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. Meet Maria Janelle Marquez.

🕒 5.5. min read

Currently

Sous chef, Alo

Formerly

UK: The Ritz London, Hide Restaurant. Toronto: Canoe, Auberge du Pommier, Salon

Favourite dish to make right now

Pancit Canton (Filipino stir-fried noodles) with calamansi juice. *Chef’s kiss*.

Last cookbook purchase

7000 Islands: Cherished Recipes and Stories from the Philippines by Yasmin Newman. I really got into Filipino cookbooks in the past few months.

Have you read it/tried any recipes

I’ve read a quarter of the book already and I’ve tried a recipe from the book so far. Dessert related, ha ha - Brazo de Mercedes (rolled cake with meringue and custard). It turned out well and I ended up using it for a pop up dinner at BBs.

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

Fiddleheads. They have this taste and texture I don’t really like.

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

Filipino food in general. So cool to see the next gen of chefs doing their own thing with it.

Biggest influences

Female chefs, female athletes, and female entrepreneurs making way for the women in their industry.

If you could eat at any restaurant in the world

I’d love to go back to the restaurant in the Philippines where my Lolo Noy and Mamang (grandparents) took my little sister and I when we went home to visit them. It was called Harbour View restaurant by Manila Bay. That is one of my favourite food memories growing up and it heavily influenced me. 

Last thing you ate

Pork Belly Sinigang made with Mama Sita’s packet. It’s just so nostalgic.

Three  must-have ingredients always in your fridge

Ketchup, Kewpie mayo, Oat Milk (for my iced coffees).

Guilty pleasure

Pork bone soup, hands down. The best pork bone soup I’ve ever had is from the The Owl of Minerva by Christie Station. THE best. LOL.

Top 3 favourite Toronto restaurants

The Owl of Minerva on Christie. They always play K-Pop music videos on loop and it's such a vibe!

Star King Viet Thai Cuisine, a family-owned Vietnamese restaurant. My go-to pho restaurant up at Yonge and Eglinton.

Taste of China. I think it’s an industry classic. I saw three different kitchen crews at that joint at the same time after a busy Friday night service once.

Top 3 favourite Toronto bars

Pinky’s Ca Phe, Bar Isabel, and LoPan are some of the best spots for food and drinks in the city! They’re definitely staples now.

Go-to drink

N/A.

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

Overthinking things. It’s a work in progress.

And one habit you have in the kitchen that will inspire young chefs

Don’t let a bad service extend after that day. Tomorrow is a new day. Learn from your mistakes and keep pushing.

Hidden talent

N/A.

Best career advice you ever received

Cooking is a lifelong craft. You’ll never perfect it. You’ll meet a lot of chefs that have different ways of doing things, but your goal is to absorb as much knowledge and skills from them and apply it to your cooking. Learn and pass on the knowledge to the next gen. From Chef John Horne and Chef Anthony Walsh.

Worst career advice you ever received

N/A.

Your advice for a young cook starting out in the business

Don’t get discouraged when you make mistakes in a kitchen especially when you’re starting out. You’re there to learn and absorb. Ask questions! Pick their brains! Don’t know how to clean a fish? Ask a chef to teach you how. Read cookbooks from different cultures, read about other chefs and their journey through kitchens. Lastly, your mental health is more important than anything. Working in kitchens is known to be really demanding. So it’s very important to take care of your mental health too.

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. And yes, you can nominate yourself.    

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