Chef Lynn Crawford: Passionate About Family and Food

The day starts early for celebrity Chef Lynn Crawford. When I catch up with her, she’s en route to the next errand with her partner, Lora Kirk, and their youngest daughter, Gemma. She’s been up since 5 a.m.

There’s no fatigue in her voice, though, as she dives into talking about her passion — food and cooking. In her early years, Lynn learned a love for hospitality from her parents.

“When I was growing up, my parents always threw lovely dinner parties,” she says. “The table would be set, the silver polished and the menu planned. They had a repertoire of recipes that they felt had a bit of wow-appeal and they were comfortable with making. My mom and dad enjoyed celebrating at the table with everybody; it was a fun event where everybody participated. I have really fond memories of those times, cooking with my parents.”

It should come as no surprise then that Lynn realized early-on she wanted a career in the hospitality world. It was while attending the fine arts program at the University of Guelph, where she had a lot of friends who were in the hotel and food administration program, that this world opened up for her.

Today, we can easily access a new recipe online or watch a celebrity chef like Chef Crawford on the Food Network, whipping up a dish that might inspire us to try something new, but in the ’80s, that wasn’t the case.

“I started reading the wonderful publications that were food-focused, like Gourmet and Bon Appétit, with their travel documentary pieces and, of course, recipes,” says Lynn. “We didn’t have computers back then — look at me dating myself! – so, for inspiration, I looked forward to the food publications coming out each month. I went to the library, and the cookbook store here in Toronto was a great inspiration. You know, it’s so true that classic saying, ‘read, because that’s how you will learn.’”

But Lynn wasn’t just reading those recipes — she was going shopping and trying them out. It was during that time she switched gears to attend George Brown College (the hospitality and culinary arts program) in Toronto.

In those days, celebrity and internationally-known chefs weren’t really a thing.

“It was more the restaurant that was known,” says Lynn. “Yes, the chefs, to some extent, but really the restaurant and its location. There were only a few fine dining restaurants back in the day, and a lot were in hotels.”

“But in the ’80s, there was a strong culinary movement starting in California, with California cuisine coming into the forefront,” she continues. “That movement was all about sourcing fresh ingredients and really supporting local farmers and growers. That was a big interest for me because there was a relationship between chefs and their food source.”

“The people making a big impact in that area were chefs like Alice Waters and Jeremiah Tower — chefs with classical French training, but really homing in on ingredients that were grown properly and sustainably. Food was flavour. Back in the day when I was growing up, 99 per cent of what we were eating was out of a can or frozen,” she says with a laugh. “You knew it wasn’t fresh. Knowing what farm your food came from — that didn’t exist.”

Throughout her career, Lynn has drawn inspiration from numerous great chefs.

“Female chefs like Alice Waters and, of course, Julia Childs influenced me. Everybody has this answer now — but for me, they were the Joan of Arcs of the culinary world, for women in a profession that was predominately male-dominated. Then there were Traci Des Jardins, Elka Gilmore, Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken — you know, all these amazing women chefs moving to the forefront. Of course, male chefs like Charlie Trotter, Jeremiah Tower and Wolfgang Puck were also amazing.”

Lynn worked as a chef for the Four Seasons hotel for 24 years, and eventually became their first female executive chef. She was also one of the early women celebrity chefs on the Food Network.

“But honestly, for me,” she admits, “I was never a woman chef; I was a chef. Today the demographic in the kitchen or culinary programs is really a 50-50 male-female split – there’s no differentiation – it’s just chefs, not male or female. I think that’s wonderful, and I think that’s because it’s 2020, and women can do anything they want to do. So, let’s just keep on being the very, very best.”

In 2009 when Lynn left the Four Seasons, she opened Ruby Watchco, a Toronto restaurant where the signature experience is a menu that changes daily and is all about sharing the table.

“We’re really showcasing our local growers and farmers and it’s this chef-driven menu that is about cooking you a delicious meal that you get to share with all the diners that come in,” she says.

But her food endeavours haven’t stopped there. She has a new restaurant opening at Pearson Airport called The Hearth Market, and The Hearth at Terminal 1 just had its fourth anniversary. She’s written cookbooks as well, and she and Lora are currently writing another one.

There’s also Lynn’s involvement in the television celebrity world that started when she was still the executive chef at the Four Seasons.

