Chez Lisgar |
vs. |
House of Commons |
| The birth of Chez Lisgar began earlier this year when my roommate Sarah and I considered trading leftovers for wine/beer on bunz.com and thought it would be cool to invite people over for dinner instead. Then we could meet people in the city and still get some wine out of it! We often supply dinner in exchange for booze. | What inspired you to open an in-home diner? | Before opening House of Commons in 2008, I spent time in Greece and experienced ways that people were hosting dinner parties outside of the traditional restaurant setting. I was welcomed into homes, with other travellers and friends, to enjoy a lovely dinner, and the experience was amazing! |
| It’s a passion, but I did audition for the first season of MasterChef. I didn't make it through, so to cope with the rejection, I tell myself I was just too smart and beautiful for the show! I love to cook and meet new people, so this is the best of both worlds! |
Is chef your actual profession or just a side passion? | My background is in hospitality, my passion is in food. When you’ve worked in restaurants your whole life, you figure out how to create really special guest experiences. I’m always finding ways to get people around a table to share good food, knowledge and stories! |
| The guests are usually pretty great! But we once had a guest meet his girlfriend here with no idea what she had planned for him. He showed up first, confused and asked if this was an orgy and if he should take his clothes off. | Ever had problems inviting random guests to your home? | For the most part, the guests are amazing, but there was a time when everyone needed to know exactly what they were eating and were increasingly wary of not being able to Google a location or see what the room looked like. |
| We close our eyes, point and hope for the best. Just kidding! After screening potential guests via Facebook, we email them questions to ensure that they are relatively normal and would vibe well with us. | How do you choose your guests? | I always know that whoever shows up to the table is meant to be there. The guest list for a traditional dinner must have a synergistic quality to it. I do have to make sure that it’s not all men though — oddly enough! |
