What's cooking at Thames Market this fall?

Grant Spencer, the new Executive Chef for Aramark at King’s, has spent 35 years working in the food industry in Canada, the United States, France and England. This fall however, he’ll be relying on feedback from the King’s community as much as his previous experience.

“Expect me to come over and sit down at your table and ask you about the food,” he says. “A big part of my job is to reach out to the community. Find out what their likes and dislikes are by having conversations and by having relationships with people that allow a conversation to continue.”

A key part of Spencer’s job is collecting data for sales at the Thames Market, then analyzing it to detect trends. Spencer says he’ll follow the trends, but not blindly, because what is popular one year may not be popular the next.

“If people don’t ask questions or challenge things, the status quo will continue. There’s nothing wrong with coming to the Thames Market and asking questions, providing feedback, and making suggestions,” he says. “I would rather the students and employees at King’s have too many good choices, with the decision (of what to eat) becoming more difficult because all options available are equally enticing.”

For many students, this will be the first time in their lives that they will be responsible for their own eating habits. “If we can introduce the students now to things like whole grains and alternative forms of protein, it will start to become a lifestyle choice. It’s okay to eat a hamburger and fries once in a while; it’s okay to eat pizza once in a while but your day-in, day-out diet needs to be balanced with a spoonful of exercise in there if you want to have a long and happy lifestyle,” says Spencer.

Spencer started out washing dishes and later became a line cook at a restaurant in Bowmanville, Ontario. He attended George Brown College and began his apprenticeship at the age of 20. He spent 18 years working in Europe including three years as a chef instructor. He had to establish a vocabulary to communicate with the students, provide recipes they were able to follow and observe them as they cooked.

“Most of us go through life, we learn skills, but very rarely do we have to articulate clearly back to another person what exactly we are doing. It’s going to deepen your understanding because you're helping somebody else to see what's in your mind,” says Spencer.

Spencer would always incorporate quality and diversity into each lesson. “Food is such an important part of culture. It’s generally how, when two people meet, one person might introduce their culture to a new friend, either by inviting them to their home or bringing food into work. The idea that you can learn something about another culture through its food is becoming more and more important.”

What Spencer likes best about his job is “every day is something new, every day is something different. Every day I wake up and I can learn something new.” He adds that “a big part of this job is showing up every single day to deliver 100 percent. It’s like teaching. Your students don’t care what you did the night before but are you ready to do something that will keep people engaged?”

The Thames Market will return to regular hours in September, operating Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Be sure to treat your taste buds with Chef Spencer’s cooking at this year’s Homecoming Dinner. The uniquely crafted menu includes a choice between a whole grain salad, a classic Caesar salad and a quinoa salad, while the main course will consist of roasted chicken and potatoes with a delectable trio of desserts to satisfy you sweet tooth.

Reserve your spot for the Homecoming Dinner while there are still spaces available!