Toronto Taste 2012: We catch up with the chefs and owners of Buca, Nota Bene, Splendido, Salt and many more

By Renée Suen | May 30, 2012

By Renée Suen | 05/30/2012

Buca’s Rob Gentile, C5’s Corbin Tomaszeski and Union’s Teo Paul (Images: Renée Suen)

This past Sunday marked the 22nd edition of Toronto Taste, which saw 2,000 food enthusiasts gathering at the ROM to meet some of Toronto’s top chefs while munching on their creations. Over 60 restaurants and 30 beverage purveyors were present at the annual fundraiser, which raises money for Second Harvest, a food rescue program that delivers to various social service agencies. This year, guests were greeted with everything from house-cured meats and fish to lobster and steak (not necessarily together). We caught up with Buca’s Rob Gentile, Nota Bene’s David Lee, Petite Thuet’s Marc Thuet and Biana Zorich, Splendido’s Victor Barry, Top Chef Canada judge Mark McEwan and many more for the latest on their various ventures. For the dish on new restaurants, summer specials, new patio spaces and more, check out our slideshow »

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Oliver and Bonacini’s corporate executive chef Anthony Walsh, pictured here with Herbert Barnsteiner (Corner House), told us to look for announcements regarding a couple of new restaurants and event spaces in Toronto near the end of summer. Corner House served roasted leg of lamb on rosemary potatoes with fruit stew and smoked chipotle drizzle. Chef Herbert Barnsteiner told us that the restaurant’s patio is now open

Although Great Cooks on Eight has lost their main dining room space to the new Oliver and Bonacini Arcadian Court, co-owner Esther Benaim tells us that the restaurant’s corporate classes and counter service (four days a week) are still running. For Toronto Tasters, the restaurant served a dish of tomato-braised oxtail on quinoa and arugula cake.

Chefs Martin Kouprie and Derek Bendig and pastry chef Colen Quinn were present at Pangaea’s booth. Fans of the restaurant’s house-made cheese program will be pleased to note that a couple of popular hard cheeses will be ready in August. For the event, the team served a popular fava bean soup with goat cheese sorbet that was topped with house-cured lardo.

A popular fava bean soup with goat cheese sorbet that was topped with house-cured lardo from Pangaea

Executive chef Symon Abad and his crew from Centro served a seafood salad brimming with scallops, mussels, shrimps and sundried tomatoes in a lemon vinaigrette. Abad was keen to remind us of the continuing 25th anniversary dinner series held at the restaurant that runs once a month. The next guest ex-chef is Marc Thuet, followed by David Lee, Bruce Woods, Frank Parhizgar and Jason Carter.

Biff’s newly minted chef de cuisine Amanda Ray, joined here by Paul Brans (Bannock), served up the poulet de Basquez: stewed chicken with lemon, saffron, eggs and olives over fluffy couscous. Ray told us a new summer menu was launching soon at the Front Street restaurant.

The friendly Beerbistro staff informed us that patrons can expect new summer items (all, of course, infused with beer) launching mid-June to be enjoyed in the dining room or the soon-to-open patio.

Guests of Toronto Taste had the chance to try beer-infused pulled Berkshire pork sandwiches at Beerbistro’s booth.

Executive chef Victor Barry told us that Splendido will be hosting a number of guest chef dinners, including chefs from Vancouver’s Hawskworth and Montreal’s Toqué later this year. Barry added that a new chef de cuisine for Splendido will be announced soon to replace Patrick Kriss, who left for Acadia.

County General’s steamed pork belly buns with kimchi

E11even executive chef Robert Bartley shared with us that another Real Sports will be opening in a major Canadian city very soon

Chef Graham Pelley from E11even served lobster rolls and gave away sunglasses to guests.

Café Belong’s Charlotte Langley served biscuits filled with a mix of rhubarb, pork, pickled ramps and yogurt. Besides Toronto Taste, we were told the restaurant will be busy catering a number of large parties coming up at the Evergreen Brick Works.

