Q & A with

Chef Jaco

How did you initially become interested in cooking, and why did you become a chef?
My interest in cooking started when I was young as I would always help my grandmother in the kitchen. She was very passionate about food and worked within the industry herself. I can vividly remember what her food tastes like and smells like to this day.

I took this interest one step further and sought out a job at a steakhouse when I was twelve. Every week I would knock on their door asking for a dishwashing job, and eventually they gave me one. So I started working in restaurants at a very young age, maybe younger than what it should be.

From there, I went through a culinary program in high school, enjoyed it and enrolled into an apprenticeship program.

Who has been your biggest influence?
Two of the biggest influences on my career have been Chef Hans-Ulrich Herzig and Chef Judd Simpson. Chef Judd Simpson, currently the chef at the House of Commons, was one of my mentors and I still reach out to him for advice today. Chef Hans-Ulrich Herzig taught me a lot about the fundamentals of food.

What are your standards as a chef, such as sustainability?
I’d like to think that I have high standards. I believe in being responsible for food procurement. I believe in teaching our youth the fundamentals of food, how to grow our industry and how to keep it alive. To be more specific, I think apprenticeship programs are extremely important but there are not a lot of chefs that will enrol students anymore. The youth are our future, so we should be properly educating them and preparing them to take on our roles.

How does this impact your menu development?
Our menus are very much developed through looking at local food. We work a lot with local farmers, anywhere from obtaining produce to dairy to protein-based items. We have seasonal menus, but we also have menus that reflect more of a sustainable element. For instance, we will serve five different varieties of apples versus oranges. You may not see oranges all the time, but you will always see four to five different varieties of apples.

What is your personal cooking style?
I don’t know if I have a personal cooking style per se. I’m not a French chef and I’m not an Italian chef. But to me it’s simply about the basics and using fresh ingredients. If I had to pick, I would say that my style of cooking is just utilizing regional ingredients to influence my food.

What do you enjoy about working at the University?
I get to work in an environment where there are young, brilliant people that enjoy food. Today’s students are more aware of what food is and where it comes from. Being surrounded by people that are well-rounded and have knowledge about food challenges me to always work my best. It keeps my mind young, and when my mind is young, my spirit is young. So I get to walk around in this old body feeling extremely young. I think that’s part of it.

The other part of it is that it gives me the opportunity to do a lot of things that I wouldn’t be able to do in the private sector. I work a lot closer with farmers, and yes you can do that in the private sector, but not to the same level. This is because there is a lot support from the community and from the university to embrace the programs that allow us to work with farmers, and have good sustainable food practices.

Words of Wisdom for our students:
Toronto is one of the most exciting places globally when it comes to foods and flavours. So take time to explore the city, and explore the cultural foods and flavors available.