Interview with Masterchef Canada Season 3 Winner Mary Berg On The Set Of Her New Cooking Show "Mary's Big Kitchen Party"

When I was asked to go visit a TV set of a cooking show my natural reaction was an immediate YES. Just tell me when, where, what time and I'll be there! I'm one of those people who is completely fascinated with all the behind the scenes work that make TV and movie magic happen. I often times buy TV box sets or blu-ray movies just to watch the behind the scenes footage, so when an opportunity to see this first hand came up I was more than excited. The cherry on top to all of this was learning that this cooking show was revolving around Masterchef Canada Season 3 winner Mary Berg!

I'm a huge Masterchef Canada fan and I've seen all the episodes. I remember vividly watching Mary Berg's season and distinctly picking her as my favourite from the get-go to win her season (and I'm not saying that just because I met her... honest!) Her warm and positive energy on the show was infectious that made people like me want to root for her. It was matched by her unparalleled talent in the kitchen crushing out amazing dishes week after week on the show, which ultimately led her to win the title becoming Canada's first female and vegetarian winner (although to be technical she is a "lacto-ovo pescatarian which means she eats dairy, eggs, and fish). Now she's shed her past life as an Insurance Broker and followed her dreams to what now has led her to star in her very own cooking series with BELL FIBE  and GUSTO TV.

This is where I first meet Taylor Swift (whoops no I mean Mary Berg... but you have to admit the resemblance is uncanny!!) on set of her new cooking show "Mary's Big Kitchen Party." The TV set was actually at someone's home who was gracious enough to lend their kitchen for the purpose of this episode they were filming which was centered around the theme seafood! I stepped on set roughly around 20 minutes before they wrapped and it was such a treat to see all the different elements that are involved in making a TV show come to life. My biggest surprise was how fluid the whole filming process was. Mary and the director could speak and interact throughout the entire process without someone yelling "CUT!" The cameras keep rolling when re-takes are needed, so all of that to say is I realized just how important the editing process is. The cutting room floor is no joke,  and Mary also made it look super easy on camera. She is a complete natural!

After the filming of the episode ended I had the pleasure of sitting down and doing an one-on-one interview with Mary to discuss her journey after winning Masterchef, her new cooking show, and her Masterchef Canada friends she now calls family. This is also a great time to do a shameless plug for my very first interview I did with Masterchef Canada Season One winner Eric Chong. If you have not read the full interview I did with him, click this link here!

And now before we get into the nitty gritty of this interview, Mary Berg has a message to all of our readers!

It was only last summer where Canada learned the fate of Mary's newfound career, and it's safe to say a lot has happened ever since winning the title. "So when I first went on this journey they sort of ask you what your food dream is, and to be honest I always wanted to do some sort of catering or I wanted to work behind the scenes like for a magazine developing recipes. I felt like that would be really fun. I love writing so I felt like that would encompass my love for writing and of food," Mary explains. "But since winning Masterchef I did do some catering, but the whole TV world has really taken off. It's been an unexpected whirlwind, but I love every second of it. I do a lot of stuff with Bell Media, with Your Morning, the Marilyn Dennis Show, and The Social."

Not only is Mary in front of the camera a lot nowadays, but I soon find out she's going to become a published author and have her very own cookbooks. She excitedly reveals, "I just got signed on by Random Penguin House for two cookbooks which is a childhood dream come true! I still can't really believe it. Even when I'm slogging away trying to work my butt off to get everything done it's still like a pinch me moment." 

Juggling between writing, developing recipes, talk-show duties, and now her very own TV show cannot be easy, and if you've been watching TV lately you are bound to have seen some of Mary's commercial work she's been doing as well. "Yeah, I've done some of that too. And then this came along, an opportunity with BELL FIBE and Gusto TV. It's been so much fun! Everything happened so quickly, but it's been honestly so wonderful. I work so much harder than I ever did before, but I absolutely love every second of it. I don't have those Sunday nights where you're like... ughhh work tomorrow."

That thought might have come across Mary's mind once too many times at her previous job as an Insurance Broker, but as we find ourselves in this beautiful kitchen we are both reminded how far she's come in following her dream to pursue cooking. Diving in further to Mary's new cooking show, she reveals just exactly what "Mary's Big Kitchen Party" is all about. 

