The last time the words “sizzle reel” were deployed on TorontoLife.com, they were in reference to Lake Shore, the ill-advised GTA-based Jersey Shore takeoff that thankfully never got off the ground. This time, we’re happy to say the promotional video is for Odd Bits, a spin-off of Jennifer McLagan’s hit offal cookbook from last year. In the clip, McLagan is shown preparing testicles—yes, testicles—with Parts and Labour’s Matty Matheson (after demonstrating to the tattooed chef the proper peeling technique, she actually drops the groaner, “Takes a girl to know how to handle testicles”). McLagan tells us that she shot a pilot for the show this summer, which also features segments at Beast with Scott Vivian (water buffalo tongue, heart and marrow) and Buca with Rob Gentile (blood). Here’s hoping it gets picked up—while we doubt home cooks would actually make too many of the recipes, the demonstrations should make for good, squirm-inducing TV.
All stories relating to Matty Matheson
The menu for “A Night of Gravitas,” a charity dinner on a boat hosted by the local Internet troll “Chef Grant Soto” (also known as Taylor Clarke, the man looking for his own TV show), has been revealed. Guests will start with hors d’oeuvres like devilled eggs with smoked salmon roe, dry aged steak tartare on potato chips and fried haloumi with tomato chili preserve and mint. Then there’s a raw bar, which is said to boast cracked lobsters, oysters, tiger shrimp, snow crab claws, mussels, tuna, snails, scallops and king crab legs. And then there’s a family-style dinner that includes braised oxtails, roasted bone marrow, grilled octopus, buttered potatoes, smoked bacon-wrapped peaches with grilled corn, soft-shell crab po-boys, fried chicken and lobster with chanterelle grits and pimento cheese and more. And, believe it or not, there are donuts and a variety of gelatos for dessert. Guests from the dinner on a boat will either sink the large water vehicle or will need to be rolled out. (We’re almost certain it’ll be the latter, but with the decadent meal Matty Matheson, Craig Harding and Geoff Hopgood are preparing, we can’t be sure.) See the full menu [The Grid] »
A look at the pork-mad garden party that was the Group of Seven Hogtown Throwdown
Matty Matheson and Derek Dammann at the Hogtown Throwdown (Image: Renée Suen)
What do you get when you give eight chefs a Perth Pork pig, some beer and wine and an open-air venue to host an event? A throwdown, naturally. Tuesday night, The Group of 7 Chefs—Bertrand Alépée (The Tempered Chef), Chris Brown (The Stop), Mark Cutrara (Cowbell), Marc Dufour (Earth), Kevin McKenna (Globe and Earth), Matty Matheson (Parts and Labour) and Scott Vivian (Beast), sans regular Nick Liu (Gwailo)—were joined by “Deadly” Derek Dammann, until recently of Montreal’s DNA, at the Evergreen Brick Works’ Chimney Court to pack eight solid punches of swine-based plates. The chefs and guests, including Jeff Crump (Ancaster Mill), Tobey Nemeth (Edulis) and Ivy Knight (Swallow Foods), braved the sweltering heat to raise funds for the group’s trip to New York’s prestigious James Beard House in September (only a handful of Canadians have been extended the invitation to host a dinner there).
Read the rest of this entry »
Chef Grant Soto to reveal his identity at a charity boat dinner in July
I’m on a boat!
