Chef Spotlight: Chef Steven Faria – Cima on Brant

We’re highlighting some of Burlington’s best chefs to get to know them and their food a little better. This week we had the pleasure of talking with Chef de Cuisine Steven Faria from Cima on Brant.

What inspired you to start cooking? Just the gratification of serving my first meal and satisfying my guests.

When & where did you start? London, England. It was a restaurant called Oscar’s. We served British and Welsh cuisine, I worked a lot with rabbit, duck, and other traditional ingredients.

What’s the first thing you learned to cook really well? Bolognese

What is your favourite thing to cook? Sunday roast with all the fixins! I go all out!

Who is your greatest culinary inspiration? Thomas Kellar, of course.

What did you have for breakfast today? At 11 am I had a Turkish Kabab on pita.

Is there any food that you won’t even try? Nope

What is the best meal you have ever had? And what about the worst? Best meal was Per Se in NYC, it was a 14 course tasting menu and I was blown away! I’m not one to remember the worst meals, if something isn’t to my liking I just see potential.

If you have a day off, do you cook at home? For sure! All the time

Burlington restaurant you haven’t tried yet but want to? Spencers at the Waterfront.

What’s the biggest piece of advice you can give a young, aspiring chef? Keep your head down and listen

If you could cook for anyone, past or present, who would it be for and what would you make? Gordon Ramsay, satisfying him would be super gratifying.  I’d serve him Beef Tenderloin with parsnip and white chocolate.