The day I spoke with Danny Smiles, he was on his way to pick up Ossobuco for his dad’s 75th birthday. Growing up, food was always a household fixture. “My mom and my dad are both incredible cooks,” remembers the former Bremner head-chef and TV personality, thinking back on pantries stocked with fragrant spices and crispers overflowing with freshly picked herbs. Born to an Egyptian father and an Italian mother, Danny’s upbringing is a familiar story for so many children of immigrants — a combination of stern sensibility, strong family values, and an appreciation for a home-cooked meal. Danny Smiles, a hyperactive, music-obsessed teenager, would end up becoming one of Canada’s best-known culinary figures.

“It always started with hospitality. My parents made everyone feel welcome. I think that’s what helped me build my restaurant — that’s what a restaurant is supposed to be.” That type of hospitality would manifest itself after a trip to Italy. With the guidance of locals, Danny started embracing the restaurants in small towns, tucked away in hidden corners of unknown piazzas, “I saw this restaurant and, for the first time, I didn’t open up my phone. I just thought, this place looks amazing and we walked in.” It would be a meal at this small cantina in Modena that would be the most impactful. “There was a Napoletano family watching a soccer game. I’m a big soccer fan and even though we don’t go for the same team, they fed us, they brought out bottles [of wine] from their private cellar. The tab at the end was like 65 Euros. I spent 800 Euros at Osteria Francescana the night before. The food was exceptional, a nonna was cooking — it was family, it was locals.” The experience, for Danny, epitomized the energy and spirit of a good meal with family. “I feel like I’m going back to that now.”