I was born in Waterloo, Ontario, and remember cooking alongside my grandmother as a child and feeling very at home in the kitchen. She would cook soups from scratch and hand-make pierogies all afternoon. I apprenticed at The Old Prune with Chef Bryan Steele and over the past decade I have been the Head Chef at Pazzo Stratford, Mercer Hall and The Red Rabbit. In 2018 we opened Old Man & Son, a new place to eat breakfast in Stratford.
What is your favourite restaurant?
Schwartz’s Deli in Montreal.
What is your favourite cookbook?
The Taste of Country Cooking by Edna Lewis.
What is your guilty pleasure food?
So many sandwiches.
What food did you think was over-rated until you tried it?
Soup Dumpling.
Favourite knife or kitchen tool?
My Tojiro DP chef knife, a true workhorse.
What restaurant dish seemed the most intimidating, but is actually really easy to make?
Favourite ingredient you can’t get enough of right now?
Annatto and achiote paste.
What is a new technique/flavour you are experimenting with currently?
I’m more about exploring old techniques and flavours these days.
Are there any recipes from SCS you still use?
Several!
What is your best SCS memory?
Spending time in the kitchen with like minded people & sharing many pints with my friends.