After a falling out with the founding chefs at Quetzal last year, Grant van Gameren has been working the pass at the Mexican restaurant he owns with Owen Walker. Now, the new head chef has been announced.
Toronto’s own Steve Molnar will be taking over the reins. After receiving formal training at the Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon, France, Molnar worked under prominent chefs such as Charles Antoine Crete and Normand Laprise at Restaurant Toque in Montreal.
Here in Toronto, he worked for David Lee at Nota Bene before becoming part of the Overbudget Restaurant Group. Overbudget Inc. is the parent company for van Gameren’s bars, restaurants and Victor Dries Catering. In his five years with the group he has worked on the line at Bar Raval and as a sous chef at Bar Isabel before joining the team at Quetzal.
A press release from the PR firm representing Quetzal and van Gameren’s other restaurants says, “Molnar will continue to focus on celebrating Mexico’s culinary heritage, showcasing wood-fire cooking and incorporating sustainably-sourced Ontario ingredients.”
After opening the doors to Quetzal in August 2018, van Gameren had a falling out with the founding chefs Kate Chomyshyn and Julio Guajardo about five months later. After a brief closing, van Gameren stepped up and helmed the kitchen seven nights a week.
Now with Molnar in charge, diners can still expect their favourite dishes to remain on the menu, such as the grilled squid with salsa macha, fermented masa and charred cabbage. Other favourites include the lamb barbacoa empanada and the vegan and gluten-free coconut nicuatole, a traditional corn-based dessert from Oaxaca.
Molnar’s menu will also feature fresh ceviches, slow-cooked whole vegetables, grilled fish and meat, complex moles and salsas, and daily fresh-made tortillas and masa-based dishes.
Quetzal is open seven days a week for dinner service starting at 5:30 p.m.
Quetzal, 419 College St.Â
