How these two Toronto food figures honour mom every day

Written By

Christine Peddie

almost 2 years ago

It's hard to find a man who will go on record as a self-professed mama's boy. But that's exactly how chef Philip Nguyen, chef specialist at Open Concept Hospitality and founder and owner of Nuoc Mam, describes himself. "I love my mom," he says. "We were always close but now we're like two peas in a pod. We're the same pea, almost." For Craig Pike, of Craig's Cookies, mom inspired a cookie empire that pays homage to his family's roots and childhood memories of chocolate-chip goodness. Having found success in their chosen fields, these two stars of the Toronto food scene are celebrating Mother's Day by giving mom the props she deserves.

One of four kids, chef Nguyen, says that he grew up by mom's side, in the kitchen. Forgoing basketball and bike riding for chopping, stirring and absorbing mom's encyclopedic culinary knowledge, Nguyen learned the ins and outs of Vietnamese cuisine from watching mom's every move. Though it was the promise of snagging the first bite of whatever treasure mom was cooking that originally drove him into the kitchen, the time spent learning, watching and practicing eventually evolved into a passion for cooking that Nguyen still carries today. "I was always in the kitchen, helping, and I just picked it up. It was something I very much enjoyed," he says.

A graduate of George Brown College's Culinary Management program, Nguyen has an impressive résumé, having worked at myriad local spots, from L'Unita and Buca, to Museum Tavern, Grand Electric and Jacob's Steakhouse. "I've opened a lot of restaurants for other people," he says. "The great thing about that is I got to learn a lot about other cultures and other cuisines and broaden my knowledge." Still, it was the pandemic's ripple effect that inspired Nguyen to take "everything I've learned from all these great restaurants and great chefs and just apply them to flavours that are very comforting to me and heavily influenced by my mom."

Launched in July 2020, Nuoc Mam operated as a summer-time pop-up featuring a menu of traditional Vietnamese dishes. "In terms of recipes," says Nguyen, "basically everything from the vermicelli to the scallion oils, the pickles, which we put on the side, all those are from my mother." Not only were mom's recipes the stars of the Nuoc Mam show, she herself, as well as Mr. Nguyen Sr., spent days helping the team prep for what turned out to be sold-out events. "The two days leading up to the barbecues were the real marathon," admits Nguyen. "A lot of it is labour-intensive. A lot of the skewers, the slaws, it's all hand-cut. There's no machine press. We mix all the farce and the fillings by hand, skewer them or wrap them." To Nguyen, it felt, "like prepping dinner at home with my mom, just on a larger scale."

As the days go, the bond me and my mom have grows tremendously.

Whereas Nguyen has "a whole knife bag with 16, 17 different knives," his mom "uses only one knife, a cleaver," for every job. Whether she's peeling garlic, mincing or butchering a chicken, "her knife skills are on another level," says Nguyen, proudly. She's also not one to rely on recipes, a fact that speaks to her natural cooking ability. "Absolutely not," says Nguyen. "She doesn't write down recipes. There's no rolodex, nothing. It's all by memory. For her to be able to feed us, like four kids, and always keep it fresh and interesting, her repertoire is unbelievable. … No wonder she can't write it down. She'd spend a lifetime trying to write it all down."

In true mom fashion, Nguyen adds that "mom never cooks with measuring cups and a part of that kills me the most. She never measures anything." To this day, Nguyen is watching and learning, seeing how his mom adjusts the balance of recipes based on how things taste. "For example," he says, "to make the pickles with a recipe, they'd never be balanced. Sometimes the carrots are sweeter, or the vinegar is stronger. My mom is able to adjust every time. …A lot of those skills — cooking with passion, using your senses — you can't teach those. My mom is a legendary cook."

A bit of a rebellious teen, Nguyen remembers his parents' patience and dedication to always providing for the family. He's now entered "pay-back season for the rest of my life," he jokes. Adding that "everything I do, everything I strive for… it's to better my mom's life and make sure that her work eases up and she's well taken care of," he says.

