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Frankie Solarik  

Author of “The Bar Chef” and co-owner of Toronto’s popular bar BarChef

Author of “The Bar Chef” and co-owner of Toronto’s popular bar BarChef- rated by Food and Wine magazine as one of the “Top seven new and innovative bars in the world” – Solarik is a pioneer of the progressive and contemporary approach to cocktails in Canada.

He has been profiled in major international magazines, newspapers and TV such as The New York Times, National Geographic, National Post, The Globe and Mail, Imbibe magazine, Sharp magazine, CNN, as well as a guest judge on The Food Network’s popular “Top Chef Canada”, Global TV, City TV, Toronto Life, and CBC.  

The buzz, domestically and internationally, is due to the fact that Solarik isn’t just changing the way drinks are made, but because he’s changing the way cocktails are perceived in general, by applying the same detail and passion to preparing cocktails as a chef would to haute cuisine. 

“It’s the idea of presenting a drink as a dish, I strive to compose cocktails with the same visual, visceral and taste appeal and complexity that is possible within a dish, the general goal for me artistically is to challenge the conventional thought as to what’s possible within the medium of a glass.” 

Although he prefers to describe some of his signature beverages like his “Vanilla and Hickory Smoked Manhattan”, “The Black Truffle”, “The Transformation”, “Mayan Hot Cocoa”, “Chilled Ontario Strawberry” “The Cedar” and “Spring Thaw” as “Modernist” rather than “molecular” the cocktails on offer at his Toronto cocktail bar are perhaps best described as compositions, but rather than harmonious musical notes they are a personal artistic expression, a textural and sensory experience presented in the medium of a liquid. 

Traditionally, the mystique of a cocktail is due in part to the fact that they are as much an expression of the personal taste of their creator as they are of that of the person who chooses to drink them – in the case of Solarik, even more so. “That’s what makes the creative process so special, the goal is to challenge the perception of flavor.” 

Although many of his signature “dishes” feature complex flavours and spectacular presentations, employing everything from frozen carbon dioxide to hydrosols and blowtorches, at their very core the compositions depend on a less is more approach; a process rooted in balancing components that complement each other rather than contrast, regardless how many ingredients he is working with.

At BarChef Solarik continues to push the envelope; growing a reputation as an innovator and advocate of the progressive approach to mixology. His approach is unique, his research impeccable, and his goal, far – reaching – Put simply, to inspire others worldwide to adopt a completely new approach to cocktail culture and dramatically expand on the Modernist movement. Put bluntly, to cause a ruckus.

News


Toasting year's end: Perfect New Year's Eve cocktails | Eat | Life ...
... and fair trade chocolate, and they marked the occasion by partnering with mixologist Frankie Solarik, co-owner of Toronto's internationally acclaimed BarChef ...
LCBO's loaded messaging with non-alcoholic pop-up bar | Toronto ...
All of the cocktails created by BarChef's Frankie Solarik will be non-alcoholic, paired with food by Buca's Rob Gentile and tunes by London-based DJ ...

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