Quickfire with Chef Daniel A. Calabrese
Get to know Chef Daniel as he shares with us what it’s like to be a member of Culinary Team Canada and his ambitions to learn and grow at his craft.
1. Congratulations on being a part of Culinary Team Canada! How did that opportunity come about?
It all started during the COVID-19 pandemic when I went to work for a former culinary team Canada member at Amica Senior Lifestyles. At that time, I had secured a spot on the national junior team. After competing at the Culinary World Cup in Luxemburg with the Junior Culinary Team Canada in 2022, I aged out of the junior team.
A couple months later, I found myself trying out for the senior national team, as a spot had opened on the starting lineup. After my first tryout and a few meetings with the management team, I successfully joined Culinary Team Canada in April of 2023.
2. What was your first job in the culinary industry?
My very first job in the culinary industry, was a dishwasher at Aria Bistro & Lounge in Brampton, Ontario. Within four years of starting as a dishwasher, I quickly grew into the sous chef role at Aria.
3. What is your flavour philosophy?
My philosophy on flavour comes from my coaches from my time on the junior team, where I learned to appreciate the natural flavours ingredients have. Also by using other ingredients and seasonings to elevate and enhance those natural flavours in my cooking. Chef Bruno Marti, was a huge influence on this philosophy, especially when creating and finishing sauces.
4. One ingredient you can’t live without?
An ingredient I can’t live without in the kitchen is unsalted butter. I learned how to cook in a French inspired kitchen, so cooking with butter was mandatory. To this day, I use an unbelievable amount of butter in almost every dish I make.
5. A cooking utensil that’s always in your kitchen?
A cooking utensil I use daily, and I can’t live without now in a professional kitchen or at home, is a Thermomix. After learning how to properly utilize the full capabilities of this machine in the kitchen, it has become my go to cooking utensil for day-to-day work and during competitions.
6. What’s your signature dish and why?
This is honestly one of the hardest questions to answer solely because I thoroughly enjoy everything I cook, but I consistently keep falling back on two dishes when this question is asked. The first dish is seared Chilian sea bass, herb roasted fingerling potatoes with sautéed seasonal vegetables finished with a citrus salsa in a beurre blanc sauce. The second dish is a classic coq au vin because I enjoy the simplicity and old school cooking techniques in this dish.
7. Go-to cooking technique and why?
My go-to cooking techniques come from old school classic French cooking. In today’s world of trying to be as modern as possible and staying on top of the ever-changing trends, I always find myself still falling back on classic French techniques when creating dishes and cooking for people. These techniques are timeless and will always have a place in the modern kitchen as we keep evolving as cooks and chefs.
8. Best memory as a chef thus far?
My best memory as a chef to this point in my career would have to be competing in Luxemburg at the Culinary World Cup. Having the opportunity to represent Canada on the Culinary World Stage was a true honour. Winning a gold medal in a team Canada chef jacket made all the hard work, long hours, blood, sweat and tears worth it.
9. Worst memory as a chef thus far?
I don’t have a memory that stands out as being my worst memory as a chef because I am always looking to grow and evolve. Every time I have a bad day in the kitchen, I use it as a tool to grow and learn. Rather than dwelling on a bad day and letting it ruin my week I take the night to sit down and reflect on what went wrong and how I can ensure it never happens again. This often leads to never making the same mistakes twice which to me is growth. Its ok to make mistakes and have a bad day, but you must learn and grow from them and avoid making the same mistakes more than once.
10. Go-to place for sourcing ingredients?
My go-to and favourite place to source ingredients is the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto. I’ve always been a very visual person, so having the ability to be able to see the products and talk to the purveyors makes sourcing ingredients a better experience. The St. Lawrence Market also has some of the most unique ingredients you can’t find anywhere else in the city. Plus, they have some amazing snacks and who doesn’t love snacks.
11. The IKA Culinary Olympics are coming up in February, what are you most looking forward to in the competition?
I am most excited to show the world what our Canadian team has been working on for the past two years. As this is my first time at IKA, I am also excited to experience the competition and represent Canada. It is always an honor to be able to travel the world doing what I love to do, so I’m also looking forward to experiencing the country and culture of Germany.
12. Do you get more excited or nervous feelings when being a part of such a big competition?
I tend to feel such a rush of emotions being a part of any size of competition. I often feel very nervous, excited, anxious, and sometimes very scared of failure. I think it’s completely natural to feel all these emotions when performing at such a high level of competition. I use all these emotions to fuel my drive to perform at my best and to really focus my mind on success. These emotions don’t seem to go away or get easier the more you compete, but I find them to be one of my best tools that drive me to perform consistently in competition.
13. Where do you go to eat on your day off?
On my days off, I try to push myself to try new restaurants outside of my comfort zone. Lately I’ve been eating at Asian and Mexican restaurants. I’ve been fixated on developing my palette for the past few years. So, I find these types of cuisines have helped me develop new ideas when creating new dishes. Being able to see and experience cultures and cuisines outside of what I grew up eating and cooking have been very beneficial to my growth as a cook throughout my career. I look at eating at these types of restaurants as a chance to continue to learn.
14. You have been able to be so successful in your career so young, what are you most proud of to have accomplished so far?
I am most proud of the success with Junior Culinary Team Canada at the Culinary World Cup in Luxemburg in 2022 and winning young chef of the year in 2023 with the culinary federation of Canada. Competing in Luxemburg was the most challenging thing I have done in my life so far. I am most proud of the journey of training and development for that competition.
15. Your chef hero?
My chef hero is Chef Bruno Marti. He was one of my coaches on Junior Culinary Team Canada. Chef Bruno has been very influential to me, and I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to be coached by him. For two and a half years, he pushed me to be better every single day at practice and in my career.
16. What’s next for you as a chef?
What’s next for me as a chef is to consistently keep growing and evolving my cooking and skills as a chef. I have goals for my career that I plan to achieve and goals for competitions I will compete in with the plan of winning. Mainly, I focus on day-to-day growth and how I can evolve in my workplace. Some of my long-term goals include the Bocuse D’or competition, achieving a Michelin Star and running a successful business. I am always working toward being a successful leader inside the kitchen and an influential chef for young cooks to learn from.
Head to Daniel’s Instagram to keep up with his achievements in his culinary career!