Culinary pop culture gives new meaning to short ordercooking. A truly exclusive, limited-window dining experience is in the works.
CHARCUT Roast House co-chefs and co-owners Connie DeSousa and John Jackson collaborate with accomplished baker Aviv Fried from Sidewalk Citizen Bakery and charcuterie sensation Grant van Gameren formally of Toronto’s award winning Black Hoof. Together, they are creating an up-one-minute, gone-the-next restaurant, called CHARPOP.
“The plugged in, privvy and fast-off-the-mark foodies get the benefit of A-game collaborative cooking by top talent in their respective areas,” says Jackson. “The location and menu are under wraps while word of a fantastic meal is out and spreading fast. We encourage the curious to hurry and be in touch for tickets via charpop.com.”
A three-day dining experience is set to pop as follows:
Date January 15, 16 and 17
Time 7pm
Location TBD
Tickets charpop.com
BIOS
Aviv Fried
Aviv holds a Physics Honours degree and Masters in Bio-medical Engineering from the University of Calgary. He turned down a finance job in Toronto to pursue his passion to become an artisan baker. Self-taught at start, he later trained in Vermont at King Arthurs Flour with Jeffery Hamelman and in Paris with the famed sourdough bakery, Jeanâ€Luc Poujauran. In March 2010, Aviv went on a learning expedition during which he baked sourdough bread in a small bakery run by Tengboche Monastery, the highest Tibetan Monastery in Nepal and in the Everest Base Camp. Aviv started one of the most intriguing business models in Calgary where he delivers handmade sourdough on his bicycle for zero carbon imprint and donated part of the proceeds to charity. He also has the only bike-store in city. His bread has become synonymous with quality and has been gathering a loyal and growing base of customers. In November 2011, Aviv was chosen for the Avenue Magazine class of 2011 “Calgary’s Top 40 under 40”, as one of the people who excels in his careers and raising the profile of the city.
Grant Van Gameren
Barely 30, Grant Van Gameren is one of Canada’s skyrocketing chefs. Afteryears working in Toronto’s top restaurants — Canoe, Lucien, and AmuseBouche — this self-taught talent opened The Black Hoof in 2008 tointernational acclaim. The venture vaulted him into the public eye and changed Toronto’s food scene. With a concentration on charcuterie andoffal, Van Gameren’s unflagging intention to perfect draws fans by the legion. In 2011, Van Gameren was appointed Executive Chef of Toronto’sEnoteca Sociale, a wine bar inspired by the Roman way of life. His future includes plans for more restaurants, in Toronto and New York.
Connie DeSousa
Connie began her culinary journey obtaining her Le Cordon Bleu Paris Certificate. Soon after, she graduated on the Dean’s List with honours from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology Culinary program. In 2004, Connie joined the Alberta Culinary Team to compete at the World Culinary Olympics in Erfurt Germany, after which she was offered a position working in Koln, Germany at Taku Restaurant under Chef Sven Feldman. In 2005, Connie opened the Mobil 5-Star St. Regis Hotel, San Francisco. While in San Francisco, Connie was awarded many distinctions including the nomination for Rising Star “Chef” San Francisco. Working in the United States, Connie was also given the opportunity to train and stage at many award-winning restaurants, including Chef Jean Georges Vongerichten’s Michelin 3-Star restaurant, Jean Georges, in New York City, and Chef Michael Tusk’s Quince Restaurant in San Francisco. Most recently, Connie has been working at Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse. This experience has had a tremendous influence on Connie’s style of cuisine. A Top Chef Canada finalist, Connie is CHARCUT Roast House co-owner and co-executive chef.
John Jackson
John began his career at Calgary’s award-winning Owl’s Nest Dining Room. After five years and much acclaim for the restaurant, he accepted a position as chef de cuisine in Manhattan. Working in New York City over the next several years, John had the opportunity to train with a number of notable chefs, developing his technique and taking advantage of New York’s world class cuisine. During this time John also consulted on many other restaurant projects, including the opening of Jean Georges Vongerichten’s Restaurant Lagoon in Bora Bora. In 2005, John ventured to San Francisco as Executive Chef of the St. Regis Hotel. Opening this prestigious hotel and obtaining the Mobil 5-Star Award each year since its opening were monumental occasions in John’s career. While in San Francisco, John was also given the honour of hosting the James Beard Foundation’s 20th Anniversary celebration. Throughout 2008 and 2009, John took advantage of his travels in Europe to stage and train at some of the world’s top rated restaurants including, London’s River Café, Le Jardin des Cygnesin in Paris, and at a small local butcher shop in Italy’s Marche region, perfecting his techniques by learning from the masters of the craft. John is co-owner and co-executive hef of CHARCUT.
About CHARCUT
CHARCUT works with honest, seasonal ingredients from small, local artisan farms and ranches to create flavourful, unpretentious dishes from scratch. CHARCUT Roast House is located at 899 Centre Street SW in downtown Calgary, Alberta and is open daily including late-nights to 1 a.m. Wednesday to Saturday with a full menu available. Call 403.984.2180 or visit www.charcut.com or www.opentable.com for information or reservations. Follow on Twitter @charcut or on Facebook. CHARCUT’s Alley Burger food truck is a Calgary’s sensation serving at daily at various locations throughout the city. See www.alleyburger.com or follow on Twitter @alleyburger or on Facebook. CHARPOP is the company’s latest venture — Calgary’s first temporary restaurant — and details can be found online at www.charpop.com.
