Craig Wong, one of Toronto’s most celebrated chefs, discussed in a new short documentary how the food he cooks at his restaurant has shaped his identity as a cook and as a person.
Wong, the chef and owner of Patois, opened up about the innovative Asian-Caribbean cuisine he serves up at the popular Dundas West restaurant. Chef Wong has rich roots in both Asian and Caribbean cultures; his family of Chinese descent lived in Jamaica for more than three generations. In a recent short documentary, made by Toronto filmmaker Andrew Tso, the chef described his experience growing up with a unique cultural identity, specifically with food.
“My school lunches were like, atrocious, man,” Wong said in the documentary. “You know when you’re like, scared to pull it out of your bag? Because everyone else has like mortadella sandwiches… everyone has these clean lunches that don’t stink up the entire lunch room.”
WATCH: Home Cooked: Craig Wong (Patois Toronto) by Andrew Tso
Wong had spent years cooking professionally in Michelin-starred, fine-dining restaurants before he opened Patois in 2014 and its sister restaurant Bar Mignonette in 2020.
According to him, Patois was a full representation of him as a cook and as a person––by serving the foods he grew up eating while using techniques he learned in fine-dining kitchens, Patois became an avenue of self expression.
“I started to get really comfortable with myself when I started to cook the food we cook at Patois,” said Wong.
For many folks from different cultural backgrounds, it wasn’t uncommon to get a negative reaction from classmates for their lunch. Wong says it’s in part due to the unusual and foreign ingredients that some kids, especially when he was a kid, are not familiar with.
“Here I am pulling out last night’s dinner, you know, strong [smells] and fish sauce––things that I love right now, but as a kid, that’s the things that get you made fun of,” said Wong.
With Toronto being one of the most diverse cities in the world, people of all different backgrounds have become more open to the types of food they eat. For many, these foods can be a gateway into discovering more about a certain culture and the people behind it.
“It’s very common to not understand somebody else’s culture or to have questions about why they’re doing what they’re doing––why they’re eating what they’re eating,” said Wong.
According to the chef, being open-minded about what we eat and acknowledging the importance of sharing a meal or a cuisine with someone can help us understand each other on a deeper level.
Patois is one of Toronto’s most iconic restaurants in recent years, and for good reason. While it may just seem like your typical fusion restaurant, Wong believes otherwise. It is a culmination of his life and career, sewn together by his heritage and culinary upbringing.
“I think there’s no way that somebody can eat that food and not understand a little bit more about me."
