At The Pass with Eva Chin
đź•’ 3 min read
At The Pass is a weekly series showcasing Toronto’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.
Currently
Chef de Cuisine, KĹŤjin - part of the Momofuku Group.
Formerly
Chef de Cuisine, Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar (Vancouver); Executive Chef, Royal Dinette Restaurant (Vancouver).
Favourite dish to make right now
Fire Roasted and Soy Braised Half Chicken with spicy cucumber, ginger scallion, smoked pineapple - currently on Kōjin’s menu.
Last cookbook purchase
Room for Dessert by Will Goldfarb
Have you read it/tried any recipes
Not yet.
One dish or ingredient you’d like to see gone from menus
Yuzu.
And one dish or ingredient that you’re excited about right now and would like to see on more menus
MSG.
Biggest influences
Chefs Shane Osborn, Dominique Crenn, Katy Millard, and David Chang.
If you could eat at any restaurant in the world
Flocons de Sel, France.
Last thing you ate
Noodles in broth.
Chef Eva Chin's Kanpachi Ceviche at KĹŤjin.
Three must-have ingredients always in your fridge
Butter, Red Boat Fish Sauce, Lemon.
Guilty pleasure
Ice cream.
Top 3 favourite Toronto restaurants
Cha Kee Restaurant, Fishman Lobster Clubhouse, and Fran’s.
Top 3 favourite Toronto bars
Paris Paris, CC Lounge, and The Emmet Ray.
Go-to drink
Woodford Reserve, neat.
One habit you have in the kitchen that you should lose, but can’t seem to shake
Work/life balance.
And one habit you have in the kitchen that will inspire young chefs
Organization.
Hidden talent
Equestrian for over 20 years.
Best career advice you ever received
“Never stop pushing.” – Chef Shane Osborn
Worst career advice you ever received
“You must prove yourself harder because you are a woman.”
Your advice for a young cook starting out in the business
Go everywhere. Eat everything. Talk to everyone. Live your life beyond the four walls of a kitchen and be a good human, not just a good chef.
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In order to support chefs during this time, the monthly At The Pass series is now WEEKLY. Know someone in Toronto or GTA who should be featured? Submit their name for consideration. And yes, you can nominate yourself.
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