Barnstar Kitchen

10/06/2026

Hello, fall. I’ve missed you.

And with fall comes the return of my weekly Shabbat dinner menus. In a couple of weeks, Friday night dinners are back!

There’s something about this time of year—the farmer’s markets piled high with local produce, the cooler air, the days getting shorter, it all makes me think about Friday nights.

A house that smells good before anyone even walks through the door. Fresh challah on the table. Something warm in the oven. Family and friends pulling up chairs, lingering over dinner, talking and laughing and making memories around the table.

I cook all year long, but this kind of cooking feels different. It’s about feeding people and helping make those Friday night tables happen.

And I’ve missed it.

Monday menus. Friday afternoon deliveries around the GTA. And lots and lots of good food in between.

More soon.

❤️

10/05/2026

I’ve been doing a series of Friday night Shabbat dinners at The Depanneur . People from all walks of life come to sit at a shabbos table, talk, laugh and most especially, eat together.
The evening is warm and fuzzy, haymish yet elevated and everyone leaves happy.
If you haven’t come to one of my shabbos dinners at The Depanneur, the next one is on November 6th.
Join us!🪬

09/16/2026

JUST ANNOUNCED!

FRI OCT 2

Tel Aviv-y Shabbat

For thousands of years Jewish people have been gathering around the table on Friday nights to celebrate a humble but ancient ritual, the sabbath meal. The lighting of candles, the singing of simple blessings and the breaking of bread have been the unifying thread that has connected Jewish life across centuries and continents. In this multi-dinner series, Alissa Kondogiannis explores Shabbat dinners as they have evolved in Jewish communities around the world. Tonight Alissa turns her attention to Tel Aviv, and the fresh, market-driven style of home cooking that defines that city's tables. Where her past Dep dinners have leaned into Ashkenazi-Sephardic mashups and her own South African-Jewish upbringing, this menu draws on the North African and Middle Eastern threads — Moroccan, Arabic, Libyan, Yemeni — that have folded into modern Israeli cooking over the past seventy-odd years.

Challah
Alissa is well known at The Dep for her challah — she teaches the venue's popular challah and babka classes — and this dinner starts, as her Shabbat tables always do, with a fresh, homemade loaves.

Salatim
This spread of small salads and dips that opens an Israeli meal is sometimes described as a "United Nations of the table".

Moroccan Spiced Salmon
North African flavours woven into the Israeli table — salmon crusted in dates, almonds and fresh mint.

Zaatar Roasted Potatoes
Finished with zaatar, creamy labneh and a touch of chili crisp — think British-style crispy roast potatoes, with a Middle-Eastern twist.

Tomato & Cilantro Salad
A fresh Israeli table classic of ripe tomatoes, cilantro, sumac, preserved lemon and pomegranate.

Cardamom Malabi
A beloved Middle Eastern dessert: a silky cardamom milk pudding, finished with rosewater syrup, toasted coconut and pistachios.

Alissa Kondogiannis runs a small catering company North of the Toronto, focusing on Shabbat dinners and Jewish comfort food. You can find her online at Barnstar Kitchen.

➡Ticket link in bio or thedepanneur.ca

09/16/2026

There’s been some ugly commentary online about my next Shabbat dinner, and it’s made me want to invite you all even more. Come sit around a table, share some Tel Aviv-y food, and make friends.
To my Jewish community and allies, come bring your pride and your appetite. Let’s fill those tables and enjoy.

09/07/2026

07/14/2026

On a recent trip to Michigan, I picked up this huge jar of E.D Smith Michigan cherry jam and knew that I had to make these. With a light and crispy sugar cookie base and the same dough grated on top, it baked up beautifully and is the perfect summer dessert.

05/31/2026

Last night’s dinner - always such an enjoyable experience.

05/22/2026

Challah bake for a beautiful bride to be. What better way to celebrate than with a challah bake in her honour!

05/17/2026

I’ve been waiting for this event, a chance to meet another Jewish Community, this time in Windsor. People of all ages came together to make challah on Thursday night and I’m so in awe of the feelings of warmth and camaraderie amongst them.
Thank you for bringing me in to show you the art of challah braiding. It was a pleasure being there.
🪬

05/08/2026

Basic ingredients- elevated.
Shabbat shalom♥️