The James Beard Experience – the people

Because I didn’t start cooking until the 80s, I didn’t grow up making James Beard recipes.

Thankfully, my Mom did.

She had a small worn James Beard pocketbook that she culled recipes from. To this day, her meatloaf, or should I say how she made James Beard’s meatloaf, is one of my all-time favourite dishes.

It’s through recent years that I’m come to know the iconic Beard. Mostly through reading others impressions of him – Judith Jones in her book The Tenth Muse that I chose for the food book club that I run, Julia Child talked of his a lot.  I have yet to read his biography, but I think one of his books has the best title ever – Beard on Bread.

I know that he was a big deal and that any award or dinner with his name attached is epic. It means you have arrived. It means the culinary equivalent of the Pulitzer.

So when I graciously invited to this event, I was thrilled. What an occasion.

Only problem was, who was this kid, Chris Mills?

The JOEY Restaurant chain is new to Toronto. It is a West Coast phenomenon: British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Washington. There is one location in T.O., opened September 19, 2009, at the newish Shops at Don Mills, and another is to come this spring to the Eaton Centre.

The hard part for us Torontonians is that we tend to be a little snooty about chains. That’s where people in the suburbs go. They’re made for the mainstream, we sniff.

So when I heard JOEY had opened, I avoided it. Like a woman in a fur coat and runners.

I don’t do big box places, I told friends.

Well, after Chef Chris Mills and team performance last night, I have to admit that I didn’t know what it was. I didn’t understand.

But you can see why, can’t you?

And so, let me introduce you to wunderkind Chef Chris Mills, via his bio on the JOEY website:

“Chris has been involved in the restaurant industry since the age of 14, holding various front-of-the-house positions before moving to the kitchen at 20, where he has translated a passion for food into a dynamic career.