AT HOME WITH A TOP CHEF: COOKING’S A FAMILY AFFAIR
Fairmont Royal York’s Robert Mills took a hands-on approach to kitchen renovation
The executive chef of Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York, Robert Mills is responsible for about 100 cooks and several kitchens, pumping out an incredible 3,400 meals a day. Mills puts in 60 to 70 hours a week, but he never tires of cooking for his wife, Kate, and their three kids: Eloise 11, Eamon, eight, and Amelia, three.
“I don’t get to spend too much time with my kids, so I like them to be with me in the kitchen, and they want to, especially Amelia, she’s the little chef in the family,” says Mills.
“I love to cook on the grill, and this summer, I plan to extend the kitchen into the garden, with a Stella fridge, sink and long counter leading to a wood-burning pizza oven. An outdoor pizza oven has been my dream since I was a kid back in New Zealand.”
The couple bought their 1920s home in 2012 but the kitchen, with its oddly shallow countertops, didn’t work and was only 130 square feet. The overall palette was a dreary brownish-pink. The floor, tiled a mottled brown was, as Mills puts it, “fugly” and the walls had a bathroom-style off-white tile. Honey-oak cabinetry was hung awkwardly low and the white appliances were standard issue.
Flow, multi-purposing and illusion all play a part in making this tiny space function, but getting there required a gut job. And Mills, who once did a few months of construction work, was ready to take it on himself. “The reno took six months, and other than running the gas lines, I did it all myself, even the plumbing.”
Mills found an exact match to the living and dining area’s existing oak flooring at Rona, so was able to seamlessly extend it into the kitchen, maintaining a visual flow. Doing the work himself kept them on budget — about $10,000 all in. The simple, white cabinetry is Ikea, and the terrazzo-look, Snow White Pearl countertops are quartz engineered stone.
“They’re durable, heat-resistant, low-maintenance, easy to clean, stain-resistant, and if it ever needs repairing, it’s a simple task to mould on more composite material.”
Countertops matter. “We had light grey granite counters in the last house and I hated them. They were fussy, they stained easily — red wine was a nightmare! — required re-sealing. I want to relax and cook on my counters. This composite is amazing because it’s cold like marble — perfect for pastry — but visually, it’s warm; it doesn’t stain, and requires no maintenance.”
Because space is limited most pieces multi-task. A bright white, four-foot-high wall dividing the dining and cooking areas is actually a countertop and bank of push latch cupboards from Ikea; it functions as wall, buffet, sideboard, and storage for extra china. It helps make the space feel like a small restaurant with an open kitchen where diners can watch the action without being in the way.
“I’m not an ogre chef, I love my kids in the kitchen — it’s our time — but bystanders can really get in the way, so with this setup guests can watch … at a safe distance.”
A three-sided island — more of a peninsula — with an extra-wide top is Mills’ favourite work surface for rolling out dough; underneath, more Ikea cabinetry conceals the rarely used microwave and a few more gadgets.
“As a professional chef, I’m a bit obsessed with cleanliness. The kitchen needs to be clean as well as look clean, so the white, off-white and steel palette works, and it’s what drove my choice for a good dishwasher and easy-to-clean countertops. I also need reliability. I wanted a stove, fridge, and dishwasher that would not break down. That’s where I spent a bit of my budget.
“I want well-made appliances I can count on, but they have to be good looking and for me that’s stainless steel.”
The appliances are Bosch. “It came down to value; they were on sale and according to our research, they’re a reliable brand. They make power tools mostly!”
Also important to any chef worth his weight in fleur de sel, is a powerful extraction fan. Chefs like to cook hot and flambé, so a fan that really draws is a must. From Ikea, this one is sleek, powerful and surprisingly quiet.
Mills installed a much bigger vent pipe than required by code — eight inches diameter — and concealed it in a bulkhead also housing a line of LED pot lights, illuminating the main countertop. This is where the couple faced one of the greatest challenges of the reno and of their marriage: the backsplash of long, soft blue and grey glass from Olympia Tile. “Installing this, trying to line up the little sticks of glass just right, nearly caused a divorce!” jokes Mills.
On his day off, Mills can’t think of anything else he’d rather do than cook with his junior chefs, or make one of Kate’s favourite meals: a juicy rib-eye, a pile of greens and buttery smashed potatoes.
At work, he explains: “I direct and lead, but at home, I get to relive my hands-on past in small restaurants.” Mills enjoys his highly functional little kitchen, but there’s just one thing …“The only thing missing is a state of the art Italian espresso machine. One day …”