Kitchen Diaries: The 10 most-snooped-in chef’s fridges of 2019
Over the past year, we raided the kitchens of Toronto chefs and notable foodies. These were the most-popular ones
Adam Pesce
10 As the director of coffee for Reunion, Adam Pesce is often tasting different blends throughout the day, so he keeps his nine-to-five food intake pretty plain; it’s either leftovers, sushi or a sandwich. Weeknight dinners are usually a no-fuss plant-based affair. In an effort to lessen their carbon footprint, Pesce and his wife, Aleida Stone, eat vegetarian Monday to Friday, saving their meat intake for weekends. When it comes to groceries, they like to keep it local and do most of their shopping on Roncesvalles. For fruit and veggies, they say Maple Produce can’t be beat: the prices are low, the produce is fresh and the selection is bountiful. When they do eat meat, they like to splurge on quality stuff from the Meat Department. And if they’re buying seafood it’s going to be something sustainably caught and in season, often from De La Mer. For everything else, they alternate between Fiesta Farms, PAT and Nations.
Here’s a peek in his fridge:
See what else is in his kitchen.
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Felicia de Rose
9 When Felicia De Rose has a day off, she doesn’t move. “My room has blackout curtains, so it’s Netflix and death in bed,” she says, only half-joking. The executive chef of the Chase Fish and Oyster and Planta Burger lives a pretty nocturnal life: On workdays she’s up around 11 a.m., drinks some French press, then scoots to the subway, getting to work between noon and 1 p.m. Throughout the day, instead of lunch and dinner, De Rose grazes between meetings and overseeing her two kitchens. “I do snack on a lot of bread—we carry Blackbird, which is delicious,” she says. On the weekend, De Rose is big on grilled cheese sandwiches made with Kraft Singles, scrambled eggs, and—if she’s feeling really extravagant—a bowl of pasta with passata made by her grandparents. She’d much rather go out or order in, but De Rose likes to cook for her nieces and nephews when they visit. “They use me for the pool,” she says. “They also know my snack game is strong.”
Here’s a peek in her fridge:
See what else is in her kitchen.
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Rob Leclair
8 Rob LeClair has cooked at some of Toronto’s top restaurants. He made his way through Bymark, One and Constantine before ending up at Sofia, Charles Khabouth’s newish Yorkville room. Even though he’s been helming the kitchen at Sofia since last September, LeClair’s still struggling with finding the perfect work-life balance. When the chef does have a day off, though, he gets in as much family time as he can. His perfect Sunday starts with waffles made for him by his partner, Adrienne Longhurst. Then, the couple and their two preschool-aged tots will head to High Park to visit the llamas. After a good stroll, they’ll refuel on coffee and pastries at Cherry Bomb (the gruyere croissants are a family favourite), before heading back to their Baby Point home for a potluck with their friends.
Here’s a peek in his fridge:
See what else is in his kitchen.
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Lauren Mozer
7 In 2011, Lauren Mozer got serious about being a private chef. She started a website, became a one-woman PR team and nabbed her first client. Today, Elle Cuisine is a catering behemoth: Mozer has 30 full-time employees, as well as almost 250 contract staff that she brings on for big events. When it comes to groceries, Mozer doesn’t exactly go shopping. “When I’m hosting a dinner party—which is about three times a month—I’ll just order from my suppliers, like The Butcher Shoppe, Cheese Boutique, Rodney’s and City Fish. It lets me piggyback off wholesale costing, plus they’re already my favourite preferred products,” she says, before adding that for odds and sods, she’ll hit up Rowe Farms or Farm Boy.
Here’s a peek in her fridge:
See what else is in her kitchen.
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Malcolm Campbell
6 After almost a decade of living and working in England, Malcolm Campbell, the chef de cuisine of Auberge du Pommier, moved back to Canada in 2015, where he and his wife, Marcela, rented a detached house in Markham. Eventually they hope to buy somewhere out in the country, but for now, the house is a great fit. There’s a garden for their two girls to play in with enough land for Marcela to grow veggies, the kitchen is functional, and the furniture—all budget-friendly Kijiji finds—is doing a great job at absorbing the abuse from the kids, a dog and a cat. Marcela likes to shop at bulk stores as she’s keen to cut down on extra waste. For dry goods she likes Bulk Barn; for meat and fish, it’s CostCo (their prime rib and salmon are family faves); and for everything else, the family shops at FreshCo. Malcolm wishes he could go to Cheese Boutique more often, but it’s just too far away.
