Pineapple Fried Rice

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Serving: 1

Ingredients:

• 6-8 medium-sized prawns, peeled and deveined
• 1 cup cooked Thai Hom Mali rice
• 1 tsp ground white pepper
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• ½ tsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 large egg
• ¼ cup carrots, small dice
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• ¼ cup onions, small dice
• ¼ cup roasted cashew nuts
• ¼ cup pineapple, small pieces cut

For Garnish:

• Lettuce (optional)
• Cilantro (optional)
• Spur chillies, shredded (optional)

Directions:

1. Sauté garlic in oil until fragrant, then add prawns.
2. Stir-fry until nearly cooked, then add egg and gently mash.
3. Once the eggs are almost cooked, add pineapple, carrots, and onions.
4. Stir-fry briefly, then add rice and gently mix.
5. Season with seasoning sauce, soy sauce, ground white pepper, curry powder and sugar. Stir thoroughly.
6. Add roasted cashew nuts, mixing well.
7. Plate the dish and garnish with lettuce, cilantro, and shredded spur chillies.

The post Recipe for Pineapple Fried Rice from Think Rice, Think Thailand appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Kasundi Tandoori Marinade

Ingredients:

• Hung yogurt 40–45g
• Kasundi mustard 20–22g
• Yellow mustard paste 5–6g
• Kashmiri chili powder 2.5–3g
• Turmeric 1g
• Fennel powder 0.8g
• Honey 3g
• Mustard oil 7g
• Garam masala – Pinch
• Salt – Pinch

Directions:

1. Base Mix: Combine the hung yogurt, kasundi mustard, yellow mustard paste, Kashmiri chili powder, turmeric, fennel powder, honey, garam masala, and salt in a bowl. Mix until smooth and uniform.
2. Add Mustard Oil: Add the mustard oil and fold gently into the base mixture. Do not over-whisk — the marinade should look shiny and cling well.
3. Apply to Fish: Coat the branzino evenly in a thin, uniform layer. Avoid overloading — with a thin fish, a thin marinade is the right call.
4. Rest: Refrigerate for 20–30 minutes. Do not exceed 30–40 minutes, as the acidity can begin to cure and break down the fish.
5. Cook: Cook using a tandoor, oven, or salamander as needed until the fish is cooked through and lightly charred at the edges.

The post Recipe for Kasundi Tandoori Marinade from Chef Vikash Chhetri appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Driven by that experience and a deep personal passion for wellness, Jesse co-founded Heal Wellness in June 2019 — opening the first location in his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario, with a clear mission: to be at the forefront of the health food revolution. The concept was born from a real gap in the market for quick-serve, nutrient-rich food that fits a busy, active lifestyle.

Today, Heal Wellness offers a thoughtfully curated menu of smoothie bowls, smoothies, and breakfast waffles — each built around superfoods carefully selected to fuel the body while minimizing ecological impact.

What is your business called and what does it do?

My business is called HEAL. We’re a modern smoothie and açaí bowl concept built around the belief that healthy food should be energizing, beautiful, and community-driven.

We serve smoothies, açaí bowls, coffee, and functional add-ons like protein, collagen, and other superfoods — but what we’re really building is a wellness lifestyle brand. It’s a space people come to not just for nutrition, but for momentum — for energy, connection, and daily ritual.

We’ve grown to 33 locations across Canada, with another 30 opening this year, and we’re expanding into the U.S. We’re scaling quickly, but we’ve stayed very founder-led, grassroots, and community-first in how we build.

What made you want to do this work? What problem did you want to solve with the business?

I’ve always had the entrepreneurial itch, and I’ve always cared about maintaining a happy and healthy lifestyle. When creating HEAL, it felt like there was a gap between fast food and true wellness — you could eat quickly, or you could eat healthy, but rarely both in a way that felt exciting and accessible.

HEAL started with my partner Jason Zuccato and me. At the core, we simply wanted to build something together that had a positive impact on people’s lives. And do it in a way that puts more emphasis on the customer journey and provoking emotion rather than just the transactional part of the business. We wanted healthy choices to feel cool, social, and part of someone’s lifestyle.

The real problem we set out to solve was this: how do you make wellness part of someone’s daily rhythm instead of an occasional “I should eat better” decision?

HEAL was built on the belief that when people feel good physically, they show up better in every area of their lives.

Who are your clientele/demographics?

In the beginning, our core demographic was primarily 18–35 year olds who value health and community — students, young professionals, athletes, and entrepreneurs. What’s interesting is how broad it’s become. We see families coming in after hockey games, professionals grabbing post-workout smoothies, and customers of all ages who just love how they feel after eating with us.

