowl scraping everything on the bottom into the bowl.
3. For the pan: Melt the 1/4 cup butter for the pan in the hot saucepan (sorry this is out of order a bit). Add the 1/2 cup brown sugar and spread evenly over the bottom of the pan. Arrange apricots, cut side down in the sugar/butter mixture. If you have leftover apricots cut them into pieces to fit any empty spaces. (Eat any leftover).
4. Back to the cake, beat the cooled brown butter in the bowl with the 3/4 cup sugar and eggs. Add vanilla and almond extract. Beat until creamy.
5. In another bowl whisk flour with baking powder, baking soda, salt and cardamom (if using).
6. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture alternately with buttermilk in a few additions beginning and ending with flour.
7. Spread evenly over apricots and bake in the preheated oven 30 to 35 minutes or until the centre springs back when gently pressed or an instant read thermometer registers 195F when inserted into the middle of the cake portion.
8. Cool 10 to 15 minutes. Run a knife around edge. Place serving plate on top and turn over. Be brave - it can always be a trifle.
Makes 10 to 12 servings |
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© Copyright 2025, Bonnie Stern Cooking Schools Ltd.
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