By Marc Lostracco

Ask a group of people who their favourite cook is, and many will choose their grandmother. Eschewing contemporary trends like pre-packaged mixes and powdered stock, many a Nonna, Bubbe, or Oma still warms the tummies of their families with a taste of the old country, which no restaurant can duplicate as accurately.
Enter Swiss culture thinker Laurent Haug with one of those “why didn’t I think of that” ideas—book a restaurant, invite somone’s Nana into the kitchen, and with some help from the restaurant’s chef and kitchen staff, whip up some of Grandma’s home-style good eatin’ for invited guests. At the conclusion of the gastric extravaganza, nominate another grandmother to helm the next dinner party.
Haug’s first event took place last summer in Carouge, Switzerland, and caught the attention of the CBC’s Spark radio program/podcast. Considering all the Toronto grannies with mad skillz behind a stove but no one to cook for, the Spark team thought they’d set up their own Dinner With Grandma event (with the blessing of Haug) in Toronto.
Following a call for suggestions on the Spark blog, Elena came highly recommended because of her knack with original, home-tested dishes. Local restaurant Cowbell (1564 Queen Street West) was chosen to host the June 9 event, and reservations were sold out in a mere four hours. Lucky diners will be enjoying Elena’s famous spanakopita, pasta rapini, tomato-basil chicken, with baklava for dessert.
Sadly, only a lucky few are attending next week’s exclusive spread, but Spark has posted a how-to and interview with Laurent Haug for those interested in hosting their own Grandma dinner. Eat your hearts out, McEwan, Kennedy, Thuet, and Lee, ’cause these geriatric geniuses can cook up a cabbage roll that can’t be beat. Now if you can only settle down and find a nice girl before your poor bubbe passes…is that too much to ask for? What, is your phone broken?
Photo by polifemus (out of order).