If you’re like many who inhabit this Great White North and embrace the blessings of fine mid-spring weather and three work-free days, this long weekend is bound to involve an encounter or two with some outdoor cooking. So read on.

As a relative newbie to open flame cuisine, I had the timely good fortune to have an inspirational telephone chat with Chef Ted Reader – some may know him better as King of the Q’s, a frequent guest on Q107 and visitor of Regis and Kelly – during which he shared some his ideas, tips, and grilling philosophy. Or grillosophy.

Classically trained in the culinary arts, Ted Reader was attracted to cooking with fire as a little kid, watching his father make hamburgers on a makeshift grill comprising a wheelbarrow and a refrigerator rack. “Dad was cheap,” he says. When Ted began working professionally, he gravitated toward the grill. Now Ted has 100 grills and barbecues of his own, give or take, allowing him the opportunity to try out his various creations – and those of others – and to fine tune them using different equipment.

How does he come up with his ideas? “Tequila.” He laughs, but the smile in his voice suggests he’s only half-joking. “And Jack Daniels. I like working with Jack.” Indeed J.D. is an active participant in a number of Ted’s recipes including his version of Beer Can Chicken that calls for a couple of shots of bourbon.

Continue reading Grilling the Saucy Zen Master »

Seasonal is the new local. Think about it, it makes so much more sense. Eating things in season, regardless of where they might be from, means eating foods when they taste the best and when they are most in balance with the world around them. Bright green things in spring, hearty root vegetable stews in winter.

For centuries before our modern food distribution systems were created, people had no choice but to eat seasonally and locally. Many of the most famous dishes, particularly in countries renowned for hearty peasant food, such as Italy, stem from eating what was both in season and locally grown. The differences in the cuisines of various regions are most obvious when we realize that regional specialties are almost always based on seasonal and local availability.

Continue reading Everyone’s Crazy for Seasonal Italian Food »

Sitting in front of me, the confidence in his eyes is blinding, but without a sense of arrogance. Claudio Aprile, owner and executive chef of Colborne Lane (45 Colborne Street) is indubitably confident in himself and his food. Why shouldn’t he be? He’s been featured in countless publications such as Bon Appetite, Toronto Life, InStyle, and even GQ. The New York Times compared him to the legendary Ferran Adrià, chef of Spain’s elBulli, frequently thought of as the best restaurant in the world (and where Aprile held a stagerie). One of Toronto’s most well-known food writers, James Chatto (of Toronto Life), hails Aprile as the “maestro of molecular gastronomy”.

But don’t tell him that. Aprile isn’t fan of the title and doesn’t want to be type-cast. “I hate labels,” says Aprile, “They’re too close-minded, too limiting. They don’t leave room for creativity.” He also added, “I have a lot of respect for Ferran (Adrià), but I’m my own chef, I don’t want to be compared.”

While some cooks get into the industry lured by the romantic view we see on TV of glamour and fame, there are many more that are in the kitchen because they truly have a passion for it. Aprile is certainly an artist in this world of technicians. He’s been cooking since he was 14 and feels that he didn’t choose this profession, it chose him. In spite of all his accomplishments, it’s the ability to be creative that keeps Aprile striving for more. He’s made stops in international destinations such as Spain’s elBulli, Chicago’s Alinea and Charlie Trotter’s, as well as Toronto’s North 44, but is perhaps most well known for his 6-year stint as Executive Chef at Senses.

Continue reading Claudio Aprile: A Chef of His Own »

Over the past couple years, there has been a sort of culinary renaissance taking place that is reaching it’s prime in today’s food scene. Beer is now being seen as equally complex and diverse as wine and is now standing in the spotlight with one Toronto restaurant leading the way. My embarrassment for being a non-drinker sitting inside a restaurant designed to share the joys of beer quickly diminished as Chef Brian Morin, owner and executive chef of beerbistro was graciously candid with me about his career, his experiences, his opinions and his passion for food.

