Insider’s Tips - April.3

Executive Chef Lorenzo Loseto reports this week that many people at the Ontario Food Terminal noted the market was very slow in March. The theory is that restaurants experienced a particularly slow month over March Break. Since the restaurant sector generates the highest volume of activity at the Terminal, its downturn exaggerates the usual seasonal slump in business at this time of year.

The import side of the Terminal was jammed with Mexican and South American produce. It’s increasingly clear that importers are deliberately reducing their purchases from the U.S. Mexican asparagus was abundant, and no Californian asparagus has been brought in this year.

However, it sounds like the first Washington State asparagus will be arriving soon. Since this crop is always eagerly awaited because of its reputation as one of the best things emerging all year from America, we assume the silent boycott won’t apply to it. There are limits!

Chef did point out that the quality of produce from Mexico and Chile just keeps getting better and better. Just as high prices removed most European products from the Terminal, will the informal boycott—or worse, Canadian tariffs—permanently reduce U.S. produce imports as we adapt to other suppliers?

Californian avocados are now nowhere to be found, as Mexico has taken California’s recent place. This has happened despite a current shortage of Mexican avocados currently on offer. Rumours suggest a 25% drop in supply.

Plenty of excellent Ontario hothouse produce was on offer. Rhubarb, however, is in short supply. Chef expects that the hothouse crop will diminish soon as growers deal with the current cold snap. It also looks like this year’s spring crop in Ontario will be delayed by about two weeks.

Our Canadian fish suppliers continue to provide excellent catches from all three oceans. Typically, at this time of year, fish from Nova Scotia—like swordfish and tuna—are finishing for the season, but not this year. Chef again preferred to buy ocean fish rather than the Lake Erie pickerel on offer this week. His favourite fish at the moment is glacier bass from B.C., which he roasts and serves with potato rosti and rapini.

By this weekend, Chef will be finishing the venison and bison dishes featured this winter. He is substituting wild Ontario boar, which he sous-vides and then finishes by roasting in the oven.

For dessert, we continue to recommend the Chef’s Puglian recipe, pasticciotto, filled with Italian custard.

As a reminder, don’t miss our popular annual Seafood Dinner on April 18.