For Chefs by Chefs: Series Four

At Club House for Chefs, we have seen and come to understand the impact recent circumstances have placed upon the foodservice industry. Chefs and restaurateurs have been forced into unpredictable situations involving heavy menu changes, door closures, staff cuts and operative pivots. 

On our platform, we've pivoted as well and have made it our mission to keep the conversations going with our community. Each week, we will share chef stories, challenges, how they’re changing their businesses and adapting them to the new industry. Through these interviews, we hope to provide valuable insight, guidance and advice for chefs by chefs.



Chef Craig Flinn – 2 Doors Down, Halifax 

In Halifax, Chef Craig Flinn weighed his options upon shuttering his once busy dining space. 

“Restaurants need cashflow and taking out loans won’t solve our long-term issues. It’s time to get cooking and adapt week by week,” said Flinn.

To keep his bills paid and as many of his staff working as possible, Flinn decided to transition his business into a curbside takeout program while also offering home meal replacements. Knowing the crisis may not end any time soon, he acknowledges the need for creativity and resilience. 

“We feel that our brand of cooking hearty, seasonally-inspired dishes will transition well for this model.”



Chef Lee Cooper – L’Abattoir

For Chef Lee Cooper, keeping his Vancouver-based L’Abattoir from clearing out for good requires similar dedication. From dinner takeout to take home meal kits for two, wine, beer and cider to Sunday brunch pastry boxes, his team is pulling out all the stops to keep L’Abattoir offerings going out, and money coming in.  

Pre-order options are updated regularly on the restaurant’s websites and social networks.



Chef Chris Kalisperas – Mamakas, Bar Kokula, Happy Burger, Toronto

Meanwhile in Toronto, Chef Chris Kalisperas’ restaurant trio, known for its burgers and authentic Greek cuisine, isn’t going down without a fight. 

For Mamakas Taverna and Bar Koukla, he’s teamed up with The Agora, a nearby Greek market and café, to offer family meals for four, wine, beer and spirits for pre-order and pickup. 

Over at Happy Burger, it’s almost business as usual as the site continues to offer hamburgers, hot dogs and beverages but for takeout, curbside pick-up and via online delivery apps like Uber Eats, Foodora and Skip the Dishes. 

Chefs let’s keep the conversation going. Submit your story to CHFC@McCormick.com.

We’re all in this together. 

#ForChefByChefs