Splendido’s Victor Barry heading to Calgary on chef exchange—and Rush’s Justin Leboe comes here

As Splendido’s second incarnation continues to draw praise, chef-proprietor Victor Barry is taking the restaurant’s buzz out west, where he will be taking over the kitchen at Calgary’s famous restaurant Rush—owned by Barry’s friend, chef Justin Leboe. “Justin and I worked together in Bermuda back in 2006, and we talked about getting back together,” explains Barry as he prepares for the Eat, Drink and Give benefit at Roy Thomson Hall Tuesday evening. “He’s going to be here on April 7, and I’m going to be there on March 24.” Menus for the Leboe-Barry exchange will be available next week.

“Both of us have the same philosophy when it comes to food,” he says. “We are committed to local and sustainable ingredients, and we’re also committed to classic culinary techniques. It’s going to be a lot of fun for the guys in the kitchen because they’re going to have a new chef and learn some new techniques.”

Barry hopes that this will be the first of many exchanges with chefs around the world. Though nothing has been set in stone, he says there’s a possibility he’ll be cooking in Italy in May.