Chef Devan Rajkumar

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“My goal is to elevate your relationship with food and experience flavours that question your very existence.”

He is a travelled culinary artist, mercilessly innovating to curate the ultimate food experiences. His intention? To take a foodie from, “That’s delicious, to “Oh man!”

Our Classic Man is a young chef-turned-media personality. The world has become his kitchen, and he has spent a month in India travelling across the country, meeting cookbook authors, training with home chefs and eating at famous restaurants. While he was in Dubai, he worked with a truffle dealer and shot segments using desert truffles on a yacht. He ate his way through Scotland, France, Italy, and Switzerland, as well as spending a month in London, where he was able to take part in a live cooking demo at Burrough Market. What was special about that was that he used to visit it every few years when he was a child. He also spent a month in Peru, where he worked in a cevicheria for two weeks, and took some time to travel to Machu Picchu.

You can catch him on CityLine, and as the host of the Chef Collection, holding competitions across Canada. He finds different ways in which he can give back to his community, one with the BLUE BIRD, “A food and art thing,” which raises non-perishable food items for the various food banks in Toronto, and spreads awareness about the joy of food-based art. Another venture of his is teaming up with larger charities to serve others in need; he assisted in organizing a fundraiser for Shelterbox Canada.

He is dedicated to his craft as a culinary food expert, and it is his passion and ambition that make him one of the best in the industry. He is committed to perfection and displays his love for food when he is: demonstrating for the public, competing in live culinary challenges, working the line at a restaurant, catering high-end events, food styling, and of course cooking for his family when he gets the time.

I was extremely excited when I found out that I was going to have the chance to interview the man that makes some pretty good Jerk Chicken, especially because he is not Jamaican. I would like to take this time to introduce to the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper readers, someone who is doing our community proud, the one and only Chef Devan Rajkumar.

Smokey Jerk Chicken

• 1 tbsp tamarind concentrate
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 4 scallion
• 2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• 2 tbsp thyme
• 1/2 nutmeg
• 2 scotch bonnet
• 1 cup fresh pineapple
• 3 tbsp sugar

I had heard so many great things about Chef Devan, I wasn’t even sure where to begin. I figured I would just have him start from the very beginning.

“I was born in North York General, and both of my parents were born in Guyana. They immigrated here in the 70’s, and my brother and I were raised here in Canada. My brother passed away a few years ago, but I want to honour him in my story later. He is a big part of my culinary journey.

Food played an important role in my life. I spent a lot of time with my grandmother because my parents had to work really hard. While she was taking care of us, we would sit on the floor in her apartment and grate coconut.

I think it also helped that my mom was a great cook as well. We would visit Vishnu Mandir Temple (Richmond Hill), and I would do a lot of cooking there. I was around eight, nine, or ten years old. There was something special about food. It brought people together. It was amazing experiencing new cuisines. My brother enjoyed sampling different foods, and he would take me to all these different places.

I was always open to all foods. I would always want to try things before I knocked them. He took me to a place called Salad King (Young & Dundas) that was my introducing to Tai food.”

In his early 20’s, Devan was jumping around, and for some reason, nothing was panning out. He was doing different jobs, but they did not lead anywhere. At the age of twenty-four, Devan decided he was going to go to culinary school.

“That is when I discovered my joy. It didn’t feel like school anymore. Up until then, I didn’t have the mind-set that I could follow in that path. My parents were very successful in the business industry, and like many Caribbean parents: law, medicine, and business, were the career paths most admired.

Regardless, my parents were very supportive. They saw my passion for food, and for cooking. I was always in the kitchen asking questions.

When I was in culinary school at George Brown College in Toronto, I did my internship with the Food Dudes. They own many restaurants, and I am still an ambassador for them. I guess you could consider me one of the originals. This is when I was exposed to world cuisines; now I had a chance to not only sample but to cook different and distinctive cuisine.”

In 2014, Devan started filming CityLine with Tracey Moore, and eight years later he has become a staple on the show. He explains that while it is amazing to have such success, getting there was not easy.

“Paying dues in the restaurant and hospitality industry can be very challenging. It is very cutthroat, and it involves a lot of heavy lifting. There can be a lot of anxiety, a lot of stress. As a chef, you are responsible for creating a great product, and getting it out to the customer in a short amount of time.

Those first few years, I was a yes man. I would do pop up shops, charity events, where only a few people would show up. I have made many mistakes in my life, but I don’t make them more than once. I would show up places to cook, and things wouldn’t be what were explained. There were definitely some difficult times. I would sometimes work from 10:00 am -12:00 pm at night.

No risk, no reward. If I didn’t take those chances, I wouldn’t get what I wanted. People don’t see the failures as much as they see the rewards.”

To close our interview, I asked Devan what he does in his free time, and what we can look out for in the near future.

“A big part of my life is eating out, he tells me. “It allows me to network with other people in the industry. Part of my rest and relaxation is eating out. Exercise is another big part of my life. I go to the gym, and I play squash. I also practice self-care. Self-care is important.

I am currently gearing up to film a documentary about my travel in Guyana, and I just teamed up with Canadian (Toronto-based) brand Just Soup to craft two world-inspired heat-to-serve soups – Bombay Tomato and Island Sweet Potato. 

They are made with fresh, natural ingredients. The Chef Dev x Just Soup collection is NOW available on shelves at all Sobeys’ locations across Canada.

To add a life to your cuisine, or just to stay up on Chef Devan’s latest creations, you can visit him at https://www.chefdev.ca/.