Takeout and delivery in Birch Cliff has never been so delicious.
The neighbourhood has become a bit of a hot spot for high-end chefs who’ve pivoted to gourmet meal service to keep their companies afloat and help locals withstand the doldrums of daily meal preparation during COVID-19.
If you stroll the south side of Kingston Rd., west of Warden, you’ll find Chef Matthew Kennedy labouring in the kitchen of a nondescript storefront to turn out mouth-watering dishes such as Mustard Citrus and Dill Roasted Salmon, Nova Scotia Lobster Rolls and Duck Confit.
Kennedy Catering specializes in international cuisine with an emphasis on sustainability and fresh, local, ingredients, a combination that has won him clients all over the Scarborough Bluffs and The Beach.
In a deliberate effort not to dilute his brand, Kennedy said he is targeting customers who want something “a bit more niche”.
“We want to get people excited,” Kennedy said. “We want people to be able to have that restaurant experience, but without the fear (of COVID). It’s certainly a higher end product, but we’re offering at a very competitive price.”
Clockwise: Herb and Garlic Crusted Pork Tenderloin, Seafood Platter, Pan Seared Wild Albacore Tuna, Arancini
Order Online
Customers can order a dinner package online starting at $150 that brings a different gourmet meal to the door five nights a week, although single orders are also available from $30. Menus can be found at kennedycatering.com.
“We’re trying to make sure people don’t get bored. We’ve had 17 weeks of COVID. And we’ve had new menus every week. That puts us into the 85, 90 different dish mark, right now. I’m going a little bit crazy trying to come up with more dishes,” Kennedy said.
According to Kennedy, the most popular meal so far has been Buttermilk Fried Chicken with a Cheddar and Chive Biscuit, Garlic Mash and Sweet Onion Collard served with Chipotle Aioli.
Chef Matthew Kennedy
Mentored by Mark McEwan
Kennedy got his start in the food industry at the age of 16, a self-described “persistent little bugger” who let himself into the kitchen of Mark McEwan’s North 44 restaurant every day for three months until the famous chef relented and gave him a job.
He did his formal training at the French-run New England Culinary Institute and then worked at L’essentiel in Chambéry, France before returning to Toronto to help McEwan open Bymark and appear on his mentor’s Food Network show “The Heat”. He also worked at Oro on Elm Street and Sequel on Yonge St., north of Lawrence.
Kennedy then decided that he’d had enough of high-stress, hard-partying restaurant culture and established his own boutique catering company focussing on smaller events and some corporate clients. He also does a little teaching on the side including the LCBO and Loblaws on Musgrave, which is how discovered Birch Cliff.
He said he was looking at smaller niche neighbourhoods that “maybe weren’t discovered yet” and found the kitchen that used to be occupied by M & J’s Eastside Deli. He did a complete overhaul of the facilities and launched in his new space a year ago.
Then COVID hit.
“We were kind of freaking out,” Kennedy said. What we do? Accustomed to the chaotic world of catering, Kennedy turned on a dime and was offering prepared meals within a week.
“I feel like we’re working two or three times as hard and just scraping by. But I feel that we’re very fortunate that we have pretty low overhead. This place is reasonably affordable. And we don’t have a huge staff.”
Kennedy said that Birch Cliff residents have been warm and supportive so far, with some people even stopping by to say thank you for investing in the neighbourhood.
He’s working on new windows and signage for his location, including a new logo, to make the outside of his business as clean and polished as everything that happens inside.
