Baby’s travelled across Asia and Europe, exploring the diverse cuisines the world has to offer. Now she runs the kitchen at Hart House’s Gallery Grill and has an important message for student foodies.
I like to integrate a bunch of different cultural influences into the menu. It really is about making people happy.
The Gallery Grill doesn’t look like any other restaurant at U of T. Tucked away on the second floor of Hart House, with a vaulted ceiling and hand-painted stained glass windows, its ambiance is as unique as its ever-changing menu.
“It’s not just about food. It’s about sharing with people and creating an atmosphere you can’t get anywhere else,” says Suzanne Baby, Chef at Hart House’s Gallery Grill.
A three-course meal at the Gallery Grill could start out with Jaffna-spiced sweet potato soup and charred octopus, and end with maple syrup crème brûlée. If you’re out for Sunday brunch, you might sample some salt & pepper French toast along with avocado salad, spicy ketchup and coriander-mint chutney.
Her dishes feature an eclectic mix of styles and flavours. “I never wanted to get stuck in a label and I don’t think our guests are looking for that either,” says Chef Baby referring to the variety of food choices on the Gallery Grill’s menu.
“I like to integrate a bunch of different cultural influences into the menu. It really is about making people happy.”
Chef Baby’s passion for food was ignited by her food-savvy French-Canadian upbringing. It evolved during her travels throughout Europe and Asia, where she explored different cuisines. In Sweden, for example, Baby worked the back of house in a famous bakery on an island off the coast of Stockholm. And in France, she worked on a farm, helping the farm owner’s great grandmother tend to farm animals and prepare food.
Her time on a French farm rubbed off on the Gallery Grill’s menu, which relies on food from local suppliers.
“We’ve always done the local thing, and we’ve always used what’s around us, so a lot of the menu is determined by what kind of food is available at the time,” says Baby.
Along with her support of locally-sourced foods, Baby’s played a large role in women’s charities, poverty-reduction advocacy, and sustainability initiatives in Toronto.
For several years, Baby’s participated in the Kitchen Sisters Women’s Day Benefit, which is held annually on March 8th, International Women’s Day. The event features Toronto’s top female chefs joining forces to create a delectable feast and fundraise for Sistering, a women’s agency that serves homeless, marginalized and low-income women in Toronto.
“I really appreciate what they’re doing there,” says Baby about Sistering. “They’re really trying to get some background support for women who are marginalized.”
Baby, alongside many other Gallery Grill staff, has been an active force in events like Toronto Taste and Eat to the Beat, which raise funds for Toronto-based charities Second Harvest and Willow Breast & Hereditary Cancer Support.
The Gallery Grill is working diligently to become a more accessible, inviting place to the student body.
With possible projects in mind like a grab’n go section and a student discount day, the Gallery Grill will be making an effort to attract more students.
“I’m more than happy to hear feedback from students,” says Baby. “If there’s something that they’d like to see on the menu here, I would love to consider that. I love hearing ideas from different people.”
The Gallery Grill is open for business from 11:30am to 1:30pm on weekdays. Or if you prefer to dine out for brunch, the Gallery Grill boasts an enticing Sunday brunch menu starting at 11:00am.
Hart House also hosts other food-based activities and initiatives, such as the Hart House Community Kitchen, which holds monthly events that offer a hands-on cooking experience, a unique meal, and a guest lecture on a pertinent social justice issue.
Or if you’d rather grab a cheap three-course meal while discussing current affairs, check out what Hart House has on offer for their 5-Buck Lunch.
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