We’ve reached a unique period in Toronto’s dining history.
No longer are the lavish, large-scale odes to classical French and Italian
cuisine dominating the dining landscape. Complex, ingredient-heavy preparations
are fading staples of the pass. And the allure of celebrity chefdom has
captured the intrigue of both the diner and disciple.
On a snowy December day I sat beside Chef Mark McEwan in
the living room of Sol Shalit’s (Shalit Foods) Rosedale condo, while SpinningPlates’ director
Joseph Levy joined us over Skype from his Los Angeles home. Our discussion
would revolve around the restaurant industry in Toronto – how food television
and film have influenced audiences and aspiring cooks, what makes a successful
restaurant in Toronto, and what the future holds for our city’s budding
culinary landscape.
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| Chef McEwan and Joseph Levy Hug it Out |
Despite occupying two dichotomizing spheres of the industry,
both men are on a constant quest for authenticity in their own work as much as
the work of others.
“The trend in TV is that they’re creating a heavily
manufactured reality,” Levy remarked as the chef nodded along. In Spinning Plates, Joseph managed to capture deep and difficult times in a
restaurant’s existence, something that’s often left out of the mainstream
television narrative. McEwan will confess that food television can give
aspiring chefs a false vision of life on the line.
“There’s an allure to the restaurant industry that’s been
brought out with food television – it’s like flies to a light – they’re
attracted to it and then they die,” McEwan admits.
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| Chef Mark McEwan |
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