Chefs We Love
February 28, 2024
Top Canadian Chefs Share The Biggest Food Trends Of The Year
Some of the best chefs from across the country share delicious recipes you can make at home, embracing new ingredients or techniques you’ll soon be seeing everywhere. From Susur Lee’s Singapore-style Slaw to Steven Molnar’s Michelin-star dish Roasted Bone Marrow & Argentinian Shrimp, below are some of the best recipes of 2024. Scroll down and get cooking!
Emma Cardarelli is the executive chef and owner of Nora Gray and owner of Elena and Gia Vin & Grill in Montreal.
TREND: SKEWERS
Whether you call them arrosticini, yakitori, souvlaki or just plain skewers, marinating your favourite meat or hearty vegetable and putting it on a stick is in vogue. “Gia Vin & Grill did a yakitori pop-up, and I keep seeing wedding receptions that have a dedicated grill for skewers,” says Emma. “They’re fast, simple and a great appetizer.” Or, serve them with rice and a salad for a whole meal!
Get the recipe for Emma Cardarelli’s Sunflower-roasted Brussels Sprouts here.
Steven Molnar is the executive chef and partner of Quetzal in Toronto.
TREND: SURF & TURF
The ’80s are back. “All trends are cyclical, but we haven’t seen this classic pairing for a long time,” says Steven. Meat has become very expensive; surf and turf is a great way to enjoy a small portion of steak while the rest of the plate is filled with more affordable seafood like mussels. “I love to surprise my guests with unusual combinations you wouldn’t typically put together.”
Get the recipe for Steven Molnar’s Roasted Bone Marrow & Argentinian Shrimp here.
Susur Lee is the owner of Susur Lee Restaurants, which includes Lee and Lee Kitchen in Toronto, and partner at TungLok Heen in Singapore.
TREND: PRESERVED UME
Growing up in Hong Kong, Susur often enjoyed salted Japanese plum, or ume, at home. Used for salad dressings, marinades and even to settle digestive systems, the uniquely flavoured fruit can be found in Asian grocery stores as a preserve or purée. “It’s so diverse, and there are so many different ways to elevate a dish with ume instead of salt,” says the celebrated chef, who has added it to the dressing of his famous Singapore-style Slaw recipe, newly updated for Lee, his recently reopened Toronto restaurant.
Get the recipe for Susur Lee’s Singapore-style Slaw with Ume Dressing here.
Alex Chen is the chef and partner of Wild Blue Restaurant + Bar in Whistler, B.C., and executive chef at Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar in Vancouver.
TREND: KOREAN FOOD
Korean culture is trending. “People want to watch movies about Korea, they want to visit Korea, they want to taste Korea,” says Alex. “The cuisine itself is fairly healthy, with a focus on vegetables and fermentation.” You can even eat it while wearing a snail face mask and listening to K-pop.
Get Alex Chen’s Beef Bibimbap here.
Christie Peters is the executive chef and owner of Primal and Pop Wine Bar in Saskatoon.
TREND: HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Christie is certain that, this year, we’ll be looking back at how people cooked with simple, inexpensive ingredients in the 1930s. Think turning cabbage into sauerkraut, canning in-season fruit and making scrap meat into sausages — and affordable doesn’t mean boring! Finding creative ways to feed a crowd without breaking the bank is not only trending, it’s wise and eco-conscious.
Get Christie Peters’ Pork Sausage with Brown Butter Crab Apple Purée and Sauerkraut here.
Christa Bruneau-Guenther is executive chef and owner of Feast Café Bistro in Winnipeg.
TREND: CEDAR
One of the four sacred medicines in Indigenous culture, cedar can also be used in the kitchen in small quantities. Christa uses sprigs of cedar to make tea and sauces by steeping the leaves in warm liquid to extract the natural oil, which can be used to amp up flavours. “Cedar tastes like a cross between lemony thyme and rosemary,” she says. Appreciation for Indigenous cuisine has been spreading across the country and Christa thinks cooking with cedar will be part of this growth.
Get the recipe for Christa Bruneau-Guenther’s Creamy Cedar Chicken & Mushroom Pasta here.
Tre Sanderson is the season 10 winner of Top Chef Canada, and former chef de partie at Vela, Baro and Hotel X in Toronto.
TREND: SCOTCH BONNET
Spicy food lovers are taking over! “Canadians have a higher heat tolerance than ever before, and they’re looking for different flavours to satisfy that craving,” says Tre. But not all spice is created equal. Scotch bonnet pepper is a staple of Jamaican food and, as interest in the island’s food is growing, more people will be drawn to its depth of flavour.
Get the recipe for Tre Sanderson’s Scotch Bonnet Bouillabaisse here.