“Chop faster, girls! Chop faster!” laughs Mama Rosa. In the kitchen at 7 Numbers, the head chef presides over wannabe chefs as they occupy her narrow kitchen. On the last Monday of every month, Italian food lovers head to Eglinton West to partake in a part cooking lesson, part night on the town with the vivacious chef ($85).
Born in Italy, Mama Rosa (aka Rosa Marinuzzi) has been seducing diners with her country’s cuisine since opening shop back in 2001. Before this, she headed up the kitchen at her cousin Gio Rana's now-closed restaurant for over a decade. Rosa’s cooking lessons share her vast knowledge of Italian fare with those keen on learning — or simply those addicted to her personality. (A quick survey of other diners revealed that many were repeat offenders and make it a regular event.)
After settling around the communal table and tucking into some peasant bread (which caused one diner to quip: “This is serious bread — it’s not convivial at all!”), the group is beckoned up front to the kitchen. Enforcing a strict wine-in-hand rule for the onlookers, Rosa works at a rapid-fire pace, putting together various dishes in the span of minutes. Two budding chefs assist, though no one is able to match her speed. First up is the antipasti. Tomatoes are chopped and topped with cherry buffalo bocconcini, fresh basil and lashings of olive oil.
Rosa instructs: “Never be afraid to put olive oil, ok?” Roasted red pepper meets fistfuls of arugula and is topped with plenty of fresh goat cheese. Grilled calamari is paired with fresh greens and wedges of lemon. Best of all, steamed cauliflower is dipped in egg, dredged in a mix of flour, Romano cheese and chives, and fried.
Continuing in this vein, the night witnessed an endless parade of dishes: orechiette with arugula and Romano; linguine tossed with shrimp, prego sauce and fresh ricotta; lasagna.
“Mangia, mangia!” Rosa bellows, laughing. More food; more volunteers. “Make some fun, man!” she instructs to one very focused chive-chopper. By the time the secondi course rolls around, the pace of eating has slowed. Pesce— arctic char—comes with some fresh capers and is incredibly tender, done to perfection. Another highlight is the so-called sexy duck. Why sexy? It’s been cooking for much of the day—six hours, at least. “So when you cook, it’s sexy!” says Mama. Braised lamb shank, veal meatballs and eggplant palmugiane conclude the course.
As dinner comes to a close, Rosa whips around the table wielding a bottle of limoncello, demanding that everybody open wide while she pours straight from the bottle. “It’s tradition!” she bellows. And for most, it is.
7 Numbers Eglinton, 516 Eglinton Ave. W., 416-322-5183
