The 15th has come and gone, and we’re still not open
I was walking by a friend’s place yesterday and she asked me if I was “getting close.” I stopped to think about it for a brief moment, as though maybe we were getting close, but then reality came back and whacked me on the head. All that came out was “no.” This restaurant opening is not easy; the hardest thing about it is that I have to rely on other people to get things done, yet if anything goes wrong, it’s my problem to fix because everybody has you by the noisettes, and they know it. This is my first attempt, and I have already made a handful of mistakes that are biting back.
Sometimes, I start thinking that I just ain’t cut right for the project, and I start missing the times and places where I could drift along without all this riding on me. But I have a ton of family support behind me, which helps a lot. I met my dad for lunch recently, and I hit the chardonnay. He told me about a time when we were in the backyard grilling quails on the barbecue for 30 teachers my mom had invited over for dinner. He was freaking out because the fire was weak and the birds were all over the grill. He kept asking me, “You think we can pull this off? You think we can pull this off? We can’t, we’re screwed, it’s a disaster.” Apparently, I just kept telling him, “Don’t worry. Relax, we will get it done.” He kept pressing: “How do you know? How do you know?” And I just said, “Because we have to.” It’s as simple as that—sort of cuts through all the crap. This train is going to be late, but it is going to hit the station. Simply because it has to.
Following this blog, it sounds like the renovation process can be humbling. In my opinion, the original Parisian trained, Stadtlaender-inspired, chilling on a truck with migrant workers persona came off a bit contrived. However, your DIY attitude is commendable and I hope your hard work pays off. If renovating has brought you down to earth, please don’t serve tiny $40 entrées. Toronto does not need another Thuet flake.
though i do initially respect what Sven might have come to piece together regarding Teo’s persona via the limitations of this blog, i must say that, having known Teo for just about ten years and ‘chilled’ with him at his family’s farm on several occasions (sans the migrant workers…), this character that is put forth on the website is anything but contrived.
Teo’s heart is truly led by the daikini’s of authentic heart-driven cuisine. when he talks about a connection to ‘the land’ it is not a crock of soiled waste. if you could see him tending to his vegetable garden up near Ravenna, or cooking up beautiful tasty treats at the wood-fired oven in the farmhouse, you would probably want to take back those words and offer something else instead. Teo is working his balls off to bring something authentic and real to the city of Toronto, without the artifice and presumption of most dining establishments. let’s just say that when he opens and you come to actually meet him and the integrity of the food that he prepares, you will be quite thankful to be wrong.
go strong brother, much love,
~eric giesbrecht
Meta4 Foods, Calgary
Point taken. Claims of authenticity just trigger my free-range cow manure detector. I am looking forward to eating at Union an hope the proof is in the pudding.
i can dig that your detector is on cue to point out potential shortcomings of such a claim, for ‘authentic cuisine’ is possibly a mostly overused and misunderstood phrase. i am going to head off to the thesaurus to do some homework!
i also realize that i got a bit defensive on his behalf, due in part to the fact that he’s been present in my mind most recently, after having spent a weekend with him up at the canadian chef’s congress at Stadtlander’s Eigensinn Farm, where there was a beautiful gathering of ‘cooks with heart’. (it was mind blowing – put me in a state of total bliss for 3 days.)
i suppose that when i use the term authentic, i am thinking about someone who is true to himself, to the farmers, and to the craft of making honest food which brings more attention/praise to those that produce the foodstuffs in the first place and less on those who manipulate it for our nourishment/entertainment.
teo, give me a heads up on your opening date and i’ll come out from calgary to lend a hand in the final push for service…
cheers sven, i’ll see you at the Union.
Teo is probably one of the most authentic PEOPLE I know, let alone chef.
It’s too bad that when someone who truly cares about food, farmers and keeping it real comes along, people cry bulls–t.
The proof will most definitely be in the pudding, Sven!
After being fed enough line caught, humanely raised bullsh-it you can’t blame T.O. food-lovers for being skeptical. Teo may be the most “REAL” dude on the planet to his PALS, but can he cook? Can his staff cook? Even if so, condescending waiters, astronomical prices, long wait times can still lay waste to the best intentions.
But you already knew that, I hope.
yes, i certainly know this and am certain that Teo is keenly aware of this as well. there is so much posturing taking place out there that it’s cause enough for upset. I am personally holding Teo to a high standard, but it’s probably not as high as that which he holds for himself… the proof is in the execution.