Bookshelf

Canadians Should’ve Done Their Homework Before Protesting Coco

Photo: Courtesy of Phaidon

A funny thing about Coco, the forthcoming Phaidon book wherein ten of the world’s leading chefs each pick ten of their favorite rising culinary stars: Remember when Canadian chefs signed a petition protesting the fact that none of their compatriots were included in the book? Well, they didn’t succeed in getting any Canadian chefs added to the roster, but now that we’ve gotten a finished copy in our hands (it comes out November 15) and we’ve perused the bios, it turns out there were two Canucks in it all along! Something, it seems, the chefs who signed the petition never picked up on. You’d think such staunch advocates of the Canadian culinary scene would’ve known that Anna Hansen of the Modern Pantry in London was born in Montreal. (Fergus Henderson singled her out for inclusion in the book). And Hugh Acheson, a favorite of Mario Batali’s, started his career in his native Ottawa (he’s now the chef at the National, Five & Ten, and Gosford Wine in Athens, Georgia). As another product of Ottawa once said: “Isn’t it ironic?”

Canadians Should’ve Done Their Homework Before Protesting Coco