Gold Medal Plates

Do you remember the 1987 Stanley Kubrick movie "Full Metal Jacket"?. It was a violent flick about the dehumanizing effects of the Vietnam War..every time I say Gold Medal Plates, I think of that movie..sounds kinda similar no? Perhaps in my own demented way, deep down, I've felt as thought the last few months, I have been preparing for a war.. running my own special "basic training"..putting myself through various recipe "battle scenario's", trying to strategize preparation techniques, taste, visual appeal, interest, the wow factor, wine affinity etc. etc. etc..Just like an army General would strategize about invading another country..Now in no way was any part of this experience "de-humanizing" or violent, although you could argue, that violent thoughts are certainly possible any time 10 competing chefs have to share such close proximity..(I'm kidding!!).., I did feel that I was an underdog, stacked against the "who's who" of the Toronto (and surrounding area) culinary scene. And consequently, that is where my own personal challenge lay. My fellow competitors, all being much younger, and better looking than me, having that distinct advantage that only youth and a "piss and vinegar" attitude could provide. (as opposed to my laid back Bohemian vibe), At the end of the day, most of the other culinary contributions could have been described quite accurately as being more "modern" in appeal. While my dish was certainly interesting, I didn't cross any gastronomic battle lines and it was certainly more rooted in the familiar than the approachable, even a bit safe and boring....

Gold Medal Plates is a cleverly named benefit/competition dinner held across Canada to raise money for Canadian athletes and Special Olympic athletes. It is a pretty swanky affair in its 10th year, and for a chef and sports lover, the cause couldn't be more worthy. Check out the website (http://www.goldmedalplates.com/).
The format is pretty unique...the first part of the evening is the most tense...10 competing chef's (ego's and all), serve their signature dish to 750 guests and 8 food judges...while the guests mingle and try all the food in about 90 minutes, the food judges receive our creations with a wine match. The second part of the evening is when the guests, having had their fill of food, move to the adjacent room for the entertainment...while that is going on the chefs wait around back stage catching up with old friends, making new friends, spreading gossip about each other and generally trash talking each other...(behind our backs of course- well at least that is what I did..lol..) It was at that point, sitting at a table with Sam Glass, Jason Bangerter, Ross Midgley and others that I came crashing down to earth..with several glasses of red wine well disposed of, I was overwhelmed with joy and happiness. Looking around at all the hard work and passion that went into such a highly pressurized and tense environment, I came to the realization of how lucky I am to be living a life full of great people, friends, colleagues, associates, students..at that point nothing in the world could have convinced me to get up out of that chair and leave that spot..I also came to understand when people (typically the losers) say "winning isn't everything" In my case, the opportunity, it turned out was the winning..some how fate recognized that my whole well being, mentally, professionally, physically was tied up to the very simple fact of being invited and actually attending..actually showing up and doing my best, and all of us doing our best..that was the only victory that really mattered in the end....
As the evening wore on, the winners are announced..Jonathan Gushue from Langdon Hall won gold, Rob Gentile from Buca won silver and Michael Steh from Reds Bistro won bronze. A more deserving and more talented group of chefs are surely not to be found. While I didn't really get a chance to see or taste the winning dishes, it was so much fun hearing the various opinions floating around the room...I wish Jonathan the best as he takes his enormous talents to Kelowna in February to compete nation-wide.You should go see the winning dishes and others (mine as well) at http://www.jameschatto.com

The best part of the day for me, the most fulfilling on a personal level, was that Ross Midgley chose to come along and give me a hand. I cant express enough how great it was to catch up with Ross, one of my favourite people and an extraordinarily gifted culinarian..Not only did we have a chance to catch up, but Ross filled me in on his new project, working with the famous Jamie Kennedy in opening up a new restaurant in the Falls. Ross, as Executive Chef will oversee the entire operation and what that means is that come February, when it opens, we will finally have a good restaurant to visit in Niagara Falls..so I wish him sincere luck and encourage all of you to go eat there next year...

As we were driving up to the battle in a rented Ford Van, I couldn't help recognize how comfortable I was in the company of a trusted friend. My mind wandered to the books I'd read as a young chef about the masters of French Cuisine, and how the very elite of them had formed bonds beyond the kitchen walls. Having each found souls that could understand the very intristic and delicately balanced professional lives we lead..these chefs became more that work mates, but trusted best friends..I felt honoured, humbled, inspired and apart from the physical exhaustion, a sense of boundless optimism that could only come from those soul gratifying moments..Those French chefs, sometimes not seeing each other for months, but yet always finding a way to help each other out, lend a hand, suggest an employee, any way to help the other make their difficult lives easier..People just don't find those connections unless they spill blood, spit and tears together, (sorry for the continued military parallel) but it really is just like going to or being in a war..(I know that for a fact cause, I watch Band of Brothers every November..my little way of thanking the Vet's)..living life with a feeling of benevolence and deep rooted contentment is the result of such connections...The cooking fraternity is like that..just when we feel we are about to be chopped down, we notice a few more sprouts have sprung and the roots go deep...and speaking of sprouts...

