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

By Erin Hershberg| Photography by Shlomi Amiga

| December 3, 2024

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What's on the menu at Maven, chef Shauna Godfrey's new restaurant with eastern European and Jewish roots

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.

Chef Shauna Godfrey at her Toronto restaurant, Maven

The exterior of Maven, a restaurant in Toronto's Harbord Village

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 team at Maven, a restaurant in Toronto — Manager Joydip Dey, cocktail and wine consultant Rebecca Pettigrew, chef-owner Shauna Godfrey and sous-chef 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).

Challah buns and sour cherry jam — The challah buns are fermented in the fridge overnight and shaped the following morning, then proofed again until perfectly fluffy. When ready, they’re painted with an egg wash, covered in poppy seeds and baked. For the accompanying chicken liver mousse, the livers are soaked overnight in milk to tone down its inherent metallic flavour. The next day, they’re seared off with cognac, garlic and onions and then blended with cold high-quality butter until everything is properly emulsified. The mousse is placed in ramekins to set, then house-made sour cherry jam is piped on top to cut through the richness. $12

A poppyseed endive salad in a buttermilk dressing — To build the poppy seed and endive salad, the bitter and crunchy leaves are laid upon a balancing sweet-and-sour bed of roasted honeynut and delicata squash, Blue Goose Farms pickled habanada peppers (the habanero’s mild cousin), sliced almonds and fresh mint. A buttermilk vinaigrette and toasted poppy seeds coat the salad. $16

Marinated beets — To make this dish, Godfrey boils the earthy and sweet root veggies in a pickling liquid, then soaks them in a blend of cumin-infused oil, white wine vinegar and salt for two whole days. Once prepped, the dish is finished for service with Maldon salt, extra-virgin olive oil and fresh mint. $8

Skewers of salami with mustard — Maven’s take on Hawaiian salami, a Polynesian treat that has made its way onto many a sabbath pu pu platter, is made with slices of Baldwin salami glazed in Kozlik’s market mustard, apricot jam and sherry vinegar. The strips are skewered, then barbecued over binchotan coals and served with mustard, of course. $12

A plate of crispy potatoes with dill pickle aïoli — The crispy potatoes take inspiration from the flavours of hot bagels and tuna. Here, the spuds (a starchy stand in for a bagel) are steamed, broken up and deep fried. Once hot, golden and crisp, they’re tossed in Maldon salt and (this is where the tuna comes in) sprinkled with bonito flakes. On the side: dill pickle aïoli in place of a classic full sour. $13

Salmon crudo — For this crudo, Ora King salmon from New Zealand is lightly cured in salt, sugar and lemon zest for 45 minutes, then dressed with lemon, pickled white onions, grated horseradish and crumbled Miss Vickie’s potato chips. A glug of Frankie’s craft olive oil and a sprinkle of salt complete the dish. $22

Chicken schnitzel — For the chicken schnitzel, brown butter and lacto-fermented plum sauce cover a pounded, panko-coated chicken breast. Godfrey believes in a welcoming restaurant, so accommodation is paramount—if a guest prefers, the sauce is also available on the side. After all, Bubbe heeds all requests. $32

Duck confit with romano beans — The duck confit cholent (a traditional slow-simmering sabbath stew) starts with duck leg that’s cured overnight before being confited in duck fat. The next day, it’s crisped at high heat to order and placed on a bed of rich onions slow-cooked in onion, garlic, thyme and a ton of schmaltz. Romano beans two ways (puréed and whole) provide a satisfying multi-textural base. $39

This classic New York–style cheesecake comes straight from the most-used pages of Bubbe’s recipe book and is—in a bold move—the only dessert on the menu. A sweet and salty crust of butter and graham cracker holds up against a shockingly light mixture of eggs, sugar, cream cheese and vanilla. A thick layer of vanilla sour cream with a touch of Maldon salt top the cake. $12

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.

A pickle martini — The pickle martini is built from gin and a house-made Maille-cornichon brine, with a bit of saline for extra punch. The drink is pre-batched, chilled and served with the mother of all garnishes: a pickle. $18

A highball made with Vernor's and Serbian plum brandy — A play on a super drinkable Japanese highball, the Vernor’s Highball is a mix of the deli culture soda, slightly sweet and earthy Serbian plum brandy, and soda water. The drink is garnished with lemon zest to accentuate Vernor’s distinctive lemon-lime flavour. $18

A take on the Bee's Knees cocktail — Meyer’s Biznizz, named after Godfrey’s father, is a clever play on the bee’s knees that incorporates bourbon, earthy buckwheat honey, egg white and lemon. $18

A spritz made with a beet shrub and prosecco is garnished with a sprig of dill — The spritzy Borscht Belt starts with a beautifully acidic house-made shrub of beets, peppercorn and dill that’s mixed with prosecco and a bit of lemon and garnished with a delicate sprig of dill. $18

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.