🕒 7.5 min read

Currently

Co-owner/Executive Chef, Butcher, Baker, Magic Maker - The Tempered Room

Formerly

Many greasy barbecues, pubs and snack joints. Then: Mercatto, Sorrel, and Canoe, before finally making it to The Tempered Room.

Favourite dish to make right now

My favourite thing to make, always; the croissant is the perfect baked product. Both a staple and an indulgence during these critical times... an essential luxury. A process of lamination that can be widely interpreted becomes a matter of pride for those with the passion to make it the best. A few pantry ingredients combined transform, but only when layered and bloomed perfectly. 

Last cookbook purchase 

Au Pied de Cochon Sugar Shack by Martin Picard. This book for me, is the pinnacle of refined, but rustic French Canadian food.

Have you read it/tried any recipes

The squirrel sushi. It didn't go well. Parkdale critters aren’t very compliant. Jokes and cookbooks aside, it’s the age of the internet. Chefs the world over post ever-evolving techniques and recipes daring you to try your hand. If you’re not paying attention, you’ll be left behind in a stuffy room filled only with old, white French men. 

One dish or ingredient you’d like to see gone from menus

Fondant. I love themed pastry, cakes and displays, but unless you’re six, there’s no reason to use edible playdough. There are so many ways to recreate a beautiful vision that are also delicious. Get creative!

And one dish or ingredient that you’re excited about right now and would like to see on more menus

Pâté en croûte! Pâtés and terrines in general. Traditionally made with meat, in this day and age we can mold it around all our dietary restrictions, and there’s so much untapped potential surrounding these beautiful offerings.

Your biggest influences

My partner Humera Ali. We’re both very competitive, so I’m always striving to keep up with her. Love you, my little croissant.

 If you could eat at any restaurant in the world

Well, that would be difficult as there isn’t much going on in the restaurant industry due to COVID-19. I would have loved to eat at Narisawa in Tokyo. Hopefully I’ll get the chance in the future.

Last thing you ate 

Today we were lucky enough to feast on my mother-in-law’s Machli Aaloo Ka Salan for lunch, which is an intricate yet fresh fish curry served with perfectly made basmati and lal mooli. This came on the heel of my mom’s Jiggs’ Dinner - a soul- nourishing Newfie dish of salted beef and pease puddin’. 

Three must-have ingredients always in your fridge

Squash, roasted red peppers, and smoked goat cheese. The base ingredients of our famous Squash Sandwich also happen to be my hilariously greedy baby Amara’s favourite food puree.

Guilty pleasure

Kraft Dinner and hot dogs, Pillsbury Pizza Pops, and Kellogg's Froot Loops. I can’t wait for Amara to grow up a bit, so I can use her as an excuse to buy myself kid foods. 

Top 3 favourite Toronto restaurants 

Dandylion by Jay Carter, DaiLo by Nick Liu, and Shangrila Tibetan & Asian Cuisine by Namgyal and Tsering Dolker

Top 3 favourite Toronto bars

You would always find me at PrettyUgly after an intense catering event. I also loved Swan Dive and Grey Tiger. Now that we can’t go to bars, I’ve stocked up my own bar with delicious spirits, and house made bitters and syrups to try to recreate some of my favourites.

Go-to drink

Naked and Famous from Death and Co.

One habit you have in the kitchen that you should lose, but can’t seem to shake

Startling my head baker, Aya Oki in the walk-in fridge while she’s deep in thought. Just a high-pitched squeal should do it. She’s an extremely calm, collected chef, so the effect has been too funny to pass up any opportunity.

One habit you have in the kitchen that will inspire young chefs

My insatiable appetite for crushing lists. The bigger, the better. It’s about multitasking, keeping your head on a swivel, working smart but more than anything, having a positive attitude towards a challenge. I love seeing a long page of black lines at the end of the day, and I think my team sees that and tries to emulate it. 

Hidden talent 

Lyric retention. I can listen and memorize the lyrics of any song after hearing it a few times, and like a dog remembers a scent, I will remember those lyrics for years to come. I think my ability to spit old school rap bars is extra cool (not extra cringy, anybody who knows me, okay!) because I’m a nerdy white guy.

Best career advice you ever received

“Zero-up.” - Jacques Séguin, founder of Mineola Consulting and former president of Garland  Canada. If you’re not happy with your business, product, or really any aspect of your output, and you’ve tried tweaking and tinkering and nothing’s working… Don’t be afraid to tear it down and build it back up the way YOU want it.

Worst career advice you ever received

Honestly - it was to just “Follow your heart.” Not that you shouldn’t live with passion, but big actions must be backed by thorough research, contingency planning, and unwavering commitment. Your heart will show you the way, but your brain should tell you how to navigate the route.

Your advice for a young cook starting out in the business

Follow your heart.

At The Pass is a monthly series showcasing Toronto/GTA’s best chefs. You won’t find any celebrity chefs featured here. Perhaps you already know these fine cooks, but maybe not. They’re not famous - yet. But it’s time these talented, passionate, hard-working chefs got a bit of the spotlight.

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