Dinner Conversation with Chef Joe Friday : Chef Thomas Heitz

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we proceed, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory and how did you reach where you are today?
My childhood began in Schwarzwald Germany better known as the Black Forest where great food is celebrated. It is the land of amazing Beer, Schnapps, Bratwurst, Sauerbraten, Schnitzel, Knödel, Spätzle, Sauerkraut and of course who can forget amazing desserts like Linzertorte, Berliner and Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black forest cake) among many others.  My Oma and Opa were instrumental in raising us and keeping our family traditions alive. We experienced many festivals that I fondly remember such as my favorite month long Christmas Markets that friends and family gathered enjoying Gluhwein “Mulled Wine” and copious amounts of German Cookies and Marzipan.  It was always where Grimm's Fairy Tales were read to children giving us a cautionary education and leaving us a little sinister but fun loving and mischievous at heart. My family decided to move to Canada in the late 80’s and we kept many of our traditions alive in Canada, always paying homage to our roots celebrating great food, friend and family to this day.  In a way it instilled the hospitality gene where making people happy around me gives me a sense of accomplishment and belonging.  It is this sense of hospitality that is in my blood and has made me who I am.

What or who inspired you to pursue your current career? We’d love to hear the story.
My mother Silvia is my biggest inspiration in my life and the reason I constantly strive for what’s next.  She was extremely hard working, tough, funny and stubborn and she had this charm to her that everyone loved. She was great at telling you the things that you didn’t want to hear but she did it from a place of love and absolutely had no filters. She would say it exactly how it is, never missing the elephant in the room but she pushed me to excel and do better every day. She was also a career server who was extremely good at what she was doing building a customer base that would come to the restaurant to sit in her section, she knew how to connect with people on a meaningful level.  Her love of hospitality rubbed off on me and inspired me follow my heart and enter the kitchen and do what I love best cook.  Unfortunately she died a few years ago from Cancer but to this day I still do not rest on my accomplishments and keep pushing myself to be better. 

None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Was there a particular person who you feel gave you the most help or encouragement to be who you are today? Can you share a story about that?
There have been many mentors at different stages in my life that come and go and I am forever grateful to them.  They have always been there to celebrate career milestones, to help me through a rough patch and offer advice or assistance which would prompt me to reevaluate my path or think about something differently.  One such mentor is Chef Jean Guy Robichaud who has been an absolute inspiration and encouragement to me and always was tough on me when I was an overconfident cocky apprentice thinking I knew everything.  I remember him saying to me “you’re a good cook but I would fire you if you worked in my kitchen”, at the time I laughed it off. I had excellent grades and culinary school was a breeze but those words stayed with me my entire career. He made me realize there was more than just being a great cook, he taught me the value of being a part of something bigger, being a team player and being humble.  He encouraged me to learn more and be open to new experiences and unconventional ways of thinking and to be prepared for every opportunity.

Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your career? What lessons or take aways did you learn from that?
When I was living in Montreal in my early twenties, I was trying to learn and work at as many places as possible to gain experience.  I worked at the prestigious Loews Hotel Vogue but was also part of the gig economy in the summer in Montreal’s Festival and Events scene for private event caterers.  I remember helping for events such as Cirque De Soleil Parties, Just for Laughs, Formula F1 and so on.  One event in particular was at the Old Windsor Hotel Ball Room and I was asked to drive one of the many catering trucks to the location.  They didn’t have enough drivers and since I had my license they asked me and I nervously accepted.  While driving to the event, I made a left hand turn and my back tire hit the center median curb and sent all the hot boxes in the truck sideways literally destroying all the individually cut Paves “Layered Potato” that involved hours of meticulous preparation. They literally ended looking horrible but I remember the Chef saying, “c'est la vie” don’t worry…don’t sweat the small stuff and we will figure it out.  I felt so bad and didn’t think they would ever call me back but we made it work and we changed up the composition of the plate and placed the meat and vegetable on the potato and nappe demi glaze and people did not even notice, they actually loved the meal.  In our industry, as with life, when something goes wrong it is how we choose to handle it that makes all the difference. It’s not the load that breaks you down. It’s the way you carry it.

The road to success is hard and requires tremendous dedication. This question is obviously a big one, but what advice would you give to a young person who aspires to follow in your footsteps and emulate your success?
Life is not fair and nothing will come easy, you have to want it! There is no shortcut to success, it will only happen through hard work and dedication.  Treat the people around you like mentors. I remember times that I wanted to give up but my mentors were always there pushing me to be better.  Sometimes these mentors don’t even know how they are influencing you, you may even resent them at the time for being too hard on you or not giving you what you think you deserve, but years later when you are a mentor yourself and you reflect on your journey, you realize who it was that was coaching and pushing you to be better and who could not be bothered.  A quick tip is, if it feels uncomfortable do it! Never stop learning and never rest on your laurels, always ask yourself what’s next. Push yourself to be better everyday and if you fail, dust yourself off and just keep pushing until you find the success you are chasing.  Create a list of short term and long term goals you can get excited about achieving, these will undoubtedly change with your journey but be persistent in the pursuit of those evolving goals. Believe in yourself and don’t worry too much about what others think of you.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
I had to think about this question for a while and many books come to mind. One such is Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. It brought to life my experiences of being a young chef in the industry, being influenced by a work hard, play hard dysfunctional fraternity.  Nostalgia aside, I realize it was an unhealthy pattern for an industry that wanted to be respected by the professional world. Another book that stood out for me was the Outsiders by S.E. Hinton which is a book I read in high school.  It was a book I felt represented much of my teens and twenties as someone struggling for acceptance and feeling like an outsider uncomfortable in my own skin. People can be cruel and form groups and clicks that exclude and judge based on upbringing and socio economic class.  Understanding these bias and behaviors now allows me to make better decisions on how I want to live my life such as being more inclusive and tolerant, learning to be more comfortable in my own skin and not caring so much about the opinions and judgement of others.  

Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much?
“You are only as good as your last meal” This life quote has resonated with me my entire life and in all aspects in my life.  The world is very competitive, you can be on top today and slip through the ranks tomorrow.  If being at the top of your game is important to you, it’s important to think about what you are going to do to stay relevant. Diversifying your skills, interest and even passions to carve out a niche for ourselves that we can identify with, a sort of Personal Brand.  Part of having an authentic brand is having integrity and being true to yourself, not being afraid to be vulnerable and finding your personal version of happiness by tuning out the negative and focusing on the positive.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Can you share them with us?
As the corporate chef of Kraft Heinz Canada I work on many projects.  In my role I support our QSR “Quick Service Restaurants, FSR “Full Service Restaurants” and “Non-Commercials” such as Hotels, Private Clubs, Institution,  Healthcare customers amongst others with menu ideation and product solutions as well work on future product innovation.  I take pride in the fact that I am helping shape the culinary fabric of Canada and influence the menus of many familiar national and global brands using the latest culinary trends and insights.  One exciting project I am working on is Kitchen 57 our first Kraft Heinz Ghost Kitchen, our mission to gaining valuable insights for ourselves and our customers by executing a true test and learn.  The name Kitchen 57 pays homage to Heinz and the indulgent American comfort food of Smash Burgers, Fried Chicken, House Cut Fries, Cheesecake and so much more all utilizing Kraft Heinz ingredients that consumers trust and love. We take a speed scratch approach utilizing Kraft Heinz products as a base with the addition of ingredients to create unique offerings such as our Nashville Sauce.  We use our learnings to share best practices with customers as well fuel future product innovation. 

Let’s talk about food! What is your favourite cuisine and why? Is there a backstory you can share?
I spent my first 10 years in the hotel brigade system learning various international cuisines and working under talented celebrated international Chefs from around the world.  I was classically trained in French techniques and had access to great ingredients from around the world at my fingertips.  In the 90’s this really propelled fusion at the time nicknamed “con-fusion” cuisine by traditionalists. This merging of flavors and borrowing of ingredients from one cuisine to another created a new creative outlet for chefs to incorporate their own ethnicity and personal flourishes. I love variety and do not really have a clear favorite cuisine. I’m always curious about new cuisine and culture and enjoy learning to incorporate ingredients and techniques  in my repertoire.  I loved our visit to Mexico City and enjoyed so many authentic takes on Tacos, Mole, Barbacoa and even Escamoles (ant larve)… I dare you to try some! I love Japanese, Korean, Hakka, Indian, Peruvian, Middle Eastern and even Indigenous Cuisine but still have a soft spot for real German Comfort Food.  I travel for food and culture and every time I think I know a cuisine, my travels show me that I’ve only just scratched the surface.

Are you cooking more often at home now? If yes, do you have a ritual that you follow while cooking? And, do you usually follow recipes or just experiment on your own?
I do cook at home often and I’m always experimenting. My partner and I have a routine of sorts that can be comical to watch, I tend to read a recipe, get an understanding of the culture and the techniques and I incorporate it into my skills and experiences to execute. I never follow a recipe and I’m always looking to improve on it each time. My partner on the other hand is a traditionalist with her cultural cuisine.  She learned watching her Mother and Grandmother cook and has very specific techniques handed down through the generations with mathematical precision that result in delicious nostalgia evoking creations.  Any attempt to modifying, substituting or even tweaking the ingredients or techniques leads to heated protests, as in her opinion, perfection cannot be tampered with. That does not stop me from trying.  I love pushing boundaries and trying something new and very rarely eat the same dish twice. Recently Miso and Tahini have become staples ingredients in our household as they allow great ways to add flavor and umami to so many dish.

What was the first time you heard or experienced food waste? How would you describe food waste and what does it entail?
Food waste has always been a sore spot for me, being raised in a family that worked hard for what they had.  We had what we needed and my mother taught us to be grateful for what we had because there are always people who had even less than we did. In the hospitality industry food waste has always been a problem from events, conventions, buffets, literally every part of our operation had food waste and I witnessed anywhere from 20 to 40% of food going to waste in our industry.  I try to be mindful of this and do my part to inform guests when they are purchasing too much food for an event. I work closely with food rescue services such as Second Harvest and Seeds of Hope to redistribute excess food for those less fortunate. I know that much more still needs to be done.  At Kraft Heinz I am part of our Sustainability committee with ambitious sustainability objectives under three broad pillars: Environmental Stewardship, Responsible Sourcing, and Healthy Living & Community Support with the goal of helping create a healthier and more sustainable environment for all of us. Individually, we all have our work cut out for us when it comes to sustainability.  The first step is awareness, followed by taking responsibility. If everyone does their part it would be amazing the impact we could make.  At home I save any vegetable scraps, herbs and butchery trim in reusable bags in the freezer for making stocks.  It’s really simple to collect over a couple of weeks and makes incredibly flavorful broths to use in stews, pilaf’s  or soups etc.

How can our readers further follow you and your work online or reach out to you?
I enjoy making connections on social media, you can follow my foodie adventures on Instagram. You can also reach me on LinkedIn or via my website at chefthomasheitz.com.

Thank you for these really excellent insights, and I greatly appreciate the time you spent with this. I wish you continued success.
Thank You for the opportunity! I really appreciate it.

While you’re still here, order some BBQ sauce!