At The Pass with Steven Molnar

Photo credit: Rick O'Brien.

🕒 5.5 min read

At The Pass is a weekly 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

Chef de Cuisine, Quetzal

Formerly 

Restaurant Toqué, Nota Bene, Bar Raval, and Bar Isabel.

Favourite dish to make right now

My partner is Ethiopian, and we have been spending a lot of time with her mother who has been teaching us various Ethiopian dishes. We love to make shiro, which is a spiced stew made from ground chickpeas eaten with injera. Such humble ingredients, but incredibly delicious. 

Last cookbook purchase

The Whole Fish Cookbook by Josh Niland.

Have you read it/tried any recipes 

Yes, it has been fascinating to pour over the information in this book. Mr. Niland’s unique approach and technique regarding fish butchery, storage, aging and cookery is something to marvel.  We have been dry-aging Kanpachi at Quetzal and have achieved some delicious results.

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

Berry bowls in February. 

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

Koji! This incredibly versatile ingredient is responsible for the magical transformation of things like miso, soy, and sake.  Owen Walker has been sharing his expertise, knowledge and passion for koji and fermentation with me. Last year we made maizo, which is a miso made from corn. We have been serving this at Quetzal to accompany our grilled squid.

Biggest influences

My Hungarian grandmother was initially my biggest influence to start cooking. Within the industry; Charles-Antoine Crête, Geoff O’Connor, and Grant Van Gameren. 

If you could eat at any restaurant in the world

Firedoor in Sydney, Australia. The kitchen is entirely powered by wood and Chef Lennox Hastie trained at the mecca of wood-fired cooking, Asador Etxebarri.

Last thing you ate

A tomato salad with arugula grown in our garden.

Three must-have ingredients always in your fridge 

Eggs, Cheese, Homemade Fermented Hot Sauce.

Guilty pleasure

Eating chocolate very late at night.

Top 3 favourite Toronto restaurants

Donna’s, Dandylion, and Pho Linh.

Top 3 favourite Toronto bars

The Little Jerry, The Emmet Ray, and Bar Raval.

Go-to drink 

Sour beer. One of my favourites is Duchesse de Bourgogne.

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

Constantly forgetting to drink enough water.  

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

Teamwork. Work hard, and if you are set up early or you have a light prep day, don’t be afraid to jump in and help someone else who may be behind or struggling that day. This is also a good way to learn something new in the process. We succeed and fail as a team, but collectively we are all stronger than the individual. 

Hidden talent

Golfing!

Best career advice you ever received

Lead by example. I remember reading a story of Grant Achatz first time walking into The French Laundry for a trial and finding Thomas Keller mopping the floor. This has always stuck with me throughout my career. No matter what your job title is, you are never above doing certain jobs. This comes back to teamwork and creating a culture where you want to see those around you succeed which in turn will help you succeed.    

Worst career advice you ever received

“You have to break them down to build them up.”  

Your advice for a young cook starting out in the business

Do not be afraid to make mistakes. We all make mistakes, but it is the information we gain from these mistakes that make them important learning experiences. Also, to focus more on technique than specific recipes. Cooking requires a lot of flexibility and having a wealth of technique allows you to pivot quickly and effectively. 

Finally, patience. Becoming a Chef takes time and it is does not happen overnight. Be willing to put in the hard work and not take shortcuts; it will pay off in the long run. 

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In order to support chefs during this time, the monthly At The Pass series is now WEEKLY. Know someone in Toronto or GTA who should be featured? Submit their name for consideration.

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