Yesterday, we threw a surprise birthday party for my dad (not on his actual birthday but a week later).  I had the idea, from a promotion that Dave FM did a few months back, to get in touch with Chef D about throwing my dad a private birthday dinner.  My “cousin” Luigi appeared on Chef’s TV show, At Home With Chef D, last year which is when I first heard of the Chef.  (He will be filming the third season of At Home With Chef D at the Kitchener Market!)

This was to be a surprise to my dad.  My dad doesn’t like a big fuss, or anybody to spend a lot of money on him.  He does like a good meal.  No problem.  What could be less fuss than a private dinner with family?  And Chef D’s dinner was affordably priced.  I covertly made the arrangements with the Chef.  My sister lives across the street from my dad.  Chef would be cooking dinner there, so my dad wouldn’t have a clue what was going on.  At the appropriate time, we would coax my dad into visiting my sister across the street.  (That part was harder than expected, he was getting suspicious of our intent.)

When we got my dad over to my sister’s place, Chef D and his wife Trish were already setting up.  My dad was in shock.  It was great!

The evening’s menu:

1. Medley of mushroom and mascarpone cheese soup

2. Roasted tomatoes, arugula shaved Parmesan cheese, extra virgin olive oil from Tuscany 12yr old balsamic vinegar

3. Chicken Supremes stuffed with an Apricot Chutney, Asparagus Risotto, roasted Red Pepper reduction

4. Duo of Chocolate, white chocolate coconut milk pots of cream, lemon curd chocolate shortbread cups

I don’t even know where to begin when discussing the food.  I think my favourite dish was the soup, it was absolutely delightful.  I also loved the roasted tomatoes.  I have never had a roasted tomato like that before.  Apparently it cooks for four hours, and it comes out delicious and crispy.  Chef and Trish told us stories about the preparation as they served us.  The spices he collected, the oils, even the plates had a story.

My dad can sometimes be a tough customer to please, but he had a great time.  So did everyone else.

Thanks Chef D for making my dad’s birthday a happy one!

Normally I assign 5 star ratings to anything I review.  I’ve never reviewed food before, but…

5/5 stars

Make sure you check out his site ChefDTV.com and his creations!