"The show is based around me having kitchen parties which are my absolute favourite thing in the world. In my opinion it's not a real party until everyone ends up in the kitchen at some point. I know for me it's usually trying to dance around my friends standing in the kitchen, trying to prepare some food for them, and that's essentially like the premise of this show," Mary explains. "My friends all coming over to join me, maybe giving me a hand once in a while and enjoying the food and each other's company. Food is great, but so much better when it's enjoyed with people that you love."

When I was on set that day when Mary was shooting, that episode was seafood centric, so week by week there is going to be a new food theme that the episode revolves around. Mary adds that the themes give the show a foundation to work off of each week. "We got Halloween, Southern, today we were working on seafood. It's fun. It's something where you can kind of base your menu around and makes it a little easier to create."

Mary goes on by saying that her new cooking show is not necessarily the traditional cooking show we've all come to know. It's something that has never really been done before. "With Gusto's influence on it they are starting a dinner and a movie type of situation so what will happen is a movie is going to play, and my cooking show will air as interstitials in amongst the movie which is really neat."

With this episode being seafood focused, of course I had to ask her just what her favourite seafood dish to make at home is! Without hesitation Mary quickly states that it's ceviche. "I absolutely love making ceviche. In terms of like ease of input versus spectacular output ceviche is so, so fantastic. Something I didn't make today as it's a little bit heavier,  I do love anything with lobster and tarragon. It's such a beautiful shellfish and with that tarragon it is so so good!" You know Mary ain't lying about her love for lobster because apparently her freezer is filled with it. "I actually just recently discovered in my freezer that I forgot I made some Lobster Ravioli that had a bunch of tarragon in it. Best discovery ever! I made this like about three months ago, totally forgot I had it in there. I was like what do I make for dinner.... perfect," Mary laughs.

As I mentioned earlier, I was so impressed with how natural Mary was in front of the camera. She is already a seasoned professional and has such a great presence on screen. One could only think that the experience of being in front of the cameras on national TV may have helped prepared and guided her through her new journey of becoming this darling TV personality.

Mary agrees. "Yeah, I genuinely think it did. I was so happy with the season that I was on. My other home cooks in my season from Jeremy, Veronica, Dr. Shaun, everybody was so wonderful and I learned so much from them just in terms of the kitchen and of being a weirdo kind of. It was so much fun doing that and just kind of getting to know the side of television where it wasn't particularly competitive which I know sounds funny because it was a competition, but we were all friends. We just wanted everybody to do the best we could, to show Canada what we could do. And I think that really helped me just be comfortable, not worry about competing against my friend. Just be comfortable cooking and doing what I love in front of cameras. You almost forget that they are even there."

As it turns out, Mary still considers many of her cast mates on her season she competed with as family and still keeps in contact with many of them. There's even a little munchkin from the guy who she had to beat in the finale to win the title she just adores. "Jeremy's little daughter is like my favourite baby on the face of this planet! She refers to me as Aunt Mary which I am very excited about. Makes me sound a lot older than I am," Mary giggles. I jokingly put out the idea of Mary becoming her God Mother and she whole-heartily agrees. "Oh gosh that would be fantastic! Yeah Jeremy... give me a call!"

So Jeremy, if you're reading this. The ball is in your court now.

"As for Veronica we still hang out all the time, we actually had Thanksgiving dinner together and it's a really, really close knit family. Again it was so, so wonderful being with those people and not feeling the pressure to kind of duke it out. It was just like lets cook some good food and have a good time. And that helped me here because I got to learn the TV side of things, learning about cameras and angles."

So what's next for Mary Berg besides this new cooking show? She's going to help pass on the torch and help mentor other hopefuls of becoming the next Masterchef Canada by being part of the audition process for the next season set to air soon on CTV.

Mary explains just how much fun she had at the Masterchef Canada auditions, however this time around she's on the other side. "I can't even explain to you the excitement you see in people's faces and the nervousness all at the same time. I experienced that completely. Like it was so funny seeing that from them because I knew exactly what they were feeling at that moment. You just got to drink it all in. It's terrifying. It's a very strange thing to do, to kind of put your life on hold and be like hey, I'm going to see if this is a thing I could actually do. And I'm so proud of everybody who did. I think it's going to be a really good season."

And that's a wrap!!

Make sure you all tune in starting on Friday, October 27th at 9PM Eastern on Gusto TV for a Friday night movie, along with tasty recipes from Mary Berg's new cooking show, "Mary's Big Kitchen Party." Find below the full list of movies and Mary Berg's recipe themes that are set to air. Her show will also be available on demand starting Saturday on BELL FIBE TV1. 