HEAL tends to attract people who are ambitious, active, and intentional about their lifestyle. At the same time, we believe strongly in balance. The 80:20 rule is real — live well most of the time, enjoy life the rest of the time. Wellness should feel sustainable, not restrictive.

How does your business make money? How does it work?

We operate a mix of corporate-owned and franchised locations across Canada. Our revenue primarily comes from in-store sales of smoothies, bowls, and add-ons, and we’ve built a model that emphasizes strong unit economics and operational simplicity.

Franchising has allowed us to scale with passionate local operators who are invested in their communities. We provide brand, systems, marketing, supply chain, and training — they bring leadership and local energy.

As we grow, we’re also expanding into retail products and new concept development under our broader Happy Belly Food Group brand umbrella.

Where in the city can we find your profession?

In Toronto, you can find HEAL inside the Eaton Centre and at several other locations throughout the GTA. We’re continuing to expand strategically across Ontario and into new markets.

What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?

The best part is watching something that started small turn into something that impacts thousands of people daily. Seeing our franchise partners succeed, team members grow into leaders, and customers make HEAL part of their routine is incredibly rewarding.

The hardest part is that growth is relentless. Scaling a brand across provinces — and now countries — means constant problem-solving. There are always operational challenges, staffing issues, or strategic decisions to make. It forces you to evolve quickly as a leader.

But that pressure is also what makes it exciting.

What is your favourite joke about your own profession?

People think I spend my days in flip flops, surfing, and sipping smoothies on the beach because we sell açaí bowls.

In reality, it’s construction sites, lease negotiations, early-morning calls, and spreadsheets — just with an OG Açaí bowl in hand.

Where can we follow you?

Instagram | TikTok | Website

PAY IT FORWARD: What is another local business that you love?

Shoutout to Dustin and Daniel at Rosie’s Burgers. They’ve built their brand the right way — hands-on, detail-obsessed, and deeply rooted in the community. You can feel the owner-operator energy the second you walk in.

They’re great entrepreneurs, even better people, and they’ve created a product that speaks for itself.

And after a long 12-hour build-out or ops day… that banana pudding is undefeated.

The post Homegrown Business: Jesse Davidson of HEAL Wellness appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

What first inspired you to become a chef, and how has your journey led you to Toronto?

I’ve always had a genuine love for food and cooking, but like many people, I spent my early 20s trying to figure out what path to take. It was a challenging time; I struggled to understand what I truly loved or even what I wanted to do. Back home, I felt a strong pressure to follow career paths that didn’t feel right for me. At the time, my sister was living in Toronto and encouraged me to make the move, drawn by the city’s people and culture. In 2016, I took that leap and moved to Toronto, ready for a new adventure.

I spent the past 10 years working front of house in the restaurant industry, from small local spots to fine dining. It wasn’t a path I initially dreamed of, but I was new to the country and had limited options. However, it quickly became something much more meaningful as I found a genuine sense of fulfillment through food I loved, a team working tirelessly together, and guests who truly appreciated the experience we created. It felt different from what I knew back home as I realized I was not only happy in this environment, but that I was good at it. Over time, that realization grew into something bigger. I wanted to create and serve food on my own terms, shaped by my own perspective and experiences. Serving people in Toronto became something I deeply loved, and ultimately, it’s what inspired me to become a chef.

Who were some of your biggest influences, either chefs or family, in shaping your approach to cooking?

My mom. She rarely missed a night of cooking dinner for our family; it was her love language. As a kid, I was endlessly curious about what was happening in the kitchen, so I’d stand by her side, watching closely and asking a million questions. That curiosity has never left me. Even now, I still call her to ask how to make the dishes I miss, and she always has an answer. In Korea, food is deeply tied to the seasons, and my mom made sure we never missed them. She brought those moments to the table, dish by dish. Today, I try to carry that forward by recreating her cooking in my own way, using local ingredients while staying true to those seasonal roots. There’s something about the freshness and flavour that just can’t be beat.

What’s the story behind your experience with CookUnity — how did it come to life?

In 2022, I launched a home-based Korean food delivery service through a platform called Cookin, and I loved every part of it. From cooking, carefully packing each order, and adding handwritten thank-you notes, the response from customers was incredible, and building connections through my food made it all feel deeply worthwhile. That experience gave me the confidence to start building something of my own. I began exploring different formats through pop-ups, festivals, and meal prep to gain hands-on kitchen experience outside of a traditional restaurant setting. It was fun, rewarding, and at times incredibly challenging.

