Lawrence La Pianta is the owner of Cherry St Bar-B-Que, one of Toronto's premier barbecue offerings, & Elm Street Italian Deli, a deli that specializes in offering Italian cold-cuts and sandwiches. After spending some considerable amount of time managing a film production company, Lawrence phased from one passion for his vocation to another, opening up a traditional Texan-style smokehouse, which has since gone to generate lots of local and international love. While Cherry St's preparation is inspired by classic Texan techniques, the flavour profile of Lawrence's barbecue is hardly restrict ..read more

Victor Ugwueke is the proud owner of Afrobeat Kitchen, a Toronto-based takeout restaurant that offers the best of Nigerian eats, the food that he grew up eating and is super passionate about. In a way, Victor is a paradigm of Toronto itself, as he’s come to Toronto by way of Lagos, Nigeria, Beijing, China, and London, UK. Coming from Lagos, Victor is a hustler and has worked his way up some of London and Toronto's busiest kitchens before starting his own pop-ups and eventually Afrobeat Kitchen. For those who are unfamiliar with Nigerian cuisine, one variety of popular foods in Nigeria includes ..read more

Tutti Matti, is a historic Toronto establishment and is one of Toronto's most notable and successful restaurants. Helmed by Alida Solomon, Tutti Matti offers simple yet delicious Tuscan cuisine and is the recipient of a plethora of awards, like 2009's Osteria of the Year. Alida herself has had a storied career. Growing up in an eclectic Jewish family, she developed a passion for food and culture, developing her culinary sea legs out in Montalcino, Italy, such as learning how butcher wild boar. After coming back home and starting Tutti Matti, while picking up some accolades along the way, you c ..read more

We're launching Season 2 of The Gastronomy Club podcast, and we hope this season will be bigger than ever. We'll continue to spotlight local restaurateurs, chefs, cooks, sommeliers, and even highlight people that are indirectly related to the food industry. Please stay tuned to our Instagram @thegastronomyclub, where you can stay tuned on our updates, posts, and even giveaways!.  Music by Kissmykas - Welcome To My House ..read more

Mona's Roti, one of Scarborough's most popular West Indian restaurant, is a global institution. Mona’s actually started in Trinidad and Tobago in Cocoyea village, in the city of San Fernando. While it opened up in the Caribbean in the 80s, Mona Khan, the namesake and matriarch of the Khan family, eventually moved to Toronto. Mona's reopened up in Canada as a roti wholesaler, selling roti shells to local households and restaurants, and she eventually opened up another restaurant here as well. The restaurant is notorious for loading up its diverse selection of roti with Caribbean classics: jerk ..read more

We got an opportunity to speak with Jeanette and Joanna Liu, the two sisters who run Yueh Tung, along with their parents.  Located right next to the Eaton Centre, Yueh Tung is a beloved Hakka favourite that has been a key figure in the Toronto food scene since its opening in 1987, introducing Chili and Manchurian chicken to the city. We have a great conversation about the restaurant’s story, how Jeanette and Joana found themselves back at Yueh Tung, how Yueh Tung is adapting in this new future, the power of the Kardashian/Jenner clan, and much more. You can learn more about Yueh Tung at ..read more

We sit down with Daniel Shin, sous-chef at Bar Mignonette, a newly opened restaurant sitting on top of Caribbean favourite, Patois, right near Trinity Bellwoods. Bar Mignonette is a fun new seafood wine bar, where the menu changes on a daily basis, but consists of some great dishes like uni pasta, shrimp cocktails, and the classic pairing of lobster and butter - of course, all of this can be crushed down with some bottles of White Burgundy and other great wine offerings. While the spotlight is on seafood, Daniel’s pedigree for gastronomy and cooking covers a lot of different cuisines and geogr ..read more

We got a chance to talk gin with Martin Reid, the patriarch and owner of Reids Distillery, a boutique gin distillery located in Leslieville. Along with his three children, Martin has been producing some of the most creative gin west of the Atlantic under the Reids Distillery banner, inspired by equal parts family and equal parts adventure (his family lived on a sailboat for 2 years!!!). We distill the truth of what makes gin such an expressive spirit, how he and his family got into gin, what its like working with family, and how to outmaneuver pirate attacks on the coast of Venezuela. You can ..read more

We get a chance to talk oyster with the Oyster Boy himself, Adam Colquhoun, owner of Oyster Boy, a seafood restaurant and oyster wholesaler located right outside Trinity Bellwoods Park. We dive deep into his story, what made oysters exactly start to blow up, how much work farming oysters are, what makes an oyster an aphrodisiac, and what the outcome is of stabbing a shucking knife in your hand a copious amount of times. You can learn more about Oyster Boy by following @oysterboytoronto on Instagram.  Music Credits: MYSM - Soft Cream, By The River - Gil Wanders, Beats by Egomi - Come Back ..read more

Chris White is the co-owner of Brothers Food and Wine, a bistro located in the Yorkville area of Toronto. The food is a simple expression of Mediterranean and Canadian style cuisine and is a great complement to explore a robust wine offering. We talk about his journey working at restaurants in Toronto, how music impacts us and how Brothers is navigating COVID-19 with their Brothers At Home experience. You can follow Brothers at @brothers_toronto on Instagram. Music: As I Got Ready - Mark Generous, Still Morning - Gil Wanders, Meganne - Mark Generous, Poco Pico - Gil Wanders, Single 2 - Dolenes ..read more