Francisco Alejandri  Chef, Instructor

Chef Alejandri credits his mother, Ruth, as being my biggest influence in his life. She taught him and his two brothers how to clean their home and how important it is to always be in a clean environment.  Everything had to shine.  After mopping the floor no streaks should be seen, and she would search the most unimaginable places for traces of dust.  If something was not up to her standards, Alejandri and his siblings would have to do it again.  From that he learned that doing things right the first time was not only important; but it saves plenty of time which back then meant, more time for playing with friends.

Alejandri’s mother led by example and is a virtue that remains with him to this day.  He spent countless hours helping his mother in the kitchen with great passion, because it was at an early age that he discovered he wanted to be a chef.  Little did young Francisco know that what he learned at home would be the pillars of his development not only as a chef, but throughout all facets of his life. 

Francisco’s professional culinary career began after graduating from University with a degree in Hotel and Tourism.  He then moved on to a two year Culinary Program at the renowned hotel company, Fiesta Americana.  With amazement, he stood peering into the kitchen, eagerly anticipating the day he would be a part of what was obviously something so wonderful.  Much to the surprise of his superiors, Francisco asked to start as a dishwasher because he thought it was the most difficult station in a kitchen, and one that he had to experience first. 

To Francisco, cooking represented a lesser challenge because it was in his heart.  After one year he was appointed Saucier and six months later he was appointed Sous-Chef.  This gave him the opportunity to travel throughout Mexico and to work as a Chef for several top hotel companies.  It was while working in Cancun when Francisco knew that he had to take the next step in his culinary career.  He did not want to be a Chef by work experience alone.  His father once told him “knowledge is power, without knowledge you are at the mercy of everyone”. 

So Francisco packed his belongings, took a few pesos with him and moved to Canada to attend the renowned Stratford Chefs School, where he quickly became one of their top students.  His passion and dedication for cooking earned him a position at the famed Rundles restaurant in Stratford, under Chef Neil Baxter.  After his time at Rundles, Francisco has worked at some of Toronto’s top restaurants including Sassafraz, Scaramouche, Chiado, Opus, Torito, and Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar.

Francisco prides himself in his cooking being simple and unpretentious.  He believes that food should speak for itself, aided by the quality of the amazing ingredients and the love that one puts into preparing a dish.  Says Francisco, “Simple cooking is great cooking.  Great cooking requires patience, understanding and passion, which iswhat I want to show through every time I cook.”  Mexican cooking is in Francisco’s heart, soul and blood.  He constantly strives to convey that there is more to Mexican cooking than what many think.  Mexican cooking is not always tacos or enchiladas or nachos.  Mexican cooking is earthy, nourishing, comforting and a fiesta in itself.  So as Francisco says… “To your pots!  And let’s start cooking with our hearts.”