Celebrity Chef and Author Ken Kostick

I hear you’re a host with the most.
I have a boat at the Toronto Island Marina where I entertain a lot. But I never get invited for dinner. People think I’m going to critique them, but, actually, I’m so grateful if someone cooks for me. The chances of me saying, “Oh no, I don’t like that” are nil – unless it’s headcheese.

Mary Jo doesn’t offer?
The last time she invited me over for dinner, she asked me to bring the steaks. So, of course, I thought, What’s she going to serve with that? So I brought steak, double-baked potatoes, Caesar salad and dessert, and she had the nerve to ask me to clear the table. She says, “You know, Ken, I’m a single mom.” Single mom? She has a full-time nanny living in her house!

What kind of food did you grow up on?
I came from a poor family in the north end of Winnipeg, but the one thing we had was lots of food. If you came over and said, “I’m not hungry,” you were never invited back. My parents had to be innovative with leftovers, and that’s why I’m great at reinventing things. You’d never know you were eating yesterday’s roast chicken.

You left Winnipeg to be a flight attendant?
People ask me where I get my inspiration from, and it’s from those flights. I had never travelled outside of Manitoba, so I ate my way to Europe because I loved airline food! If an airline can put together a meal that looks good, tastes good and is economical, I thought anyone could do it. Every time I got a meal, I’d think, Oh, chicken à l’orange… I can do that, and then I’d write a recipe.

What kind of a traveller are you?
I always get dressed up. Mary Jo laughs at me and says, “Do you think you’re going to a party? We’re travelling to Edmonton.” But I always get upgraded! Once the airline upgraded me and not her, and she came up the aisle and said, “Get the hell out of that seat.” She unbuckled me and pushed me right into economy. When the flight attendant came back and apologized, I said, “It’s okay, I’m used to it. Just bring me the meal.” 

Profession  Chef, television personality and author
Location  The Beaches, Toronto
Claim to fame  His love-hate relationship with co-host Mary Jo Eustace
Latest project  His cookbook The $10 Gourmet
Last vacation  A long weekend in Paris
Next vacation  London
Travel essential  A cheese tray, nuts or sushi in a cooler
Favourite souvenirs  Market antiques like Chinese metal pots, a bronze vase from Libya and a Yemeni sterling silver wedding necklace, all of which have been in his kitchen