The binding power of food is beyond dispute or compare. Families gather in communal culinary bliss, old wounds can be healed while breaking bread. It’s the answer and the cure, to many of our woes. And boy, don’t we Newfoundlanders and Labradorians know it.

Our province, and it’s vibrant and ever-booming culinary scene, are a natural fit for spotlight and promotion, making the announcement that the latest season of Food Network Canada’s Big Food Bucket List touching down on our shores a wildly welcome one. 

Hosted by renowned comedian and noted foodie John Catucci, Big Food Bucket List takes viewers on an epic, coast-to-coast journey, spotlighting buzz-worthy, crazy, delicious food that demands to be featured on any food enthusiast’s bucket list. 

In each episode, Catucci visits the restaurants behind these must-eat meals and hits the kitchen to learn how the chefs make their mind-blowing creations. 

This season, Catucci and co. touched down at three notable NL eateries: Mallard Cottage, The Grounds Cafe and Seto Kitchen + Bar.

“I think there’s a certain personality trait that almost all chefs have, which is I need to feed you. This is what I have to do. I have to feed these people. I have to make them feel good. And then add the hospitality that exists in everybody in Newfoundland, it’s kind of ridiculous, right? It really is like no other part of the country,” Catucci shared in a sitdown with The Herald in advance of the season premiere.

‘Most beautiful thing’

“We had such a great time in St. John’s this year. We travelled around so much, got to drive around the coast and stuff. And it’s just honestly one of the most beautiful places in the country. You turn a corner and you’re like, OK, that’s the most beautiful thing. And then you drive another half hour and you’re like, No, no, that’s the most beautiful thing I ever saw. Just the cliffs and the water. Also, especially when you come to St. John’s, people are like, it’s not just a city, it’s a home. 

“So you come to the city and people are like, ‘Oh no, this is my house now, and I’m going to show you off and I’m going to show this house off and I’m going to make sure you’re well-fed and your drink is always full’ and there’s always a party happening and there’s always music and there’s always a fun time. And we felt it. We felt that this trip for sure.”

The latest batch of episodes kicked off on April 2nd, with Catucci visiting award-winning Quidi Vidi based establishment Mallard Cottage, owned and operated by celebrated chef Todd Perrin.

“What Todd Perrin is doing at Mallard is taking those classic Newfoundland dishes and then just going, ‘Oh no, this is not just a dish we’ve thrown together. We thought about this’. This is serious cuisine that we’re having,” Catucci teased, joking that, even upon a re-watch of classic Big Food Bucket List episodes, he finds himself salivating at the mere sight of the tantalizing eats thrown down by some of the best chefs in Canada and beyond.

“There’d be times where I’ll be watching the show and I’ve eaten the food already and I’m like, ‘Oh, that looks really good. I’m really hungry right now!’ And I was like ‘You just ate this!’ It’s so weird that I see myself eating the food and going, ‘Oh man, that was good. I should have some more of that.’”

Catucci, a longtime celebrated comedian and all-around lovable entertainer, admits candidly that he’s no master in the kitchen, but his connection to people – and an ever-loving passion for food – made his foray into hosting a no-brainer.

“When the producers first came to me, they were looking for somebody who could just shoot the breeze with people, have fun and just improvise pretty much, right? Just go with the flow. They weren’t looking for a chef. They wanted somebody who could just have fun and not take themselves too seriously. And I do that. That’s me. I can do that,” he joked. 

‘Eating our feelings’

“Being in the moment and listening, I really love that part of the job, the interview part. I really dig it. Getting to know people and figuring out their history and how they got here and how this dish was inspired by something their grandmother made or their aunt made, their mom or their dad made. It’s such great stories that are attached to food. And there’s so much love that’s attached to food as well. 

“We’re always eating our feelings, you know? Hopefully it’s for good and not for bad stuff. Food is such an amazing thing that brings so many people together, right? It’s a huge thing. There’s so many dishes that are so similar in so many different cultures, you can speak to that or this reminds you of something that you had. 

“Also, I feel like food is like true time travel. You take a bite of something and you’re just transported back to a moment in space, in a feeling. And I really love that.”

What can viewers expect from our very own local culinary hotspots, as well as the rest of Catucci’s bucket list chase this season? Mouth-watering dishes, naturally, but also a salute and warm hug of the power of food and the industry that has gritted its proverbial teeth and rolled with the punches during the global pandemic.

“I’m very happy, very proud of (the show) and also being able to showcase restaurants, especially right now during all of this,” Catucci admits. 

“On a normal day running a restaurant is tough. I can’t even imagine what people are going through and how many restaurants didn’t make it. And that’s really sad. 

