We engage in a little armchair speculation about who’s behind Chef Grant Soto
Who is the real “Chef Grant Soto”? The rumors started almost as soon as the oft-offensive and always entertaining Twitter account debuted on January 9. Despite the fact that there’s little hard evidence to go on (he told Amy Pataki that he’s “been around in the industry,” whatever that might mean), we thought we’d engage in some afternoon baseless speculation, selecting five possible culprits from Toronto’s chefs and foodies-about-town.
1. Jen Agg, owner of The Black Hoof and Cocktail Bar
Why it could be her:
The Black Hoof owner is connected, ambitious and has been known to spill beans on Twitter.
Why it’s probably not her:
Both Pataki and the Food Junkie Chronicles say they spoke to a man, so unless Agg has some vocal skills we’re not aware of, she’s out of the running.
2. Jamie Kennedy, owner of Jamie Kennedy Kitchens
Why it could be him:
With a reputation as a nice guy, maybe he’s got some secret anger to vent?
Why it’s probably not him:
It would be a pretty extreme leap seeing that his own Twitter feed is all business—not a single ironic hashtag!
3. Corey Mintz, Toronto Star writer
Why it could be him:
There’s no smoke without fire? Much of the speculation (including that of our commenters) has centered on the Toronto Star columnist.
Why it’s probably not him:
Both Chef Grant Soto and Mintz have denied it, and Grant van Gameren has concurred.
4. Roger Mooking, Iron Chef challenger and Bass is Base heartthrob
Why it could be him:
As the debate over his identity began to heat up, Chef Soto mocked the chef and R&B singer, comparing his opinions on flavour to eating, er, flatulence. A sly attempt to cover his tracks?
Why it’s probably not him:
You’d have to be pretty damn sly to want to compare your own opinions to farts.
5. Rob Feenie
Why it could be him:
A Vancouver chef attempting to make Toronto foodies look stupid? Sure sounds plausible. Plus, Feenie is known to love the limelight.
Why it’s probably not him:
There’s a lot of insider knowledge in that there Twitter feed—could an outsider really pull it off?
All good prospects, sure—but we’re finding it hard to ignore a rumour that’s going around about a certain writer/director based in Toronto.
, we thought we’d engage in some afternoon baseless speculation, selecting five possible culprits from Toronto’s chefs and foodies-about-town.
1. Jen Agg, owner of The Black Hoof and Cocktail Bar
Why it could be her:
The Black Hoof owner is connected, ambitious and has been known to spill beans on Twitter.
Why it’s probably not her:
Both Pataki and the Food Junkie Chronicles say they spoke to a man, so unless Agg has some vocal skills we’re not aware of, she’s out of the running.
2. Jamie Kennedy, owner of Jamie Kennedy Kitchens
Why it could be him:
With a reputation as a nice guy, maybe he’s got some secret anger to vent?
Why it’s probably not him:
It would be a pretty extreme leap seeing that his own Twitter feed is all business—not a single ironic hashtag!
3. Corey Mintz, Toronto Star writer
Why it could be him:
There’s no smoke without fire? Much of the speculation (including that of our commenters) has centered on the Toronto Star columnist.
Why it’s probably not him:
Both Chef Grant Soto and Mintz have denied it, and Grant van Gameren has concurred.
4. Roger Mooking, Iron Chef challenger and Bass is Base heartthrob
Why it could be him:
As the debate over his identity began to heat up, Chef Soto mocked the chef and R&B singer, comparing his opinions on flavour to eating, er, flatulence. A sly attempt to cover his tracks?
Why it’s probably not him:
You’d have to be pretty damn sly to want to compare your own opinions to farts.
5. Rob Feenie
Why it could be him:
A Vancouver chef attempting to make Toronto foodies look stupid? Sure sounds plausible. Plus, Feenie is known to love the limelight.
Why it’s probably not him:
There’s a lot of insider knowledge in that there Twitter feed—could an outsider really pull it off?
All good prospects, sure—but we’re finding it hard to ignore a rumour that’s going around about a certain writer/director based in Toronto.){kind=link}
Whoever he is, he’s a coward.
He’s hilarious! And as someone in the industry I can say everyone loves him. It’s a funny spoof of celebrity chefs, I wouldn’t give it much more thought.
This isn’t really a list of people that Toronto Life thinks might be Grant Soto is it. Jen Agg as #1? Rob Feenie? Huh?
This is sad.. Has Toronto Life really sunk as low as to do articles on this clown ? Unreal
How about Kevin Brauch?
Judith, he’s satirizing our food obsessed city. “Clown” you say? Look at his followers, all well known local chefs/bloggers/critics/writers. He’s obviously struck a chord. The fact that he’s being written about on this site is a testament to that.
Lord Catfish of county Charlatan. Lore says, he resides in his mom’s house, in thunder bay; a true champion; a bitcoin billionaire; the definition of the 21st century man living behind the digital screen of perceived royalty.