Executive chef Rob Gentile of Buca shared his excitement with us on the recently announced Yorkville Buca space and Bar Buca projects. He said he was hoping to visit Italy just before the big launches. For the event, he served a beautifully composed plate of hand sliced prosciutto d’alce (elk) that was aged 16 months, with mustard, radish, spiked mascarpone and pistachios.

Executive chef David Lee of Nota Bene served the restaurant’s popular brisket sliders but also told us they will be launching a new lobster taco and margarita summer special that will be available throughout July and August.

Chef Dave Haman and baker Jeff Connell offered mini marinated tofu on house-made brioche with rhubarb carrots, wild leek and hazelnut.

Chef Aaron Foster, pictured here with owner Andreas Antoniou and general manager Matthew Roulston, of recently relaunched Little Anthony. Foster tells us that his cuisine is modern, approachable Italian, as represented by the day’s offering: skewers of homemade lamb sausage, date soda bread, chutney and pickles, all topped with a Jerusalem artichoke chip.

Scaramouche’s chef Carolyn Reid served a seared yellowfin tuna with fava bean concassé and lovage cress mayonnaise on a taro chip.

Globe owner Ed Ho shared with us that both Globe and Globe Earth will be starting to offer brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. Good news for patio lovers: the restaurants are also introducing happy hour available every day (except Monday when they’re closed).

Globe Owner Ed Ho and executive chef Dan Sanders served a sunchoke vichyssoise with sunflower “earth” (rye, sunflower seed and garlic crumble) and sorrel.

Executive chef Manuel Vilela and the crews from Chiado and Salt Tasting Room served two things: a refined seared skate on lobster velouté with shiitake mushrooms and wild leeks; and more casual lamb tacos with garlic aïoli, tomato and arugula. Salt’s bar manager Nick Kennedy told us that Salt will be launching Wine Pairing Wednesdays which will show off different regions of wine and grapes. In late August, Salt will be organizing a cross-town restaurant exchange (party bus ride included) that will aim to help break down the city’s proverbial “Berlin Wall” (presumably the Don Valley).

AGO’s Frank Restaurant served fresh-fried churros with caramel and chocolate sauce—one of the items currently found on the restaurant’s Picasso menu and made by pastry chef Van Vi Lam. We’re told that a Frida Kahlo–inspired menu will be launched in September.

Scarpetta is expecting to open up a new patio next week and incorporate more farmers’ market vegetables and other foraged goods into the menu in the upcoming weeks.

Chef Michael Hunter of Scarpetta featured a trio of crudi: yellowtail with pickled onions; fluke with yuzu, cucumber and radish; and trout tartare with fiddleheads and pickled wild leeks (which were picked by the restaurant itself).

Chef Marc Thuet of Petite Thuet, here with partner Biana Zorich, is known to surprise guests at Toronto Taste. Last year it was beaver salami, and this year he brought black bear prosciutto (from a beast that the chef shot himself), served simply on sliced Thuet Bakery baguette. Non-wild options included headcheese on baguette and an incredible 72-hour braised Mennonite pork belly that was stuffed inside fluffy sugar dusted beignets with teriyaki, mayonnaise and arugula. Zorich told us that both she and Thuet will alternate taking time off to oversee the continued restoration with Thuet’s brother of a 600-year-old monastery into a boutique inn and gourmet cooking school in Alsace.

Although Tundra is currently closed for a “massive restaurant renovation,” the crew still participated in Toronto Taste and served lobster salad with a truffle potato foam and bone marrow bacon vinaigrette. Executive sous chef Eraj Jayawickreme told us that the new space will have a lobby bar and the restaurant will launch in July as a new concept still focused on Canadian ingredients.

Chef Teo Paul of Union shared that the restaurant’s back patio, which had been waiting for approval from the city, is now open, noting that a wine, beer and barbecue menu will launch with the space. For the event, Paul served steak tartare with habanero, bread ’n’ butter pickles and mustard on toast, as well as fresh-shucked oysters.

