An A for A is For Apple
Three chef hosts challenge themselves to cook with ingredients that don’t traditionally go together
TORONTO SUN
Judging by the dizzying array of food shows available for viewing, it’s a given people just love the drama and adventure that takes place in the kitchen. From stiff competitions to culinary global adventures, tutorials around the world — we need more than second helpings to get us through our food show fix. Here’s another one:
returns for a new season to Gusto, with a new set of culinary explorations anchored in ingredients inspired by the letters of the alphabet.
Each half-hour episode follows one of the three chef hosts as they challenge themselves to cook with ingredients that don’t traditionally go together, like apricots with avocados, or beef with buttermilk, or even mango with mustard. After shopping for the ingredients, the trio head back to the kitchen where they create mouthwatering dishes for each ingredient — the final challenge being the successful coupling of the crazy combinations that, ultimately, turn into delicious fare.
At the helm is the diminutive culinary expert Theresa Visintin who joins returning chefs Lauren Gulyas and Robert Jewell to face these unconventional weekly challenges. Visintin is just as colourful and exciting as the dishes she creates — you can see it in the creativity and enthusiasm she brings to the show.
“I truly am living my dream,” said Visintin. “This show is fun, exciting, and it breaks traditional food show moulds.”
Born in Singapore, Visintin spent her early years in Toronto before moving to Australia. Growing up, Theresa’s parents ran local restaurants on Sydney’s northern beaches which provided a gathering place for her extended family, but Theresa never thought she would work in the food industry. This all changed when she met her Aussie-Italian husband and his food-loving family. Exposed to new cuisines, her fondness for the kitchen was renewed and she began experimenting with recipes, avidly watching cooking shows and pouring over cooking magazines which ultimately lead to her being a contestant on MasterChef Australia, where she honed her skills that helped when she auditioned for
Now living in Vancouver, Theresa, a mother of three teens, admits it was the constant exposure to good, home cooking from both her family and her husband’s that fed her love of a well turned out dish: “My go-to food is Italian — and I have my husband to thank! — but add to that my Asian kitchen knowledge and you have flavour bombs at home!”
Theresa admits there were moments in her life when all she had to push her forward was her sense of adventure: “When my husband and I and our three kids packed up and left Australia to return to Canada — we had no idea what we were really getting into,” said Visintin. “Australia was our home. But we told each other — well, we’ll give ourselves a few months and if it doesn’t work, we can always go back.”
So they moved to Canada — and shortly thereafter found themselves making angels in the snow. “And we just fell in love with Vancouver. We all settled in with work and school. And I auditioned for the show and, well, as they say, the rest is history.” is on Mondays, exclusively on Gusto, Gustotv.com. Check local listings for more details.) All-Stars will feature a uniquely Canadian challenge combining great food with inspiring historical moments — plus Jeremy Charles, head chef/ owner of Raymonds in St. John’s, N.L., joins the show as guest judge. The motivating episode’s Elimination Challenge tasks the chefs with creating a dish inspired by one Canada’s most significant historical events, to be prepared and served to guests at Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum. The landmark events include: the Birth of Canada, the Klondike Gold Rush, victory at Vimy Ridge, Newfoundland entering Confederation, Lester B. Pearson awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, and Patriation.