Halloween recipes for Practical Magic (October 27), Italian cuisine for Under the Tuscan Sun (November 3), Southern recipes for Sweet Home Alabama (November 10), famous New York City cuisine for Working Girl (November 17), Hawaiian recipes for 50 First Dates (November 24), seafood recipes for Splash (December 1), holiday desserts for Elf (December 8), and holiday recipes for Deck the Halls (December 15).

Interview with Masterchef Canada's First Winner - Eric Chong

Step out of your comfort zone. Follow your passion. Do what you love.

Easy to say, but difficult to execute. And yet these are the inspirational sayings that Eric Chong, the first winner of Masterchef Canada, has lived by to get him exactly where he is today: being the proud owner of his very own restaurant R&D alongside his business partner, Michelin Star Chef Alvin Leung. These culinary milestones may not have been realized had he not taken a leap of faith and submitted an audition tape to participate in the inaugural season of a cooking competition with no measure of success at the time of its filming. South of the border, Masterchef is one of the biggest cooking shows and competitions, with millions of people tuning in every week. However, the success of American-based reality TV shows does not always translate to success with Canadian viewership (think Bachelor Canada. Yes, there really was a Canadian spin off, and you haven’t heard of it for good reason). It was a shot in the dark for Eric, but as it turned out, it was a risk well worth taking.

Recently, Eric was invited to this year's Redpath Waterfront Festival, which welcomed the Royal Canadian Navy for the first-ever Urban Fresh Navy Cook Off . Top Naval Chefs from coast to coast were selected from their chosen formations to participate in the final stage of the 2-hour competition, which took place in the galleys of the HMCS Goose Bay and HMCS Kingston docked at Harbour Square Park. This exciting Navy Cook Off was then live-streamed on a large screen in the park where four judges, including Eric Chong, chose the winning team. Similar to the Mystery Box Challenge from Masterchef, the two Naval teams were required to create an entrée and dessert incorporating ingredients from a standard pantry along with ingredients from a mystery box, the contents of which were kept secret until moments before the challenge began.

While the Navy Cooks toiled away in the kitchen, I had the chance to sit down with Eric one-on-one at the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel to talk about his journey from aspiring chef to successful restaurateur. We started our interview with where it all began for Eric—season 1 of Masterchef Canada—and his belief that he could win it all after he took that initial step of submitting his audition tape that would forever change his life.

"I strongly believed that when I filmed it—the audition tape—that I could win it all. Probably as the competition started, my confidence slowly dipped off because it was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be and a lot more stressful," Eric recalled. "With all the behind the scenes stuff, it was quite difficult. It was still a good experience, and I would do it again."

It wasn't all peaches and cream being part of a cooking competition that was televised to millions of Canadians every week. Not only did Eric have to cook his heart out each week or be in fear of being eliminated, but the logistics of filming was something he did not expect to be so challenging.

"I’d say just the hours and the time it took to put the show together," he said when asked about his most stressful times. "You are locked in a hotel, no phone, no Internet for about six weeks, and then you have to wake up early, drive, commute to the studio, do all the make up, and film for about 12 hours for only half an episode." Eric also shared how he wished he could eat more during the filming of the season, or at the very least, sample the food the other contestants would cook up. "I’m not going to say they didn’t feed us. It’s just you really don’t get to eat that much. I know it’s funny because it’s a cooking show, but you never get to eat much of your own food let alone anyone else's. You cook it, then you just leave, walk off, and then break."

This has always been one of the most intriguing parts for me when watching a reality TV show: the action behind the scenes. What actually happens when the cameras go off?

"Cameras off, you are actually sleeping or reading cookbooks, or practicing cooking in your own kitchen," Eric revealed. "Fortunately enough, the hotel that they put us in had a kitchen, and it was like a suite. It was good to practice. I think everyone was just way too nervous to just relax, so it would either be just reading up on cookbooks, practicing recipes, or just catching up on sleep." One thing that Eric confirmed is that the contestants really have no idea of what the challenges would entail ahead of time, and that, when they were only allowed an hour to cook a dish, they did not get a second more. "A lot of people don't believe that when they say 60 minutes, you only get 60 minutes. And when they reveal what we're about to cook in that week's episode, that's the first time we've ever seen it."

