Profile

Executive Chef Jesse Friesen

Academy Hospitality Group

Photos by Ian McCausland

Jesse Friesen has built as diverse a homegrown culinary career as one can dream. When he started at Academy Hospitality Group as Executive Chef in 2016, Jesse had his work cut out for him: first taking Gusto through its big renovation and then systematizing Merchant to deal with two Jets playoff years in a row (2017, 2018). Jesse works alongside the incredibly talented chefs that bring us Pizzeria Gusto, Gusto North, The Merchant Kitchen, Yard Burger, and The Good Fight Taco. His culinary leadership and growth have helped develop some of the most innovative concepts in the city in the most challenging year our food scene has ever experienced— culminating in his new (and unexpected) role overseeing the food program at Mottola Grocery.

Was Mottola Grocery always part of Academy Hospitality Group’s vision?

There was always a plan for a store on the first floor of True North Square, but initially, it wasn’t on our plate. And then one day, Bobby [Mottola] pulled me aside and said, “So we’re also going to open up a store.” I had never worked at a store in my life. We got on a plane to Toronto and went to see McEwens and the crazy high-end grocery stores all over downtown to start planning.

How did COVID affect the rollout of Mottola Grocery’s offerings?

When we closed the second floor of True North Square for the first lockdown, Mottola Grocery was under construction. So we did our initial grocery meals through Gusto North’s kitchen. The first step was to focus on what people have always asked us for from our restaurants. For example, we offer our tomato sauce from Gusto North and at Pizzeria Gusto. Our first offering was just five prepared items. We developed more prepared items throughout the lockdown, and now we have hundreds of products under our private MG label: from Yard Sauce for the Yard Burger to staples like salad dressings, dips, spreads, and ready-prepared meals. You can get prepared dishes like The Merchant Kitchen’s Korean Fried Chicken strips and Pizzeria Gusto meatballs, and because the grocery is Italian themed, there is also a host of prepared Italian meals.

Aside from our private label, we have four or five different farmers that we work with directly for fresh produce. We also have the café—which is coffee, grab-and-go salads, sandwiches and pastries. We have our floral department, our vanity department, and niche household items. And then we have the deli, of course, with everything from house-smoked and cured meats to local organic beef.

What happens when a grocery store is set up by a team with a restaurant background?

Bobby’s philosophy has always been about building relationships. Everyone who works in the kitchen here comes from that restaurant background, so our approach is very customer-service oriented. If people are buying a lot of stuff and they’ve got their hands full, I’ll just go get them a cart, load it up for them and be like, “Okay, let’s go shopping.” People like it because I can narrow down options based on their needs.

We also bring that extra level of experience to our products. For example, we carry Waygu beef in the deli, and a lot of people are intimidated to buy it—it’s expensive, and they hear that it’s easy to overcook. But we all have experience in the kitchen, so we can offer professional cooking tips with our products: “Season it with this, cook it this way, and serve it with this.”

Did you ever imagine yourself overseeing a high-end grocery store when you took on the role of executive chef?

It’s funny. No. I mean, I’m happy I did. As a student fresh out of college and even a couple of years after that, my goal was to be head chef somewhere. When I accomplished that, then I wanted to oversee multiple kitchens. Because of the incredible chefs and teams working in our restaurants, that’s what I’m able to do now. I have worked alongside each of them, and I am able to say: “Make it your own. If you need guidance, I will gladly give it to you.” But I trust their vision.

Then the store opportunity happened. And I’m very happy because we have the freedom to make it our own. Like, I never thought in a million years that I’d be involved in the floral business.

I’ve been very fortunate to have been presented with opportunities. And I’ve obviously worked my butt off to make sure that those opportunities continue to grow. In my past life, before this group, there was a turning point for me. It was like, do I just keep going down this path and see what happens? Or do I take a risk and be a part of the development of a restaurant group? It was a risk: I’d just had my first son. I remember my wife saying, “Are you sure? We just had a baby.” And I was like, “I think so. Yes, I’m going to do it.” And then we did it. And it worked out.

To order delivery from Mottola Grocery, visit MottolaGrocery.com.