"As the days go, the bond me and my mom have grows tremendously," says Nguyen. "I wish I had gotten to this place with my mom a little sooner but we're definitely making up for lost time."

For Craig Pike, mom is celebrated every day at the six locations of his eponymous cookie store. "My mom taught me the recipe when I was about 10 or 11," says Pike, of the chocolate chip cookie at the heart of his business. "We always baked together," he adds. "Food is a big part of her life." Though today, Craig's Cookies sells more than 100 variations on the original, each one stuffed with child-like abandon with one of many popular childhood treats, the creative drive came years ago from a mom who encouraged Pike to always "keep an open mind."

A native of St. John's, Newfoundland, Pike moved to Toronto in the early 2000s to study acting. Classically trained, Pike worked at The Shaw Festival, in Niagara-On-The-Lake before returning to Toronto, in 2013. At the time, "I found myself without a job," he says. Needing to pay bills, Pike was inspired to sell his popular potluck staple, his mom's chocolate chip cookies. "It was a no-brainer for me to start selling cookies. I hopped on social media, told my friends that I was selling cookies, and started delivering them all across Toronto on my bike," he laughs.

Six months in, at a Parkdale supermarket, a sale on Pop-Tarts led to a momentous step for the business. Shopping with a friend who quipped, "You should put a Pop-Tart in a cookie," Pike had an epiphany. "I decided to give it a go and it worked out and it was delicious. Then I thought, if you can put a Pop-Tart in a cookie you can probably put anything in a cookie!" Craig's Cookies is now the place to find cookies cocooning everything from Cherry Blasters and Twix bits to whole Creme Eggs, Oreos, peppermint patties, Pop-Tarts (of course) and more.

She's thrilled with the success of the business, as am I… she's very proud.

"I'm not a baker by trade, I'm not a business person by trade," says Pike, but his efficiently-seasoned, tender, über-chocolatey cookies have taken off in Toronto, in a big way. Homey and comforting, it's perhaps their just-like-mom-makes appeal that's boosted their popularity. "The great thing about the Craig's cookie, is that it's rustic. It's not something that's refined in any way," says Pike. "It's meant to feel like you're eating a cookie that you made yourself or that your parent, or mom, made for you."

Like the cookies they sell, each of Craig's Cookies' six locations (five in Toronto and one in Newfoundland) was inspired by nostalgia and designed in a way that pays homage to home. "When I opened the Parkdale location, I wanted the space to be a reflection of who I am and my culture," says Pike. "So, the original Parkdale location was designed to feel like you're going to your grandmother's home, or some loved one's home." From the beautiful hardwood floor, common in homes in St. John's, to the blue tiles meant to represent the Atlantic Ocean, Craig's Cookies is a tribute to Pike's childhood and fondest memories of Newfoundland.

Inspired by his mother's love of baking, Craig Pike took an unexpected path to success. Today, he bakes the way she taught him decades ago. Made from a winning combination of fun, love -- and salted butter, always -- the treats made at Craig's Cookies are one of a kind. "At the end of the day, it's only a chocolate chip cookie," says Pike. "But food can have a huge impact, so putting love into everything you do is so important."

Ten years into the business, Pike is "still celebrating my mom's recipe of the classic chocolate chip cookie." As for mom? "She's so happy!" he adds. "She's thrilled with the success of the business, as am I. … She's very proud."

Both Nguyen and Pike inherited cherished recipes from their moms. For chef Nguyen, those were gifted along with wicked culinary skills and a solid work ethic. In Pike's case, mom also passed on a love of home, a love of community, and the ability to listen, to learn, and to accept new ideas and inspiration, no matter where they're found. Honouring their roots and making mom proud with every item they serve? Little do these local culinary figures know, those are the best Mother's Day presents they could ever give.

Words by Christine Peddie

Photos by Larry Heng

Tags:

Recommended For You