Featured in · Toronto Life
"FOMO is real": Why one-night-only restaurant collaborations are taking over Toronto
Five chefs and restaurateurs on the trend that's sweeping the city — and what actually makes a one-night dinner stick.
Toronto Life convened five chefs and restaurateurs to talk about the one-night-only collaboration trend taking over the city. Yannick’s section walks through Lucie’s collaboration history — Anna Olson, Victor Barry (Piano, Piano), Rafa Covarrubias (20 Victoria), Steven Molnar (Quetzal), John Horne (Auberge du Pommier), Afrim Pristine (Cheese Boutique), Jason Bangerter (Langdon Hall), Michael Hunter (Antler).
The thread that runs through it: a collaboration that lasts more than one night in memory starts with a real human connection between operators, not a marketing calendar.
Collaborations usually happen organically. A meeting while travelling, a visit to another restaurant or simple admiration for another chef's work can spark the idea. The starting point is always a human connection and mutual respect.
— Yannick Bigourdan, in Toronto Life
When two chefs come together, they each bring their own sensibility, techniques and ingredients, and that contrast can create something really exciting for diners. It's incredible to see the teams in the kitchen building something fun together.
— Yannick Bigourdan, in Toronto Life
As the city's culinary scene matures, chefs are increasingly open to sharing ideas and cooking together — and diners are responding enthusiastically to that spirit of collaboration.
— Yannick Bigourdan, in Toronto Life