A waft of fresh flavours welcomes you into a space where the ovens are always warm and pans forever, sizzling hot. This is where everything from chef Tori Macdonald’s famed classic Polish pierogi to the “crazy” bacon whisky chocolate tart comes from. Cooking up a storm in the kitchens at the heart of Indiranagar’s The Humming Tree, this Canadian celebrity chef is all set to tantalise Bengaluru’s taste buds.
“I find that people take food too seriously and for me, it’s something that you should have fun with,” says the culinary doyenne, flipping pans and plating dishes with great fervour.
Having worked with the likes of Canadian celebrity chefs Lynn Crawford and Laura Gallivan, “I was always encouraged to play with flavours and have fun with it. And working with seasonal and fresh ingredients is an added bonus – they make for fantastic foods!” says Tori who often takes a walk at the Johnson Market to get her creative juices flowing. Unlike most confused teens, Tori knew that she wanted to be a chef when she was all of 13. “I had always found myself most comfortable and happy in the kitchen, as my mom and grandma always welcomed my help even when I was as young as four,” says the cuisinier who graduated from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology’s world renowned culinary arts program, further devouring Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential.
Following her heart and stomach, Tori has even had the distinction of being a chef for artistes like Ben Harper, Bob Dylan’s son Jacob Dylan, Country superstar Bonnie Raitt, Soul Queen Mavis Staples, Michael Franti and Emmylou Harris. She says that these stars were always down-to-earth and at the end of the day, appreciated food sprinkled with love. “Otherwise I’d have probably been a teacher,” she shrugs.
Now in India, Tori cannot stop gorging on the ever-flavourful rasam, dal makhni and her boyfriend’s grandmother’s to-die-for Goan sorpotel. But the Canadian in her always stocks up on her favourites from the farmer’s market back home – everything from a rich maple syrup and Tim Horton’s coffee to some Saskatoon berry and raspberry jam. From music to the weather – Tori is inspired by a whirlwind of things, “On a hot day, I’m more likely to whip up a watermelon and feta salad with balsamic and chili, whereas on a colder day, I’m more likely to put together some of the comfort food that my mom made growing up while giving it my own little twist.” And these twists could be anything from spicing up a dish with zesty chili fried onions to play more to the Indian palate, or mixing salty bacon with chocolate! “Some people think that I’m crazy for mixing chocolate and bacon but to me, it made perfect sense,” she says, packing the pastry with more crispy cooked bacon instead of caramel and nuts. For Tori, it’s all about going nuts with food!
