Standish913.com has been blessed to do an exclusive interview DUO with...
"JOSH & ERICA"!!!
Let's get into some exclusive questions together...
HAILEY: What’s been the biggest impact on your lives?
Having a baby… this has changed us in so many ways. For the better. We have gotten to know a different version of ourselves, someone we can say we admire now. Everything we do is for our little girl. She has taught us a strength we didn’t know we had in us. It has also challenged us and our partnership. It teaches you different things about your partner you didn’t know existed. Lots of communication. But seeing someone you love, love your child and become a parent.. it’s honestly the best feeling. She has had a huge impact on everything we do daily. Think about steps first.. is this something we want our daughter to do.. will she be proud of this when she’s older.. does this benefit her. Every single step.. with her in mind.
STANDISH: What is your least favorite meal you’ve cooked for each other?
Josh - Spaghetti squash 😂 damn spaghetti squash. She tries to get me to like it.. I never will.
Erica - 😂 I’m laughing about this one. When Josh and I started dating.. there were two dishes he learned how to make and was very excited to make me. One was quail.. I didn’t know what this was other than a small bird.. it completely grossed me out. (I’ve come to love quail) the other was penne pasta with egg whites.. that was it.. 1. I hate egg whites.. 2… it was so dry. Love him for trying and I ate the whole thing.. we laugh about it now but ouch. (We were 17.. and just learning how to cook 😂😂).
HAILEY: How do you curate your menu?
We sit and talk.. sometimes for hours. We travel for inspiration.. go to different markets, see what’s available.. and we eat.. A LOT.
STANDISH: Josh what is your signature dish?
I hate this question… it’s a very broad question. If I had to choose one, it’s liver and onions. But not the way you think.
Pastrami crusted calves liver, onion soubis, pickled onions, pickled mustard seeds.
(Not your grandmas liver and onions).
HAILEY: Erica what is your favorite ingredient to cook with? Has that changed recently?
🤦🏻♀️ I get this question so much.. and anyone that knows me knows I cook with the whole pantry. It’s hard for me to narrow down.
I’ll give my top 5:
1. Lemon
2. Truffle.. don’t know if I can swear but josh says fucking truffle
3. Honey
4. Pomegranate
5. Fennel
- every spice you can think of.
STANDISH: When you guys aren’t in the mood to cook what do you order?
For Josh. Taco Bell. For Erica, dumplings.
HAILEY: Where in Canada has been your guys’ favorite place to live? Why?
We love Niagara. The markets, the farms, the wine.. the beauty, the people. It’s a magical place to live.
STANDISH: Erica which show was harder Chopped Canada or Top Chef Canada? Why?
Easy question, top chef Canada by far. You are up against some of the best chefs in the country. 11 chefs you don’t know.. for 6 weeks. You are exhausted.. stressed.. and always have to pee. Chopper was alot easier. One day. Think on your feet.. do what comes naturally. When you have a silly ingredient (like skittles) what are you supposed to do.. you can’t take it too seriously. Top Chef, different ball game
HAILEY: Erica what is your signature dish?
I never really thought of having a signature dish, but since the show it has become very popular. A play off of a Moroccan street food called Pastillia. I did a seared squab breast with a squab Pastillia (pastry filled with confit squab, cinnamon, raisins, almonds and caramelized onions) with a cauliflower purée, foie gras foam and sherry corriander jus. This was my dish in the finale that I was told was a three michelin star dish. It’s been requested a lot in our private events.
HAILEY: What’s the biggest challenge you’ve experienced in the kitchen as a couple?
We both have great palates. And great ideas. Sometimes we butt heads.. and have difference of opinion. We try to always separate church and state, but not always that easy. - it usually results in a couple extra courses for our guests 😂.
STANDISH: Josh what’s been a factor in helping you daily?
Daily motivation for me - my daughter. Just continuing to do the best I can each and every day for her.
HAILEY: Have either one of you ever wanted to leave the cooking industry?
We’re chefs.. who doesn’t want to leave the industry at some point. It’s a love hate relationship. But there is nothing that we would hate more than not doing what we do. Our love and passion for this industry over powers it all. We get tired and burnt out.. and there was definitely a point of wanting the throw in the towel.. but then we opened our business and started the grind for ourselves and not someone else. Makes it all worth it.
STANDISH: I’m visually impaired & I was curious if you thought cannabis would provide some relief for the pain I feel in my face?
Josh - firm believer. Yes. Cannabis is a natural way of getting not only physical pain relief, but mental pain relief. It’s a natural way of healing with out having to use chemicals and the side effects you would get from pharmaceuticals.
HAILEY: What was it like representing Canada in the world tapas competition in Valladolid Spain 2022/2023?
CRAZY! When I (Erica) got chosen to represent Canada in 2022, it was an insanely proud moment. To be chosen out of all the chefs in Canada.. amongst 16 other countries was a proud moment. I wore our flag with so much pride… and then the next year to convince josh to run.. and for him to get chosen as well… our hearts were so full. It’s a moment in life to say you represented your country.. just pure pride.
STANDISH: What is your favorite cannabis strain to cook with?
Josh - Girl Scout cookies. Reason being it’s high in caryophyllene which is a terpene that smells and tastes like pepper, cloves and spices. We cook a lot with those flavours.
HAILEY: How did you both learn to present a dish into such a beautiful masterpiece?