I could not have accomplished such an event as the Gold Medal Plates were it not for the support of my employer, Niagara College..while it has meant working 2 full time jobs, the opportunity to work with aspiring chefs has surprised me in its allure, challenge, and affinity I feel towards the work..I acknowledge that I have a long way to go but it is so interesting that I find myself inspired by the students interest in choosing such a difficult profession to make a living at. I look out at some of the younger ones and cant help think that perhaps they would be better suited to law or med school. It inspires me to know that they are, the very last of them, choosing to do something that makes them happy and not chasing the mighty dollar...At the GMP competition, a group of the most keen students volunteered to come and assist me and I humbly suggest, that I was blown away by the loyalty they showed me. At no time did I hear any of them complain about the long day, the lack of finding time to eat, or even attend a bathroom for that matter. An intrepid group to be sure..And hopefully, somewhere down the line, when they have achieved all the success they aspire to, they will look back on that day with fond memories and perhaps even find inspiration for themselves in reflecting on what a marvelous day it was. I hope they find the warmth of pride filling their hearts and the motivation to realize that there no "bad days", only days which are the building blocks to a long and successful career and life.

Bring A Chef To Dinner

January in Niagara. Yes, we have a lot of snow. Yes, it is cold. Yes I am hungry...The restaurants are a quiet this time of year, so I get to have a social life. Truth. On Friday I decided to have a few friends 'come-round' for dinner. On Saturday, about noon, I remembered that I had invited a few friends over for dinner. Oo00ps. This, of course, began a long, frenzied chain of events which saw me, vacuum, dust, sweep, empty the dishwasher, 3 loads of laundry, take out the Christmas tree, sweep up the Christmas tree needles, re-arrange furniture, change a flat on my car, shovel the driveway (again), and all this without giving one thought to what the hell I was going to serve. At 3pm, I finally decided to get serious about the food. Looking through the fridge and cupboards, my spirits remained high as I realized that 1/2 box of Eggo's and left over turkey soup was probably not a good idea if I wanted to impress my friends. (well at any rate, the turkey soup was delicious as a midnight snack, when we realized the wine was all gone). It was probably when I came back in the house after inspecting my chest freezer, which i keep in the garage, that I started to feel a slight apprehension about dinner. while I did discover a long forgotten bucket of Ben and Jerry's, and dozens of packets of quince preserve, and spring roll wrappers, the freezer was pretty depressing. So, over the barking of the vacuum cleaner, i resolved to go shopping at our local food market stat!!. Still no real clue what the hell to cook. Actually my apprehension was not so much for my general lack of organization, but rather that fact I had to risk driving my mini van to get there. I should explain a few things about my mini van. While I generally am slightly embarrassed to be driving one, it has served my well over the years. You can't imagine how it has helped me haul product and equipment to the countless catering events I do every year. But it is near the end. Long ago, the transmission gave out. The first too gears are gone so when I step on the gas, the engine reves, front tires squeal and my head jerks back as if I was travelling at MACH speed. The side doors don't work at all. the passenger side door has not been open in years. it seems to have fused shut. the driver side door only shuts if i get out in time and use my ass to slam it shut as it closes. if my ass slam is not timed just perfect, the door re-opens to a very annoying 'beep-beep-beef-beef'. I'm serious. Four fucking beeps. It drives me bonkers. The heating is gone too. Whenever I arrive anywhere, I must look in the mirror before I get out to make sure nothing is hanging off the end of my nose. Oh and the steering doesn't work either. Well, that's not entirely true. It works sometime. When I remember to fill the power steering fluid container. You see it leaks. I have a 2/4 of power steering fluid bottles, riding around in the back, but sometimes, its too cold so I skip this step. That's when it gets interesting. Have you ever tried to steer a car without any power steering fluid in it. Impossible. Well on Saturday afternoon, in my haste, I forgot to fill it so when I got to the market, i had to park in a parking spot about 1000 miles away because i couldn't fit in the parking spot. well it fit, but i couldn't steer into it, if you know what I mean. I should probably do something, like get it fixed. Or buy another car. I just can't bring myself to give up on it. There is an inner peace that comes over me as i use both hands, and all my strength to steer it into my drive way. And all that exercise I get from jumping out to time my ass slam against the door. that's precious.