If you have seen Eric's season of Masterchef Canada, you would remember that he was very upfront about his parents not entirely supportive of his pursuit of becoming a chef. Prior to the show, Eric studied Chemical Engineering at McMaster University (my alma mater!), and his parents hoped he would eventually find himself a stable, well-paying job in this area. As they saw it, being a chef was not as glamorous as being a lawyer, doctor, or an engineer in his case. However, the tides turned after Eric won the title of Masterchef Canada and the accompanying $100,000 grand prize. So what exactly do his parents think of him now as a full-time chef?

"They are 100% supportive now. I definitely wouldn’t have gotten this far without having won Masterchef Canada. I think had I not won, for sure I probably would still be an engineer. If I didn’t win, then of course Alvin wouldn’t have partnered up with me, and that was a big swinging point for my parents’ support."

After the show’s conclusion, Eric partnered with Masterchef judge and 3 Michelin Star Chef,  Alvin Leung (a.k.a. the Demon Chef), to open R&D (short for Rebel & Demon), a modern Asian restaurant in downtown Toronto. With a nickname like the Demon Chef, one has to ask just how intimidating Alvin really is.

"He’s probably the most eccentric guy you will ever meet. He takes his work extremely seriously. You can’t get 3 Michelin stars without being a perfectionist," Eric stated. "He runs his business like a dictator, he demands what he wants, he gets what he wants, and anything less than that will piss him off severely. But outside of work, he’s probably the nicest, most generous guy you will ever meet. The demon chef is a good name. He is extremely serious and scary in the kitchen, but outside of the restaurant when we go eat, have dinner at each other’s houses, he is super nice, super generous, and a really funny guy. Loves to joke around."

Bearing an uncontainable grin, Eric also mentioned that Alvin is something of a kid at heart. "He's like a big kid sometimes. He’s a huge Batman fan, collects all the Batmobiles, action figures, movies, all kinds of Batman memorabilia. He’s like a kid in a candy store when he is shopping for Batman."

It's now been over a year since R&D opened alongside Alvin, and Eric noted that since its unveiling, his biggest challenges have been the management of costs and maintaining the quality of his dishes. "The most key thing in a restaurant would be consistency. If I were to cook a dish, and a new guy were to cook that same dish, the customer shouldn’t know the difference. So that is a pretty scary thought when you think of it that way. I need to train him to be just as good as me, if not better. So definitely training the cooks for consistency is a huge challenge in running a restaurant."

During this time of our interview, the Marlant team from Nova Scotia and the Marpac team from British Columbia had already begun duelling it out for the Navy Cook title, and it was up to Eric and his fellow judges to decide on the winner. So just what was Eric looking forward to most about being on the other side of the fence as a judge?

"I think it’s just exciting to see new blood cook food. I know they have a senior cook and a young aspiring one, but it’s just exciting to see what they can come up with, especially in that super small kitchen. It’s Hong-Kong-style small. Very impressive."

There are two prototypes of extremes of judging on a panel. The “Simon Cowell” judge—blunt, outspoken, and critical—and the “Paula Abdul” judge—kind, supportive, and encouraging. When asked which role he would likely assume, Eric laughed and said he would probably be more like Paula Abdul.

"It really depends on the competition and the type of cooks. I mean, these guys do not cook professionally by any means, so I don’t expect Michelin-Star-quality dinner. I think it would be a little cruel to be like a “Simon Cowell” in this scenario, especially when this is just to help motivate them and to help fuel their passion for cooking. You definitely don’t want to crush their dreams. I think a little bit of positive encouragement will be good."

As a seasoned professional when it comes to intense cook-offs, mystery ingredients, and beating the clock, Eric stressed the importance of cooking efficiently and not underestimating the power of beautiful plating when trying to create that perfect winning dish.

"You eat with your eyes first. The plate really needs to look nice, and it needs to be clean. I’m curious to see how they plate because I know in the navy they just have it buffet style, so I’m actually quite intrigued to see how they plate up their dishes,” Eric indicated. “Delegating tasks properly and cooking efficiently is also very important, as this is a tag team, you need to go in with a plan. As I saw for the brief moments, one chef was doing pastry, the other chef was doing savoury so that’s really a good plan in my opinion. In Masterchef, you get about one hour to cook one dish, and now they each have two hours, so if they split up the work it should be pretty good." He also added that creativity goes a long way. "If they did something that I never thought to do, then that would probably give them a lot of bonus points."