“Christine Cushing asked me to join her on her show, and we had a lot of fun. It was a door that just opened. Since then, I’ve been presented so many wonderful opportunities from Restaurant Makeover to Pitchin’ In, to the Great Canadian Cookbook, Iron Chef and Top Chef Masters. If you had said to me back then that I would be on TV and that would be a good part of my life for these many years, I would have said ‘absolutely no way.’ But it’s been amazing,” she says, “and I’ve enjoyed every moment of it.”

“In fact, anything I do,” Lynn continues, “I want first and foremost to enjoy it. I also want people to enjoy the quality of the product I’m producing. I want them to be able to have a laugh or to learn something from how I’m cooking, so they can be a better cook. Food is a wonderful thing to share. I’m very proud of the projects I’ve done.”

Of all the different television programs she’s participated in, Lynn acknowledges that a couple have really been stand-outs.

“I’d say Pitchin’ In was my favourite. Just having the opportunity to work with the passionate ranchers, farmers, fishermen and growers across North America was inspiring. I had a bucket list of things I wanted to cook and ingredients I wanted to cook with. There was a really talented production team behind the scenes looking for all the different locations and farmers. It was important to communicate to people watching that there’re many different choices we can make in life, but look at these particular individuals who are really producing with so much integrity, heart, spirit and passion – and a lot of family behind them.”

“So never take that particular ingredient for granted, how magical and special it is – a gift, it really is. The biggest pleasure for me was at the end of each show, when I had the opportunity to cook for those farmers and fishermen – that was the most rewarding experience of my life. I have so many amazing memories from that show and I’m very, very grateful to have had that experience.”

Then there’s Iron Chef Canada, a show Lynn admits she not only enjoyed participating in but loves to watch regularly.

“It’s such an honour to be asked to participate as an Iron Chef in Kitchen Stadium. You’re up against competitors who are the best of the best in Canada and it can go either way. Everybody that goes into Kitchen Stadium is a winner and it comes down to the dishes that were created that day.”

But life isn’t all work and no play for Lynn, and she confesses the most important things for her are family life and her two daughters.

“We want to give them as many experiences right now as we can,” she says. “We’ve done a lot of travel and we’re going to continue that. Last year, we were in Mexico, Bahamas, Paris and Hawaii.”

“Our vacations are always about food!” she continues. “When we were in Paris, it was so much fun – sure, going to the galleries and museums – but also having the best café au lait and almond croissants every morning and visiting the best cheese shops. And then seeing Addie, our three-year old, eat her first macaron. She had her first bite of foie gras and steaks frites on that trip and she still talks about it. Gemma’s (my one-year-old) first crème brûlée was amazing.”

“We started cooking our own food for both of our kids at four months,” Lynn continues, “and now Addie will eat absolutely anything. She helps set the table every day and we all sit around and have this quiet, peaceful, amazing supper where we’re all talking, laughing and sharing. The dogs get fed well because Addie throws a lot of her plate on the floor – but hey – it’s awesome.”

What does the celebrity chef cook when she’s at home? “I get asked that question a lot,” Lynn laughs. “It depends on the day, season and what’s in the fridge. I love everything.”

As someone who fully embraces the farm-to-table food movement, Lynn sees that evolving.

“It used to be knowing what farm your produce came from. I think now there’s more of a focus on fish and seafood and knowing who the fisherman/woman is and when they brought in the catch.”

Lynn also fully supports community food programs like the non-profit organization, A Place for Food.

“There are a lot of community food centres around Canada. I think that’s really important because we need to build health and belonging and social justice through the power of food,” she says. “You don’t ever want to take for granted that everybody has food. As Canadians, I think it’s all our responsibility to assist in giving back and sharing. Don’t waste, don’t over shop, don’t take for granted what we have.”

With her finger in so many pies, it might seem that Chef Lynn Crawford has an impossible workload, so how does she do it all?

“I have an amazing partner,” she says with a laugh. “It takes a village. And I love what I do – when you love what you do, it’s easy. These days, I just want to surround myself with the best of the best – people that are positive and creative, people that want to give the very best hospitality experience and that I can learn from to become the best me. But I don’t want to forget to enjoy life. In the end, it’s all about my family.”

If you were to meet your 20-year-old self, what advice would you give her?
“Just keep on – do exactly what you did. Work hard and appreciate those around you. Surround yourself with positivity, grace, creativity and love.”

What, or who, has influenced you the most, and why?
“My parents influenced me the most. They taught me to work hard, to set yourself attainable goals and to love what you do.”

What are you most grateful for?
“My family.”

What does success mean to you?
“That you’re able to provide for your family, able to give back to your community, that you’re able to make people happy.”

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