Jul 15, 2015

Lynn Crawford and HMSHost Serve up Rustic Hearth-Style Gourmet Dining at Toronto Pearson International Airport with The Hearth by Lynn Crawford

Chef Lynn Crawford takes culinary talents and vision to the terminal

TORONTO—Award-winning celebrity Chef Lynn Crawford’s market-inspired, chef-driven dishes are now available to travellers of Toronto Pearson International Airport in Terminal 1 at The Hearth by Lynn Crawford. The new restaurant was recently opened by global restaurateur HMSHost in partnership with Lynn Crawford, one of Canada’s top chefs who is known for her appearances on the hit Food Network shows Pitchin In and the Great Canadian Cookbook, and as a resident judge on Chopped Canada, as well as for her Ruby Watchco restaurant in Toronto’s Riverside neighbourhood.

“I am so excited to be partnering with HMSHost on this restaurant for Toronto Pearson International Airport. Working together to introduce travellers to Toronto’s brilliant food culture and artisanal food industries has been both fun and inspiring,” said Lynn Crawford. “Through my relationships with farmers, artisans, and producers across Canada, I plan to honour and extend my commitment to these ingredients with The Hearth. Also, Pearson being the busiest airport in Canada makes it an ideal space to feature national and regional ingredients and cuisine.”

Built off of Chef Lynn Crawford’s philosophy that the creation of a delicious meal requires passion and quality ingredients, The Hearth’s menu serves unique takes on classical favourites – all prepared with a special dash of Chef Crawford’s ‘Hearth’ pizazz – such as the cider glazed pork chop with roasted apple chutney and sausage gravy; a flatbread with foraged mushrooms, onion petals, goat cheese and pesto; and the peameal on a bun sandwich made with honey mustard peameal bacon, aged Canadian cheddar & onion jam. Yet still there are even more innovative menu items available to stimulate travellers’ tastes; guests can order an appetizer of smoked salmon mousse and fennel marmalade served with apples, hazelnuts & greens; or a dessert of Pavlova vanilla strawberries, hazelnuts and chocolate sauce.

“The Hearth by Lynn Crawford offers our US-bound passengers a distinctly Canadian, sophisticated dining experience that reflects the diverse food culture of our great city,” said Scott Collier, Vice President of Customer and Terminal Services at Toronto Pearson. “This partnership with HMSHost and Chef Lynn reflects our passion for providing our passengers with the highest quality in dining options and travel experiences.”
In many ways the hearth is the heart of any kitchen, attracting people with the sights and smells of warm home-style meals being prepared. The Hearth by Lynn Crawford conveys this calming feeling and welcoming ambiance and pairs it with a menu of exciting, yet comforting and accessible dishes for travellers to enjoy right in the airport, many of which are made with locally sourced ingredients.

“Partnering with Lynn Crawford and Toronto Pearson Airport has been a greatly rewarding experience for HMSHost,” said Amy Dunne, Vice President of Business Development at HMSHost. “Chef Lynn is a fantastic culinary talent. Her outlook on creating distinct dishes and her local ties to Toronto have produced dining experiences for travellers which have far exceeded even our wildest expectation.”

With over 25 years of culinary experience as the executive Chef at the Four Seasons Hotel in both Toronto and New York, Lynn Crawford has received tremendous attention and international awards as an Executive Chef. Chef Lynn Crawford has been invited to cook, speak, and mentor chefs and food lovers across North America, including as a spokesperson for the James Beard Celebrity Chef Tour. Lynn also stars in the Food Network show, Pitchin’ In, nominated for a Gemini Award in 2010 and 2011, and the Great Canadian Cookbook, is a resident judge on Chopped Canada, and makes regular appearances on such shows as The Marilyn Denis Show “Resident Chef Expert”, Steven and Chris, CBC’s The National, CityLine, CTV’s Canada AM, and Global TV’s Morning Show; among numerous others.