The 67 seat restaurant in the heart of Toronto’s business district is a veritable shrine to beer. The wood accents and tables are reminiscent of a traditional pub, yet a modern feel is brought in with the floor to (very high) ceiling windows, still in place from the building’s old days as a Bank of Montreal. The bar is nothing less than a beer-lover’s heaven with taps lined-up, leading down to the kegs kept in a custom-built underground storage cooler which is kept at an ideal temperature for serving a wide variety of beers from around the world. There are even gorgeous murals of beer glasses over the windows painted by a local distillery district artist, and I’m sitting and talking with one of North America’s top leaders in beer cuisine… drinking a Coke.

Currently viewed by many as a pioneer in the modern culinary scene in Toronto for setting a trend with his unique approach to using beer as the vehicle for an entire menu, Morin conveys to me that this is, without a doubt, what he was always meant to do. As other kids were playing hockey in the streets, 10-year-old Morin was wondering what he could cook next. Cooking was a calling for him at an early age, and he worked his way through the ranks of the culinary world to get to finally become owner and executive chef of his own restaurant.

Continue reading A Tradesman Who Enjoys a Beer »

As is the case in any field where an individual demonstrates an area of expertise or even interest, this area of interest can become what that individual is known for, whether they like it or not. This is especially true of chefs who pioneer certain ingredients or techniques. Martin Picard of Pied de Cochon in Montreal will always be known as “that foie gras guy”, just as Ferran Adria will always be known as the pioneer of molecular gastronomy.

Based on the reviews I had read of Coca (783 Queen Street West), and the general trend of tapas (or small plates, if the restaurant isn’t serving specifically Spanish dishes), I had always assumed that Chef Nathan Isberg was one of those chefs who was all about the meat. I’d actually never eaten at Coca because I assumed the menu was heavily meat-reliant. So I was surprised to run into Isberg at the Green Carpet Series’ An Evening of Local Cuisine last month, standing proudly behind a table of vegetarian tapas.

Continue reading Flipping the Hunter-Gatherer Misconception at Coca »

This is a story best told in Q&A fashion. I’m at Rosebud with Rodney Bowers, its creator and one of the most down-to-earth chefs in town. The cooks are preparing for dinner service, the bartender lighting candles for tables. At the outset of the interview I mention the recent review of Citizen by Joanna Kates in the Globe and Mail. It wasn’t overly favourable, and in it she went on a tear about Caprese salads.

Bowers tries to explain his incredulity, but stops and goes to the kitchen. He emerges with the buffalo mozzarella and tomato salad. It’s the same recipe from Citizen. He says the cheese is imported from Italy and is about four days old. He gets local organic tomatoes from Ontario. The olive oil traverses the Atlantic as well; he says it’s probably in the top five in the world. The interview won’t start until I eat it. The cheese is phenomenally smooth and soft — it really is. It dies in your mouth. Needless to say, he didn’t understand many of Kates’ points. And for the moment, neither did I.

Continue reading “I’m What They Call a ‘Fanatic’” »

C5
100 Queen’s Park (in the ROM)
416-586-7928

Though C5’s reception hinges more on James Chatto, Joanne Kates, and those old ladies on bus tours, Chef Ted Corrado is hurt by a recent review impugning the freshness of his fish. “Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, But the thing that really upsets me is when she mentioned the bass, that she can smell it two tables away. From Taro!” Taro is one of Toronto’s priciest purveyor of sushi-grade fish. “We’re having trouble keeping enough of everything. He’s flying everything in from Japan for us. And our fish is coming every day. Carlos is back there butchering the cod, butchering snapper again. And we’re so busy that we’re not even sitting on anything. Every day we’re selling out of something because we didn’t order enough. For her to say that (the bass failed her freshness test) is impossible. There’s no chance. So that pissed me off.”

Continue reading View From the Top »

La Vecchia Ristorante
2405A Yonge Street
416-489-0630

From childhood Aurora dreamed of coming to North America. By the time she graduated from high school she had turned that dream into a reality and had moved to the United States. However, she soon found herself working long hours in various fast food restaurants and reminiscing about her home in Italy. Too stubborn to admit she had made a mistake she persevered and relocated to Toronto in 1992 where she worked in a variety of Italian restaurants and finally landed a permanent position in La Vecchia Ristorante ten years ago.

Continue reading A Few Reasonable Words with Aurora Stranges »