Grilled steak is to Father’s Day as champagne is to New Year’s: a sizzling signature that embodies the spirit of the holiday. Ahead of this weekend’s backyard BBQ, we sat down with chef David Schwartz of Linny’s — a striking steakhouse in the heart of the Ossington strip — to learn how Schwartz prepares for Father’s Day. See our exclusive Q&A with Schwartz behind the counter.
When you think about Father’s Day growing up, what’s the first meal that comes to mind?
I immediately think of being in the backyard with my dad grilling on the BBQ. That, or going for dim sum.
What made that meal memorable: the food itself, or the people around the table?
I’d be lying if I said the food wasn’t important. There were always steaks and a lot of grilled vegetables, and my large, loud family was always a big part of the equation.
Do any of those childhood food memories show up in the way you cook today?
Definitely. There are a lot of childhood food memories that show up in the way I cook today, whether it’s the emphasis on grilling, sharing, family-style meals, or the sense that food should feel generous and familiar.
What role did your father play in your culinary development? Was it through food directly, or in other ways?
I’d say the way my dad ate, and still eats, has played a huge role in how I approach food. His willingness to try anything at least once definitely shaped me. I’ve always been curious about different textures, ingredients, and experiences, and a lot of that comes from exploring food with my dad and my family in general.
If it wasn’t cooking itself, what lessons from him still influence how you run a restaurant, host guests, or lead a team?
Watching my dad run a business when I was younger definitely played a pivotal role in how I operate today. When I was nine years old, I didn’t necessarily understand where the energy in his workplace came from, but in retrospect, I know it came from being a leader who treated the people he worked with well.
As a new father, are there any traditions or rituals you’re hoping to build around food and family?
I’m really excited to explore food and cooking with our son. I can’t wait to see how he reacts to different foods once he’s actually sentient and knows he exists. I’m looking forward to cooking with him, taking him to markets, grocery stores, and restaurants, and building those little rituals around food together.
As a chef and a father, what’s your ideal Father’s Day: cooking your favourite meal yourself, or letting someone else take over for once?
People ask me all the time if I enjoy cooking at home, expecting me to say that I don’t. But I really do enjoy it, as long as I’m cooking for other people. I have very little interest in cooking at home for myself. A perfect Father’s Day for me would be spent cooking over charcoal and not having to clean up a single thing afterward.
“What I love about cooking at home is the spontaneity. When my wife and I cook at home, we usually start by walking to the produce store, butcher shop, or fishmonger, seeing what looks good.”David Schwartz
Restaurants often talk about making guests feel “like family.” What does that phrase actually mean to you in practice?
As it relates to the guest experience, we want people to feel well taken care of and comfortable. We want them to feel welcomed and familiar, the way you’d want someone to feel when they enter your family home. We want our guests to feel how much we appreciate their patronage which I think is something that can be easily lost in restaurants.
That’s language we try to avoid when it comes to the employee end of our business, because I think it can often be used in exploitative ways. We place a lot of emphasis on the fact that we’re a team, but we’re not a family.
At home, Father’s Day meals are often served family-style. In a restaurant, every plate is carefully composed. What do you enjoy about each experience?
Putting a dish together for a restaurant versus putting together a meal at home are completely different creative exercises, and I enjoy both. When you create a dish for a restaurant menu, you have to think about logistics, repeatable execution, sourcing, consistency, and how it fits into the larger experience.
What I love about cooking at home is the spontaneity. When my wife and I cook at home, we usually start by walking to the produce store, butcher shop, or fishmonger, seeing what looks good, and taking it from there.
“When people think about Father’s Day, they often think about steak. Linny’s is really built for that kind of meal: generous, familiar, a little nostalgic, and centred around great meat and great sides.”David Schwartz
Linny’s describes itself as a deli steakhouse, a concept that feels both elevated and deeply familiar. Why was that combination important to you?
I’ve always loved both deli culture and the timeless nature of a steakhouse. To me, they made sense together because both are rooted in quality meats and fun side dishes.
It was also important to me that if we were going to open a steakhouse, we brought in the sensibilities that make a deli what it is: a concept born out of necessity. Curing, fermenting, preserving, using less obvious cuts like tripe, chicken livers, and hanger steak. Those ideas are a big part of what makes Linny’s feel like Linny’s.
How does that philosophy shape a holiday service like Father’s Day at Linny’s?
Our Father’s Day brunch menu will have a lot of what makes Linny’s, Linny’s: house-made grilled sausage, pastrami croquettes, grilled sirloin steak with scrambled eggs, and dishes that feel celebratory but still familiar.
You’ve worked across very different restaurants, from MIMI Chinese to Sunny’s to Linny’s. What makes Father’s Day at Linny’s distinct from those other experiences?
I think when people think about Father’s Day, they often think about steak. Linny’s is really built for that kind of meal: generous, familiar, a little nostalgic, and centred around great meat and great sides. We also have a great new steak program at MIMI which will be available on the eve of father’s day (we’re usually closed Sundays). We’ll also have a fun menu on at Sunny’s for Father’s Day.
What’s one dish at Linny’s that you think perfectly captures the spirit of sharing a meal with family?
I’d probably say the Sunday prime rib dinner. It has that sense of occasion, but it’s still comforting and familiar. It feels like the kind of meal that should be shared across the table.
What is one dish that every father should know how to cook?
I think every father should know how to make a great one-pot meal that leaves limited aftermath. Something generous and satisfying that leaves your kitchen looking as though you were never there in the first place.
When guests leave Linny’s after a special occasion like Father’s Day, what do you hope they’re talking about on the drive home?
I hope they’re talking about how it was the best Father’s Day meal they’ve ever had. And when SHARP Magazine asks them in 10 years what comes to mind when they think of Father’s Day, they say brunch or dinner at Linny’s.
VIDEO: JUNAS ARNAIZ.
PHOTOGRAPHY: LEO LEWIN.
