I recently received an invite from the lovely folks at Coach to an event at the Coach store on Bloor in Toronto to celebrate the launch of Gail Simmons’ book .Gail of course is a judge on Top Chef, the host of Top Chef: Just Desserts and Special Projects Director at Food & Wine. It also so happens that Gail hails from the T-Dot aka Toronto. Since I a.) love Top Chef and b.) love a hometown success story I was excited to not only read Gail’s book but also to meet her.
“Talking With My Mouth Full” is the story of how Gail got to be where she is today. After graduating from university she had no idea what to do next. A family friend suggested that she write down what she loves to do and use that to guide her. What did Gail write down? Eat. Write. Travel. Cook. Funny enough, that’s exactly where her journey has taken her. As someone who often stops to ask myself what the heck I’m doing with my life and who loves all things food and media, I find Gail’s journey fascinating. In addition to her current roles with Top Chef and Food & Wine, Gail has also worked as an assistant to Vogue’s Jeffrey Steingarten and worked for Daniel Boulud.
The more I read the book the more I totally loved Gail. I can totally relate to her and parts of her journey. Reading about her time interning at magazines, that’s me! When she talks about living in Toronto and how everyone leaves for school but like 95% of people come back, I totally get that. When she talks about why she wanted to move to NYC and the fact that she actually made it happen, I get that. How she was able to move to NYC and work for some top names that wouldn’t have even imagine, totally me. I do not however relate to her story about being 6 and getting wasted on wine. It’s one of the funniest stories that ends with this… “I don’t remember much else abut the experience, but then again, I was six and I was drunk.” Hilarious!
The Coach event was very intimate and informal which allowed me and Mardi from Eat.Live.Travel.Write to have a lovely chat with Gail. Through the power of Gail actually recognized me from my picture and knew that Mardi was a teacher. Clearly she does not employ a ghosttweeter (yup, I just made up that word). We talked about our blogs, her book, Toronto and of course food! She was incredibly lovely, looked great and was totally cool with answering a few questions for the blog.
Which brings me to…
4 Questions with Gail Simmons
1. What’s it like promoting your own book vs. Top Chef or your other endeavours ?
Totally different experience. When I started writing this book something hit me, I realized that this was the first thing that I’ve done in my life alone, with just my name on it. You work at Food & Wine magazine and you have a whole magazine of people, you’re just part of the team. You work on Top Chef and there’s a hundred of us in some way shape or form working as a team.
This is me. My name’s on the door. If it sucks, no one is taking the blame but me! No one’s going to be like ‘oh that publishing house’. No it’s just me, alone, there I am. So it was really intimidating actually, a lot of weight, it made me very fearsome. In the end I feel like I handed in a project that I was really proud of even though I had an amazingly short time to write it, and of course two days later I wanted to change everything. But you know, I’m proud of the outcome and it feels good because it’s personal. I also didn’t have to learn anything for it, it’s my story. It’s all there, it’s all in my head, so it’s a very easy thing to talk about.
2. What are some of your fave food memoir type books that may have inspired you?
There’s a couple of really great memoirs that I’ve read. Peter Mayle’s stuff originally is really great. Gabrielle Hamilton’s ‘Blood, Bones & Butter’ was a really great, modern, excellent memoir. Anthony Bourdain, although I would not say I was inspired by him in everyy way. He and I worked together a lot and spent a lot of time together, and traveled a lot together and we talked about that stuff a lot. I would say he would never call himself a chef anymore. He’s really not. Yes he was at one point but he left the kitchen and …his experience and my experience are in some ways similar but obviously the outcome was very different. But ultimately we found writing about food to be the way we wanted to be in the world of food instead of cooking. But there are some similarities there, although his time in the kitchen was a little crazier than mine!
3 Do you have any “must eats” when in Toronto?
I do have a few although there are so many restaurants that I keep a list for when I’m here that I never get to eat at. Let’s see… I do love The Drake, the chef there I’ve known for a very long time, Anthony Rose. Terroni is a classic Toronto restaurant that I love. Foxley is great. Origin is a beautiful restaurant that I’ve eaten at a few times that I think is really great and really fun. I don’t know if it’s still open but one of my favourite places to eat breakfast used to be this little place in the Annex on Lippincot Street called Aunties & Uncles, I used to love that place! I haven’t been back in about 10 years. Woodlot, Caplansky’s , all very good food places.
