🕒 3 min read

At The Pass is a monthly series showcasing Toronto’s best chefs. You won’t find any celebrity chefs featured here. Perhaps you already know these fine cooks, but maybe not. They’re not famous - yet. But it’s time these talented, passionate, hard-working chefs got a bit of the spotlight. 

Currently

Founder and Chocolatier of Mary's Brigadeiro Handcrafted Chocolates.

Formerly

Human Resource Assistant in a private company in Brazil.

Favourite dish to make right now

Feijoada - traditional Brazilian bean stew with meat.

Last cookbook purchase

Right now I am reading and in love for Confeitaria Escalafobética by Raiza Costa.

Have you read it/tried any recipes

Yes.

One dish or ingredient you’d like to see gone from menus

Margarine and shortening.

And one dish or ingredient that you’re excited about right now and would like to see on more menus

Much more local ingredients, and more information about them in the menus. A dish can tell so many stories, starting with the origin of the ingredients.

Your biggest influences

Chef Philipe Vacayseele. 

If you could eat at any restaurant in the world

Mocoto Restaurant in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Last thing you ate

Homemade sweet potato soup.

Three must-have ingredients always in your fridge

French butter, cheese and eggs.

Guilty pleasure

Chocolate! :)

Top 3 favourite Toronto restaurants

Maha’s, Union Restaurant, and Defina Pizzeria.

Top 3 favourite Toronto bars

Just two: Cider House and Timothy's Pub.

Go-to drink

Cider House’s Hot Mulled Cider. It's incredible!

One habit you have in the kitchen that you should lose, but can’t seem to shake

I reorganize the space too often - sometimes my team cannot find anything. :/

One habit you have in the kitchen that will inspire young chefs

Discipline.

Hidden talent

Luiza Ferrer, the first young chef who was part of our team.

Best career advice you ever received 

I received two important pieces of advice:

The first one was to grow our chocolate business to other levels and channels – i.e. corporate gifts, online store (ship worldwide), export, and events and partnerships with other small businesses.

The second was from my mentor, that we should open a concept store to receive our clients and show them where the products are made, who is behind the scenes - the magic happening during the process - and he was so right!

Worst career advice you ever received

"You should automate 100 per cent of your process by introducing more machines.”

Your advice for young cooks starting out in the business

You can do anything you want, so never let anyone say you cannot. Pay attention to the details, work extra hard, learn from the experts, and always ask for help from people you admire. If you believe in your idea, there will be always good people surround you to support your dream!

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At The Pass is a monthly series showcasing Toronto/GTA’s best chefs. You won’t find any celebrity chefs featured here. Perhaps you already know these fine cooks, but maybe not. They’re not famous - yet. But it’s time these talented, passionate, hard-working chefs got a bit of the spotlight.

Know someone in Toronto or GTA who should be featured? Submit their name for consideration.