Terroir 2011 roundup: we talk to Toronto’s top chefs and restaurateurs at the foodie symposium

Terroir 2011 roundup: we talk to Toronto’s top chefs and restaurateurs at the foodie symposium

By Renée Suen | March 14, 2011

By Renée Suen | 03/14/2011

Fergus Henderson (St. John’s) and Arlene Stein (event chair) at Terroir

A couple weeks back, 400 members of the food and hospitality industry gathered at Hart House for Terroir V. The annual symposium saw chefs, restaurateurs and members of the food media musing over this year’s theme: “the balance of artistic creation and traditional craftsmanship in our hospitality industry.” We caught up with some top chefs—including Jason Bangerter (Luma), Mark Cutrara (Cowbell), Matt DeMille (Parts and Labour) and keynote speaker Fergus Henderson—who shared with us what they took away from the day.

Start the slideshow »

RETURN TO ARTICLE

Read More

The Drake team with Chef Anthony Rose.

Craig Flinn, a first time visitor to Toronto, has a big plan that involves moving to the Annapolis Valley, buying a farm and starting a CSA.

Cutrara admitted that (signature goatee notwithstanding) branding was never a subject that he had really considered as something important until he attended the hands-on workshop. He also told us that he was able to connect with the head chef of Gordon Food Service, who reassured him that the company was paying attention to food security issues.

When we asked Henderson—pictured here with Arlene Stein, event chair and program director at Evergreen Brick Works—about the seal, muskox, caribou and elk he sampled at a welcoming event a couple days earlier, he told us “they all exude taste; some, a little too much taste.”

Vivian was one of the seven chefs involved in the “secret bag” lunch. His bags contained a sandwich with tasso ham and pimento cheese spread on challah; a chickpea and black-eyed pea salad; chilli cheese from Glengarry; and a slice of apple tart.

The highlight for Matheson was meeting farmers, including representatives from Y U Ranch, who supplied the longhorn steaks used in Mark Schatzker’s beef-tasting session. Here, Matheson and DeMille take an early lunch before heading to the Hart House kitchen to prepare the steaks.

Bangerter, one of the city’s most active Twitter-using chefs (@chefbangerter), confessed that he’s the type of chef whose interest is to promote and showcase what the restaurant is doing. Bangerter attended the social media session to learn new ways to get more from the tools.

Higgins told us that he enjoyed the sensory challenges and interactions encouraged during the beef tasting.

Chapman and Kennedy catch up before the afternoon sessions begin.

Schatzker leads one of the day’s most popular tastings: The World of Steak. The main advice Schatzker gave to attendees was to find ensure that the beef they get from their butcher comes from a known source.

Four different types of beef were prepared by Matheson and DeMille for the World of Steak tasting: commodity; grain-fed (Scotch Mountain Meats); grass-fed longhorn (Y U Ranch); and grass-fed New Zealand Wagyu (Pilot Brands).

Horne noted that the highlight was the chance to hang out with fellow chefs outside of the restaurant environment and to see Henderson.

Paul told us that Batty has “the best beef in Ontario.”

For Fryer, meeting Henderson and Randall Graham was a treat because she has been following the chef and the winemaker for a long time. “They take the elitism out of eating and drinking,” she told us. “It’s delightful to hear the voice that you know from their work.”

Topics: Alison Fryer Anthony Rose Beast Brick Works Buddha Dog Canoe Cava cheese Chefs Chris McDonald christine cushing cowbell David Kinch Drake Evergreen fearless in the kitchen Fergus Henderson food Frank George Brown Jamie Kennedy Jason Bangerter John Lee Manresa Mark Cutrara Mark Schatzker Matt DeMille Matty Matheson meat Media O&B Canteen Parts and Labour People Sasha Chapman Scotch Mountain Meats Scott Vivian social media Steak Teo Paul Terroir The Cookbook Store The Drake Hotel Toronto Union