Eric revealed that later this August, his restaurant will see a menu flip that will incorporate new and exciting modern Asian dishes. However, we all might have to wait a little longer if we expect a future Masterchef Canada collaboration between Eric and this season's winner, Mary Berg, who also resides in Toronto.

"I only spoke to her briefly during the restaurant takeover episode. I don’t think we’d be doing any collaborations. I mean, I know how it is after you win. You kind of want to do your own thing, you don’t really want to have a boss or be in someone’s shadow, so I think she’s just going to do her own thing and I hope the best for her."

Time and time again, we’ve seen that Eric is no stranger to creating works of art from simple ingredients, although he revealed that beautiful plating is the last thing on his mind when cooking for himself in his everyday life.

"I don't always go all out, but I do love pasta," Eric declared. "I'll make a pasta, make a sauce. Being a chef, I try to stay healthy, try to go to the gym, so I’ll usually just have oatmeal for breakfast, an omelette, something simple, and then when I go home, like a smoothie. Whatever is quick, because usually I get home at about 1 AM. I’m not going to make a huge feast. On days off, I’ll usually cook if my girlfriend’s eating with me; if not, I’ll just go out.”

Keeping with Toronto's ever-changing culinary scene, Eric said he tries food from different restaurants each week, and described it as a good way to find inspiration from other local chefs. At the time of the interview, Eric had a dinner reservation at Omaw.

"Every week, I try a new restaurant with my girlfriend. It’s good to stay up to speed with what restaurant is good, what food they are doing, just so you can then add your own little Asian spin on it.”

When queried about his thoughts then on the best restaurant in Toronto right now (besides R&D, of course), Eric proclaimed, “Alo would be my number one for sure, probably the best meal I had in Canada. Alo is phenomenal.”

For his quick eats, Eric explained that he enjoys frequenting restaurants located in his neighbourhood. “Sansotei Ramen, Yutaka Sushi, Three Little Pigs for sandwiches, just anything close by. For higher end, I have a little favouritism towards Buca because I worked there for a few months.”

After filming Masterchef Canada, Eric spent a few months working at Buca to really get a feel of what it would be like to work inside a restaurant day-in and day-out. His employers had no idea he had won the title, as the airing of Masterchef had not yet concluded, but Eric’s pure talent landed him a full-time job.

"Alvin said that before we opened that I should work at a restaurant besides his own to see how other restaurants operate, and I was fortunate enough to get into Buca, arguably the best restaurant in Toronto. I was really fortunate enough to work there. I love their food." Eric then goes on to say that after this first experience working at a commercial kitchen, it was then when he truly knew he loved being a cook. "It was incredible. A lot of home cooks would say they would love to be a chef but that they can’t actually work 14-hour days, never sitting down once, barely eating, but I honestly enjoyed every second of it."

Step out of your comfort zone. Follow your passion. Do what you love.

You'll never know what could happen if you do these three things. It worked out for Eric and it could very well work out for you.

Interview with Executive Chef Eron Novalski - Aria Ristorante (Summerlicious)

It’s that time of the year again where everyone’s favourite culinary celebration in Toronto is upon us. Summerlicious has officially started (from July 3rd to July 26th) where more than 210 restaurants across this city are offering three-course prix fixe lunch and dinner menus at a fraction of what you would normally pay.

Also for the first time ever, Summerlicious will be extending the celebrations by an additional week due to the Pan Am Games, so there is even more time now for you to indulge and taste some of the diverse cuisine this city has to offer!

A prime example of a restaurant ready to welcome you with open arms over the next 3 weeks is Aria Ristorante, located adjacent to the Air Canada Centre and Maple Leaf Square. With its dramatic 35 foot ceiling and contemporary design, you will be transported inside to a luxurious fine dining experience where an infusion of Italian cuisine, design, and culture will take over. 

With such a successful Summerlicious last year, Aria Ristorante has crafted a stunning menu in an ode to Mother Italy for this year’s diners. Think octopus carpaccio with Calabrian chillies and charred pineapple or local grilled beef with broccoli rabe crema and sweet corn potato crisps.  Once the mains are done, the sweets are delightful, Italian-inspired ways for you to finish the perfect dinner, like the bufala mozzarella gelato with tomato and strawberry gazpacho or the vanilla budino with local peaches. 

