Celebrated chef at Michelin-starred Toronto-area restaurant about to compete on the global stage

[“Across the Sea and Home Again,” by Victoria Rinsma]

A GTA-based chef who cooks at one of Canada’s Michelin-starred restaurants is tackling the world stage next month.

Victoria Rinsma, born and raised in Pickering, made a substantial splash in the food scene last year, as she was crowned the Canadian regional winner of the San Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition.

Hot off her win in the great white north, Rinsma is now heading to the competition’s grand finale in Milan, Italy, come this October.

In the time leading up to this culinary prize fight, Rinsma has been refining her skills as the sous chef at Hexagon in Oakville, one of Ontario’s most coveted new restaurants, which earned a spot in 2024’s official Michelin Guide and a star by the organization.

Now, with weeks to go until she packs her knives and hops across the Atlantic, Rinsma chatted with yourcitywithIN.com about her history in the world of gastronomy, her maritime influence, and how she plans to cut through the noise of fine dining with award-winning craft and care.

“Home cooking has an honesty that fine dining can sometimes lose if it becomes too focused on refinement. My grandmother’s split pea soup, for example, was simple, but it carried so much memory and comfort. I think when you draw on that kind of inspiration, you create food that’s grounded and meaningful. For me, taking those roots and translating them into a fine dining context allows me to share not just a dish, but my own story,” Rinsma told yorucitywithIN.com via email.

[Sous Chef at Hexagon, Victoria Rinsma]

As a result of this grassroots approach, Rinsma’s signature dish, which won her accolades last year, “Across the Sea and Home Again,” was so well realized that when served to Toronto’s culinary maestro Nuit Regular, known for PAI, Kiin, and Suko Thai, it moved her to literal tears.

The dish itself, an homage to her grandmother, her upbringing, and the flavours of the East Coast, was built from the ground up with contemporary techniques and local Canadian ingredients.

In terms of plating, it comprises smoked ham hock chawanmushi with a tomato consommé, English peas, and lovage. The accompanying fish is striped bass, accompanied by nixtamalized honey nut squash, and a condiment made from pickled ginger, preserved tomatoes, and roasted squash, finished with charred chilli-scented pil pil.

“‘Across the Sea and Home Again’ truly represents my journey as a chef, from cooking in my grandmother’s kitchen to everything I’ve learned over the years,” says Rinsma. “Together, these flavours tell my story: rooted in family and tradition but shaped by my experiences and training at Hexagon and beyond. It’s both a tribute to home and a reflection of my growth as a chef.”

While being an homage to her family, Rinsma also wanted the dish to serve as a bastion for what fine dining can be, something so personal that it uses the most honest and best ingredients to convey the most honest and best aspects of a chef.

With a Canadian victory firmly secured, Rinsma will take her wealth of knowledge from cooking at home and at Hexagon to Milan, in an effort to showcase how both she and her mentor, executive chef Rafael Covarrubias, have been training the best young culinary minds in the GTA.

[Rinsma’s victory at last year’s San Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition]

“Having that professional environment and Rafa’s insight, especially since he’s competed in Milan himself, has been invaluable. The inspiration, though, always starts at home,” says Rinsma. “The restaurant is where the polishing and precision happen. I’ve also been lucky enough to prepare my signature dish for a number of notable Canadian chefs and culinary voices, which has helped me refine it so I’m bringing my best to Milan.”

As for what kind of game face Rinsma plans on bringing to Milan, she remains confident that the only real secret ingredient is honesty with oneself and the table you are serving, stating, “Being reminded to focus on who I am as a chef, and not try to be anyone else, has been really grounding as I prepare for Milan.”