If there has been a bump in the night at Toronto restaurants lately, it wasn’t a jolly old man bearing gifts. It’s the Night Chef—a man pillaging the fridges and cupboards of the city’s kitchens to whip up a midnight meal. He claims he loves to cook and wants to do it on his own terms (if not his own turf), using the restaurant’s meat, vegetables and booze. According to his Facebook page, “no lock or law can hope to stop him.” Tough talk, especially since all his photos are tagged with his real name and the names of his accomplices: Matt DeMille, Rick Wahl, Martin McNenly.
In an attempt to be a little more Robin Hood and a little less Winona Ryder, DeMille is Web-casting his heists with instructions on how to make the meal at hand. The first how-to video, which would seem like an audition for the Food Network if it weren’t for the balaclavas and back-window entry, is a 4 a.m. b’n’e at Kensington’s La Palette, where DeMille and his helpers whip up some horse tenderloin with apple stuffing. We aren’t sure which restaurant is next, but since the pantry prowler’s looks are better suited to chef’s whites than prison stripes, he’d better pick somewhere without an alarm.
• Night Chef Fan Page [Facebook]
• Matt DeMille’s Twitter [Twitter]
Night Chef rocks! No doubt this show will be picked up by a local/food network…it definitely has the potential.
December 17, 2009 at 2:49 pm | by bincePart 2 Available on You Tube now. No time to talk, I’ve got to re-locate…
December 17, 2009 at 3:56 pm | by The Night ChefIt’s clearly an ad for La Palette.
December 22, 2009 at 9:30 am | by abInteresting ab,
December 22, 2009 at 8:52 pm | by The Night ChefYou are correct in the sense that if Night Chef breaks into your restaurant you can rest assured that he is a fan, and the Night Chef supports those restaurants that he is a fan of. If you are suggesting that La Palette paid money to be broken-in to, I am afraid that you are incorrect.