Your food tells a story. The plate is your canvas. Honestly plating is just do what comes naturally. How do you feel about the dish you are presenting. It can’t be over thought. just let the wrist and your hand do the talking and move.
We try to do justice to the food and how it’s presented to show respect to the farmers that grew the food. Not over thinking things but showing respect to the product knowing how it got to the plate. Letting the food shine and speak for itself.
HAILEY: Erica how much time did baby girl spend in the kitchen with you during maternity leave?
.. well.. I didn’t get maternity leave. Because of COVID.. all my hours I had saved for maternity leave got taken from me because of the closures in our work. It was extremely unfair but this is life. So we needed to adjust and figure our shit out. That’s how Karbs Catering was born. Baby girl was in the kitchen with me up until the day before I went into labor.. I took two weeks to recuperate and did the admin work while Josh went to events.. and then it was back at it for me with her strapped to my chest 😂.. I even brought her to some video shoots and took quick breaks to breast feed.. safe to say now. She loves to cook.
STANDISH: Describe what it was like opening that basket in chopped for the first time…
Nerve wracking. We’ve seen the show, they can give you crazy ingredients. It was a fight or flight moment.
HAILEY: Erica what’s it like being a judge opposed to being a competitor within a show?
Two different ball games. One I get to eat, the other I’m sweating my ass off 😂. It’s always fun to be a judge and see what other chefs can do. But I also like being a competitor and pushing myself to see what I can do.
HAILEY: Josh can you tell me about growing up with a single mom...
Growing up with a single mom was inspiring. Watching a woman raise two boys on her own, working three jobs, and never complaining about it. This taught me to be the hard working man I am today. I owe my mom a lot.
STANDISH: Josh if you could cook for anybody dead or alive who would it be? Pick three…
1. Charlie Trotter. My favourite chef of all time R.I.P
2. My grandfather. He passed when I was 13. I would love to cook a meal for him now. He grew his own vegetables in his garden, and I would love for him to taste what I would be able to do with his vegetables. I think I would make him proud.
3. Anthony Hopkins. Hannibal Lecter himself.. my signature dish is liver and onions. Just pour him a nice Chianti.
HAILEY: Can you explain the importance in using fresh ingredients when cooking? Where do you prefer to get your ingredients?
Fresh is always best. We got to the market daily, there is always something different, from different farms, different suppliers. We get our inspiration from the ingredients we use. Showcasing the farmers.. we wouldn’t be who we are as chefs without them. There is a story behind everything that is grown. We cook very locally and very in season. It’s extremely important to know where your products are coming from, from vegetables to dairy to meat.. there is someone behind that product working tirelessly to get you the freshest ingredients. This needs to be showcased. You can taste the difference.
STANDISH: Josh what was it like growing up in Toronto? Do you have a favourite memory you’d like to share?
I loved growing up in Toronto, there’s so many diverse places to eat. From a very young age I was introduced to flavours from Europe to the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East etc.. without leaving the city. It widened my palette and I was never afraid to try new things.
I remember when I used to go skating with my dad and my brother when I was a kid at Harry Gairey Rink at Bathurst and Dundas, we would get hot chocolate after wards.. and driving home I would look out my window at the city and always feel inspired by the energy that it gives off. Something about Toronto is electric.
HAILEY: What is the first thing you taught your daughter or will teach her, about cooking?
We taught her to love food! We were adamant on her eating over 100 foods before she turned one. Getting ahead of the allergies LOL, and just having her familiar with other flavours that were a little more out there.. like curry and Moroccan food.
We are also always teaching her about mise en place.. doesn’t work well with a three year old but she’s getting there.
STANDISH: Describe the benefits of being such a power couple.
We can rely on each other. We have one brain. If we have two events in one night, each one of us can be at the events and we don’t have to worry about anything.. two people. One mind. We work in sync. It’s really beneficial in running a business to have someone who thinks exactly like you. Especially raising a child.. because sometimes things happen: they get sick. We don’t have the luxury of calling in sick. So if one of us it at an event.. we know its going to run smoothly.
HAILEY: With Christmas coming up what are some holiday treats you will be serving?
Erica - cookies. Cookies are my thing for Christmas. At least 20 different kinds every year.
Josh - I get fat off Erica’s cookies…
STANDISH: Where do you want to go traveling?
The whole world. Travelling is so important to us, especially as chefs. We have already been to many different countries.. and we won’t stop. It’s how we learn. We go off the beaten path and learn from the locals. We eventually plan to see every country in any way we can.
HAILEY: Josh what happened with the ice cream machine?
I lost my fingers. Right hand. My dominant hand. Index and middle finger.
Someone was cleaning the icecream machine and forgot to close the latch. Water got onto the floor. I slipped, when I went to catch myself, the machine caught me first. Fingers went right into the machine..
STANDISH: Josh can you tell me about some of the mental challenges you faced with that accident?
Not easy man. Everything that I learned before the accident was gone. Had to be scraped. New way of thinking, had to completely retrain who I was as a chef, mentally and physically. I honestly thought I would never cook again. Wrapping your head around that thought when trying to recover really messes with your mind. I had to mentally get back in the game before I could physically get back in it. But in life, you have two choices.. you either stay down or get back up and fight another day.
STANDISH: Is there something you guys wanted to share with the readers we may not know?
We may seem serious, but I promise we are super fun chill people. Josh has an insane amount of dad jokes he’s waiting to get off his chest if anyone is interested 😂.
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