As easily overlooked as Toronto is compared to the bigger metropolises of the world, its rich and unique culture is undeniable.
Its culture, however, isn’t the countless sports teams that the city parades every other year, or the monumental tourist attractions on Yonge Street. It’s the food that truly defines Toronto.
The freshly baked Jamaican patties found in every other corner store, the upscale, fusion eateries that occupy every other street. Even the chain restaurants that live on Sankofa Square have their own place in Toronto’s history.
Food has, and always will be, a symbol of diversity that represents the countless communities that bring life to the city. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the same people who occupy Toronto hope to uplift the food that defines them.
However, it’s difficult to uplift your food and culture if the chance was never given in the first place. Within the restaurant world, people look up to food critics to learn what's new and fresh. Others look up to the advice of high-ranking French food guides... specifically, one that specializes in tire production.
This food guide only began recognizing Toronto restaurants in 2022, despite coming to North America in 2006. In an article by blogTO posted in 2021, Nora Vass, the director of Food and Travel Experiences, said that cost was a major factor as to why they avoided Canada.
As loaded as that response was, the restaurants they chose to award with, oh, you know, let's call these awards celestial badges of honour, in 2022 were far from what actually defines Toronto. Even though the guide is supposed to showcase high-end eateries, the food scene they uplifted was minimalist Japanese sashimi and contemporary French-Italian fusion.
This selection is far from an accurate depiction of the food in Toronto. The most recent celestial awards handed out in 2024 echo this concern: contemporary, Western cuisine with some minimalist Japanese sprinkled in.
Toronto food is far from Western cuisine and high-end Japanese cuisine. It’s rich in its diversity, which is showcased not just with its people, but in its food. To only showcase Italian and French cuisine, something that’s been uplifted for centuries, is a disservice to Toronto.
This French food ranking system also offers a guide for "cheap eats." Defined as affordable food with a “simpler style of cooking,” this guide is far from simple. The “simple food” in question consists of contemporary Indian cuisine, Chinese fusion, or Spanish-South African fusion.
Even worse, only one Black-owned restaurant is acknowledged by this guide, out of the hundreds in Toronto: Conejo Negro. ByBlacks Magazine writer, Marcus Medford, called out the French guide for only showcasing predominantly white restaurants, and received a response from an anonymous chief inspector.
“[It] was established in France, so it’s natural that there’s that perception, but our global selection of restaurants features nearly 200 cuisine types across more than 60 Guides,” they said.
Not only is the actual diversity snubbed off to the side, but it’s referred to as simple, cheap eats. What is the reality that differentiates the high-end French restaurants from the upscale Indian eateries?
Eurocentrism.
Maybe these food guides are an actual reflection of the issues in the food industry. Or maybe it’s just another excuse for entitled white men to look down on minorities.
