About this podcast
Hosted by a Toronto-based sommelier Tasting Notes Toronto explores the people shaping the city’s food and wine culture—from Michelin-starred chefs and master sommeliers to restaurant operators and winemakers. Each episode goes behind the scenes of hospitality careers, restaurant culture, and the decisions that shape what we eat and drink in Toronto today.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 30 episodes
- The World's Most Underrated Wine Region? — Stephanie Duboudin · 33 min · Episode 30If you could only drink one wine region for the rest of your life, which would it be? Stephanie Duboudin is the CEO of Wine Victoria, the body behind the state's 21 wine regions…
- Is Fine Dining Burning Out Its Best People? — Merrin McHugh · 43 min · Episode 29What does a wine career look like when your body can't do the hours anymore? Merrin McHugh ran the floor and the wine pairings at Actinolite for seven years. Then a stroke in…
- Sommeliers Aren't Supposed to Sit Down. — Bruce Wallner, MS · 44 min · Episode 28Should a sommelier ever sit down while the rest of the room is working? Bruce Wallner is a Master Sommelier and the founder of Sommelier Factory, Toronto's wine school. He built…
- Tasting Menus Are Out. Sara Bet on One. — Adam Minster · 1 h 1 min · Episode 27Why would a restaurant kill à la carte when the majority of fine dining is bringing it back? Adam Minster is a partner in The Food Dudes — the group behind Rasa, Sara, Chop'Hop…
- Wine Is Getting Too Expensive. Who's Buying It? — Jeffrey Roel · 1 h 3 min · Episode 26Is wine becoming too expensive for the people who love it? Jeffrey Roel is the General Manager and Head Sommelier at Henry's Restaurant in Toronto, an Advanced Sommelier with the…
- This Wine Has Resting Bitch Face — Nabilah Rawji · 53 min · Episode 25What happens when a field biologist watches Somm on Netflix and decides to become a sommelier? Nabilah Rawji was supposed to be a field biologist — the kind who spends 12-hour…
- Tortillas Are Sacred. Authenticity Isn't. — Aldo Camarena & Ashley McKay of Antylia · 58 min · Episode 24What if the most authentic thing a chef can do is adapt? At Antylia (Dufferin & Bloor), chefs Aldo Camarena and Ashley McKay are building one of Toronto's most exciting…
- The World’s Best Wines Are Being Overlooked — Matt Landry · 51 min · Episode 23In this episode, I sit down with Matt Landry, Advanced Sommelier and Head Sommelier at Prime Seafood Palace, to talk about what it actually takes to build a career in wine today…
- Sake Isn't Wine. Cheap Food Isn't Cheap — Nancy Matsumoto · 50 min · Episode 22In this episode, I sit down with award-winning writer Nancy Matsumoto, co-author of Exploring the World of Japanese Craft Sake and author of Reaping What She Sows, to explore two…
- Neo-Chinese Cooking at One of Canada’s Best New Restaurants — Eva Chin of Yan Dining Room · 58 min · Episode 21What happens when a chef cooks her way back to a heritage she almost lost? Eva Chin is the chef behind Yan Dining Room — a 26-seat room built inside Hong Shing Restaurant, born…
- Quitting Toronto to Build a Niagara Vineyard from Scratch — Corey Mio of Mio Vineyard · 41 min · Episode 20What happens when you leave Toronto, buy a neglected 17-acre farm in Niagara wine country, and plant a vineyard — with no formal training in viticulture or winemaking? In this…
- Matt Palynchuk — Raton Laveur, The Hardest Bar in Toronto to Find (and Get Into) · 39 min · Episode 19What happens when a wine pop-up in a laneway quietly becomes one of Toronto's most talked-about (and hardest to find) wine experiences? In this episode, I sit down with Matt…
- Quentin Meloff — Food Media Is Dying (Here’s Who’s Replacing It) · 47 min · Episode 18Restaurant-industry veteran Quentin Meloff (@quentinmeloff) shares how he went from working in some of Toronto's best restaurants — Alo, Aloette, Bar Isabel, Richmond Station —…
- James Li — From Beijing Lawyer to Canada’s Best Young Sommelier · 36 min · Episode 17In this episode of Tasting Notes Toronto, I sit down with James Li, the recently crowned Best Young Sommelier of Canada and Assistant General Manager at DaNico, a…
- Patrick Habchi — Wine List Psychology and the Art of Pairing at George Restaurant · 56 min · Episode 16In this episode, I sit down with Patrick Habchi, Wine Director at George Restaurant in Toronto — Michelin Recommended restaurant and a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence winner…
- Faye MacLachlan - Inside Langdon Hall’s Award-Winning Wine Program and a Career in Wine · 59 min · Episode 15In this episode, I sit down with Faye MacLachlan, Wine Director and Restaurant General Manager at Langdon Hall and the 2025 Michelin Guide Toronto Sommelier of the Year. Faye…
- Christian Perreault Hamel – Winning Best Sommelier of Ontario and Building Harbour 60’s 3,600 SKU Wine List · 1 h 17 min · Episode 14In this episode, I sit down with Christian Perreault Hamel, Best Sommelier of Ontario, Wine Director at Harbour 60, and owner of Pelican Wine Imports. At Harbour 60, Christian…
- Fabienne Dourdon - Leaving Paris to Take Over the Family Champagne Estate · 50 min · Episode 13In this episode, I sit down with Fabienne Dourdon, a Champagne grower whose family has farmed vines in the Marne Valley since 1812. She shares the family’s journey from selling…
- Eric Chong — Opening aKin, Toronto’s Newest Michelin-Starred Restaurant · 1 h 7 min · Episode 12In this episode, I sit down with Chef Eric Chong to discusses the intense journey of opening his Michelin-starred restaurant, aKin. Initially trained as a chemical engineer…
- Jeremiah Tomas - From Line Cook at 17 to Michelin-Starred GM & Beverage Director at The Pine · 1 h 23 min · Episode 11In this episode, I sit down with Jeremiah Thomas, General Manager at The Pine in Creemore (1 Michelin Star), to explore a career built from the ground up in wine, hospitality…