4. What would you be doing now if you weren’t doing what you’re currently doing?
Like if I could do anything else and wasn’t in the food industry? I would want to be a zoologist. I’d want to work with animals. Maybe a primatologist, I really like monkeys. [Tonya’s note: Guys, she likes monkeys. This SLAYS me!]
Thanks to the folks at Coach I have an AUTOGRAPHED copy of to give away to a lucky reader (in Canada or the United States). Here’s how you can enter…
1. Leave a comment letting me know what you’re likely eating if you get caught talking with your mouth full.
2. BONUS entry: Follow me on Twitter () and tweet the following “Thanks to @wontonfm I entered to win Gail Simmons’ book #MouthFull and you can too http://bit.ly/w8xeqY !”
3. BONUS entry #2: Like What’s On My Plate on Facebook and say hello.
IMPORTANT: For the bonus entries please come back and comment to let me know if you tweeted or facebooked.
The contest closes on Sunday, March 25 at 11:59PM ET and is open only to residents with a shipping address in Canada or the United States.
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This is fun!
If I were to get caught talking with my mouth full, it’s likely because I’m eating something delicious in an informal setting. So perhaps gelato or frozen yogurt while out for a stroll with friends?
Mouthful? It might just be fresh bread! 😀
Probably a nice homemade soup or salad!
If I were caught talking with my mouthful it would with the best corn ice cream ever at Cones Ice Cream Artisans in NYC!
I would be caught talking with my mouth full with pizza! Usually, I would be scarfing it down because I would be starving and wouldn’t care if I had my mouth full.
Rowena
Tonya…I tweeted for the bonus entry.
Rowena
If my mouth is full it’s usually filled with a dessert of some sort. Donuts, muffins, cakes…
Probably a cheeseburger!
If caught talking with my mouth full I would most likely be eating a snack of edamame. It’s my total favourite!
Hi Tonya! I tweeted!
Likely a mouth full of yummy Chicken breast.
Oh man it’s definitely a big bowl of cereal – ALL the time at work!
Obviously a freshly baked Cinnabon from the nearest mall!
When I am caught talking with my mouth full I’m enjoying a lovely pasta dish and having a spirited dinner with friends.
If I’m caught eating with my mouth full – it’s usually a delicious meal at home – steak and potatoes seem to be a go-to for us!
dee.thomson[at]hotmail.com
Tweeted:
Facebooked as Danielle Thomson
I’m most likely eating ice cream if I get caught talking with my mouth full. Yum! Thanks for the great contest.
Tweeted here:
Thanks!
My mouth would be full with….chips (especially honey dijon!)
I facebooked too!
Lately it would be fresh veggies and dip.
Tweeted and FBed!
Likely eating something delish when I’m out to dinner with friends. Lots of talking and eating at the same time. LOL
If caught with my mouth full talking, I’d probably be eating some peanut butter.
Caught talking with my mouth full? That must have been ages ago, when I was a kid and did not have a care in the world. I do miss those Halcyon days …
Followed and Tweeted
Liked What’s On My Plate on Facebook and said hello
It’s most likely I’m eating chocolate if I’m talking with my mouth full
I liked What’s on my Plate on Facebook and made a comment.
I’d probably be eating fudge brownies!
Pretty much anything dessert related. Like a flaky apple pastry.
If I were caught talking with my mouth full, it would probably be full of something sweet! Pies, Cakes, Cookies… you name it!
If I’ve been caught with my mouth full, I’m likely eating a pain au chocolat from La Bamboche in Toronto. It’s crispy, chewy and extremely flaky with delicious chocolate in the middle. It’s impossible not to talk about how good it is while you’re eating it! P.S Pardon the flakes of pastry flying out of my mouth:) Great contest! @savvari – Sandy Avvari
I also tweeted!
@savvari
I am most likely going to have something sweet in my mouth!! I have a real sweet tooth.
I get caught munching on fruit!!!!
I’m hopefully slurping back an oyster if I’m caught talking with my mouth full…
I’m probably always caught with my mouth full when I’m eating something really good. I get excited and can’t wait to tell others about it!
I’d likely be caught eating something sweet – I have a major love for all things cakey!
I re-tweeted about your contest! The3Andersons
I liked you on Facebook and said HELLO!
When I’m caught it is almost always something with pork in it. I cannot wait to swallow the food to tell people how delicious it is.
chips – because I grab too many at once!
Pasta! The answer would definitely be pasta.
biscuits!
I’m following you and I tweeted:
Liked facebook page and said hello
I’m usually caught with rice in my mouth