THE HISTORY OF GREATCOOKS
Great Cooks made its mark more than two decades ago as the first cooking studio to showcase Toronto's top chefs and celebrity chefs from restaurant kitchens around the world. In the words of Esther Benaim owner and CEO of Great Cooks, these chefs were predominantly "cooking school virgins". For most, it was the first time they had taught a cooking class.
Students gave rave reviews to the "chef's table" format, which featured an interactive cooking demonstration, followed by a sumptuous dinner paired with wines. Great Cooks continues to maintain its reputation as an industry leader, despite the rapid proliferation of new businesses, which emulated its chef-as-teacher concept.
When Canada's flagship department store chain, the Hudson Bay Company (HBC) decided to pursue a cooking school as a partner to promote and showcase its house wares, they partnered with Esther to make it a reality. She and her colleagues joined forces to create an expanded business model, including a high-quality lunchtime restaurant and an exclusive tea boutique. Their corporate sponsors were some of the most respected names in kitchen equipment: Wolf, Sub-Zero and All Clad. In February 2000, Great Cooks and The T Spot opened its doors to rave reviews.
The T Spot fast became a popular lunchtime destination for downtown business people as well as shoppers. At the same time, there was an insatiable appetite for hands-on culinary instruction, both for individual learning and for corporate team building classes. It was clear the cooking studio had outgrown its size. To accommodate the growing demand, Great Cooks hosted events including demonstrations for their corporate clients off site at the Wolf/Sub-Zero showroom.
Shortly after having witnessed the remarkable success of The T Spot, The Hudson Bay Company (HBC) executives offered an opportunity for expansion. They asked Esther to assume their restaurant on the eighth floor of the Simpson's Tower, a highly desirable space with a spectacular view of the city. II BY IV Design redesigned the beautiful interior space and Great Cooks on Eight opened in December of 2004.
Great Cooks has maintained its reputation as an industry leader, with the first multi-faceted business model of its kind, combining a high-quality restaurant with an exclusive tea boutique and a professional cooking studio. Great Cooks became the first venue in Toronto to accommodate hands on cooking events for groups as large as 80.