Tom’s ‘call of the wild’ began when he was a boy, constantly surrounded by food. The arts of gathering, preparing and adventuring became second nature to him through the time he spent at his family cottage retreat near Muskoka.
Away from the hustle and bustle of Toronto, he came alive in the forests, and gardens, watching the golden hues of the sun setting in the west. The family always had something on the go there, from jam making as a way of preserving the wild blueberries to picking and drying an assortment of fungi. Back in Toronto, his parents, immigrants from the Czech Republic, worked hard to establish their delicatessen, The Prague. Living there above the restaurant, home, food and business co-mingled, creating an environment for life that still motivates Tom.
Tom’s cooking is influenced by his childhood, his apprenticeships with amazing chefs Henry Marcan, Susur Lee and John Higgins, and also profoundly by a visit to the Czech Republic. The combination of rustic countryside and cultural richness that Tom found there has influenced him to this day. He ran the family deli for years in Toronto before striking out west.
Tom looks forward to serving you a cuisine inspired by the nature of the BC and Alaska coast. Interesting facts about Tom: he can start a fire without modern-day materials, he owns a teepee and he likes to cook with hot rocks. Also, he is apparently a medicine man. Hopefully, we won’t have to test this theory!
Education & Certifications
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Seal Chef – apprentice with John Higgins at the King Edward Hotel
