Making history delicious at Toronto’s history museums

Toronto’s and Canada’s culinary history is a key course on the Toronto history museum menu. A number of Toronto museums are offering cooking demonstrations, classes, food-themed programs and special events to showcase recipes past and present.

“I encourage residents and visitors to discover the tastes and stories of our city’s history through the excellent entrées being cooked up by Toronto’s History Museums,” said the Mayor of Toronto. 

Cooks versed in past culinary techniques and practices preside over open hearths at three museums, recreating recipes enjoyed by Toronto residents in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The Market Gallery’s Market Kitchen also offers regular cooking classes and events in a stylish contemporary space overlooking the St. Lawrence Market. 

Details about food programs and events this fall are available at https://bit.ly/2OzOLjm.

Selected highlights include the following activities at Fort York National Historic Site, Montgomery’s Inn, the Market Gallery and Gibson House. 

Fort York National Historic Site will host the culinary event “Canada’s Table: A Celebration of Our Cookbooks” on October 13. The full-day feast will feature Canadian food personalities including Bonnie Stern, Anna Olson, Mairlyn Smith, David Wolfman, Tara O’Brady, Matt Basile, Pat Crocker and Elizabeth Baird. Discussions and demonstrations will highlight the history, influence and importance of cookbooks and their authors. 

Montgomery’s Inn highlights the pivotal role played by the inn as a tavern, farm and community hub in Etobicoke’s development. Every Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m., an unlimited tea service includes freshly baked treats with a seasonal feature. Every Wednesday from 2 to 6 p.m., the inn hosts a farmers market with local farmers and food artisans. On the last Thursday of each month, patrons can enjoy a glass of beer or wine and a bowl of hearth-cooked stew from 7 to 10 p.m., along with live traditional music. 

The Market Gallery and the Market Kitchen will feature three curator and collector tours and talks in October and November themed on the current exhibit “Bike City: How industry, advocacy and infrastructure shaped Toronto’s cycling culture.” These events feature fresh St. Lawrence Market food with tea or coffee. On October 27, vintage bicycle collectors will be featured and on November 3 a beer-and-food pairing event will explore the stylistic range of Toronto’s oldest craft brewery and exhibit sponsor. 

Gibson House museum features monthly open-hearth, hands-on cooking workshops led by an experienced historic cook. Every Sunday afternoon, Gibson House patrons can enjoy tea, homemade cookies and a tour. A Victorian-inspired afternoon tea will be held on November 24. 

Toronto History Museum staff and Fort York volunteers have contributed to the book “Recipes for Victory: Great War Food from the Front and Kitchens Back Home in Canada.” Details are available at https://www.whitecap.ca/Detail/1770503234.

Additionally, many of the Toronto History Museums will have food-themed festive workshops and events at their locations throughout November and December. All of the programs and events mentioned above require tickets and advance reservations are recommended. Program listings and information about admission fees and charges are available at http://toronto.ca/museums-events.

Toronto History Museums are a group of 10 museums owned and operated by the City of Toronto that bring Toronto’s history to life for residents and visitors. They include Colborne Lodge, Fort York National Historic Site, Gibson House Museum, Mackenzie House, Market Gallery, Montgomery’s Inn, Scarborough Museum, Spadina Museum, Todmorden Mills and Zion Schoolhouse. More information is available at http://www.toronto.ca/museums. 

This news release is also available on the City’s website: https://bit.ly/2Cz8eeo

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