Here’s a peek in his fridge:
See what else is in his kitchen.
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Tomo Rikuta
5 Tomo Rikuta is in charge of the pastries at all four of Toronto’s Tsujiri locations, which means 16-hour days that start at 6:30 a.m. His wife, Dora Yu, makes sure to pack him both lunch and dinner with plenty of veggies and whole grains. She’s extremely health conscious (much more so than Rikuta, who loves fries, mochi and fried chicken), so she’s always trying to direct him toward nuts, fruits and other wholesome snacks. The couple hits up three stores on the regular for groceries: Costco for eggs, milk, meat and avocados; Seasons for fish and specialty Chinese produce; and Galleria for fresh tofu, thinly sliced frozen beef and Korean and Japanese sauces.
Here’s a peek in his fridge:
See what else is in his kitchen.
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Hanif Harji
4 Iconink CEO Hanif Harji and his wife, Rochelle, work different schedules: she’s a nine-to-five sales executive at Bell Media, he’s a ten-to-midnight restaurateur. When she’s already leaving the house, fuelled by a green smoothie, he’s only just waking up. Hanif’s mornings start around 9 a.m. with a cup of De Mello Palheta coffee (the same Brazilian roast used at all the Iconink restaurants). He then throws some mani (an East-African flatbread) onto a pan to warm it, which he eats with lactose-free yogurt and some pungent green pepper–coriander chutney. Hanif’s mom brings over a care package of chutney and mani every week. “If we run out, it’s a crisis,” says Rochelle.
Here’s a peek in his fridge:
See what else is in his fridge.
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Matt Ravenscroft
3 Matthew Ravenscroft is infatuated with vegetables. “Vegetables are really interesting. They’re more challenging to cook than meat, and there are so many possibilities that haven’t been explored yet.” Although Ravenscroft helms the kitchen at Rosalinda, a plant-based Mexican restaurant, he doesn’t consider himself a vegan chef. “I’m a vegetable chef,” he says. An omnivore now, Ravenscroft actually used to follow a vegan diet—when he worked at a wing joint, funny enough. Working at Rosalinda has influenced the way Ravenscroft eats, though. These days he eats way more vegetables than meat, and he puts a huge emphasis on buying sustainably sourced Ontario-grown and -raised products. And—since moving in with his fiancée, Kate Chippindale, last year—Ravenscroft has transitioned from a diet of whiskey and Cinnamon Toast Crunch to one of collagen-boosted green smoothies, balanced dinners and wine.
Here’s a peek in his fridge:
See what else is in his fridge.
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John Sinopoli
2 Between running four kitchens (Gare de L’est, Hi-Lo Bar and two Ascari locations) lunch for John Sinopoli is an unplanned affair: if he’s on the east side (where his restaurants only serve dinner) he’ll grab pierogis from Hastings Snack Bar or a bowl of pho at Com Tam. If he’s downtown, however, Sinopoli will get something at Ascari King West. Lately, he’s been loving their almond-stuffed chicken breast. He tries his best to be home no later than 6:30 p.m., by which time his wife, Rose Pereira, has already fed their two-year-old son, Oscar. The two then put their son to sleep, and try to cook a quiet dinner for themselves—often something that can go into the oven with little fuss, like a roast chicken with vegetables. “I’d rather not eat than wake Oscar up,” says Sinopoli.
Here’s a peek in his fridge:
See what else is in his kitchen.
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Ed Bozzo
1 In order to open the doors of Mimico’s SanRemo Bakery at 8 a.m., Ed Bozzo—who took over as head baker after his dad, Natale—wakes up at 2:30 a.m. Everyone else in the house—his girlfriend, Bianca Di Vittorio, and his three daughters Natasha, Alexa and Julia Bozzo—are all still asleep, so he quietly makes a protein shake before heading to the bakery. Once there, he’ll drink a cappuccino and nosh on a croissant with some scrambled eggs, grazing throughout the rest of day. “With yeast, you can’t stop; the dough’s not going to wait for you,” says Bozzo, so it’s pretty ideal that he can do most of his grocery shopping at the bakery. He gets his protein straight from the suppliers and vac packs it at work into portions. Even his coffee, pasta, olives, cheese and charcuterie are all brought home from SanRemo. For produce, though, he likes to go to Farm Boy, and for anything else, he’ll hit up Longo’s.
Here’s a peek in his fridge:
