Advertisement
Food & Drink

Inside the kitchen of Eden Grinshpan, host of Top Chef Canada

Stocked with soup croutons, Fudgsicles and tons of tahini

By Jessica Huras| Photography by Jelena Subotic
Eden in her kitchen

Eden Grinshpan’s love of food television started early. “As a kid, one of my favourite things to do when I came home from school was watch hours of the Food Network,” she says. “Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson, Rachel Ray, the original Iron Chef. I was hooked.” The early obsession inspired Grinshpan’s own culinary journey, which eventually saw her studying at Le Cordon Bleu in London. After graduating, she launched her first food TV show, Eden Eats, and now she’s gone from watching the Food Network to starring on it. Grinshpan has hosted Top Chef Canada since 2017, a gig she’ll continue into its 11th season, which premieres next week.

Related: Inside the kitchen of Zachary Darke, the executive chef at Parquet

As if that weren’t keeping her busy enough, Grinshpan is also gearing up to launch her second cookbook, Tahini Baby, in April. The book showcases modern Middle-Eastern-and-Mediterranean-inspired vegetarian dishes, mirroring the way Grinshpan typically cooks at home. “We’re very vegetable-forward in this house,” she says. She sources most of the produce for her household from Fiesta Farms and Lady York. For essentials, she stops by the nearby Whole Foods or Metro, and she turns to Cheese Boutique for cheese and, occasionally, good cuts of meat.

A wide look at Eden's kitchen, which is done in warm tones

Custom-designed by Montana Burnett, Grinshpan’s beautiful midtown kitchen is both a space for preparing family meals and a studio for recipe development and food photography. “When I’m at home, I’m constantly creating recipes, shooting new videos for my website and doing a lot of social media,” she says. Grinshpan often relies on breakfast-for-dinner dishes on these hectic workdays because, as she puts it, “eggs take no time to cook.” Her go-to meals are omelettes and frittatas, usually paired with fresh bread, a chopped veggie salad and an array of condiments for dipping and slathering.

Inside Grinshpan’s fridge, you’ll find olives, milk, eggs and enough fresh produce to fill both crisper drawers plus the bottom shelf. There are also some remnants of her recipe experiments. The Tupperware bins on the left contain different versions of sauce for a sticky honey toffee cake. Lined up on the far left are pots of yogurt, a favourite for breakfast with granola and a key ingredient in many of Grinshpan’s baking projects.

A look inside Eden's fridge

Her selection of fruits and vegetables is always rotating. Currently, she has radishes, leeks and heaps of bell peppers. Cactus pears, though, are a regular fixture. They were a beloved snack for Grinshpan as a kid, and now her daughters, three-year-old Romi and seven-year-old Ayv, enjoy them just as much.

Advertisement
Eden/s crisper drawer

The fridge door holds olives, tahini and a generous reserve of hot sauce. “We really like spicy food,” she says. Cholula is her top choice (she buys both the original and chipotle varieties), and she’s also a fan of Walkerswood Hot and Spicy Jerk Seasoning.

The fridge door

Grinshpan’s kids can’t go without their cheese strings. “My girls are obsessed,” she says.

The cheese collection

Fudgsicles were a staple of Grinshpan’s childhood, so she always makes sure to have some in her stash.

A box of fudgescicles

Grinshpan’s main pantry is stocked with grains, lentils, legumes, nuts and seeds, and her drawers are filled with canned chickpeas, coconut milk and San Marzano tomatoes. As an avid baker, she keeps basics like all-purpose flour and a variety of sugars at the ready. One drawer is reserved for pasta, including an emergency supply of Annie’s mac and cheese for the kids.

Eden's pantry

These colourful tins of fish were a gift from Grinshpan’s husband, Ido Nivron, who picked them up during a recent trip to Portugal. “He went without me and felt bad, so he came back with all this,” she says. “I’ll eat them for lunch with some fresh veggies and toast.”

Cans of tinned fish

The soup croutons on the left hold a special place in her heart. “I grew up on these,” she says. “Now, my kids will ask for chicken soup just so they can eat them.” The massive bag of spices is a remnant from the recent photoshoot for her cookbook. “My food stylist went crazy. Now I’ll never need to buy spices again,” she says.

Advertisement
A container of soup croutons

For a more organized set-up, she decants the spices from the huge bag into individual shakers, fitting them into a tidy spice drawer beside her stovetop.

The more organized spice set up

With an upcoming book titled Tahini Baby, it’s clear that Grinshpan has a deep love for the sesame-based condiment. She keeps her pantry and fridge well-stocked with it, favouring woman-founded brands like Seed Mill and Soom. She’ll use it in both savoury and sweet dishes, whipping up salad dressings, drizzling it over roasted veggies or adding it to desserts for extra nuttiness. “I’ll even pour it directly onto ice cream,” she says.

The tahini collection

Olives are a staple in her pantry. She always reaches for this Israeli brand, which she’s enjoyed since she was a kid.

The olive collection

This large salad bowl does double duty, often holding fresh bread that Grinshpan picks up from Blackbird Bakery, Emmer or United Baker. “My kids love their challah,” she says. “It’s good for sandwiches.”

The bread bowl

Her most-used kitchen tools are the Vitamix and the KitchenAid stand mixer. Grinshpan relies on the Vitamix for making hummus, blended soups, smoothies and hot sauces, while the stand mixer is indispensable for baking.

Her stash of kitchen appliances

On the low-tech side of the spectrum, the mortar and pestle is her favourite tool for grinding whole spices.

Advertisement
A grey mortar and pestle

Grinshpan’s most trusted knife is this Wusthof, which was a required purchase when she started culinary school. “If you maintain and sharpen it, it’ll last for years,” she says.

Eden's favourite knife

Much of this pottery was lugged home from Israel in Grinshpan’s carry-on. “It’s a way to show off my personal style,” she says.

Her pottery collection

Grinshpan typically starts her day with an americano made in this De’Longhi La Specialista espresso machine.

Eden's espresso machine

In addition to coffee, the bar area features an impressive tea collection. Grinshpan gravitates toward the herbal varieties.

The tea collection

Grinshpan’s evening drink of choice is tequila. “I’ll make a tequila with lime on the rocks,” she says. “No cocktails—just the fastest, easiest thing.”

The full bar area

NEVER MISS A TORONTO LIFE STORY

Sign up for Table Talk, our free newsletter with essential food and drink stories.

By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.
You may unsubscribe at any time.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Big Stories

Meeting Mr. Right: What a Pierre Poilievre election win could mean for Toronto
Deep Dives

Meeting Mr. Right: What a Pierre Poilievre election win could mean for Toronto