What’s Your Favourite?
Chef, sommelier and CAA Member Frank Parhizgar on food as conversation, post-work meals and his constant source of inspiration.
By Jim Bamboulis
HE WON’T SAY IT, but Chef Frank Parhizgar has helped put Toronto on the global culinary map. Alongside his partner in business and life, Shawn Cooper, Parhizgar runs FK, a charmingly chic spot in the city’s Wychwood neighbourhood. In 2023, he humbly clinched gold at Canada’s Great Kitchen Party. FK’s accolades have continued rolling in, including multiple Wine Spectator and Dirona awards and a coveted Michelin nod. But despite the much-deserved recognition, Chef Frank is still happy to let his dishes do the talking.
Parhizgar combines the talents of a chef and a sommelier. | PHOTO: LIONEL BEBBINGTON
(From top) Parhizgar began his culinary career apprenticing at a Michelin 2-star restaurant in Lyon, France; Alex Colville’s “Coyote and Alders," from 1995. | PHOTOS: (FROM TOP) MARCO SARACCO/ADOBE STOCK; © A.C. FINE ART INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2025/BRIDGEMAN IMAGES
What does food mean to you?
It’s a conversation, a celebration. It allows me to mark time and place for a guest and create a moment that turns into a memory.
You’re an artist and have created your own ceramic dishes for the restaurant. Who’s your favourite artist?
Alex Colville. I’ve always liked how straightforward and honest his art is. How he can take something “ordinary” or even mundane and allow us to see the beauty in it.
How do your travels inspire your culinary creations?
For me, it’s never been so much about the place but more about the people who make up the place. The ranchers, Mennonites, farmers. The people who live there.
You started your culinary training in Lyon, France. What was the most enriching culinary experience you had in Lyon that propelled you forward?
The vibrant colours, [the] aromas of the food all stimulated my senses.
Where do you go and what do you do for inspiration?
For inspiration, I’ve always read a lot of cookbooks and food writing. Shawn, my partner, who runs the business and front of house, is the driving force behind an elevated guest experience. She has always had a very strong vision and philosophy of what she wanted the restaurant to be, and how it should feel from the customers’ perspective – she built that from the ground up. We’ll also go to new places that seem like they may have a fresh take or different perspective. We have a great love for restaurants and are avid diners ourselves.
After long days, what’s your meal and drink of choice when unwinding?
Every night after work, I have a flight of wine, tasting new product and growing my knowledge. As a chef/sommelier, I have an appreciation of how the worlds of wine and food are intricately intertwined. I like a burger or a sandwich, and I love an “everything” salad with lots of good stuff in it. CAA
FK’s creative take on strawberry shortcake, featuring strawberry sorbet, lemon olive oil cake and chantilly cream. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF FK
HE WON’T SAY IT, but Chef Frank Parhizgar has helped put Toronto on the global culinary map. Alongside his partner in business and life, Shawn Cooper, Parhizgar runs FK, a charmingly chic spot in the city’s Wychwood neighbourhood. In 2023, he humbly clinched gold at Canada’s Great Kitchen Party. FK’s accolades have continued rolling in, including multiple Wine Spectator and Dirona awards and a coveted Michelin nod. But despite the much-deserved recognition, Chef Frank is still happy to let his dishes do the talking.
Parhizgar combines the talents of a chef and a sommelier. | PHOTO: LIONEL BEBBINGTON
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(From left) Parhizgar began his culinary career apprenticing at a Michelin 2-star restaurant in Lyon, France; Alex Colville’s “Coyote and Alders," 1995. | PHOTOS: (FROM LEFT) MARCO SARACCO/ADOBE STOCK; © A.C. FINE ART INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2025/BRIDGEMAN IMAGES
What does food mean to you?
It’s a conversation, a celebration. It allows me to mark time and place for a guest and create a moment that turns into a memory.
You’re an artist and have created your own ceramic dishes for the restaurant. Who’s your favourite artist?
Alex Colville. I’ve always liked how straightforward and honest his art is. How he can take something “ordinary” or even mundane and allow us to see the beauty in it.
How do your travels inspire your culinary creations?
For me, it’s never been so much about the place but more about the people who make up the place. The ranchers, Mennonites, farmers. The people who live there.
You started your culinary training in Lyon, France. What was the most enriching culinary experience you had in Lyon that propelled you forward?
The vibrant colours, [the] aromas of the food all stimulated my senses.
Where do you go and what do you do for inspiration?
For inspiration, I’ve always read a lot of cookbooks and food writing. Shawn, my partner, who runs the business and front of house, is the driving force behind an elevated guest experience. She has always had a very strong vision and philosophy of what she wanted the restaurant to be, and how it should feel from the customers’ perspective – she built that from the ground up. We’ll also go to new places that seem like they may have a fresh take or different perspective. We have a great love for restaurants and are avid diners ourselves.
After long days, what’s your meal and drink of choice when unwinding?
Every night after work, I have a flight of wine, tasting new product and growing my knowledge. As a chef/sommelier, I have an appreciation of how the worlds of wine and food are intricately intertwined. I like a burger or a sandwich, and I love an “everything” salad with lots of good stuff in it. CAA
FK’s creative take on strawberry shortcake, featuring strawberry sorbet, lemon olive oil cake and chantilly cream. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF FK