Chef in Toronto, Ontario

Eric Rogers, Owner- Operator/ Executive Chef/ Personal Chef I have spent over two decades cultivating my passion for cuisine, beginning with such Toronto institutions as Browne’s Bistro, Auberge Gavroche and most significantly, as the right hand man to fresh food innovator, Jamie Kennedy at the acclaimed Palmerston Restaurant. In the late 80’s I moved to the West Coast, a young man full of boundless energy and grand ideas of gastronomic dominance in Vancouver and Calgary. Through sheer determination and a healthy dose of naiveté, I went on to own and operate several influential restaurants in the cookery crazed Vancouver, Calgary and Whistler areas. Returning to Toronto in 1995, I cast my eyes on the catering world. Having experienced what it’s like to try and mix the responsibilities of providing for a young family with the rigours of restaurant life, catering theoretically offered the opportunity for some dinners and weekends at home which was appealing to both me and more importantly, my wife. And so began my catering odyssey, beginning with Eric Rogers Fine Foods and The Berkeley Café. I started with a funky café in Toronto’s east end where I learned how to balance my passion for the restaurant experience with the demands of off site catering. Gone were the days of uninspired vegetable platters, boring canapés and over done chicken! It was time to provide the catering world with the same sort of attention to products and details as the restaurant world had been developing for the last 10 years. Soon came the need to expand and a partnership emerged that created Sumptuous Catering by Eric Rogers. Here, I was able to develop a talented kitchen brigade and train them to accomplish increasingly more complex and exciting cuisine. Sumptuous Catering by Eric Rogers ultimately emerged as one of Toronto’s premiere boutique caterers’, working with some of Toronto’s top venues and developing a long list of prestigious corporate and private clients. Later, I joined forces with Jenna Wilson, who was an integral part of my kitchen team for the better part of the last 7 years. An indomitable force, with boundless energy, dedication and a sense of humour that kept us light on our feet and fresh in our approach, we founded an exciting new venture, “Playing with Fire/ Culinary Evolution”. Utilizing a variety of cooking methods such as smoking, planking, grilling and sautéing, “Playing with Fire” brought a whimsical and exciting approach to all of our catered events. I have also been hired by several start-up catering companies in recent years to help them establish their various systems including menu development, supply chain, marketing strategies, delivery protocols, sales and promotions, etc. More recently I have transitioned to the Healthcare industry acting as Executive Chef for a high end retirement residence for the past 2 years.