Zoe’s Shakshouka
Zohar Menashe, owner of Zoe’s Shakshouka
Middle East Meets Mediterranean
Review by Susan Pretty, Photos by Sarah-Beth Constantin-Furlong
Zohar Menashe, the force behind Zoe’s Shakshouka, is a warm and welcoming entrepreneur who opened up her heart and home to showcase her cooking. Alongside her husband, Jeff Smykalski, Menashe serves take-out from her home kitchen, and this hard-working duo is ready to share their food with the community. As a home-based cook and baker, she pours her heart into every dish she creates, infusing tradition, creativity, and love into her cooking. When I visited her home for the first time, the experience was made even more delightful by the fact that she was wearing charming shakshouka earrings—tiny skillets filled with miniature eggs and peppers—that perfectly captured her playful spirit and deep passion for food.
Menashe is best known for her shakshouka, a North African and Middle Eastern dish of poached eggs in a spiced tomato sauce, and she prepares it in several delicious varieties. Her classic red shakshouka is rich with ripe tomatoes, simmered slowly to bring out their natural sweetness. For those who crave bolder flavours, she makes a spicy red version, adding fiery chilies that give the dish a warm, satisfying kick. Her green shakshouka is vibrant and herbaceous, filled with fresh spinach, green peppers, and fragrant herbs that create a refreshing twist on the traditional dish. It is finished with a generous sprinkle of parsley and crumbled feta, adding colour, creaminess, and a final touch of love.
Beyond shakshouka, Menashe also makes her own tahini and hummus, blending sesame seeds and chickpeas into silky, flavourful spreads. Her homemade pita bread is warm, soft, and perfect for scooping up dips, while her challah is beautifully soft and golden. Can we talk about the couscous though? I assumed it came from a box, but Menashe actually makes it from scratch using semolina flour, and the couscous fluffs up like a warm, blissful cloud. Truly unbelievable!
Menashe’s dream is to have an operating food truck, where she envisions serving all of the above, plus falafel, salads, and treats. The food truck needs a bit of repair work, so if you know someone who knows someone, perhaps the community can help make this dream a reality. “I’m not a chef and never worked before in this business,” Menashe says. “But I’m a hard worker and really want to introduce some healthier food options to the city.”
Find Zoe’s Shakshouka on Facebook or follow @zoes.shakshouka on Instagram and place your order today, or find her at the Thunder Bay Country Market until March 11.