I was fortunate enough to dive even deeper to this Summerlicious menu as I had the chance to interview Chef Eron Novalski and find out how he crafted the menu for Summerlicious 2015. All the while learning more about him and his culinary journey that has currently led him here to one of the best Italian restaurants this city has to offer. 

Chef Eron Novalski began his culinary journey in the kitchen as a tiny infant, creating his own recipes. Upon graduation in Culinary Management at George Brown College, he studied at Le Manoir Culinary Institute in Paris, graduating with honours. Having the advantage of being fully bilingual, Eron worked at the prestigious ‘Tour D'Argent Restaurant’ in Paris, one of the most famous restaurants in the world where it even inspired scenes in the 2007 Pixar movie, Ratatouille. 

After completing his studies, Eron embarked on a wine and culinary tour through France and Italy and returned to Canada with a broader knowledge of French and Italian cuisine. Eron worked at Senses for five years and during that time traveled to New York to work with some of the top Chefs in the United States. He also participated in the James Beard event in New York, Vancouver and Toronto.

A passionate food aficionado, Eron brought a wealth of knowledge acquired through his travels abroad working at Noce Restaurant in Toronto. Just as he did in the kitchen at Noce, now as Aria’s Executive Chef, he spares no expense in sourcing the freshest, highest quality ingredients to create dishes of elegant simplicity.      

When discussing what his thought process and influences were into creating the 2015 Summerlicious menu, Chef Novalski tells me “My main influences are always doing something new, keeping things innovative but simple using the best local and Italian-sourced ingredients.” In being able to put ingredients and flavours together, one must know the science behind it. He explains, “History and culture are very important in understanding what food is all about. It’s like art and history. Things are being executed a certain way because of our environment and seasonality.”

The one thing I quickly noticed when looking at this year’s menu was exactly what he touched upon. The use of local and Italian-sourced ingredients is extremely prevalent on this year’s menu and it turns out he will have it no other way. “Local produce, International food”, this is my new mantra. Using local ingredients in kitchens has been a success story and a major plank of Toronto’s dining scene push. Certainly we are all doing what foodists want us to do. Rather than letting the food-industrial complex steamroll our culture, we Canadians (and all other worldwide cultures) are fighting back and wanting the regional specificity of our food - in a way that links into issues of memory and history.“

Now with each Summerlicious menu comes choices. At times you may stumble upon a menu where it is extremely difficult to pick out a dish because everything on the menu is just calling out your name. Looking at this year’s Summerlicious menu for Aria Ristorante, I’m afraid it will be no different as each offering seems just too good to pass. Knowing this I tried to find out for you guys what his personal favourites are on his menu to try to ease the pain when ordering. Chef Novalski tells me, “My favourite dishes on the menu are the testina and salmon crude from the Lunch menu and the asparagus salad from Dinner.” A good place to start if you ask me, straight from the chef’s mouth. 

For all us foodies, Summerlicious is something we look forward to all year long. I personally find a lot of enjoyment being able to try out so many different restaurants in Toronto during this time, restaurants where I may not normally go to otherwise because of the price or for the simple fact that I may have never heard of it before. One great thing about Summerlicious is it puts a spotlight on so many different types of restaurants across this city, big or small, cuisine of all ethnicities, and talented chefs like Eron Novalski gets a chance to be creative in putting out stunning set menus, showcasing their culinary talents for an entire community to enjoy. “I love being part of this program because it is a way to celebrate being part of the restaurant community in Toronto. I am excited to show off Aria’s great cuisine and hospitality to the guests that may not normally dine with us, and hopefully turn them into regulars. I take great pride in our high level of food quality and service and the ability to share it with others.“ 

As we end here, I want to encourage everyone to take part in this 3 week long culinary celebration and check out a restaurant maybe you have never been before for either lunch or dinner. With the extra week given to us this year because of the Pan Am Games, there is no reason now not to. As a great beginning point, Aria Ristorante will be the perfect restaurant to start your culinary adventure with. It’s Italian cuisine at its finest and its as authentic as it can get. You are left in very capable hands from Chef Eron Novalski. I hope to see you all there! 

Please call 416 363 2742 to make your reservation at Aria Ristorante today! 

See below for their lunch and dinner menu. 

Address

25 YORK STREET

TORONTO, ONTARIO 

M5J 2V5

Photos do not belong to me