Ex-Momofuku chef opens Toronto’s coolest new spot for modern Jewish eats, Canada Reviews

Maven, a cosy new restaurant in Harbord Village, offers a modern take on eastern European Jewish cuisine. Chef-owner Shauna Godfrey, formerly of Momofuku, Kōjin and Atera, built confidence from her pandemic-era Godfrey’s Supper Club to open Maven, which debuted a month ago after three years of planning.

Maven, named after a nickname given to Godfrey by her grandmother, Bubby Rose, honours her legacy.

“My Bubby used to call me ‘the Maven ’— a Yiddish word for ‘expert ’— but she truly was,” says Godfrey. “Naming the restaurant Maven is my way of honouring her.”

Godfrey found Maven’s Harbord location in 2021, a former dive bar and salon built in the early 1900s. After hiring the design team Future Studio, they gutted the space and redesigned the layout. During renovations, they uncovered stained-glass panels, which Godfrey had reinforced by an artist. The interior also features family heirlooms, including Bubby Rose’s blue glass bottles and drapes made from her tablecloth.

The dining room is open-concept with a window view of the kitchen, characterized by exposed brick, wood accents, blue floor tiles and matching blue banquet seats.

Although still offering eastern European cuisine with a twist, Maven is a departure from Godfrey’s Supper Club — “more feminine and mature,” she says. The menu features classic dishes with unique boundaries set by Godfrey and sous chef Kai Wongirandecha, including key ingredients like dill, caraway, chicken fat, camomile and beets.

Standout dishes include chicken schnitzel with fermented plum, brown butter and Kozlik’s mustard and a twist on duck confit cholent with romano beans, schmaltzy onions and dill. 

“Cholent is a low-and-slow dish cooked overnight, originally called ‘chaud’ (hot) and ‘lent’ (slow) by French Jews. It’s the precursor to cassoulet,” explains Godfrey. 

Another menu highlight is Bubby Rose’s cheesecake,  a nod to the original Maven.

“It’s been really wonderful to see people in the restaurant, connecting with the food, feeling comfortable here,” says Godfrey. “For people that have a reference point for eastern European food, I hope they think it’s kind of cool that we’re playing with these ideas. And for people that don’t, hopefully we’re introducing them to ingredients or flavour profiles that are new to them.”

Maven is open Wednesday through Sunday at 112 Harbord St.