A stalwart in the Toronto culinary scene, Mark McEwan has seen our city’s food landscape evolve rapidly over the last few decades. “I’ve watched it grow from a small industry to a mega-competitive one,” he says. “Competition drives us to always do better, resulting in a product that has put Toronto on the world stage.”
He has several restaurants in his portfolio, including Bymark and Fabbrica, along with a few cookbooks, but one food gig remains close to his heart: judge on “Top Chef Canada.” “These are the chefs of the current and future generations,” he says. “Watching them is inspiring and continues to ignite my fire and passion.” Season 12 just got underway on the Flavour Network (airing Tuesdays and streaming on STACKTV), and, says McEwan, the chefs are more gifted than ever. “The talent is top-tier,” he says. “It could arguably be some of the best talent we have ever had on the show.”
He’s been keen to offer guidance to the budding chefs, although he prefers to see it more as mentorship versus “being the big bad judge,” he says. “I’m here to provide my honest opinion where taste rules the day.”
Here, McEwan shares where his taste buds take him across the city when he’s craving something truly delicious.