my guests are precious friends. Whenever I host a dinner party, I try to make sure that I can prepare food that they will enjoy. I try to design the menu to challenge myself..culinarily speaking..and not serve the same old, same old..I did say they were precious friends..I try to walk a fine line between being a chef, serving interesting food, but also, I don't want to be pretentious. I like spending time with them in the living room while the chatter, and conversations are going on, not in the kitchen stressing about whether my salad is limp or my souffle will fall. So as I was pushing around the cart at the market, the menu is playing in my head. I wanted scallops. definitely scallops, a soup to start. So damn cold, definitely a soup. I've made them butternut squash soup before which they have loved, easy to make, it can be simmering as they arrive. But what about the scallops. Maybe with some polenta? Blue cheese polenta. no, I don't have enough oven space, but mushrooms, mushrooms, mushrooms, and I want some thing roasted as well. I decided on the following menu in about 10 minutes of going back and forth between the produce isle, the meat counter, and the fish counter: Butternut Squash and Orange Soup with a crouton of goat cheese/Pan seared sea scallops crusted with almonds a salad of bitter greens with lemon ginger dressing/Crispy skinned chicken breast with roasted parsnips,rutabaga,Brussels sprouts and tons of mushrooms, all varieties I could find/double chocolate mousse cake which I purchased.


When I got back home the house looked great. as my son Matthew brought in the groceries, I went into my modest wine cellar and pulled out some bottles. This is what we drank. 2 bottles of Henry of Pelham Cuvee Catherine, 6 Stella Artois, 2 Canadian 67(for me, low carb beer!!!), 1 bottle of Jerry Garcia Chardonnay, 1 bottle 2003 Cline 'Big Break' Zinfandel, 1 bottle 1999 Trius Grand Red, 1 Bottle 2004 Osoyoos Larose and 1 bottle 2003 Hattenheimer Nussbrunnen Reisling Auslese. So menu decided, and wine picked, I decanted the Osoyoos and the Cline Zinfandel and got down to work.

So that was yesterday. Today I had a chance to reflect on how much I love entertaining friends. I'm glad i have friends that appreciate it. In the fast passed world, bringing together people to 'share the bread' is probably the single most gratifying thing I do. Cooking in a restaurant is gratifying as well but in totally different terms. When I can let my guard down, with people I really care for it is precious to me. Those moments add layers and layers to life, forming foundations and bonds which never crumble.


There is this small item in my head, playing around, just seems to pop out once and a while and today, upon reflecting about last night, I wondered why nobody ever invites me to a dinner party. Don't get me wrong. I am a wonderful guest!! So charming, funny, good looking (in the right light of course.. and oh, so modest..) and I smell great after a shower!! And I certainly don't want anyone to feel sorry for me, but i would love to be invited over for dinner. You will not find a more gracious, complementary guest I promise! Perhaps one would feel slightly inadequet to cook for a chef. Or perhaps, slightly embarassed. But let me re-assure you, I would never think of you as a failure. Its only food after all. And come to think of it, we could always just order a pizza.....

Light the Match

Hey, how's it going? Today, I've decided to start a blog. Don't know if I will be able to keep it up, but I'm waiting for my pasta water to boil, so I thought I'd have a go.

First things first, a title for my new literary adventure. "unpasteurized" seems to fit. I was thinking that 'raw milk' was a good name as well, but then I thought that this blog would be of interest only to milk farmers and quota owners. I wanted to find a name that will help guide the viewpoint of this space. My viewpoint. I hope to come out hear in cyber land and tell unknown people, what its like to live, love, cook, and generally exist in the Niagara Region. I will present my viewpoint in a 'raw' or unpasteurized way. No quarter given (and none expected). Another reason that I think this name is apropos is that I love bacteria. I love what it does to milk (cheese), grapes (wine) and flour (bread). Love is not really the word that I wanted to use, more like a sincere respect . When some thing is 'unpasteurized, it is left alone. it is not tampered with. it does not go through an institutional (0r otherwise) process of 'cleansing'. I like to think my life is unpasteurized. Maybe yours is as well. Maybe it should be. Throw away the rose coloured glasses and lets face the music. Hell, why not dance to the music. If there is anything I have learned from this crazy life is to love the music. But hey, thats enough. My pasta water is boiling, so need to feed the masses. later...tony