The Saucier’s Apprentice

Eat­ing at The Chefs House — the year-old train­ing restau­rant for George Brown College’s bud­ding chefs, som­me­liers and hos­pi­tal­ity stu­dents — is my idea of being a guinea pig at its absolute best.
I recently had lunch at this beau­ti­ful, spa­cious restau­rant located at 215 King St. E. in down­town Toronto, steps away from the college’s main cam­pus, with one of may favourite peo­ple: chief chef/instructor at the col­lege, John Hig­gins.
As he spoke Glaswe­gian and nib­bled on Cran­berry Quinoa Salad fol­lowed by Madras Lamb Curry, I rel­ished lus­cious Mush­room Soup and a superb entree of per­fectly pre­pared pap­pardelle pasta laced with juicy braised duck, crunchy toasted pine nuts and lash­ings of shaved parme­san.
Mean­while, we could watch the fresh-faced stu­dents work­ing away under the tute­lage of their chef men­tors in the big open kitchen.
There were quib­bles about the ser­vice (it was slow) and the too-large size of my companion’s curry — all passed on by chef Hig­gins to the manager/instructor at this lively learn­ing empo­rium.
How­ever, the excel­lent ergonom­ics of the comfy chairs per­fectly matched to the height and size of tables (an annoy­ing prob­lem in most estab­lish­ments), the uplift­ing vibe in the room and the stu­dents’ pal­pa­bly pos­i­tive energy all made the meal expe­ri­ence mem­o­rable.
What bet­ter way to learn the restau­rant busi­ness than by work­ing in one — from cook­ing the food to serv­ing it?
What’s more, the price is right — from $18 for 2 courses to $25 for 4.
No won­der this culi­nary class­room is always packed. For more info and, with any luck, a reser­va­tion, check www.thechefshouse.com.