#FOOD: DEAR GRAIN AND YAN DINING ROOM LUNAR NEW YEAR COLLABORATION

Dear Grain and Yan Dining Room come together for a two-week Lunar New Year collaboration running February 17 to March 3, 2026, introducing a limited-edition collection of baked goods inspired by shared values around craft, experimentation, and flavour.

Developed in Toronto and shaped by the city’s diverse food culture, the collaboration uses sourdough and pastry as a foundation for exploring Lunar New Year flavour profiles through a contemporary baking lens. The result is a focused collection that balances tradition with creative reinterpretation.

Guided by Chef Eva Chin’s culinary background and experience with Lunar New Year–inspired flavours and ingredients, alongside Dear Grain’s technical sourdough expertise and familiar recipes, the project reflects a collaborative, hands-on development process.

“Lunar New Year is about reflection, renewal, and gathering around food,” says Chef Eva Chin, Executive Chef of Yan Dining Room. “This collaboration was an opportunity to explore those ideas through baking—taking familiar flavours and translating them in a way that feels considered, modern, and reflective of Toronto’s food culture.”

The collection highlights expressive Lunar New Year ingredients including hawthorn, red dates (jujubes), ginger, and scallion, reworked through modern baking techniques to create balance and depth. The flavours build on familiar reference points, refined through fermentation and contemporary baking methods.

“At Dear Grain, we’re drawn to processes that take time – fermentation, technique, and thoughtful collaboration,” says Adri Greenspan, Lead Baker at Dear Grain. “Partnering with Eva allowed us to explore Lunar New Year flavours through that lens, while also celebrating the cultural mix that defines the GTA. It’s a collaboration rooted in Toronto, where food becomes a natural meeting point for different traditions and perspectives.”

Rather than centering on a single culinary tradition, the collaboration reflects a broader approach where slow processes meet contemporary ideas, and where cultural exchange happens through shared making.

The result is a Lunar New Year offering that feels current, thoughtful, and rooted in the city where it was created.

The Lunar New Year 2026 Collection Includes:
● Pastry Special: A hawthorn scone featuring rhubarb, chosen for its natural acidity and brightness, which complements hawthorn’s subtle tartness. The result is a balanced, fruit-forward pastry that leans gently sweet with a clean, refreshing finish.
● Laminated Special (Available Friday to Sunday only): A croissant filled with red dates, apple, walnut, goji berry, and finished with a ginger glaze and dried osmanthus flowers. Warmly spiced and gently sweet, the pastry emphasizes texture and contrast, designed for slow enjoyment.
● Bread Special: A scallion and everything bagel–spiced sourdough bun, inspired by the flavours of a Chinese green onion pancake and reimagined through Dear Grain’s fermentation-driven approach. The bun will be available for purchase at all three Dear Grain locations throughout the collaboration. The bread special is also offered as a breakfast sandwich, available exclusively at Dear Grain’s Toronto locations. The sandwich features custard-style steamed egg, sausage, chili crisp mayo, pickled greens,
and melted cheddar, delivering a bold, savoury profile rooted in comfort and contrast. The breakfast sandwich will not be available at Dear Grain’s Hamilton location)

Together, Dear Grain and Yan Dining Room present a Lunar New Year 2026 collaboration that reflects Toronto’s collaborative spirit—where flavour, craft, and culture continue to evolve side by side.