Another ridiculous list from Toronto media!

[Charles Yu]

Richard Ouzounian , contributor to Toronto Star's food page listed his choice of ' Five Canadian Culinary Superstars'.
I can accept the inclusion of chefs like Susur Lee, Mark McEwan or Michael Smith to the list. BUT!! Ken Kostick???!!!!! What a joke!!! Not only did he don't know how to cook, he couldn't even hold a chef knife properly and cut with it!!!!!
What are people thinking??!!

[jamesm]

This is an outrage!!!!! IM UPSET ABOUT THIS?!"" It is ridiculous,,!

[prima]

Ken Kostick passed away earlier this year, Charles.

He might not have been a Chef, and maybe he didn't hold his knife like a Chef ( I don't hold my knife like a Chef, that kind of thing doesn't bother me) but I wouldn't say he didn't know how to cook. I didn't watch his shows regularly, but I liked his personality, and the enthusiasm he brought to cooking. I even own one of his cookbooks. The only other TV cooking show guy I could/can tolerate is Steven Yan from Wok with Yan.

[Smachnoho]

Yes, I almost forget! I bought one of his children's cookbooks as a gift for a child and it was great. I remember taping the shows when his mother (Helen??) from Winnipeg came on & then I would watch the show with my mother.

[freia]

OK I was out of country for a few months and missed the news of his passing. So, so sad. I just loved that show, mostly for the banter with his on screen partner, Mary Jo. Incredibly sad right now...as for other Canadian Celebuchefs, does anyone remember The Urban Peasant? Couldn't stomach those recipes. I didn't even know if he could cook! It struck me almost as though he was mashing together every single leftover and out of date fridge item into one horrible mess...Every episode to me seemed to be the same, as in "oh, look, I have a jar of mayonnaise, pickled beets, peanut butter, and candied yams on hand. Lets mix them all up in a bowl and serve them with bread that's leftover from July, just scrape off the green bits and you're ready to go...." Whatever happened to him?

[Sooeygun]

According to Wikipedia, he died in 2007.

I was always expecting him to chop off a finger. His knife use was kind of slapdash. My dad loved watching him for the mashing together of leftovers. But then, my dad is known in the family for his crazy mash ups.

[kbdid]

James Barber? I have a cookbook of his somewhere - all I can remember was the advice that when a recipe calls to grind up peanuts with sugar/butter - for heaven's sake just use peanut butter. My mother used to cring watching him because he used (oh no!) metal utensils with his non-stick cookwear.

[rayrayray]

Friea....I laughed so hard at your comment I nearly peed. When I was a kid I remember my Mum making a soup she saw on his show out of peanut butter and ginger ale.

[freia]

ROFLMAO! peanut butter and ginger ale...OMG...so typical! I remember my Mom actually cooking one of his recipes for lunch, it was a weird strawberry/mint/tuna/balsamic vinegar thing, she offered it to me and I said "NO WAY" so she forced me to sit there and watch her eat it, as in "Oh you SHOULD have some of this, its DELICIOUS. Just WATCH". And I remember the first bite, her face kind of crumpled up but she's a proud woman and would NEVER admit that she was wrong, so she ate the WHOLE SERVING, the entire time with this look on her face -- you know, that "I smell somebody's feet" look -- and once done, she threw the rest out and never tried another one of his recipes. LOLOLOL...good times....sigh

[rayrayray]

Ok..was still laughing this morning and I you tubed him. More hilarious then I remember.

[Sooeygun]

Here is the article. The list was just a sidebar to the article about Chuck Hughes. And it was more referring to success on TV.

http://www.toronto.com/article/702029...

[ylsf]

Yeah, I was coming back to post that. I think maybe Charles read the list out of context originally? I just saw the article in the actual Toronto Star and see it for what it is, a side bar note about "stardom" not necessarily about good food.

[Smachnoho]

Ken Kostick was in the category of a "singing" chief. He sang in musicals at the "Rainbow Stag" in Winnipeg and was loved by the manitoba crowd. Does Canada have any other "singing chiefs"????

[Manybears]

RIP Pasquale!

[tuttebene]

Richard Ouzounian is a theatre "critic".

[Charles Yu]

No wonder//!! That's even worse!!! What is a theatre critic critiquing chefs?! Its like asking Chatto to review movies?!