He routinely makes fun of foodies from the safety of an anonymous Twitter account, but on July 25, chef “Grant Soto” will be revealing himself at a charity dinner on Captain John’s Harbour Boat Restaurant (we can’t promise he won’t disrobe, but by “revealing” we just mean he’s going to show up with his true identity on display). It’s a fairly courageous move, considering his Internet trolling has made him a well-hated micro-celebrity, but perhaps benefiting the Breakfast Clubs of Canada will win him some goodwill. Tickets for the dinner cost $150, and the food will be prepared by Keriwa’s Aaron Joseph Bear Robe, Parts and Labour’s Matty Matheson, Campagnolo’s Craig Harding and Porchetta and Co.’s Nick Auf Der Mauer (and yes, the $150 buys you an open bar). Oh, and Soto kindly notes that vegetarians and gluten-free types need not worry, because, as he announces on his newly launched website, they will “take care of that shit too.” [Chef Grant Soto]
(Images: Chef Grant Soto, Twitter; Captain John’s, Mathew Ingram)
Terroir 2012 recap: what we saw, heard and ate at the big annual food industry meet-up
Kevin Gilmour (sous chef at The Drake Hotel) was assisted by his crew at this pork carving station. Hunks of roasted pork were served over a peanut-ginger slaw (Image: Renée Suen)
Last week, 500 members or so of Canada’s food and hospitality industry gathered for Terroir VI at the newly renovated Arcadian Court. The theme for this year’s symposium was “The New Radicals,” a new generation of chefs that have a collaborative and unconventional approach to cuisine despite their conventional training. Symposium chair Arlene Stein had arranged a line up of the industry’s finest from Canada and abroad, assembled on panels featuring restaurateurs, writers and chefs from the old and new vanguard—most attendees agreed this year’s crop was the best yet (before the event we spoke to Australian chef Ben Shewry, as well as sustainable aquaculture champion Barton Seaver and natural wine advocate Alice Feiring.).
Read the rest of this entry »
Weekly Eater: Toronto food events for April 30 to May 6
Toronto Underground Market and Food Trucks Eats join forces for the sold-out Street Food Block Party on Saturday (Images: Caroline Aksich, Renée Suen)
Monday, April 30
- Cocina Mexicana: A hands-on lesson in authentic Mexican cooking, just in time to hone your skills for Cinco de Mayo. Dish Cooking Studio, 390 Dupont St., 416-920-5559. Find out more »
- Piola’s Monday Night Mixer: Piola’s weekly aperitivo italiano, with cocktail and beer specials and complimentary snacks. 1165 Queen St. W., 416-477-4652. Find out more »
- 86’D: Ivy Knight hosts a guacamole battle royale; bring your best guac and see how it stacks up. The Drake, 1150 Queen St. W., 416-531-5042. Find out more »
- FoodShare’s Kate Kitchen: A monthly gathering where women fighting breast cancer can share recipes, learn how to prepare healthy meals and learn about cancer-fighting foods. 90 Croatia St., foodlink@foodshare.net. Find out more »
- Jamie Kennedy’s Evening of Spanish Gastronomy: José Luis Altristain from the Commercial Office of Spain will lead a tasting demonstrating how the vintage of olive oil affects the flavour, followed by a four-course meal with wine pairings. Gilead Bistro, 4 Gilead Pl., 647-288-0680. Find out more »
- Sorauren Farmers’ Market: 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the field house at Sorauren Park. 50 Wabash Ave. Find out more »
Weekly Eater: Toronto food events for April 9 to 15
Experience a Toronto version of the annual Thai Songkran at Khao San Road on Wednesday (Image: Wyndham Hollis)
Monday, April 9
- A Taco Beer Tequila Fundraising Dinner: A feast hosted by Victoria Taylor, Jamie Kennedy, Parts and Labour chef Matty Matheson and rooftop farmer Katie Mathieu, with proceeds going to the Parts and Labour rooftop garden project. Tacos will feature spring shoots from the garden. Beer by Bellwoods Brewery, tequila by Tromba. 18 Bellwoods Ave., 416-722-6947. Find out more »
- 86’D: Ivy Knight hosts a battle for the best hot sauce. Bring your own and compete! The Drake, 1150 Queen St. W., 416-531-5042. Find out more »
- Sorauren Farmers’ Market: 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the field house at Sorauren Park. 50 Wabash Ave. Find out more »
Top Chef Canada recap, episode 4: something offal
Matty Matheson welcomed the judges to Parts and Labour, including Chris Cosentino (Images: Top Chef Canada)
Last night’s episode of Top Chef Canada seemed perfectly calibrated to appeal to the foodie audience, from the chef skills quickfire to the guest judge spot by San Francisco’s offal king Chris Cosentino (whose trip to Toronto was memorably recounted on Twitter last year). And we’ll be honest: we fell for every last bit of it (more like this, please). The episode started with Gabriell Cruz anointing Victor’s David Chrystian as the “sleeping giant” of the competition (presumably because he keeps ending up on the bottom, despite owning a stake in his restaurant). But would that sleeping giant rise to take his rightful place? Find out in this week’s recap.
