Travel, Food & Drink

Contemporary Gourmet Food in Canada with Chef Michael Steh

Head Chef Michael Steh of rooftop restaurant The Chase in Toronto shares his formula for creating one of the city’s finest contemporary menus

With the 2014 opening of Colette Grand Café at the Thompson Hotel in Toronto, the reputation of Chase Hospitality Group’s Michael Steh is most definitely on the up. His biggest influence? Not a Michelin-starred chef or a popular culinary powerhouse, but his Slovenian parents. We spend five minutes with one of Canada’s rising kitchen stars…

So what do you do, Michael?
I am executive chef at Chase Hospitality Group (The Chase, The Chase Fish & Oyster and Colette Grand Café) in Toronto, Ontario. [The Chase was voted one of Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2014 by Air Canada’s enRoute magazine.]

How did you get where you are today?
Food is in my blood. My parents came to rural Oshawa, Ontario, from Slovenia in the 1950s, bringing their traditions and culture with them. Once I made the choice to be in the hospitality industry, I worked for and followed the best chefs in Canada and beyond, learning everything I could from them. I worked through cooking and leadership positions at some of Toronto’s top restaurants until I was given the opportunity to run my own.
Chef Michael Steh, Executive Chef, Chase Hospitality Group
Chef Michael Steh, Executive Chef, Chase Hospitality Group

What can diners at your restaurants expect?
Unpretentious luxury. Our goal is to provide the guest with the highest quality ingredients, using the best techniques. At The Chase, service is attentive but not overbearing, with food that will conquer every expectation or craving. At Fish & Oyster, we offer a relaxed, comfortable environment.

You’ve said that cooking is an art form…
Cooking is the best of all art forms! It applies itself to all the senses: sight, smell, taste, hearing, touch. I have always said to my cooks, “The plate is your canvas and the spoon is your brush.”

Discover Chef Steh’s full menu at The Chase Toronto