After three years of growth and struggle, I received a call from Carolyn Cohen, Head of Chef Success at CookUnity, who truly believed in my potential and passion. She invited me to become a partner in Toronto. Today, my team and I partner with CookUnity to produce thousands of meals each week, reaching eaters far beyond what a traditional restaurant could. What makes it unique is that CookUnity handles the infrastructure—sourcing, production, and delivery, so chefs like me can focus on creating and refining dishes. At the same time, we get direct feedback from thousands of customers through ratings, reviews, and repeat orders, which allows us to continuously improve our menus. It creates a powerful connection between chefs and eaters at scale, where creativity, data, and real demand come together. CookUnity is where I truly feel that connection between people and food come to life

How does the food culture of Toronto influence your cooking style or menu choices?

I’ve learned to cook with a sense of freedom by leading with what tastes good. In the past, I tended to think narrowly and found myself repeating what I already knew. But living in Toronto, surrounded by such a diverse and ever-evolving food scene, changed that perspective completely. It made me realize there isn’t just one “right” way to cook and that I can create whatever feels true to me. That shift has brought much more variety into my menus and a more open, intuitive approach to how I cook. At the same time, working with CookUnity has given me visibility into broader food trends and what people are actually craving through real-time feedback and data. Combined with the cultural diversity of Toronto, which has really expanded my creativity. During my first year in Toronto, I lived with a roommate from Mexico who was also an incredible chef. She introduced me to home-style Mexican cooking, and that experience sparked a deeper curiosity in me. Since then, I’ve fallen in love with exploring different cuisines and continue to draw inspiration from them in my own work.

What’s one local ingredient you can’t live without in your kitchen?

Linton Pasture Pork is some of the best local pork I’ve worked with, and I absolutely love using it. For me, Korean BBQ made with it is my go-to treat when cooking for myself.

If someone was visiting Toronto for the first time, what food experience would you insist they try?

Anything they haven’t tried yet! Toronto has such an incredible range of food options, so I’d start by introducing different cuisines and building from there based on what excites them most.

What restaurants, cafés, or hidden gems in Toronto do you personally love to eat at when you’re off-duty?

Oji Seichi, a ramen shop in East Chinatown, is one of my favourites. I love taking the walk from Broadview Station through the neighbourhood, passing by Riverdale Park with a great view of the city. The area has such a great mix of everything from coffee shops, brunch spots, and affordable, delicious local restaurants like Supreme Taste.

Where do you like to shop for ingredients locally — farmers’ markets, specialty shops, or a particular supplier?

Fiesta Farms for high-quality produce, Galleria Supermarket for Korean ingredients, and Foody World for everyday groceries.

Beyond food, what makes Toronto special to you as a place to live and work?

I would say the diversity and a sense of peace. I’m able to truly be myself, and I see that same freedom in others. There’s no single definition of what it means to be a Torontonian, and that openness is exactly what makes me feel like I belong here.

What’s next for you and CookUnity?

My partnership with CookUnity has allowed me to focus on what I love most—cooking. The creative freedom to create food that I truly believe in is something I haven’t experienced in any other role, and it’s been incredibly fulfilling.

I’m excited to continue growing with this team, bringing fresh, innovative flavours to people across Canada, and focusing on quality meals that reflect my culinary heritage as I continue to expand my menu at CookUnity to more flavours. It’s an opportunity to share my story through food and make a meaningful mark on the culinary scene. I look forward to serving more people and continuing to develop new recipes and dishes to share with this community.

The post Season to Taste: Chef Kate Noh of CookUnity appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

One example is an Asian‑inspired sesame stem salad that gives new life to often‑discarded broccoli and cauliflower stems. Tossed with crisp vegetables, tangy kimchi, and a savoury sesame dressing, it’s a vibrant dish that proves sustainability doesn’t mean sacrificing taste.

Asian-Inspired Sesame Stem Salad

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Serving: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Broccoli Stems, julienne sliced
• 1 cup Cauliflower Stems, julienne sliced
• 1⁄2 cup Carrots, julienne sliced
• 1⁄3 cup Red bell peppers, julienne sliced
• 2 tbsp Red onions, julienne sliced
• 2 tsp Roasted sesame seeds
• 3 tbsp Kimchi
• 2 tbsp Cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbsp Soy sauce
• 13mL Rice vinegar, seasoned
• 1 tsp Granulated sugar
• 1mL Crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Chop & combine all vegetables in a large bowl.
2. Mix soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, and chili flakes.
3. Toss dressing with vegetables.
4. Top with sesame seeds.

The post Recipe for Asian-Inspired Sesame Stem Salad from Chef Kory Dipucchio appeared first on Toronto Guardian.