inthekitchen
that venture, he switched gears to pursue
a food science degree and his friend Adam
Donnelly offered him a job at acclaimed
resto Segovia while juggling the student
life. Ambitiously, he also jumped head first
into launching a pop-up dinner series with
friends under the name “Table Manners.”
These one-night dinners were like opening
a restaurant every time, and Gama fell for
the idea of opening his own one day.
For t u itou sly, S egov ia co - ow ners
Donnelly and Carolina Konrad, and
her sister Reya, had found a space in the
Exchange District and asked Gama what
he thought about opening a breakfast spot.
In a culture ruled by social media and
instant gratification, the term chef—
which nearly anyone can use—has been a
struggle for Gama, whose humility is part
anecdotes discovered between recipe lines.
“How do we cook it in a way we haven’t
prepared it before?” the chef constantly
wonders, always striving for the most
thoughtful way to treat each ingredient.
Bacon gets a sous vide bath overnight
before being fried in a maple glaze to
achieve a crisp, yet tender bite, and potatoes
undergo a three-step process before
cooking to get perfect texture (“potatoes
are always on my mind,” he jokes).
Veg-dominant sides are just as deserving
of praise as heartier dishes, with the same
attention to detail given to Thai-inspired
fried caulif lower as smoked arctic char.
Nearly every ingredient is local, and
everything is made from scratch—no
small feat for such a high-volume breakfast
joint. Gama stands by the notion that
“People were here the minute we opened the door.”
of his charm. “I don’t really like the term
‘chef’ because it’s strayed so far from what
it should be,” he says. A chef should first
and foremost be a leader, mentor, manager,
and of course, a really great cook.
Needless to say, Gama is all these things
and more ; a modern-day chef whose
success is a result of working from the
bottom up, learning from the city’s most
regarded talent and really loving to cook.
Clementine is buzzing with that elusive
je ne sais quoi which creates serious
devotion amongst foodists in town.
Drawing on the phenomenon of shared
plates, which Gama is well acquainted
with from his time at Segovia, he cleverly
reframes the idea. Bold flavours oft reserved
for night-out affairs wake up morning
appetites; chili butter bolsters heat in
Turkish eggs, zesty curtido tops a Spanish
inspired tostada and fingerling salad (aka
fancy hash browns) is smothered in lush
mornay sauce. Influences from around the
world make their way into his dishes.
As a cookbook obsessive (shelves are
filled with his home’s overflow), inspiration
often comes from a new technique or little
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everything should be too complicated and
difficult to prepare at home.
So how does Clementine manage to
plate 5-star quality brunch at a 2-star
price? “We use great ingredients—but not
expensive ones,” Gama explains, noting
that ingredients like fois gras or lobster
don’t have a place on the menu. Being
part of the community is important to
them, and prices need to be accessible.
Neighbourhood regulars and people from
all over the city join the queue for a table
to Instagram perfectly plated Turkish eggs.
As tables clear and it finally starts to
quiet down in the late afternoon, members
of the team sit down with their plates under
the glow of Clementine’s neon mantra, “Eat
this, it’ll help.” It’s clear they love the food
just as much as the guests they serve do.
Throughout his journey to becoming a
chef and restaurant owner Gama’s greatest
fulfillment has come from empowering
his staff. “If the staff are happy, it’s going
to translate to the table,” he shares. A
restaurant full of happy and passionate
people who are proud to work there. Who
could resist that?