Inside the kitchen of Solomon Mason, executive chef at Auberge du Pommier

When Solomon Mason was 18 and living in his hometown of North Bay, he started writing daily letters to Alinea, a Michelin-star restaurant in Chicago. In them, the now–executive chef at Auberge du Pommier begged for a shot at an internship. The last letter even included a mixtape Mason had curated, featuring songs like “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” After three months of this, his persistence paid off: he was invited to Chicago to face off against 18 other aspiring chefs for a single coveted internship—and in the end, he won. “I was fortunate to know what I wanted to do when I was so young,” says Mason. “I had no desire to be a cook in a regular restaurant. I wanted to do something special.”

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After Alinea, Mason went on to work in a string of other acclaimed kitchens, including two Thomas Keller–led restaurants (The French Laundry, in California, and Per Se, in New York). In 2016, he moved back to Canada to join the team at Alo, eventually helming its sister restaurant, Aloette.

After six years with the Alo Food Group, Mason took over the kitchen at Oliver and Bonacini’s Auberge du Pommier. “I needed to try something else,” he says. “I wanted to be able to replicate that success.” The job change resulted in a longer commute; Mason had chosen his condo because it was just a three-minute stroll from Aloette. “I think every cook is afraid they’re going to burn down the restaurant after closing for the night, so the fact that I could see Aloette from my balcony was a selling point.”

Between the one-hour TTC trek to North York and the long days spent behind the pass at Auberge, Mason has time for only breakfast and snacks at home. For the past six months, he’s started every day with a French omelette. “I’m half expecting someone to test me on it,” he says. “Back in the day, you’d make a French omelette for your chef so they could judge your skill level. Now that I’m running a French restaurant, I feel like I should be the best at it.”

Mason’s fridge is usually stocked with long-lasting snacks and condiments like cornichons and Kewpie mayo. He also has a few ready-to-drink cocktails from Watson’s, a bar nearby. The container of “Fancy Dijon” came from Auberge. “Anything in a deli container like that is always stolen from the restaurant,” he says.

His freezer is filled with quick, easy meals, including grocery store frozen pizzas and sourdough bagels from Stonemill Bakehouse in St. Lawrence Market.

Mason says he’s a sucker for McCain’s tater tots. He also stocks his favourite flavour of Good Behaviour ice cream: Torta Della Nonna, which is made with pine nuts, ricotta and lemon zest. When he was at Aloette, Mason collaborated with Good Behaviour on a lemon meringue pie ice cream.

A cupboard packed with cereal, oatmeal, chips and nuts reflects the kitchen’s primary use as a breakfast and snacking hub. There’s also a bottle of organic maple syrup from Northumberland County’s Tamarack Farms, which Mason partners with to source ethically raised meats and non-GMO produce for Auberge.

For Japanese snacks like wasabi-covered peanuts and mochi, Mason heads to Sanko on Queen West. He does a lot of grocery shopping in Kensington Market and at Kai Wei Supermarket in Chinatown, which are both within walking distance of his place. Chinatown is also a go-to destination for quick meals when he’s at home and doesn’t feel like cooking—Hey Noodles and Mother’s Dumplings are a couple of standbys.

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Other items in Mason’s pantry include Tajín, which he likes to sprinkle on popcorn, and organic Bianco DiNapoli tomatoes. “These tomatoes are amazing—I can’t stop talking about them,” he says. The pack of ramen is for late-night snacking. Mason likes to top it with a fried egg and furikake seasoning. There’s also Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, the same brand Mason uses at Auberge. “I’m a firm believer that you have to pick a salt and stick to it for your entire life,” he says. “It’s easy to over-salt or under-salt if you’re always switching.”

Mason’s coffee set-up has something for every mood and occasion. “The espresso machine is for when I don’t need a lot of volume,” he says. “The pot is for when I do need a lot of volume. Then the pour-over is for when I want to take the time to do something a little nicer.” He gets his beans from Hot Black Coffee or De Mello’s new location in the Well.

Mason steps up his home-cooking game when friends come over for dinner. These gatherings often feature ravioli-making sessions, for which Mason relies on this pasta maker. He pieced it together from various broken ones at Auberge.

In honour of Aloette’s Michelin recommendation, Mason made this Michelin Man mat during a rug tufting class.

Mason keeps his bar cart well stocked. He’s carefully rationing the bottle of Chartreuse Green, which has been produced by Carthusian monks in France since the 18th century—the former staple has been tougher to find since the monks capped production volumes in 2023. Mason also keeps some Amaro Montenegro (his favourite after-dinner drink) and bubbly on hand. “I believe in always having champagne in the fridge, just in case something really good happens,” says Mason. Nicolas Feuillatte Brut is his go-to because he believes it offers great value for its price point.

“I think every cook has a plethora of well-travelled cookbooks,” says Mason. His most treasured ones have been signed by the teams of restaurants he’s worked at over the years, including Alinea. “It’s a nice reminder, because you keep these for your whole career,” he says. “It’s kind of like having a high school yearbook.” His bookshelf also sports some more Michelin memorabilia.