When customers passed off her cooking as their own, Regina Grinstein took it as a compliment

Regina Grinstein: Mother. Grandmother. Survivor. Entrepreneur. Born June 2, 1923, in Varench, Poland; died Feb. 17, 2026, in Toronto, of natural causes; aged 102.

Regina Grinstein moved to Canada in 1949 with her husband and young son. She started a catering service in Toronto and worked at the store until she was 80.Courtesy of family

As a Bubbie, Regina Grinstein is often remembered for peering over an enormous pot of chicken broth, slowly stirring the contents with a skeptical eyebrow raised. Was it the right hue of gold? Did she get the flavour just so? The stakes were high because this soup was not being served for family dinner but rather being sold by the jar from the counter of her storefront shop in Toronto. A business that was a cornerstone of the Bathurst Manor Jewish community for 40 years.

Regina Weithorn spent her youth surviving the Holocaust in Poland and Siberia by finding jobs in Russian ammunition factories. As Germans advanced, the munitions factories moved as well. She travelled with her parents, Ari and Rosa Weithorn, and three younger siblings, Morris, Lucy and Simon, by troika, a three-bladed sled. At a new factory in Siberia, a teenaged Regina approached the manager for work. He tried to deter her, explaining that the equipment was too complex and that untrained workers could not be hired. Regina responded by pulling out a sheet of paper covered in codes and specifications – knowledge she had carried with her from the Russian munitions factory. She was hired, and the family was able to settle in the town and secure lodging.

Toward the end of the Second World War, Regina met Chaim Grinstein in Siberia – and they rarely left each other’s sides. They quickly married and began their family. A son, William, was born in Siberia before the young family moved to a displaced persons camp in Germany. In 1949, they left for Canada and spent two weeks crossing the Atlantic. They welcomed a second son, Martin, while living in Toronto.

Once settled, Regina’s hard work and savviness served her well. This was a time when women couldn’t hold credit cards or take out loans. Despite this, she started a catering service: Regina’s Dairy & Appetizer in north Toronto. Regina had a gift for connecting with customers (even if she couldn’t always remember their names) and took it as a compliment that they passed off her cooking as their own. She continued to work at the store until she was 80.

She was a strong, resourceful and optimistic mother and worked hard to pass her work ethic and ability to calmly solve problems along to her children. Martin worked alongside his mother in the shop for years and during the busy Jewish holiday periods, her grandchildren, their friends and more family members helped out in the kitchen, serving customers and doing deliveries across the city.

Regina liked to dress elegantly, wearing high heels and lipstick until she was in her 90s. If you complimented her on her clothing or a trinket, she would immediately offer to give it to you. Visitors to her home would often end up leaving with something from her closet – a sun hat, a scarf she crocheted, a winter coat or a pair of shoes.

After Chaim died in 2002, she continued to live on her own. When she retired from the store, Regina enjoyed spending time with her family in Florida, playing cards with her friends and soaking up the sun on her balcony. Her family now included five grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, and she continued to cook for them when she could.

At 93, when Regina needed help recovering from surgery, she moved into a retirement home in Thornhill to live right across the hall from her sister. They saw each other every day until Lucy’s death in 2023.

Regina enjoyed company and shared her warmth with those around her. It showed up in the way she worked with people, solved problems, took risks and made thoughtful, strategic decisions. And in the way she poured love into every ounce of chicken soup.

Michelle Grinstein is Regina Grinstein’s granddaughter; Erica Kopyto is part of Regina’s extended family.

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