During one particular summer swelter, I improvised what became a stunning dessert, largely because I wanted to avoid using the oven. An extra bonus, this creation satisfies both vegan and gluten-free lifestyles. This dessert hits high marks, wowing with its layers: sweet-tart lime-flecked tequila granita foiled by buttery, juicy pineapple, offset by crunchy, sweet-salty cashew brittle. Chile salt centers it all, pulling the elements back from feeling too sweet. I use smooth and earthy Corralejo tequila, a reposado we regularly stock at our bar

Sangria is the world’s most popular wine cocktail for a reason: it’s delicious, easy and always pretty beautiful. Our light, fruity, refreshingly dry take on sangria perfectly blends the traditional and the trendy. We follow the Spanish tradition of macerating real fruit in brandy and wine but put a contemporary twist on it by doing so with dry rosé—the “it” wine of the 2000s. Launched in 2018, this perfectly pink punch quickly became a fan favourite and patio mainstay. It’s the ideal summer (or anytime, really) drink.

The protagonist of this galette is rhubarb—and rhubarb alone, because it’s more than a strawberry’s sidekick. Its sweet, tangy, deep-red stalks shine in this rustic French tart, and are heightened by the peppery, herbaceous scents of bay leaf. Galettes are a true lesson in the art of imperfection. No two galettes are the same. Many have cracks and crumbles, and no matter the filling, the results turn into something delicious. That is the magic of the galette.

Around 2007, Phil Ward of New York’s Death & Co introduced the Oaxaca Old-Fashioned, one of the finest drinks to come out of the modern cocktail movement. It was also a major contributor to making mezcal—once a relatively rare item outside of Mexico—a must-have in bars around the world. The genius of the Oaxaca Old-Fashioned lies in the mixing of tequila and mezcal and then using them in a surprising way to completely reimagine a classic cocktail. Through our own experimentation we’ve found that amplifying that tequila-mezcal combination with some pineapple juice yields an equally surprising and delicious result. With a nod to Phil and the crew at Death & Co, here’s our Oaxaca Caesar.

This burger is my Southern-style homage to game-watching nights in front of the TV—an epic griddled smash burger with a pimiento cheese sauce to top it off. That’s barbecue chicken, right there!

In Jamaica we often cook with stout beer. So when I was working on the menu for my pop-up restaurant Yawd, I was inspired to do something with stout. It’s bitter but creamy and has notes of chocolate, so why not pair it with ribs?

Corn on the cob is up there in my top ten childhood food memories. In Toronto, street festival or not, chaotic city sidewalks are filled with the smell of sweet and buttery corn cobs cooking on the grill. A local summer snack that is impossible to resist, these curly corn ribs are an ode to this specialty. They’re made with a simple marinade of puréed garlic, then quickly fried until they curl like the limbs of an octopus and served with cilantro-heavy zhoug: a common hot herb sauce served in Yemen, similar to chimichurri but with spices familiar to the Middle East.