Chef Adam Hynam-Smith in Chefs #LoveCDNBeef

The first time I meet  Chef Adam Hynam-Smith, our next Chef in the Chefs #LoveCDNBeef series, he was leaning up against a food truck in the Distillery District at the first Food Truck Eats event. That may have been the last time I saw him standing still.

I was there early taking photos and “helping”, so when he offered me a sample, I turned it down. I figured it wasn’t really fair to sample early.  I was a fool!

Within 15 minutes the line up for  El Gastrónomo Vagabundo, the food truck he runs with his partner Tamara Jensen, was huge!

People were raving about the dishes they were serving. With dishes named Buddha Belly, Guiseppe Tacos and Kim Jong Illin’ Korean BBQ Wings, I should have known better than wait. I got in line just in time, since I got the last serving of their wings and one each of everything else.

I was able to get to know Adam and Tamara better as our social circles started intersecting more, and when I was invited to the airing of the El Gastronomo episode of Eat  St. it was impressive to see what Adam could do with a full size, non-mobile kitchen.

I was blown away by the delicacy of what he did with powerful flavours and how skillfully Adam melds cultures, flavours, techniques and ingredients.

I was delighted when he agreed to be one of the Chefs participating in Chefs #LoveCDNBeef, and you will be too when I show you the amazing dish he sent it tomorrow!

For now, learn take a moment to learn a little bit about this Chef who runs his kitchen on wheels!

Quick Fire Questions:

What is your favourite cut of Canadian Beef?
Ribeye

How do you like your steak?
Medium rare

Your favourite seasoning to use with beef?
Crunchy salt, anchovy butter, and a wedge of lemon

Who else does beef right, i.e. what is best restaurant to order Canadian beef (any style)?
Matty Matheson at Parts and Labour

What is your best kitchen tip for working with Canadian Beef?
Dry age your beef in your refrigerator; rest your meat before serving it

What do you put on your burger?
Beetroot, fried egg, pineapple, caramelized onions, bacon, tomato, lettuce, and cheese

Do you have a specific butcher, farm or vendor you go to get your Canadian Beef?
Highland packers in Stony Creek

Your favourite side dish to go with a nice roast?
Yorkshire pudding

What do you drink with beef?
A cold beer

What is the most adventurous beef dish you’ve seen, made or eaten?
Not the most adventurous, but the most memorable was braised beef shank eaten on the street in Bangkok

A bit more about Adam:

Adam Hynam-Smith is Chef and Co-owner of El Gastrónomo Vagabundo, Ontario’s first gourmet street food truck.  Nicknamed “El Gastró”, Adam’s truck was recently featured on the Food Network’s Eat St., and his menu has been dubbed the best street food in Ontario.  Adam also appears as a new Chef/Co-Host on Food Network Canada’s hit series Restaurant Takeover.  Hynam-Smith’s pioneering chef techniques have garnered him a reputation for reshaping the standard street food cuisine in Ontario.  According to Acquired Taste Magazine, “what Momofuku master chef David Chang is to New York, El Gastrónomo Vagabundo is to Toronto’s food truck culture”.

Hynam-Smith was raised in the historic gold mining regions of Central Victoria, Australia.  Childhood lessons on the importance of community, friends, and food, stayed with Adam when he moved to Melbourne to train under some of the best chefs in Australia, including Cath Claringbold and Jacques Reymond.  Since 2006, Adam has been traveling the globe, cooking in Morocco, France, England, Thailand, and now, Canada.

Adam is a passionate believer in knowing where his food comes from and the people that supply it. His cuisine draws on his global experiences, with flavours from Southeast Asia, North Africa, the Mediterranean, and of course, Australia.

Ultimately, Adam’s inspiration comes from what he was taught as a boy: food should be shared and enjoyed in an inspired setting with good company.

You can find out more about Chef Adam Hynam-Smith on www.elgastro.com  or follow him @EVGAdam and @elgastronomo

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Note: this post is the third in my Chefs #LoveCDNBeef on unsweetened.ca series and Canadian Beef Brand Ambassador series.  For more information on my relationship with Canada Beef Inc read about my Foodie Adventure: I’m a Canadian Beef Brand Ambassador. #LoveCdnBeef and my disclosure statement