Top Chef Canada favourite Steve Gonzalez leaves Origin to strike out on his own

Steve Gonzalez, everyone’s favourite class clown from season one of Top Chef Canada, has left his post at last year’s best new restaurant Origin, where he was the chef de cuisine. Gonzalez told The Dish that it was “time for me to do my own thing,” but that he left the restaurant last week with the blessing of chef and owner Claudio Aprile, who’s also giving him advice on his next venture. As for the details of that new venture, Gonzalez is keeping tight-lipped, although fans of Top Chef Canada know what to expect: nuevo Latino cuisine delivered with a swagger. He’s also considering hopping on Toronto’s recent food truck trend. Gonzalez is the second Toronto Top Chef Canada contestant to leave his perch, following Rob Rossi, who left Mercatto in June to open his own place. We’ll be watching to see how the show’s freshman class fares after graduation.