Exclusive dinner prepared by world-class chef to honour health care workers

Chef Patrick Kriss partners with Monogram to deliver a five-course meal prepared on the state-of-the-art Monogram Professional Range to thank frontline heroes

At the start of the pandemic, Canadians were standing on their front porches and balconies, banging pots and pans every night and cheering in support of health care workers as the novel coronavirus flipped the world as we knew it upside down.

A year and a half later, the fanfare is long gone, and yet health care workers are still going into work every day and dealing with the ongoing challenges of a global pandemic, not to mention the mental and physical exhaustion that comes with long hours and non-stop stress.

That’s why frontline health care workers took centre stage on Sept. 19 as acclaimed chef Patrick Kriss and his team from Alo, the country’s No. 1 restaurant as ranked by Canada’s 100 Best four years in a row, took over Toronto’s Monogram Design Centre and Cooking Studio to host an exclusive five-course dining experience. The dinner, which paid tribute to the contributions of health care workers throughout the pandemic, was prepared on the new Monogram Professional Range.

“Sacrifices like that have nothing to do with appliances, but it demonstrates the high standards we aspire to,” says Bob Park, chief brand officer for GE Appliances Canada. Monogram put a call-out through Toronto Life, asking Canadians to submit nominations for health care workers who went above and beyond during the pandemic, and who deserved a glamourous night out.

The hardest part, Park says, was choosing the attendees from the hundreds of nominations, since everyone was deserving. He recalls a few of the submissions: A cancer patient had nominated a nurse for her extra care and attention throughout the pandemic, even checking in on weekends during her time off. In another case, a doctor was nominated for his dedication to his job, even though it meant having to isolate himself from his wife and new baby at the start of the pandemic.

The event was also held to launch Monogram’s reimagined Professional Range, the next iteration of its flagship product. “The best professional range on the market should partner with the best chef,” Park says. “So there really was only one chef we had in mind for the launch: Patrick Kriss.”

Kriss is Canada’s most decorated chef, with experience working in some of the most prestigious kitchens in the world, including Michelinstarred Daniel in New York. He’s also the founder of Toronto’s esteemed Alo Food Group, which includes Alo, Aloette, Alobar Yorkville and Salon. Alo is considered one of Canada’s top restaurants and is one of the most exclusive spots in the country.

“When we launched our new range, we thought that one of the best ways to do something positive was to thank our health care workers,” Park says, “and you’re not going to get a better meal than one prepared by Patrick Kriss. So, we thought, why not treat some of those health care workers who’ve been nominated by their peers and their families for their outstanding work?”

Kriss pays extreme attention to detail, is an expert at his craft and has a commitment to perfection, much like Monogram, Park says. He sources only the best ingredients, similar to how Monogram requires an 18-month apprenticeship before working on the production line. That’s why, he says, the partnership was a perfect fit, since both chef and the appliance company share a passion for high-quality, luxury craftsmanship that elevates the art of cooking.

“I use Monogram at home and I love it. I wouldn’t use anything else so I’m so excited to have partnered with the brand,” Kriss says.

Kriss says he also felt honoured to be part of an event that gave back to health care workers. “They’ve worked countless hours, so we wanted to treat them to a good night and give them a vacation from their daily routine.”

The five-course meal was prepared on Monogram’s 48-inch Dual-Fuel Professional Range, which was the recipient of the Architectural Digest Great Design Award for excellence in craftsmanship and design. Monogram’s product lineup has also long been the choice of professional chefs, appearing in numerous national and international cooking competitions.

Every last detail of the reinvented Professional Range has been thoughtfully considered, from precision knobs created with brass accents, to such state-of-the-art materials as commercial-grade stainless steel and marine-grade bearings.

During the outdoor event at the Monogram Design Centre, under twinkling lights on a warm September evening, Kriss prepared an exclusive five-course dinner for the selected nominees on the new Professional Range. Health care workers were treated to an heirloom tomato salad, pasta course and beef tenderloin with maitake mushroom, scallion, beef fat vinaigrette and pain au lait, followed by a peach, labneh and lavender dessert. The dinner was served with Bisci Verdicchio di Matelica and Montirius ‘Le Cadet’ Grenache Syrah.

The flagship range is now available in Canada through select retailers, bringing the art of professional cooking into the home.

While the features are impressive, for the home chef it’s more than that. “People like the sense that they’re cooking on something quality, that they feel like a chef,” Kriss says. “I think it’s about more than [the fact] it gets really hot – but, when you actually use the range and get more confident with it, then you start to see the benefit of all its features.”

His favourite feature is the precision temperature control – and how easily the range maintains a precise temperature. “It’s every chef and food lover’s dream. I love that the Professional Range allows you to set exact temperatures on the burners, and that it maintains its heat while cooking. It makes everyday tasks like boiling water, caramelizing onions or searing a steak that much easier and you don’t need to worry about overcooking.”

The multi-stack brass burners are the most powerful and precise in the industry, delivering the perfect simmer or an intense flame. And precise oven modes automatically track cooking progress and adjust cook times, providing an unparalleled level of precision for the home chef.

“They elevate the simple things,” Kriss says. “And in fine dining, it’s the elevated simple things that make a big difference.”

In early 2020, Monogram revamped its product offering with the launch of two distinct collections: Minimalist and Statement. But due to industry-wide production challenges stemming from the pandemic, the launch of the flagship product from the Statement Collection – the Professional Range – was delayed.

“Our time to market with this product was delayed, partially due to the pandemic, but we’ve been working on it for about five years because we needed to make sure that it was absolutely perfect,” Park says. That meant consulting with industry professionals and coming up with features and technology that chefs such as Patrick would want in an appliance. “We needed to make sure that the product was truly groundbreaking.”

For example, the Professional Range introduces the TrueTemp™ gas burner, available on select models, which allows users to set and maintain a precise temperature, so they can dial in the perfect temperature to caramelize onions, sear a steak or sizzle scallops without overcooking.

“One thing you’ll notice about Monogram is it also looks good,” Park says. “With our Professional Range, we use brass, which has always had that timeless luxury, right back to the early 1900s.”

But these details are also highperforming. “It’s actually the most precise cooking instrument on the market today. It’s close to what a chef would use in their kitchen, but designed for your home.”

I use Monogram at home and I love it. I wouldn’t use anything else so I’m so excited to have partnered with the brand.”

Patrick Kriss Chef, founder of Toronto’s Alo Food Group