What’s on the menu at Maven, chef Shauna Godfrey’s new restaurant with eastern European and Jewish roots
Including freshly baked challah buns, chicken schnitzel and a dill pickle martini
Name: Maven
Contact: 112 Harbord St., maventoronto.ca, @maventoronto
Neighbourhood: Harbord Village
Chef and owner: Shauna Godfrey (Momofuku Kojin)
Accessibility: Fully accessible
Growing up in a home where family time meant food time, Shauna Godfrey was compelled to insert her family history into almost every aspect of her new restaurant. “I cooked in Michelin-starred kitchens in New York after I finished culinary school,” says Godfrey. “But I couldn’t get Bubbe out of my mind when building my dream restaurant.”
Maven, a Yiddish word for “expert,” is the nickname her family gave to her late Bubbe Rose. “My grandmother survived the Holocaust by being a cook for a Polish family. She didn’t talk about her experience much, but when we cooked together, that’s when she would start to share.” Though Godfrey is classically trained and has worked in high-end kitchens, her focus is on a menu that brings people together, carries history and is built from a place of love.
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To that end, the centrepiece of Godfrey’s menu is a starter plate of warm, slightly sweet, soft and gently elastic challah buns that are served with either high-quality butter and Maldon salt or a chicken liver mousse with sour cherry compote. Of course, Bubbe the maven taught her how to make the bread. “I used to have sleepovers with my bubbe, and we’d make challah dough together in the evening. In the morning, she’d bake it off and I’d have fresh challah for breakfast,” says Godfrey.
Godfrey initially tested out her takes on Bubbe’s recipes during the pandemic, when she started Godfrey’s Supper Club, a weekly takeout operation. “In November of 2020, I had left Momofuku and was just wrapping up a catering project on a film set. I had a bunch of takeout containers left over, so I was trying to figure out ways to use them,” says Godfrey. “It didn’t even occur to me that I wanted to make Bubbe’s food. The menu was really based on what I would want to eat right then—in the heart of the pandemic.” The supper club took off, and that’s when Godfrey knew she needed a permanent home for her nostalgically driven dishes.
At Maven, eastern European flavours find themselves in new contexts. For instance, crowd-pleasing Baldwin kosher salami is grilled on binchotan and served skewered—owing perhaps to fastidious sous-chef (and Godfrey’s former roommate) Kai Wongirandecha.
The Food
Godfrey’s twist on eastern European and Jewish fare is implemented seamlessly and without pomp and circumstance. “I don’t want my food to be overcomplicated. I just want it to be tasty and memorable and to bring with it a sense of community and warmth,” says Godfrey. Case in point: the schnitzel. For her otherwise-traditional version of the dish, house lacto-fermented plums are made into a rustic jam. The modern sauce (disguised as Bubbe’s mystery preserves) is spread across the schnitzel but is more than happy to take a back seat to the schmear of Kozlik’s mustard that pragmatically dresses the plate. As in most Jewish households, mustard is king (at least of the condiments).
The Drinks
The wine program, though grounded in small, sustainable vineyards in classic regions, also features a grab bag of eastern European varietals. The cocktail list, too, gently tips its hat to the restaurant’s Slavic roots. A standout on the list is the Borscht Belt spritz, a lively cocktail made of beet juice, dill, ginger and prosecco that feels both deli and Devorah’s night-out.
The Space
Warm exposed brick, denim-coloured banquettes, custom ash millwork and chamfered corners create a vibe that is both contemporary and ’70s rec room. While Bubbe’s paraphernalia enters the building in the same way her recipes do (her tablecloths are the drapes!), nothing in the space appears schticky or try-hard.
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Erin Hershberg is a freelance writer with nearly two decades of experience in the lifestyle sector. She currently lives in downtown Toronto with her husband and two children.
