Recently I sat down with the culinary minds behind two Yorkville area eateries, L'Unità and Maléna. Sister restaurants, L'Unità is billed as "A traditional Italian osteria & wine bar, where you can experience their handmade pastas, thin crust pizzas, grilled meats and fish and the best cannoli in town!" While Maléna provides "The regional foods and flavours of Greece and Southern Italy are heavily influenced by ingredients drawn from the bodies of water that surround these regions. At Maléna, we simply present a fresh interpretation of Ionian coastal cuisine. The fish, sourced from the Mediterranean, local purveyors and waters worldwide, are prepared with a natural, fresh approach."

The magnificent wine cellar at  Maléna and a view of the space at L'Unità

(Photo Credit: www.malena120.ca and www.lunita.ca)

I wanted to see what made the chefs tick, and why they decided to pursue a culinary career. We talked about their backgrounds, early kitchen memories, and how the seasons influence their menus, as well as relationships with local food and their suppliers. Let me try to break down for you what I learned in my time with Doug and Stephen, and see what lessons we can learn from them.

Doug Neigel and Steve Gouzopoulos

(Photo Credit: www.malena120.ca and www.lunita.ca)

These boys come from two completely different places, and had opposite journeys, yet their food speaks to the same purpose, and they speak with the same passion. A true team effort. Steve is well-travelled, and comes from a strong Greek background, having spent many hours in his mothers kitchen as acting prep cook. The dinner table in the Gouzopoulos acted as a place for the large family to catch up, and as confessional. Travelling for half of his life, Steve honed his skills all over the globe. Africa, Asia, India, Brunei, and more, while his father moved from place to place for his job. This is where the travel bug comes from, and getting a job with the Hyatt chain, he moved around even more. Doug, on the other hand, comes from a multi-cultural background, and there was not much cooking in his household growing up. Other than strong memories of his grandmother in Saskatchewan who, when Doug visited, would make the best cinnamon buns you have ever tasted. There was a garden that Doug remembers, with peas, potatoes, carrots, and more, which all went into his grandmother’s Scandinavian cooking. While there wasn’t the depth of cooking in the home, there was still an emphasis on food, and fresh food to be specific. They lived on a river, and ate simply with fish from the river up in Muskoka.

Both chefs talk about the “sweet spot” in the kitchen, where everything just works, and connections are formed with their team in a like-minded and well- oiled service. This is difficult, and both guys have high standards, but they try to transfer their beliefs to their crew, and make it a fun environment to cook in. I think that all chefs do search for that uncommunicated “sweet spot”, where perfection exists and it all just works. The goal; to put out the best plate you can in the most positive environment possible, keep calm, motivate, execute. Both hope this is what they deliver every night.

Doug speaks on the lessons learned in his time with the Hyatt chain - both chefs met and worked for Hyatt for many years - and of the slow evolution to become the chef he is today. He has a pride in his food that was earned through many years of practice, and looking back at food he plated years ago he almost expresses disdain and disgust, but it’s what he was capable of at the time. I am beginning to see the pattern of having to learn lessons, which are what truly make a great chef. Doug learned pride for his food with time, and both he and Steve express their continued playfulness with food and using the fundamentals they learned to find their current niche. Everyone in their kitchens are there to learn and be challenged, including the chefs, and a great quote from Doug before we move on, was, “don’t assume your way is the right way, always be learning”.

When talking about how the seasons influence their menus, and the relationships they have with their suppliers we learn a lot about the success of L’Unità and Maléna, because they are very aware of their very specific niche in the neighbourhood, and of their clientele. They need to put the best possible product on the plate, and when they can they use local suppliers, assuming the standards are up to snuff. I think this is fair, because they are really trying to spread the message where and when they can. Pick your battles, as it were. The goal here is to provide a fine balance between supporting the local quality suppliers, and the practicality and reality that they are presented with. They highlight when items are local on their menus, and adjust menus to the growing season, not using things outside of these parameters. Quality always comes first, and local is just the relationship you have with your supplier, be it in Ontario or Italy.

A quick word about the food, it does impress. I am looking forward to have an opportunity to go back and eat off both menus, hopefully soon.