Executive chef Eron Novalski told us that Aria’s patio has been open since last week, and a separate menu for the 80-seat space will launch in early June.

Aria’s executive chef Eron Novalski and crew prepared a duck risotto with peas and mascarpone cheese at the event.

Chef Robert Mills of Thompson Diner prepared apple cider vinaigrette–dressed baby beet and goat cheese salad with grilled flank steak. Although the 24-hour restaurant is known for its late night greasy eats, Mills wanted to show Tasters that the restaurant also served lighter fare.

Chef Paul Boehmer told us that a new winemakers series is launching at Boehmer, starting on June 5. He also said that the restaurant was expanding into the space next door.

For the event, Paul Boehmer served an open-faced pork slider with wild Ontario leek and piri piri mustard.

Baker Street Bakery offered guests strawberry and white chocolate mascarpone macarons drizzled with balsamic vinegar. These pastries will be available through special order while a new line of cakes will start to make it into the pastry displays of grocery stores.

First time participants Linda Restaurant served curry three ways: shrimp cocktail with Thai yellow curry in a cucumber cup; vegetarian yuba dumpling in Thai sour curry; and crispy beef with Thai panang curry wrapped in a curry tortilla. Besides the trio of one-bite curry courses, executive chef Wing Li (pictured here with owner Linda Liu) made an elaborate display of vegetable carvings and dough goldfish. The restaurant is working with Ti Foods to develop content for authentictastes.ca

Chef Corbin Tomaszeski not only offered us steamed barbecue pork buns, but also reminded us that C5 is now a lunch-only restaurant. At night, the venue becomes an event space that has turned out to be quite successful.

Rosewater general manager Andrew Gardner and executive chef Dale Meek served cornets filled with three varieties of tartare: tandoori salmon, tuna with wasabi and sesame and traditional beef with horseradish. We were told that every Thursday the restaurant hosts “Life Begins at 5 O’Clock” from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., which features specials on classic cocktails, draft beers and wines, along with themed menus.

David Minicucci (L’Unità and Maléna) pictured here with Tatiana Read (Knot PR) not only celebrated his birthday at the event, but also shared the exciting news that Maléna will be launching its new patio in a few weeks—the only patio along the Avenue Road strip south of Davenport.

Chefs Alex Bruveris and Becky Ross of Maléna with Michael Angeloni of L’Unità sandwiched by their crew. The chefs served grilled chicken thigh on house sour dough, rhubarb zeppole and L’Unità’s fabulous cannoli. We were told the restaurant introduced a new dessert menu last week which includes deep fried pudding (but don’t worry, the cannoli are still there).

*Top Chef Canada* judge, chef and restaurateur Mark McEwan (Fabbrica, North 44, Bymark, One, McEwan)—pictured here with his assistant and Fabbrica chef Drew Ellerby—served guests a crostini topped with lamb Bolognese and fresh ricotta. Despite having an empire, the busy chef tells us he is also working on his airport concept, gearing up for the next season of *Top Chef Canada* (it starts filming in August) and establishing a completely kosher catering service. He also plans to open a couple more retail spaces, specifically in downtown Toronto.

Buca’s Rob Gentile, C5’s Corbin and Union’s Teo Paul (Images: Renée Suen)

One thought on “Toronto Taste 2012: We catch up with the chefs and owners of Buca, Nota Bene, Splendido, Salt and many more”

Joe Mancinelli says:

June 2, 2012 at 8:49 am

Wow this looks like it was an amazing event!
I’m upset I missed it but won’t miss it again.
The food looks amazing and the chef’s look like they were enjoyinhg themselves.
Joe Mancinelli

Comments are closed.

Toronto Taste 2012: We catch up with the chefs and owners of Buca, Nota Bene, Splendido, Salt and many more

One thought on “Toronto Taste 2012: We catch up with the chefs and owners of Buca, Nota Bene, Splendido, Salt and many more”

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