Carolina Bartczak is my kinda woman.

The Toronto actor/producer is all kinds of talented. You may know her from her recent role of Magda, wife of Magneto (Michael Fassbender), in X-Men: Apocalypse. Or previous work on Brick Mansions opposite Paul Walker, The Bold Type, and CBC’s hard-hitting drama, An Audience of Chairs. But did you know she’s fluent in three languages (Polish, English, and French), holds a degree in biochemistry from U of T, and studied at home of the Meisner technique, Neighborhood Playhouse in NYC?

She also calls Queer Eye’s Antoni Porowski a close friend. In fact, she interviewed him in Toronto for his cookbook tour this October, and enchanted the crowd as much as he did (Backstage before they went on, she also stole a tin of Maldon salt from a care package a fan made him right in front of him, as captured in his Insta Stories. Told you: Utterly charming).

Carolina’s upcoming projects include an episode of Carter with Jerry O’Connell, starring opposite Gabriel Byrne in Death of a Ladies Man, and she just wrapped A Most Dangerous Game in Toronto starring Liam Hemsworth.

In the meantime, you’ll find her with a cup or tea or glass of wine in hand, in a restaurant on the west side, or most likely, knee-deep in pasta. Take a look:

Occupation

Actor.

Place of Residence

Little Portugal, Toronto.

Last thing you ate

Homemade chicken noodle soup (Polish style... so lots of root vegetables) with freshly chopped cilantro and lime juice. A piece of fresh bread with thick slabs of butter on it. 

If left to your own devices to make something at home, what would it likely be? 

SO. MUCH. PASTA.

When staying at a hotel, what are you raiding from the mini fridge?

Salt and vinegar chips and a glass of red wine. I’ll do anything for Salt and vinegar chips. 

Guilty pleasure

British chocolate and coffee. 

Drink of choice

Morning: Coffee. 
Evening out: A glass of red/white Burgundy.
Before bed: A potent ginger tea. 

Favourite meal of the day and why

Dinner on a summer evening. My boyfriend and I love to cook on the BBQ on our rooftop terrace. Grilling vegetables and making delicious salads on a hot summer night is the best way to consume food. 

Favourite cookbooks to use

I’m a huge My New Roots fan and when Im feeling naughty, I mix it up with Antoni In the Kitchen by Queer Eye’s Antoni Porowski.

Favourite cookbooks just to look at

Ottolenghi: The Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi I have so many ambitions to cook everything in his book if I could only figure out what some of the ingredients are. 

Three items always in your fridge 

Sriracha, hummus (always always), and some wilted herbs that I had plans for, but then forgot about. 

Top three Toronto restaurants

Bar Isabel - Omigod it’s the best for... everything.
Pizzeria Libretto - I can’t get enough.
Bar Piquette - They have such a lovely wine selection and an anchovy and butter toast. Cue the drooling.

Go-to food and bev order at a restaurant

Tartare (any kind) with a glass of wine.

Would you rather - Go to farmers’ market/nearest pub/food truck?

Go to the farmers’ market (if someone else is cooking obvs).

Describe your kitchen

Minimalist, tidy, with lots of cozy nooks. My boyfriend hides chocolate in so many different places. 

Describe your cooking style

Hearty and healthy. And I will put cilantro and hot sauce on ANYTHING. 

Ideal food day: from the time you wake up until bed, what are you having?

Start off with a bowl of coconut yogurt, homemade granola and raspberries, with a cup of coffee. Mmmmmmmm. Lunch will be some smashed avo on pumpernickel bread with a poached egg on top. Dinner (... Right now it’s winter so all I can think about is soups). Throw some ingredients in a slow cooker (chicken, onion, garlic, cumin, paprika, curry powder, tinned tomatoes, kale) and let it cook for 8 hours, then eat it in front of the TV. 

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