Interview with CHEF NICK LIU from DAILO TORONTO
- Sadie Cheng
- Feb 1, 2019
- 3 min read
Chef Nick Liu of Dailo Restaurant in Toronto is constantly being mentioned, but finally meeting him in person proved he really is as great as they say he is...
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting Chef Nick Liu and Chef Antonio Park. I got the lucky opportunity to squish in a quick interview with Chef Nick before helping them set up and plate dishes for an event!
Let's jump straight into it..
My first thought, being a student that lives up in Markham was to ask him if he has ever considered opening up a restaurant Uptown. There are tons of new generation foodies constantly looking for new spots to hit up around the area, including me!
Chef Nick replies that it’s a whole different kind of competition.. different clientele. He explains that Uptowners usually enjoy the event of spending a night downtown once in a while, to eat at nice restaurants. The vibe is different here in Toronto, he says. He prefers downtown.
..So Chef, how did you get started in the kitchen?
“I guess it was somewhat of a fluke..”
He didn’t know what he wanted to do when he was younger, being a Chef was far out of his mind. He originally wanted to become a visual artist, however, that didn’t really work out. What later sparked his interest in culinary was a cooking demo on TV starring former CN Tower 360 Chef Brad Long. He explained his interest to a high school teacher at the time, and she set up a job shadow for him. That, eventually turned into his first kitchen job.
Cooking was enough to give Chef the creative freedom and outlet he craves as an artist. Food has become one of his favourite forms of visual arts and he has never lost touch with his talent.
What do you love about cooking?
Chef Nick says that once you invest your time into understanding the details of your ingredients and your products, they become your oil paints, your clay, your different mediums as an artist. He says food is a lot like a collage, you mix and match with the different flavours and textures, and adjust the positions to create something new. He loves to create.
“For me, being an artist was about absorbing something new and how it makes you feel.”
And, what are your challenges in the industry?
“The transient nature of the new chefs really makes it hard to shape and form your kitchen and build a culture.”
“Finding staff that really care. The restaurant industry changes quite a bit, the newer chefs are in a big hurry to get there, nobody wants to put in their time. They work at a few great restaurants, but they jump around a lot. They think working at a restaurant for 6 months is a long time.” Chef Nick encourages working at a restaurant for a long time (to him, a long time means 4-9 years) to learn absolutely everything you can about that restaurant before it's time to move on. The fact that new chefs don’t like to stay as long becomes a stress. Once you build a family in the kitchen, if one person goes, so will the rest.
How do you think George Brown College gives students a head start?
“The thing I find the best about George Brown is the externship program. It gets you the foot in the door. It can give you an IN at one of the best restaurants in Toronto. Once you have that on your resume, it opens up a whole new world of all these other restaurants at the top."
When you were my age, what was your definition of success?
“All these top chefs that I would read about and constantly dream about going to their restaurants- my idea of success was to be one of those chefs.”
And lastly, what is your favourite dish and is it still on the menu now?
“It's one of my favourite dishes as a kid, yes it's still on the menu now. Its something really nostalgic for me.”
Chef Nick’s favourite dish would be his grandmother’s recipe of Hakka Style Dried Pork & Shrimp Wontons tossed in a special sauce. He put it on his menu solely to commemorate his grandparents. He put it in his menu because he loved it, but not because he expected everyone else to love it.
However, it has been on the menu ever since day one and now remains one of his best sellers to this day.
It was awesome to be able to have a humble conversation and to learn with Chef Nick yesterday. And just from that short interview, he has inspired to do more. To work hard for my dreams and to do it with passion.
"Go big or go home!"
Sadie Cheng
January 31. 2019
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References:
http://dailoto.com (Dailo logo)
https://canadas100best.com/no-15-dailo/ (portrait)
https://www.blogto.com/restaurants/dailo-toronto/ (restaurant + food)
https://torontolife.com/food/restaurants/best-new-restaurants-2015-dailo/ (food)
http://embed.scribblelive.com/Embed/v7.aspx?Id=1176638&Page=2&overlay=false (food)
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