“I grew up in restaurants, my uncles owned restaurants. My dad worked in a restaurant. I’ve been around that. I saw how families were fed.

“So seeing that love and the time and effort, and all of it that goes into running a restaurant on a regular day, and then add this unprecedented thing that we had to go through, that we’re still going through, it’s shocking and sad. But I’m hoping that our show can help showcase restaurants and bring some eyes, and some mouths, to those places. That’s really good.”

Catch all new episodes of Big Food Bucket List on Food Network Canada Saturdays at 8 PM ET/930 PM in Newfoundland 

Three Newfoundland and Labrador based culinary establishments will be featured on the new season of Food Network Canada’s Big Food Bucket List. 

Hosted by renowned comedian and noted foodie John Catucci, Big Food Bucket List takes viewers on an epic, coast-to-coast journey, spotlighting buzz-worthy, crazy, delicious food that demands to be featured on any food enthusiast’s bucket list. 

In each episode, Catucci visits the restaurants behind these must-eat meals and hits the kitchen to learn how the chefs make their mind-blowing creations. 

This season, Catucci and co. touched down at three notable NL eateries: Mallard Cottage, The Grounds Cafe and Seto Kitchen + Bar.

“I think there’s a certain personality trait that almost all chefs have, which is I need to feed you. This is what I have to do. I have to feed these people. I have to make them feel good. And then add the hospitality that exists in everybody in Newfoundland, it’s kind of ridiculous, right? It really is like no other part of the country,” Catucci shared in a sitdown with The Herald in advance of the season premiere.

The new season of Big Food Bucket List premieres on Food Network Canada this Saturday at 8 PM ET/930 PM in Newfoundland. Pick up our full feature with Catucci and Big Food Bucket List in our April 10-16 issue, on stands this Monday!

Chef Todd Perrin is well known in this province. As Executive Chef and Co-Owner of Mallard Cottage in Quidi Vidi Village, as well as at WaterWest Kitchen & Meats in St. John’s, Perrin has been serving up delicious traditional tastes of home using local ingredients in non-traditional ways. 

Perrin has long been known for using the bounty available in the great Newfoundland outdoors – both on land and at sea – to create menus that delight and inspire. He isn’t one to shy away from the spotlight. In its first year, 2014, Mallard Cottage was recognized by enRoute Magazine as one of the “Top Ten Best New Restaurants in Canada.” 

In 2019, Mallard Cottage was recognized as one of Canada’s top eateries, coming in at No. 17 on Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants. 

All-star

Chef Perrin himself is a celebrity at home and abroad, competing on Food Network Canada’s Top Chef Canada and Top Chef Canada’s All-Stars and was a judge in season one of Wall of Chefs. Now Perrin is back and better than ever for season two of the show that pits home chefs against one another for a grand prize of $10,000. 

So, what’s better? Competing or judging? Perrin laughs. That’s an easy one, he opened. 

“Obviously, despite my career sweating it out, being judged by people by choice is far down the list for me. I do that every day in the restaurant business, so when I get asked to go on television, I prefer to not have to do what I have to do every day at work,” he laughed. 

These television gigs, he continued, are as much about having fun as they are about educating others. “I think there’s a lot of fun to be had on (Wall of Chefs) and when you gather with other chefs from across the country, whom I respect greatly as trailblazers, then I’m just happy to be part of that culinary scene.”

The camaraderie and the experiences and the conversations he is blessed to have are amazing, he added. “The other things – the tips we share and the critiques we make – are beneficial to us chefs individually as well as to those competing and anyone at home watching,” he said.

Part of our Family

Wall of Chefs Season Two premiered on Food Network Canada on Jan. 3rd and back for another round of hosting is Noah Cappe, plus a Wall of 12 Canadian culinary giants. Intimidating? Yes. Exciting? Heck ya!

Where did Perrin acquire his love of food? 

“I grew up in a in a pretty traditional Newfoundland household where mom and dad cooked every day. Our meals were not take out fast food. Cooking and eating was something that was always important to our family, and I think it’s just something that I carried into my professional life as I got older.”

Since he’s returned for season two, we ask what it is that fans love about him. 

“I guess it starts with the land you were taken from. That Newfoundland sensibility, the way we describe things. Plus, my personality. We’re on the show to educate home cooks, to educate people watching at home, but it’s also the entertainment side and that’s not lost on me. If you can describe something in a way that’s interesting or a little bit off color or a little bit different then obviously that’s something that’s valuable.”

We ask about being in the food business in these COVID times. You take the good with the bad, Perrin shared. 

