Three generations of cooks — a former ego-driven chef turned recruiter, a recent cooking school grad who's fed up with low rates, and a workaholic "lifer" who trains and mentors young cooks — sit down with host Corey Mintz to speak candidly about pervasive issues in the industry, share their personal trajectories and horrifying training experiences, and grapple with how to push back against a culture of machismo and burnout. — Illustration by Andrew Barr.  This episode of Taste Buds is sponsored by Foodora, Canada's #1 food delivery app.   

Taste Buds

Bow To The Bread

Should aspiring chefs go to culinary school? How do you ask for a raise when you’re earning less than minimum wage? What's 'the mandatory fourteen'? Braden Chong and David Schwartz are young cooks sweating out long, back-breaking days. And they eat a lot. Along with other young cooks in Toronto, they document their high-carb staff meals and late night eats on Budsnacks, a communally shared Instagram account Host Corey Mintz joins Braden and David on a double-breakfast eating spree—jumping from a mountain of chicken feet and turnip cakes at Dim Sum King to more fancified plates cooked up by Schwartz at his new restaurant, Omaw — where they talk about learning how to avoid being exploited by chefs, and then, how to avoid exploiting cooks once you become the chef. Basically: how to grow up and survive in the restaurant industry, while eating your weight in dumplings. Illustration by Deshi Deng. — This episode is sponsored by Foodora, Canada’s #1 food delivery app.

Squid Tentacles And Chicken Feet

Are over-the-top food trends trumping taste? Should restaurants accommodate their customers, even when it means making their food worse?  Host Corey Mintz joins buds David Ginsberg, Hassel Aviles, and Monte Wan, to talk trends, taste, and the challenge of serving up authentic Thai food, at Wan's restaurant, Khao San Road. — This episode is sponsored by Foodora, Canada's #1 food delivery app.   

Let Them Have Their Soggy Fries

Suzanne Barr found out she was pregnant the day she opened her restaurant. Then came the real problem: landlords so unhinged she had to call the cops on them.  Danny McCallum was a radical environmentalist whose roommates were BLOWN UP (possibly by the FBI). He’s now the chef of a steakhouse that serves $1200 steaks. Host Corey Mintz sits down to talk about beef and the ethics of cooking it, and both chefs realize that they’d each been vegan for 9 years. Life is full of surprises. So is this episode of Taste Buds. You can catch Suzanne cooking at the Sand and Pearl Oyster Bar in Prince Edward County, and if it’s steak you’re hungry for, Danny’s got you covered at Jacobs & Co. Steakhouse in Toronto. — Illustration by Lily Snowden-Fine. Taste Buds is sponsored by Foodora, Canada’s #1 food delivery app.  

Slaughtered With Love And Care

What happens when a restaurant owner sits down with the critic she blames for killing her business? Jen Agg is Canada’s top restaurateur. Chris Nuttall-Smith is Canada’s top critic. And Chris’ 2012 review of her beloved restaurant, Raw Bar (his description of the food as “awful”) has not been forgotten. The two sit down with host Corey Mintz for dinner at The Black Hoof — Jen’s trend-setting and much-imitated restaurant, which is closing after a decade — to argue over whether critics matter anymore. — Jen Agg is the owner of The Black Hoof, Rhum Corner, Cocktail Bar and Grey Gardens, as well as the author of the memoir I Hear She’s A Real Bitch. Chris Nuttall-Smith is the editor-in-chief of the recently launched review website The Taster.  Read Corey’s original review of The Hoof here. “That review was a big deal,” says Jen. “But at that time, reviews mattered. I don’t know that that’s true anymore.” And Nuttsy’s review of Raw Bar: “When Chris reviewed Raw Bar, that was like a death knell for the business.” — Taste Buds is sponsored by Foodora, Canada’s #1 food delivery app.

Critic vs. Restaurateur

Corey Mintz joins restaurant insiders after hours to eat, drink, and dish about the industry and its culture. First episode drops Wednesday, July 18th. Here’s a taste.

Appetizer

What do chefs, cooks, and restaurateurs really talk about when you’re not around?