Read the rest of this entry »
Matthew DeMille to leave Enoteca Sociale
Enoteca Sociale’s Rocco Agostino with Matthew DeMille (Image: Renée Suen)
Over the weekend, Swallow Food reported that Matthew DeMille, the chef de cuisine at Enoteca Sociale, would be stepping away from his post in April to take a “cooking sabbatical” with his family in the Ontario countryside (which admittedly sounds pretty nice). DeMille signed up for the job at the Dundas West rustic Italian restaurant just last July, after a stint as Matty Matheson’s sous chef at Parts & Labour. Last November, DeMille was joined in the kitchen by former Black Hoof owner Grant van Gameren, who took over the place as executive chef. There’s no word yet on a potential replacement for DeMille. Read the entire story [Swallow Food] »
Canoe Shack-Up: Au Pied de Cochon’s Martin Picard brings his Quebec crew for an epic, maple-soaked feast at Canoe
Carl Rousseau (St. Canut Farm) with Martin Picard and Marc Beaudin (Au Pied de Cochon, Cabane à sucre)
Acclaimed Montreal chef Martin Picard, best known for his haute-rustic gastronomic temple Au Pied de Cochon, was in town to celebrate the release of his new cookbook, Au Pied de Cochon Sugar Shack. The colour book is full of recipes from his temporary and seasonal restaurant that’s known for serving traditional sugar shack fare with a Picard twist (think equal parts gluttony and innovation, with plenty of foie gras and other gut-busting ingredients). As part of a three-city tour, Picard partnered with Oliver & Bonacini corporate executive chef Anthony Walsh for “Canoe Shack Up,” a $185 maple syrup–laden five-course menu which volleyed between recipes developed by the two chefs. Supported by the crews from Cabane à Sucre au Pied de Cochon and Canoe (led by John Horne), and fortified by some excellent VQA wines, the event saw a ton of big-name Toronto chefs and restaurant owners in the 110-guest audience, including the folks from Beast, Campagnolo, Enoteca Sociale, The Gabardine, Malena, Parts & Labour, Trevor and Hamilton’s Earth to Table Bread Bar feasting and imbibing as Picard held court and signed books.
Read the rest of this entry »
Weekly Eater: Toronto food events for March 12 to 18
Martin Picard will be cooking a five-course tasting menu at Canoe on Sunday to promote his new cookbook, Au Pied de Cochon Sugar Shack (Image: Marie-Claude St-Pierre)
Monday, March 12
- Society for American Wines: Cabernet blends formal tasting. University of Toronto Faculty Club, 41 Willcocks St., 416-978-6325. Find out more »
- 86’D: Join Ivy Knight for the premiere of Top Chef Canada 2012. With special guest chef Todd Perrin from season one. The Drake, 1150 Queen St. W., 416-531-5042. Find out more »
- March Break: Kids Cooking Camp: A week of globally inspired cooking classes for little foodies. St. Lawrence Market, 92 Front St. E., 416-392-7120. Find out more »
- Sorauren Farmers’ Market: 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the field house at Sorauren Park. 50 Wabash Ave. Find out more »
Three years in, Charlie’s Burgers brings Le Châteaubriand—the world’s ninth-best restaurant—to Toronto
One hundred and thirty-four hungry (and excited) guests gathered for Charlie’s Burger (Image: Renée Suen)
Charlie’s Burgers, the original Toronto pop-up, just celebrated its third birthday in February, six months after the Globe and Mail revealed its elusive leader’s identity. Having already collaborated with chefs from Canada, England and France, the “anti-restaurant” decided to bring cutting-edge Parisian cooking from Le Châteaubriand—number nine on the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list—to Toronto for a two-evening dinner engagement on Sunday and Monday this week. Sous-chef Agata Felugga and Delphine Zampetti, wife of Le Chateaubriand’s chef and owner, Inaki Aizpitarte, put together a menu using deer and partridge that were hunted and aged especially for the event, as well as vegetables and other produce sourced by chef Jonathan Gushue of Langdon Hall, itself a sometime member of the World’s Top 100 restaurants list. We dropped by the dinner at L’Unità to check in on one of the biggest food events of the season.
