Chatto Dept: Mr. Chatto was once described by Toronto Life as a “dining columnist.” In reality, Mr. Chatto was a translator, communicating chefs’ increasingly sophisticated ideas to diners. He occupied an ambiguous place between critic and restaurant insider, a quasi-reviewer with close relationships with chefs and no pretensions of anonymity, according to Globe And Mail. In 1987, when Mr. Chatto arrived to Toronto from London via Greece, there were few significant chefs to befriend. The list of interesting restaurants was short: Centro, Prego, Scaramouche, most notably. Torontonians were adjusting, slowly, to dining concepts such as eating local produce and cooking with olive oil. The Internet hadn’t yet brought together the city’s foodies. In that vacuum, his column became essential reading. Nathan Isberg, who worked as chef at Czehoski and Coca before opening The Atlantic in April, says, “James was able to contextualize what a chef was doing better than anyone. He understood chefs’ intentions, and could communicate that to diners.” The news, which rippled through the city’s food and media worlds, left some of the city’s leading chefs distressed. After nearly a quarter-century of supportive, richly detailed columns, Mr. Chatto’s voice would be tough to replace. “James wasn’t a critic,” says Chris McDonald of the midtown tapas restaurant Cava. “He was a champion of the industry.” As
reported in the news.
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@t sophisticated ideas, close relationships
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