Something completely vegan. Chef Grant van Gameren, founding co-owner at Black Hoof and now Bar Isabel apparently didn't grow up eating adventurous cuisine. Load Very sad. See more of Bar Isabel on Facebook. I spend a lot of time and put a lot of effort and expertise to prepare something super tasty. The cult Mayfair store Connolly is a paean to a sleek aesthetic. Typical iceberg lettuce, steamed salmon and rice, or a pork chop and potatoes. View Grant’s full profile. When we opened in 2013, Toronto had practically no places to go for Spanish food. The fact that this remains unchanged, after 150 years, is impressive.”. Great food, service and hospitality are no longer exclusive to fine dining, and prices for ingredients continue to increase. If you continue to browse, we will consider that you consent to their use. My day consists of two hours driving around in the morning picking up things from the market that can't normally be ordered. Grant has 1 job listed on their profile. Max Rimaldi. David McMillan of Joe Beef. Of course you have to remain impartial, but do you have any predictions as to which chef-led team will win? You posted a defence to criticisms about menu prices in the comments section of our Bar Isabel profile. At about 3pm I'm in the kitchen prepping for the night service. Toronto, ON. Log In Eventually I found myself in my early twenties without any post high school education, and I took a serious job at Canoe... that opened by eyes to the world of cuisine and from that moment on it was, "this is all I know so I better be the best I can be at it." So I jumped at the chance to participate for a great cause. We're proud to contribute something unique to this culture. Someone reached out and asked if I would consider being a judge, and it definitely had some personal interest to me because of my mother who died of cancer when I was fairly young. Name: Bar Isabel Neighbourhood: Little Italy Contact info: 797 College St., 416-532-2222, barisabel.com, @BarIsabel797 Owners: Grant van Gameren (Black 79 Me gusta. What are some of your current favourite hangouts or restaurants in Toronto? Owner Bar Isabel. Bar Isabel, Alacuás. See who you know in common; Get introduced; Contact Grant directly; Join to view full profile People also viewed. When we opened in 2013, Toronto had practically no places to go for Spanish food. Grand Electric, What's one dish you can't live without? 5pm is our staff meal, and at 5:15pm we do line-up for 45 minutes where we brief all of our servers on specials, menus changes and ways to improve service. See it here (legal notice, cookie policy, privacy policy). But its owner’s home of 20 years is a ‘ye olde Tudor’ cottage in Petersham. Max Rimaldi Proprietor & founder of Pizzeria Libretto & Enoteca Sociale. And I believe that any Spanish wine list would be incomplete without a Familia Torres on it.”, Bar Isabel serves contemporary Spanish fare prepared with fresh local ingredients and the finest European imports, “I hope Familia Torres keeps producing the refined, well-crafted wines it is known for; wines on the forefront of enological innovation,” Alessandro replies, “Personally, I really admire Familia Torres’s focus and commitment to sustainability, and how it has managed to maintain its identity as a family winery. Where do you think there is a disconnect between diner expectations and what restaurants are able to deliver? What's the most challenging or most rewarding thing for you to cook these days? Favourite Toronto restaurant? Smoked Sweet Breads, What would people be surprised to find in your fridge? Alessandro Pietropaolo—Bar Isabel’s co-owner, general manager, and wine director—tells us how this adventure began: “Grant, our chef, spent quite some time traveling around Spain, and eating and drinking in Barcelona, and Bar Isabel is the result of that. The menu is filled with slaughtered animals, and I was surprised because the owner’s other resto is a vegan gourmet place called Rosalinda. Patio reservations are available via phone, same day only. It was really just a job out of necessity from the beginning. People have different tastes and expectations. We wanted to introduce people to a different style of food, as well as the rich landscape of Spain's wine regions and their culture.”, The director Alessandro Pietropaolo (l.) and chef and wine manager Grant van Gameren (r.), of Bar Isabel, Geographically speaking, Bar Isabel straddles the Italian and Portuguese neighborhoods, but it is anchored in the spirit of Spain, the spark of inspiration: “Toronto is an amazing place to run a restaurant, because you have access to so many different cultures and ingredients,” says Alessandro, “Grant, the initial management team, and I are all Toronto natives, and we grew up in this mosaic of food cultures. Grant van Gameren, owner of Bar Isabel, is a partner in the plant based Rosalinda. I put all my effort into learning how to cook and reading up on the craft...that was when I decided this was going to be my career. It's very easy to be inspired by a nice piece of meat, but when I experiment with new ingredients and come up with delicious salads and interesting dishes that are completely vegan, fresh and tasty, that's a really rewarding way to cook because it's out of my typical style or realm. Cooking offcuts is challenging and it's very hard to make someone eat part of an animal that they're not used to.