CHEF’S CORNER DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH Chef Greg Laird’s culinary talent is as layered as his croissants BY NICK LAWS “ Rough, stupid and funny,” are three words chef Greg Laird uses to describe his 19-year-old self. From a kid who started at McDonald’s, to becoming the owner and head chef of a popular Toronto pâtisserie, Laird has a come a long way. His culinary journey started after high school, when he left McDonald’s with no plan for the future. “I was a bit of a delinquent. I finished high school and didn’t have much direction in my life,” says the 29-year-old chef. Ultimately, he decided to go back to what he knew — cooking. As a line cook at a Tilted Kilt location in Toronto, he learned to make “real food, in a real kitchen, working with a real chef,” and the experience triggered something in Laird. “When I started at the gastro pub, I stepped back and thought maybe I could become a chef,” says the Scarborough, Ont. native, who quickly climbed the restaurant ladder, eventually ending up at The Tempered Room with then owner, Bertrand Alépée. The pâtisserie had been looking for a chef de cuisine and, while Laird had been offered a job as head chef at BITS & BITES WHAT WOULD YOUR LAST MEAL BE? “My mother-in-law’s dum kebab. It’s the most delicious thing I’ve ever had.” FAVOURITE COUNTRY TO EAT IN Japan: Tokyo or Osaka. “I love Japanese food and culture; the respect they put into every dish is amazing.” FAVOURITE INGREDIENT “I love using liqueurs in my pastries; they add a depth to your food that many ingredients can’t bring.” FAVOURITE DISH “Any sort of braise — beef cheek, short ribs, pork belly.” another Toronto restaurant, he wanted to broaden his horizons and learn the pastry side of the kitchen. The Tempered Room had gained notoriety for its light, flaky and perfectly layered croissants — which are the result of a long and arduous process. “The croissants are our figurative and literal bread and butter,” says Laird. “Bert started me on the croissants and, to be honest, I [was nervous] in the beginning.” The croissant became the crux of Laird’s learning and he wanted to master it. Alépée also taught him various French techniques on the savoury side “and I learned through osmosis.” Under the tutelage of Alépée, Laird began to grow as a chef. “Bert’s been a true mentor, he took me under his wing from the time I got here,” he says. “He’s one of the most impressive chefs I’ve ever worked with.” Laird’s approach to cooking is clinical and methodical. “There are two aspects to cooking — the art and the science. The art is apparent in the final product and it’s what attracts customers. The presentation is how it looks on the menu, how it’s plated, but before you can get to that step, you need to understand the science,” he explains. “Everything from emulsifying an aioli, to the ratio of the butter to the acid to the eggs. It may look great on the plate, but when you start to eat it, if the science wasn’t there, the taste won’t be either.” Today, his culinary philosophy is a delicate balance between the art, science and love of food. “I want to create something approachable, yet elevated. It comes down to caring — you want to put that attention to detail in everything you do,” says Laird. “I feel like a lot of the time people want to be mad scientists and they lose that homey, lovely feeling of just sitting down to a meal and enjoying it.” So how does Laird describe himself now? “Rough, a little less stupid and caring.” FH THE TEMPERED ROOM 48 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY MARCH 2020 FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
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