“I would say it’s just always nice to have anybody come to the restaurant. If someone who’s well known comes and enjoys it and gives us a plug, that’s obviously beneficial for us, but our customers are our family. Whether you’re famous or not we treat everybody the same.”

Grateful for Everyone

Perrin treats his businesses the same as he’d treat his home: all are more than welcome. “We’ve been lucky that (Mallard) is a destination that people want to come visit … so we have had the good fortunate to have some high fliers dine with us, but having your grandma down for brunch is just as important. That’s kind of our legacy and we’re fortunate and grateful anytime anyone sits at one of our tables.”

Wall of Chefs Season two airs Mondays on Food Network Canada. NL’s own Todd Perrin can be seen on episodes airing January 17th, February 7th and February 21st

Mallard Cottage’s Todd Perrin is no stranger to planning for Valentine’s Day, though as a chef it’s not often a day spent making his own romantic plans for two. 

“I’m usually working on Valentine’s Day, but the thing I love generally is about sharing. Maybe a Caesar salad for two, Chateaubriand for two, or any dish you could share with a loved one. Sharing food is a great act of love, but whatever you like to do, do it with someone you love. That’s always the way to go,” he advises wisely. 

Perrin, hands filled to overflowing with not only Mallard Cottage but with Waterwest Kitchen and Meats as well, can add another feather to his chef’s cap. 

Having appeared as a contestant (twice) on Top Chef Canada, Perrin now proudly makes his debut as a judge on Food Network Canada’s newest series, Wall of Chefs. 

THE ULTIMATE TEST

The show, hosted by Carnival Eats’ Noah Cappe, features home chefs preparing meals under the watchful eye of world-class chefs with one grand prize of $10,000 at stake. 

Wall of Chefs puts amateur cooks to the ultimate test as they battle in a state-of-the-art kitchen under the towering shadow and watchful eye of “The Wall” – comprised of a revolving panel of Canada’s most notable chefs, including Perrin. 

We ask Perrin “to dish” on the experience. “It was a fun thing to do and it was good to be on the other end of things for a change. I’ve done a couple of things where I get judged, so this was nice for a change,” he shares.

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So, what does he think he brought to the table? He pauses. “My view of food and my view of how someone can accomplish a task. And encouragement. I try to point out some things that each contestant did well and the things that they didn’t do well.”

His approach was all about striking a balance, he shared, especially because he was judging non-professional chefs. 

“Judgment is a tough thing. You don’t want, particularly with home cooks, to be too hard on someone. But at the same time, it is a competition. So someone’s got to win the money. So you’ve got to take it seriously.” 

We ask if he felt being from Newfoundland made his voice any more unique. 

A DIFFERENT TAKE

“Being a Newfoundlander and living here on the island, we’ve got a different take on things than people from other parts of Canada. For one thing, there’s our sense of fun. I tried to be as entertaining as I could and add a little bit of Newfoundland humour. I tried to inject who we are, and who I am, without affecting how I judged the food.”

Perrin emphasizes that he’s all about encouraging everyone to take a leading role in their own kitchens. 

“One of the sad things about the world today is people don’t cook at home very much anymore, not like they used to. When we were growing up, our moms and dads cooked at home. That’s something that’s really been lost in some ways, though we’re kind of rediscovering it. So it’s always a joy for me to see people who do give it a go in the kitchen in their own homes,” he says. 

And the contestants he judged on Wall of Chefs, what perhaps surprised him most was how prepared they were. 

Perrin recalls when he first appeared on Top Chef Canada as a contestant. 

“I was nervous. And I was a professional cook. I’d been cooking for years. And these guys come on, and they’re ready. They’re not nervous. They’re fired up because they’ve been watching food competitions on TV most of their life. They know what to expect. It was really interesting to see how prepared they were and that blew my mind, to be honest.”

We ask if he picked up any tips or tricks, anything he’d be bringing back home. He laughs. 

“What I learned was the high skill level that some people have. And how the love of food is not as absent from home cooking as I had thought.”

He adds he was hit, “like a tonne of bricks” by the burden at times. 

“Sometimes I feel the pressure, being on the judging side. You have to learn to give a critique in that kind of environment in a positive way and then make a decision that could affect someone walking away with ten thousand dollars.”  

AN ADDED PRESSURE

And, Perrin teases, judging other Newfoundlanders may have added an element of pressure, too. “I won’t say specifically if there were contestants from Newfoundland but I think everyone knows you can’t make great TV in Canada without Newfoundlanders.” 

Now that the show is in the rearview, Perrin says he’s excited for the country to see what the other judges and the contestants worked so hard on together. 

“I always work hard at whatever I do and I never turn down new opportunities that I feel I’ll be proud of.”