Michael Pataran

 

Michael Pataran is a passionate food aficionado and has challenged traditional culinary boundaries at Monsoon, Rain, Wildfire at Taboo Resort and Taboo’s Culinary Theatre with his ‘Faith’ tasting menus. Pataran’s three, five, seven and nine course menus enable patrons to experience numerous specialty ingredients, food textures and cooking techniques by putting their faith - and their taste buds – into his skillful hands. By combining Contemporary Asian ingredients with traditional Chinese, Japanese and Thai elements, Pataran continues to exceed expectations and draw accolades from the industry.

Pataran studied criminology at the University of Toronto and he credits his knowledge in this field with helping him to better understand food and how to best utilize fresh ingredients. He is fascinated by the process food undergoes and why this impacts taste and texture.His passion for cooking however began in 1991 when he attended the Australian Culinary Institute (Sidney/Brisbane). Travel in the South Pacific region fueled his desire and knowledge to utilize the techniques and ingredients of this region. Upon returning to Toronto, he worked in numerous fine establishments including Chef de Cuisine at Rain and Monsoon, where restaurant and food critics alike began to take notice of his skills and desire to establish his own distinct style. Further travel to Portugal, Yugoslavia and Germany rounded out his culinary mastery with diverse experiences including a stint as a cheese producer for Calabria Piu.
In July 2003 while at Wildfire, Pataran was invited to cook at the James Beard Foundation in New York City as the guest chef for Canada Day.
Wildfire and The Culinary Theatre were also given numerous awards by Frommer’s Intl. (best restaurant outside of Toronto) in 2004 and 2005.
Where to Eat in Canada voted both Wildfire and The Culinary Theatre to the “Top 25 restaurants in Canada” in both 2004 and 2005 as well.
In 2003, Sara Waxman awarded Michael the title of best Asian cuisine Chef in Toronto and the surrounding area.
Michael has appeared on Numerous Television spots including Christine Cushing Live and Food TV USA’s Sara Maulton. He has also taught several cooking classes at New York City’s famed French Culinary Institute (FCI) and the Institute for Culinary Education (ICE).
In 2004 Pataran traveled to Dallas where he was crowned the 2004 IAAC World International Champion Chef by defeating six other finalists from Resorts and Hotels from around the world. Pataran continued to carve out his own culinary niche at Wildfire where patrons often drove from Toronto just to experience his creations. Due to the popularity of ‘Faith’, Wildfire adopted a smaller à la carte menu to make room for Pataran’s continually fresh and unique tasting menus. In 2004 the Culinary Theatre was born. The theatre is a one of a kind 30-seat restaurant with plasma screens where patrons discuss and engage in conversation about food and wine while experiencing their tasting menus. Pataran was the driving force in Taboo’s culinary acclaim, making it one of the top premier resorts in all of Canada.
In 2006 Pataran received his Saké master certification from the SSI (Sake Service Institute) and has written saké articles for CityBites Magazine, True Saké in San Francisco and has been quoted in various other publications such as LCBO Vintages magazine and The Toronto Star.
Pataran has spent a year in Niagara on the Lake at the Prince of Wales as Executive Chef before moving back to Toronto, where he is in the planning stages of opening his own restaurant in late 2007 called KAPPO Izakaya Saké Bar.

 

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