Hi, we're Philip and Mystique.
In 2015, we got married, the next day got wedding withdrawal, and three days later started our blog, Chef Sous Chef.
Today, we’re the home cooks and photographers behind Chef Sous Chef, authors of the Eat With Us cookbook, and contributors to Food Network Canada’s Dining In and Menu Mashup web series.
We're so glad you're here – let's get cooking!
With almost 10 years of blogging experience, what began with us as a city couple sharing date night recipes has evolved into us becoming suburban parents sharing kid-friendly recipes. And like our relationship, here you’ll find multi-cultural eats that are a reflection of our life together in the kitchen and the stories of our family through our lifestyle and cultures. But what hasn't changed is our passion for sharing unique and classic recipes made from scratch and a focus on bringing the dining out experience in.
Our goal is to share unique recipes and fusion food mashups that celebrate natural ingredients and make every meal a fresh, flavorful, and diverse experience.
A diversity of ingredients doesn’t just mean diversity in terms of culture or location, but also in the spectrum of ingredients that are fresh and flavorful, seasonal and evergreen, used in fine dining and homestyle meals, humble and elaborate, enjoyed in slow food and fast food (made at home), affordable and specialty, and more. Ingredients are diverse. Your meals should be too.
We believe the kitchen is the heart of the home. We appreciate cooking as a form of meditation. We embrace food in its whole form. We support local farmers and purveyors. We acknowledge our impact on the earth. We understand where our food comes from. We know that cooking from scratch is always better. We eat to nourish our bodies and those we are feeding. We express gratitude for the food we have access to. We encourage gathering around the table. We celebrate every meal as an experience.
Diversify your inbox.
Meet Philip.
Philip grew up in the small town of Elora, Ontario, where the kitchen was always at the center of his life. His experience working in restaurants and later traveling to Europe is where his love of simple ingredients and techniques helped focus his refined cooking style. Philip is a self-taught home cook who continues to hone his cooking skills at the George Brown College Culinary Arts Program in Toronto, excelling in courses such as recipe development. Philip is of Italian, Irish, French, and German descent.
Philip's Favorite Recipes
Meet Mystique.
Mystique holds a Bachelor's degree in Art History, Professional Writing, and Communications from the University of Toronto. In addition to the cookbook she penned with Philip, Mystique is the author of Blackout (Life Rattle Press), and has 10 years of marketing experience. Where she shines as sous chef extends beyond the kitchen as a self-taught photographer channeling her love of art and writing into a space of endless creativity. Mystique is of Guyanese descent.
Mystique's Favorite Recipes
Philip and I had a big part in planning our wedding. Once we were married, we immediately got wedding withdrawal, missing the planning and business. So, three days later we merged our passions of cooking and photography into Chef Sous Chef. We began with an Instagram account and launched our blog a year later.
From the start of our relationship, Philip loved cooking for me. I always helped with little things in the kitchen — gathering ingredients, dressing the table, and tending to dishes. I first gained the title of designated stirrer and later worked my way up to sous chef. Shortly after we got married and decided to start a blog, Philip gained his chef title, and together we became Chef Sous Chef.
Philip is the primary cook, recipe developer and manages our financials and website. Mystique is the storyteller. She is the voice behind the blog, the photographer, videographer, and writer.
Neither of us are trained chefs. However, as a child, Philip watched a lot of cooking shows, his favorites being Cook Like a Chef, Nigella Bites, and Wok with Yan which inspired his passion for cooking. His dad traveled a lot for work and exposed him and his siblings to many different cuisines at a young age. But it wasn’t until his travels to Europe that his love for cooking was ignited. Philip is a self-taught home cook who continues to hone his cooking skills at the George Brown College Culinary Arts Program in Toronto,
One thing most people don’t know is that Mystique doesn’t cook. She does, however, believe that if you can’t cook, you better know how to build a beautiful board.
Yes, Mystique photographs and edits all the food photos on our website. She also photographed and edited all the food images in our cookbook, Eat With Us.
Camera, iPhone for videos, C-Stand, Monfrodo Tripod, Tethering Cable, LaCie Drives for storage, Scan Disk Memory Cards, and Adobe Lightroom, Premiere, and Photoshop.
Absolutely! We only promote brands we know and trust. Past and current partnerships include Le Creuset, Vitamix, LCBO, American Express, and Crate and Barrel, to name a few. If you’re interested in working together, feel free to send us an email ([email protected]).
Now, what can we help you cook?