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Chatto’s Digest

November Archive

Morimoto at Rain

Posted on November 5, 2007

To Rain early in the week for a special dinner of alternating courses cooked by Guy Rubino and guest chef, global superstar Masaharu Morimoto, also known as the Iron Chef. The two men know each other well and though Morimoto is currently promoting his first book (it’s called Morimoto, is published by DK and sells for $40 US or $50 Cdn.—I guess DK hasn’t heard about the loonie’s soaring flight or the greenback’s tumbling gyre) he was clearly here for two nights as a mark of friendship and respect to Rubino.

Stratford Bound

Posted on November 12, 2007

Woken yesterday morning at 6:45 a.m. by small black and white cat faces very close to mine, mewing for their breakfast. Grumble, mutter, shuffle downstairs and find no newspaper on the porch. Choking coughs and gurgles of coffee machine announce start of day. Cats crying for the outside world, though I know when I open the back door and the damp arctic air hits them they will race back indoors complaining of my cruelty. Why, then, am I smiling? Because this Ethiopian coffee that I buy from Moonbean in Kensington Market is not the first thing of surpassing excellence to pass the lips this week.

A Tale of Three Cities

Posted on November 19, 2007

This week was very largely taken up with the Gold Medal Plates travelling folderols—flitting off to Montreal on November 13, to Vancouver the following day and then to Calgary on November 15, staging a dazzling event in each city and raising a dazzling amount of money for Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes. The Calgary auction alone netted $164,950—never mind ticket sales and the pot from the other cities. Our goal of making $1 million this year seems attainable. For me, the kick of being part of it all is tasting food from the leading chefs in each city, linking up with other food writers and critics whose work doesn’t reach Toronto, being a member of a talented and exceptionally friendly team (a novel feeling for a writer who rarely leaves the solitude of his garret) and hobnobbing with some of the world’s best athletes. Then there’s the fun of hearing a live performance by Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo at each event and the impromptu duets he performs—with Steven Page in Toronto, Kevin Parent in Montreal and Simon Whitfield (the gold-medal triathlete) in Vancouver. It’s all terrifically good fun.

All That Glisters

Posted on November 26, 2007

Gold Medal Plates streaked across the finish line this week with events in Edmonton and Ottawa. Now we can resume normal programming—at least for this weekend, for I’m heading down to Stratford for three days on Tuesday. Luckily my wife will be at home to feed the guppies. Here are the final reports.

James Chatto

James Chatto worked as a dishwasher, actor, waiter, bow tie salesman, choreen, bookseller, nanny, tennis coach, lounge singer, KFC truck driver (fired after 1 day), olive farmer and janitor before moving to Canada in 1987 and becoming a journalist. These days, he writes about food and restaurants for Toronto Life, about wine and spirits for Food & Drink and edits the menswear magazine, Harry. Two of his books are still in print: A Matter of Taste (co-written with Lucy Waverman) and The Greek For Love, a memoir of Corfu. James is married and has two delightful children.

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