Read the rest of this entry »
Check out some chefs behaving badly as they ham it up at a photo shoot for Terroir 2012
Read the rest of this entry »
Terroir, the hospitality industry symposium, brings chefs, wine and food experts, restaurateurs and members of the food media together for one day each year. This time around the program is centered on the theme of the “New Radicals” (no, not those ones): the new generation of chefs who might be conventionally trained, but are more collaborative than their forebears and more than happy to set up shop in unconventional spaces. Attendees this year will be greeted with a unique Manchu Wok–style lunch buffet catered by a team of mainly Toronto chefs. The cheeky contemporary interpretations of pop culture classics will use local, seasonal and foraged ingredients: think sweet-and-sour confit chicken balls and General Tso sweetbreads. A couple weeks back, we sat in on the “Wok and Roll” photo shoot for the event, which included Jason Bangerter (Luma, O&B Canteen), Matty Matheson (Parts and Labour) and Charlotte Langley (Café Belong) among others, and asked which Canadian-style Chinese food item they’ve planned to rework. Mostly, though, it was just an excuse to watch some of our favourite chefs engaged in a little food fight.
Top Chef Canada reveals the rather stacked list of guest judges for season two
Remember last year when Chris Cosentino, one of the pioneers of the offal revival, visited Toronto for undisclosed reasons and claimed he could smell Chinatown from three blocks away? Or when Richard Blais, the molecularly inclined winner of Top Chef All-Stars, tweeted about the interesting tasting menu he’d just lunched on in Toronto? Or when Italian food legend Lidia Bastianich dropped in at All the Best Fine Foods? Turns out they weren’t here just because they love us—they’re all guest judges on season two of Top Chef Canada. Other notable judges and tasters include—and let us be clear, this is a bit of a spoiler for those who really like to keep their Top Chef Canada viewing pure—east-coast chef Michael Smith, season one host Thea Andrews (no hard feelings, we guess!), chef-about-town Matty Matheson of Parts and Labour, Leafs assistant captain Colby Armstrong, Susur Lee and his soon-to-be restaurateur sons Kai and Jet Bent-Lee, Toca’s Tom Brodi, Roger Mooking, Top Chef Masters winner Marcus Samuelson, last season’s winner Dale MacKay and his adorable son Ayden, Keisha Chante, Rick the Temp Campanelli, Lorenzo Loseto of George, Charlie’s Burgers mastermind Franco Stalteri, husband-and-wife dynamos Marc Thuet and Biana Zorich, Odd Bits author Jennifer McLagan, Vancouver Indian restaurateur and chef Vikram Vij and assorted competitors from last season, not to mention the somewhat bizarro guests we already told you about, like Alan Thicke and Mike Holmes. (Whew!) Not bad.
This year’s What’s on the Table fundraiser for The Stop features over 30 top chefs from Toronto and beyond
Read the rest of this entry »
Eat well and feed the hungry along the way—that’s the concept behind the annual What’s on the Table benefit being held this year on November 2. Since 2005, the fundraiser has gathered $1.5 million for The Stop, the innovative community food centre whose goal is to increase everyone’s access to healthy food (check out our interview with chef Chris Brown from shortly after he joined The Stop). Dining stations open at 6:30 p.m., and patrons won’t be starved for choice; the event features offerings from over 30 chefs, including Lynn Crawford of Ruby Watcho, Anthony Walsh of Canoe and pâtissier Nadège Nourian (see below for the very impressive full list).
