chef talk

toronto chefs with whom I have communicated:

david lee (email and personal chat. complimented him on the fish courses. they really were superb.)
tobey nemeth (personal chat. there was rapport potential. her line chef gave me some walnuts.)
yannick b. (actually not a chef, but we have emailed. I suggested a host/guest menu system, but he pointed out that the north american clientele was not ready for this. we shared some unspoken nostalgia for the old world. mila is also good friends with him.)
charmaine baan (she once gave me a recipe.)
chris mcdonald (we have emailed. he gave me a recipe which combined with a gordon ramsay version of the same dish produces one of my favourite desserts.)
pat riley (more email. he sent me a recipe for radish consomme. I have not yet used it, but before I got his version I did some trial runs which turned out to be similar to his instructions. I was never truly impressed.)

toronto chefs with whom I have not communicated:

susur lee. I called him a few years ago for his recipe for a black cod dish. I was informed that it was a susur policy not to give out recipes. and he was not even using it anymore, he had given the dish to his former sous chef to use at lee. thanks for being a team player, susur lee. that is called not sharing. anyway, I next contacted him via letter following a service fiasco at his restaurant in march. no word, though I was assured by the manager that he had received the letter. so I followed up last week, on a whim. still no word. susur lee, you are on my black list. I do not know why toronto life gave you your final half star back. I would take it away, and put you on probation to the 3.5 star level. that is right, alongside jamie "hearty and casual" kennedy and right next to the terrace at the fifth. that is a grill, susur lee, a grill.