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THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS
cjnews.com
July 2, 2009
And now for something completely different:
Toronto chef cooks up new role for TV
By ANDY LEVY-AJZENKOPF
C
Staff Reporter
hef Ezra Title hadn’t planned on
becoming a TV celebrity. But with
the première of his new show The
Healthy Gourmet, on July 4 at 7:30
p.m. on the new VIVA network, he’ll
do just that.
A Jewish Toronto native – Title attended Leo
Baeck Day School and then went to Forest Hill Collegiate Institute – he
has spent the last
decade creating and
serving scrumptious
fare to clients, using
techniques learned at
the sides of master
chefs across North
America.
Though he favours
French and Italian
cooking, like any good
chef worth his salt,
so to speak, Title is
adept at all forms of
gastronomy.
Good thing, too.
Because he’s being put
to the test this year Ezra Title helps a Healthy
as the chef in The Gourmet participant.
Healthy Gourmet , [Corus Entertainment photo]
alongside his
co-host, Toronto nutritionist Julie Daniluk.
The show’s premise pits Title against Daniluk
on a episodic basis, as they try to teach select
women’s groups – from women’s hockey teams
to a group of women anglers – how to make their
meals more delicious (Title’s job), while simultaneously increasing their nutritive value.
Speaking to Heebonics during a break in filming
on a recent shoot in Toronto, Title said he thought
it would be challenging to jump into the world of
TV while still employing his culinary skills.
“I like to be involved in a range of things,” he
said. “This was something new to add to my repertoire. I’m completely out of my element. Cooking
on camera is different than cooking for real.”
Be that as it may, Title said he’s having a blast
filming this new show with the cast and crew, and
learning all the ways not to act on camera.
“I have something the director calls ‘Ezra
speak’… so I’m learning how to talk to the camera
and position myself,” he said. “My biggest challenge on screen is learning to be articulate and
eloquent [while] being direct, without stuttering
and pausing.”
Though the show is unscripted, Title said he’s
happy without the safety net of written dialogue,
preferring to banter with Daniluk and guests in his
natural, gregarious style.
Watching him film some short sequences, it
becomes obvious that when talking about food
preparation and selection, Title has a wealth of er’s markets in Toronto – the Don Valley Brick
knowledge and an inherent ability to communicate Works market and the Artscape Wychwood Barns
the joy of cooking to onlookers.
market, where he makes breakfasts for shoppers
“I can talk about cooking 24/7. It’s what I love,” and fellow vendors.
he said.
Growing up kosher, Title has also incorporated
Title first discovered he liked to cook after he his love for Jewish soul food with his own unique
first left home to attend McGill University.
twists to some standard Ashkenazi fare, such as
It was there, he said, that he realized he missed rosemary-tinged matzah balls and kugel with carahis mother’s Jewish home cooking. “I was used to melized onions.
good food,” he said, smiling, so he began reading
He still has Shabbat dinners every Friday. He
up on preparing his own meals.
and his wife, Elisse Peltz, recently welcomed their
He discovered he first child into the world.
liked the “instant
“My wife is my closest closest confidante,” Title
gratification” of creat- said, adding that she keeps him honest in his proing something edible fessional life. “She has an amazing palate. I run
with his own hands.
everything by her.”
Title warns aspiring
Title said for him, food isn’t just a job, “it’s a
cooks who think they lifestyle. It’s a part of my family’s life. I have an
can go from cooking a edible garden which I use at home.”
meal in their dorm to
In addition to working on The Healthy Gourmet
being a full-time, pro- and running his catering business, Title recently
fessional chef to think partnered with his wife on an initiative called Yo
again.
Dinna, which offers clients an evening of sampling
“ I r e c o m m e n d his gourmet creations, coupled with a yoga course
getting experience… given by Peltz, a yoga instructor.
[which] comes from
Working on the TV show with Daniluk has helped
working in a restau- him broaden his culinary horizons, Title admits.
rant,” he said.
“In my professional life, I don’t consider nutriTitle said he got his tion so much when I cook,” he said,” he said. “For
Ezra Title and and his start by cold-calling events [cooking], food has to taste as good as it
co-host, nutritionist Julie at restaurants and can. But in my personal life, I try to eat as nutrivolunteering to work tious as I can. I take a lot of what Julie says and
Daniluk
in order to gain expe- incorporate it in my diet.”
rience in the sector.
For more information about The
After obtaining his associates degree in the cu- Healthy Gourmet, visit www.myviva.ca/groups.
linary arts from the California Culinary Academy,
Title trained with some of the best
chefs in the world at well-known
restaurants such as New York’s
Restaurant Daniel and Blue Hill at
Stone Barns, and Jardiniere in San
Francisco.
He returned to Toronto in 2005
and began his own business, Chez
Vous Dining, after obtaining a
master of business administration
in hospitality tourism management
from Guelph University.
When he’s not on set, playfully
sparring with Daniluk, Title oversees
the daily operation of his catering
business.
Though he works anywhere from
10 to 18 hours a day and is “handson” in his business, Title said one
of his greatest joys is visiting the
various local farmer’s markets
around Toronto, where he sources
produce for his business.
“I look forward to spring every
year. I get excited by seeing all the
Ezra Title, left, and Julie Daniluk, far right, show a guest how
[Ontario] produce again,” he said.
Title also rents spots at two farm- to prepare a dish on Healthy Gourmet.
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