Summer is every chef's favourite season.

Markets overflow with colourful fruits and vegetables, herbs are bursting with flavour, and local farms are producing some of the freshest ingredients of the entire year.

At The Chef Upstairs, we believe great cooking starts with great ingredients. That's why so many of our summer cooking classes celebrate the incredible bounty of Ontario produce.

 

Ontario Tomatoes

Nothing compares to a vine-ripened Ontario tomato.

Juicy, naturally sweet, and packed with flavour, they're perfect for fresh bruschetta, Caprese salad, homemade salsa, gazpacho, or roasted pasta sauces.

 

Sweet Corn

Fresh-picked corn barely needs seasoning.

Grill it.

Roast it.

Turn it into chowder.

Add it to tacos, salads, pasta, or risotto.

Summer simply isn't complete without Ontario sweet corn.

 

Strawberries & Blueberries

Fresh berries transform desserts, salads, breakfasts, and cocktails.

Try them in:

Homemade shortcake

Fresh jams

Berry compote

Fruit salsa

Cheesecake

Summer parfaits

 

Fresh Herbs

Basil.

Mint.

Dill.

Parsley.

Chives.

Fresh herbs instantly brighten almost every dish.

They're inexpensive, easy to grow, and make restaurant-quality food at home.

 

Zucchini

One of the most versatile seasonal summer ingredients, zucchini can be grilled, roasted, stuffed, spiralized into noodles, or baked into muffins and cakes.

It's one ingredient that every summer kitchen should have.

 

Cook With the Seasons

When you choose local ingredients, you're choosing produce picked at its peak.

Better flavour.

Better nutrition.

Better value.

It's exactly what we teach during our cooking classes at The Chef Upstairs.

Learning to cook isn't just about recipes—it's about understanding ingredients and letting them shine.

*****

By Chef Julian Pancer, The Chef Upstairs