Chantal Braganza

Toronto

Senior Editor at Chatelaine

STORY OF YOUR MOTHER, 2025. Writer, snacker, and deputy editor, food at @chatelaine.

Articles

For Some Parents, There’s Only One Election Issue That Matters

2 days ago | thewalrus.ca | Chantal Braganza

For some Canadian parents of young children, there’s only one issue that matters this election: the future of the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) plan, a policy that reduces daycare fees in some provinces to as little as $10 a day. In one of his last executive moves, former prime minister Justin Trudeau announced a five-year extension of the program, which was first launched in 2021 with the support of Jagmeet Singh’s New Democratic Party.
The Secret Language We Share with Our Children

1 week ago | thewalrus.ca | Chantal Braganza

I went to see a movie alone at the Carlton Cinema in the last few weeks before you were born. Though I haven’t in years, I love to go to the theatre on my own, and the Carlton is one of my favourites. Each room is so tiny; the theatres are too small for aisles. The maroon carpets, compact screens, sticky floors, the illicit rustle of bagged candy from the bulk shop next door: it’s the feeling of watching a movie in someone’s rec room with a dozen strangers.
What I Learned From Condescending Customers As A Chain Restaurant Server

2 weeks ago | chatelaine.com | Chantal Braganza

During a brief time in food service at a national chain restaurant, I learned early on to identify the type of diner especially flattered by any acknowledgement of expertise, regardless of whether such expertise wasn’t so much knowledge as opinion, or even accurate.
Penguin Random House Canada

2 weeks ago | penguinrandomhouse.ca | Chantal Braganza
Grand ménage du garde-manger : par où commencer?

3 weeks ago | fr.chatelaine.com | Chantal Braganza

La première étapeSortez tous les contenants et emballages du garde-manger, et déposez-les sur une table. Nettoyez l’intérieur des armoires à l’aide d’un produit doux et non toxique. Si vous utilisez des séparateurs pour organiser vos tablettes, pensez à les laver ou à les remplacer au besoin. Aliments en conserveLes produits d’épicerie portent généralement une date de péremption.
The Great Pantry Cleanout

3 weeks ago | chatelaine.com | Chantal Braganza

Produced by Aimee Nishitoba. Photo, Christie Vuong. Prop Styling, Nicole Billark. Food Styling, Sage Dakota. Setting a chaotic pantry in order begins with expiry dates: Whether it’s dried spices or canned tuna, nothing lasts forever. Here’s what to keep, what to toss and what to repackage. Clear OutPull everything out of your pantry and spice rack and set it out on a table. Wipe all cabinets and racks clean using a mild, non-toxic cleanser.
The Spirit Bride

3 weeks ago | hazlitt.net | Erica X Eisen |Leon Craig |Carleigh Baker |Chantal Braganza

My in-laws did not approach me directly about becoming a spirit bride. I received their request through my father, who sat me down rather formally one evening to consider my options. I would never make you do this, he said several times, although it was clear he wanted me very much to say yes.
This Is, Maybe, 25 Percent of What Happened: An Interview with Scaachi Koul

4 weeks ago | hazlitt.net | Chantal Braganza |Richard Warnica |Nour Abi-Nakhoul |Rollie Pemberton

The original title for Scaachi Koul’s Sucker Punch (Knopf Canada), the follow-up to her bestselling 2017 essay collection, One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter, was a translation of a Kashmiri phrase her mother would often hurl in exasperation at Koul and her brother whenever they acted up as children. “Paye thraat.” I Hope Lightning Falls on You.
4 Spring Recipes That Celebrate Green Veggies And Olive Oil

1 month ago | chatelaine.com | Chantal Braganza

Last fall, I took a trip to the Campania and Calabria regions of Italy to see how olive oil is made: the real, uncut stuff made from heritage trees grown almost exclusively in those regions, in some cases for hundreds of years. It was the height of harvest season, and farmworkers were busy laying down large swaths of cloth to catch the ripe olives they’d shake free from the trees with large spinning rakes.
3 Weekend Recipes That Set Up A Whole Week Of Easy Dinners

1 month ago | chatelaine.com | Chantal Braganza

One of the best ways to streamline weeknight meals is with a big, relaxed Sunday cook. Easy techniques such as gentle simmering and slow roasting let flavours deepen and set you up with flexible building blocks for quick dinners throughout the week. A tender roast chicken, creamy white beans and a big pot of hearty grains will later become aromatic Thai curry, warming burritos, a cozy casserole and more.