Chef Bites 2016 with Dave Mottershall

By Patricia Noonan Chef: Dave Mottershall Where: Loka Describe your current food style: Into the unknown. Training: Ontario Apprentice, Georgian College Culinary School Graduate. Places you have travelled to inform your culinary skills: Six and a half years in Banff at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and seven years on Prince Edward Island. Most recently traveled to Italy for five weeks to learn more about traditional Italian salumi. Restaurants you've worked: Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, Day Boat Restaurant, Lot 30, Terre Rouge Bistro Marche and The Chase. Biggest culinary influence: Too difficult to say. I’ve had the opportunity to work with amazing chefs like Francois de Melogue but reading Thomas Keller’s French Laundry changed my life. Fantasy meal: Flapjacks cooked on an open fire with maple syrup tapped straight from the tree. Favourite food/wine pairing: Shaved mortadella and champagne. Junk food passion: Sour keys and chocolate milk. Comfort food: Tuna salad sandwiches. Fave Toronto resto: Hard to choose between Edulis, Buca, Richmond Station and DaiLo. Fave Toronto bar: Hi-Lo in the east end; it gave us a home for the pop-up. The Done Right Inn in the west end. Cookbook you cannot live without: The Whole Beast by Fergus Henderson Most important tool in the kitchen: An open mind. What’s exciting about the industry for you still: Cooking within the changing seasons; farmers and small producers growing heritage ingredients… it’s an exciting time to cook.