Jon Svazas - Chef

I've always told new cooks to get the flavor bible because it's sort of an eye-opener on what actually goes with what and why. This Bar Laurel is Spanish tapas, wine bar, lots of cocktails. ⁓ But Fauna is very Canadian, very locally sourced. He used take me out and pick mushrooms so we would make mushroom perogies with wild mushrooms. Because you have great, great wine growing region. You have the best farming in my opinion. You'll probably say the Okanagan, but they're both very good. I mean, they're the only two places where you can grow apricots and quince and, you know, really cool product that... that's the only two spots in Canada you can do it. But I find the food culture is not anywhere near what they do in terms of agriculture. Duck dishes with local berries, that kind of thing is a very Ottawa dish. A lot of game dishes here too. I mean, of course it's not wild because we're not allowed. Well, fauna is definitely quite strictly local. Sometimes painfully so in the middle of winter. And you don't want to look at another root vegetable ever again.   Well I think farming is crazy. ⁓ It is maybe the only job that is harder and makes you less money than cooking. There's people growing it and taking care of it and watering it and picking it and cleaning it. A whole bunch of stuff happens before you get to pick up your nice little neat baskets in the grocery store. Defined nutritious food. ⁓ mean, no additives. As few preservatives as possible. ⁓ Mostly fresh. A lot of raw or very lightly cooked vegetables. ⁓ I like, I love meat. I could never be a vegetarian. ⁓ But I do like the recent sort of growth of the vegetable forward.