Passion & Profession
Cooking has always been in Stephen’s blood. As a child he remembers watching in awe as his grandfather (a former navy chef) prepared vast quantities of food for family gatherings, and how everyone’s face would light up as they ate. Stephen spent countless hours learning various family recipes. His passion continued through his teens, while he worked at a number of high volume restaurants. After completing high school it seemed a natural choice to pursue a career as a chef.
Stephen was formally schooled at George Brown College, but found he learned more on the job than in the classroom. While in his second year at George Brown, he worked at the Peppercorn Mill as an apprentice under Chef Leighton Azzopardi. Leighton was an ‘old school’ chef and taught traditional methods with ‘old school’ temperaments - meaning during service he was very hard-line but he taught Stephen some very valuable skills. Stephen followed Leighton to several different posts, revamping and upscaling the cuisine in the dining rooms of private golf clubs.
Following that, he traveled throughout Europe eating and learning the foods of different countries. He met his future wife, Amelia, in England and stayed for a while working in a high volume trattoria in Manchester called Est Est Est. After returning to Toronto, Stephen resumed his apprenticeship at North 44 under Mark McEwan. McEwan taught him that only the best product will do. He also taught Stephen one of the most useful skills he’s learned - how to cook great food quickly.
Stephen returned to England and had the opportunity to work at Hanbury Manor (a 14th century manor house north of London) under the guidance of Rory Kennedy of Le Gavroche fame in London, and one of Europe’s greatest chefs, Albert Roux. It was there that he really began to understand food. Stephen learned classical cooking, as well as learning that simplicity was the hardest thing to achieve. This is where everything seemed to come together.
Stephen subsequently returned to Toronto to open Terra, where he resides as executive chef and partner. It is at Terra that he has combined all the things that he has learned and follows an uncomplicated philosophy - use the best and the freshest ingredients possible, keep it simple and allow the natural quality of the ingredients to shine.
Chef Recipes
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