A Chat with Ontario’s Finest Chefs
Chefs Mark McEwan, David Lee and Jamie Kennedy are famous for their food and for their support of local farmers and producers. Food and wine writer Margaret Swaine spoke with the three on behalf of My Ontario Magazine.
What’s it like to be an Ontario chef on a world stage?
Lee: “I don’t see myself as a chef on a world stage, but am proud to be able to serve local Ontario products at Splendido.”
Kennedy: “It is about maintaining consistency and meeting expectations from customers that there is something unique to take away with them in their memories.”
McEwan: “It is amazing to be part of the movement and help contribute to the food scene in Toronto / Ontario. Years ago making trips to New York there was a major divide but now we have equal footing and it’s a great thing to see.”
When you compete in international or national chef competitions do you bring Ontario ingredients with you and what would some of those be?
Lee: “When we compete internationally I am always keen to bring the seasonal flavors of Canada to the plate, whether by using Quebec Foie gras, naturally raised Cumbrae Farms ribsteak or Ontario strawberries.”
Kennedy: “I don’t compete in competitions.”
McEwan: “Quebec foie gras, quails, ramps, morels…”
What ingredients do you think typify our province?
Lee: “Stone fruit from Niagara, Bruce Peninsula apples and pears, freshwater fish from the Great Lakes.”
Kennedy: “For me it is more a quest to find what best represents the regions of Ontario. Let’s identify regional differentiation in gastronomy.”
McEwan: “Spring ramps, morels, pickerel, perch…”
Who are some of your favourite Ontario farmers and what are their products?
Lee: “Simple. Jannsen Farm white asparagus and Cumbrae Farms with their Haldimand County Dorset lamb, Larry’s farm suckling pig and Angus or Wagyu Beef.”
Kennedy: “There are many and the list is ever expanding thank goodness. I love Michael Schmidt, but I can’t use his beautiful fresh milk products because it is not legal to sell them in my restaurant. This is a shame and interferes with identifying regional differentiation in food and artisan food products.”
McEwan: “[David] Cohlmeyer’s – carrots, tomatoes…”
What are some of the favourite Ontario dishes you have created and what makes them so? Do you have a ‘signature’ Ontario dish?
Lee: “My cuisine is largely based on seasonality, and as such there are a few. In May poached Jannsen Farm white asparagus with a simple Hollandaise sauce. August finds us with Freskiw Farms wild blueberries which I use to make protein shakes. They are full of antioxidants and more of my signature dish at home and throughout the summer, a 1 ¾” thick-cut charcoal-grilled Cumbrae Farms ribsteak. Late June gives us Ontario strawberry crunch with Champagne foam. All of these dishes are simple in their concept and highlight the great local products available to us. At Splendido our philosophy is eat and buy local.”
Kennedy: “Pristine Poached Whitefish with Hillier Soubise and Beet Glaze. So, the pristine is a cold pressed soya oil from Jason Persall who makes this oil in Ontario. The whitefish is indigenous to Lake Huron where it is fished. The Hillier Soubise is made from onions grown on my farm. The soil gives extremely good tasting onions and I make them into a sauce for the fish. So it is the feeling that all these ingredients came from Ontario that makes the conception and the preparation of the dish exciting and unique.”
McEwan: “Pan seared pickerel with sweet corn risotto”
What do you deem to be the most exciting Ontario food trend at this moment in time?
Lee: “The Ontario food trend I’m most excited about is the continued evolution and support of local, small-market farmers.”
Kennedy: “To recapture the spirit of our forebears in how they approached cooking. They were tied to the seasons and were forced to cope with the harsh winters. Much creativity emerged from that challenge. In support of local food economies many chefs are turning their attention to their rural partners in gastronomy, the growers.”
McEwan: “I really believe that the “food trend” is non existent. Chefs are really just adding their own twist as we are all very confident in creating great dishes.”
What’s your feeling about organic farming in Ontario?
Lee: “As people become more aware of the healthful aspects of eating, organic farming will continue to grow. However, I’d like to see that growth accelerated and the support for organic farmers increased.”
Kennedy: “I support organic farming in Ontario because it promotes the mixed farm model that does not rely on inputs outside the farm for fertility and health on the farm. I think as consumers we should be focusing on sourcing local first, organic second.”
McEwan: “Organic farming in Ontario is superb. We are very fortunate to have local produce.”
Is there anything else you would like to add about the Ontario food and restaurant scene?
Lee: “When faced with a choice between buying Ontario products or those from the United States, I’d like to see the consumer choose to support our local farmers. For restaurants, it can sometimes be a challenge to support small-market farmers due to the volume of product they may need. I’d love to see an increase in the volume of specialty products available to Ontario chefs.”
Kennedy: (no)
McEwan: “I think we are at world level. Toronto is a hidden culinary treasure.”
Do you have any new projects on the horizon?
Lee: “Yes. Our new restaurant, Nota Bene, at 180 Queen St. West is slated for a summer 2008 opening.”
Kennedy: “To present a model in terroir based gastronomy on my farm. There will be a tavern, a dining room, a barn with some animals, a vineyard, and a vegetable and herb garden. One reason that I am excited about this project is that it will give young cooks within the organization the opportunity to experience first hand just what it takes to raise animals, to grow crops, to look after a vineyard. I think it will give them a valuable new perspective on the provenance of our food.”
McEwan: “I will be opening an upscale gourmet grocery store in the fall.”
Sidebar – The Chefs Bios
David Lee. British born Lee is the third generation of a family line of chefs. In London at the tender age of 17 he worked at the Hotel Intercontinental and went on to get a taste of cooking Michelin starred food at Le Soufflé. From there he went to Switzerland and the Hotel Fleur du Lac before being recruited by Anton Mosimann to work at his eponymous restaurant in 1992, rising quickly to the sous-chef position. At 24 he moved to Canada and was hired as chef de cuisine at Centro. By age 29 he’d teamed up with Yannick Bigourdan to acquire Splendido which re-opened in the fall of 2001 to much acclaim.
Jamie Kennedy. Kennedy is a George Brown College grad who went on to train as Journeyman Cook in Europe in the late seventies. He returned to Toronto to open the renowned Scaramouche heralded as a new phase in Canadian culinary history and then in 1985 Palmerston Restaurant. From 1994 to 2003 his unique cooking style became the distinguishing feature of J.K. ROM at The Royal Ontario Museum. In 2000 he published a cookbook, “Jamie Kennedy Seasons”. In 2003 he launched JK Kitchens on Church Street and in 2006 Jamie Kennedy at The Gardiner. A devout supporter of our ecological systems, Jamie has spoken for such causes as the Endangered Fish Alliance, World Wildlife Foundation, Living Ocean Society and Seafood Watch.
Mark McEwan. After a position as the youngest executive chef in Canada (at the Sutton Place Hotel) in the early eighties McEwan acquired Pronto Ristorante in 1985. His classic fine dining establishment North 44 on Yonge Street opened in 1989 and he expanded that operation to include North 44 Catering, a full catering service. He went on to relaunch Terra in 1996, open Bymark in the Toronto Dominion Centre in 2002 and two years later branched out into television when he began filming The Heat. It launched on Food Network Canada in October 2006. Never one to rest on his laurels he opened One in The Hazelton Hotel in 2007.