Queen West’s Cowbell closes after six years

Mark Cutrara announced the end of his six-year-old Queen West farm-to-table restaurant over the weekend. Cowbell was a forerunner of the nose-to-tail ethos that’s taken over Toronto kitchens, and Cutrara set up shop in Parkdale long before the current wave of hip eateries—Parts and Labour, Grand Electric, Chantecler, Porzia—moved in. Business had been slow since last summer, and as a sole proprietor he didn’t have the deep pockets to last the usual winter lull. The chef has no immediate plans for a new restaurant, but said his next venture would likely involve investors.