Kraft on Craft—Robert Dew Takes the Kraft Challenge

A chef at a sports-themed family restaurant finds inspiration with Kraft.

Wayne Gretzky's Restaurant, in a Toronto neighbourhood thick with sports arenas, tourist destinations and downtown offices, doesn't just boast The Great One's memorabilia. It features family recipes too. In fact, Executive Chef Robert Dew serves a wide customer base, so his menu is broad and runs a lot of fan favourites, especially comfort foods of all ilk. "We want to make sure we have something for everybody," says Chef Dew. "Kraft helps me manage the big menu because they eliminate the thought process for me — I don't worry about quality and consistency when I use Kraft."

We challenged Chef Dew to develop a comfort-food recipe using a Kraft product. He answered us with a crowd-pleasing BBQ Pork Ribs with Bull's-Eye GUINNESS® Barbecue Sauce and Parmesan Mashed Potatoes.

Creating a comfort food favourite that scores

Chef Dew rubs the pork ribs with a blend of Cajun spices, sugar, cumin and allspice, and then leaves them overnight to absorb the flavours. For his braising liquid, he simply combines Bull's-Eye Guinness® Barbecue Sauce with Cola, water and vegetables. For that beautiful, sticky glaze, he brushes the ribs with a bit more of the barbecue sauce.

"A lot of barbecue sauces have too much smoke in them," says Chef Dew. "This one brings a subtle smoke to the ribs, but lets other flavours come out, too, like the barley notes in the stout."

To accompany the ribs, he serves Parmesan mashed potatoes, turning to Delissio Shredded Parmesan for the cheese's rich, sharp profile. "I needed something to stand up to all the bold flavours in the ribs, and these potatoes were perfect for that," he says. "Plus, when you talk about comfort food, cheesy mashed potatoes are a natural."

BBQ Pork Ribs with Bull's-Eye Guinness^® & Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

The barbecue sauce imparts a subtle smoke flavour to these beautifully glazed pork ribs, served with Parmesan mashed potatoes.

Chef's Tip:
For a knife-and-fork meal, substitute the pork ribs with beef short ribs.

Eggnog-Citrus Cheesecake

Infused with eggnog, orange zest and lime zest, this holiday-themed cheesecake gets its velvety texture from Philadelphia Cream Cheese.

Behind the Chef

Chef Dew, a chef who learned the ropes across various professional kitchens in Canada, measures the success of a dish through his servers. "If they're excited about it, they're going to talk to the guests about it, and it's going to sell," he says. Gretzky's Restaurant specializes in comfort food, and Chef Dew defines it simply: "It's food people can relate to," he says. "For Wayne, it's his grandmother's slow-cooked meatloaf. For me, it's spaghetti and meatballs."

Chef Dew Unplugged

Although Chef Dew has worked in fine dining, he prefers the casual-dining segment. "The intricacies in high-end cookery aren't my favourite thing," says Chef Dew. "Casual dining allows me to produce food I love to eat. It's good, straightforward fare. I think where you can stand out in this segment is making sure the flavours are all there."

Kraft helps him hit those flavour targets, he says. "One of our biggest sellers is the Oriental Chicken Salad. We use a Kraft dressing because its flavour profile is just perfect for the salad." The salad sports romaine, napa cabbage, snow peas, red pepper, carrots, bean sprouts and grilled chicken breast seasoned with Chinese five-spice powder. It's all tossed in Kraft Signature Mandarin Orange with Sesame Dressing, and finished with deep-fried won tons.

Here are a few highlights from our interview with Chef Dew:

KRAFT:	If you were sent to a desert island, what three ingredients would you take with you?
DEW:	Tomatoes, garlic and balsamic vinegar.
KRAFT:	What is your favourite kitchen tool?
DEW:	My small, serrated knife. I carry it around with me and use it for everything.
KRAFT:	Who would you most like to cook for?
DEW:	Daniel Boulud. I love his food. He dabbles in café food, which is right up my alley. I'd like him to try some of my comfort-food dishes.
KRAFT:	Where was the last place you dined?
DEW:	North 44, right here in Toronto.
KRAFT:	What is your favourite Kraft product?
DEW:	I love working with the Kraft Signature Raspberry Vinaigrette. It's so versatile — it's great with chicken, seafood and cheese, like goat cheese in a salad.

What's Next for Chef Robert Dew?

In December, he'll be running menus for a number of corporate events and catering to the crowds that come into town for the NFL games played at the Rogers Centre. And in January, Chef Dew will be welcoming his second child.