Bon Appétit! Talking travel-inspired cuisine with father & son chefs Michael and Oscar Bonacini

Bon Appetit!

Talking travel-inspired cuisine with father & son chefs Michael and Oscar Bonacini

By Lorie Steiner

For renowned Canadian Chef Michael Bonacini and his son Oscar, who handily manages his own apron strings, food and travel are the perfect pairing. I sat down remotely with them for a delightful chat about family, farm to table and the Emerald Cruises ‘Flavourful France’ voyage they would be hosting in April 2025. It was a warm, open conversation worth savouring!

H: Michael, what instilled your love of food and creating in the kitchen? 

Michael: I was born and raised in South Wales and my parents were originally in the world of farming – market gardening into a small farm holding, dairy herd, pig breeding, potato growing. That transitioned into a small country guesthouse, and they owned and operated a number of hotels during their lifetime as hoteliers and restaurateurs. My father, being from northern Italy, brought a strong Italian influence to cooking and did a magical job every time he was in the kitchen. He did all the cooking for family and guests, and that’s the real root of my love and passion for cooking. 

H: Oscar, you’re a native Torontonian, when did you first realize a passion for food and cooking? 

Oscar: Some of my earliest and fondest memories were either around the kitchen table, in the dining room of a restaurant, or growing up beside my dad in the kitchen. We loved the family tradition of sitting down together, enjoying a meal as a celebration. My involvement in the hospitality world spooled off from there. I started as a dishwasher, moved up to making pizzas, cleaning up and all that good stuff, then decided to see how far I could take it.

A big milestone in my career was getting to work in Italy, cooking regional classics. Also, working in London – a big bustling city with an incredible array of cuisine that pulls from all regions in Europe, France included. I’m still keeping one foot in the kitchen because I’m always excited about food and cooking, but my day-to-day job is more front of house and interacting with guests. It’s a different side of the coin and a fun challenge. 

H: Obviously, travel has inspired the way you both feel about food. What are your thoughts on farm to table?

Michael: I’ve often said that farm to table has been around long before it was ever cool to be doing it. Farmers and growers knew about the importance of eating seasonal, local and supporting that ethos because it was the way of life. Travel is a great part of any education. Anywhere you go, if you can eat local and in season, and get to know the grower and the region, it adds such richness and depth to the understanding of food philosophy, culture, who we are and why we do certain things and that’s an important part of the culinary world. It’s great to see restaurants globally supporting this kind of philosophy and I believe it’s here to stay.

Oscar: You learn so much by travelling, seeing how different cultures look at things, how they pull influences from other places, which makes the world smaller in a fascinating way. Cooking farm to table is a beautiful, dare I say, romantic way of cooking with the seasons, using what the farmers are able to put their heart and soul into. As a chef and even working in the front of house, it’s incredible to be able to communicate the love and effort and blood, sweat and tears that a farmer puts into creating the perfect tomato or raising a pig to the highest standard. All of that translates to the plate. There’s a story behind every dish and that’s an amazing thing.

H: Let’s talk about the ‘Sensations of Lyon & Provence’ cruise you’re hosting in April. What is it about French gastronomy that evokes romance in people’s hearts?

Michael: French cooking is the foundation for many chefs. France does exceptionally well in food and wine, the terroir and their traditions and I think this cruise is a great opportunity to revel in it and enjoy the unique cuisine experience in the south of France. It’s an exciting cuisine for a chef to represent and cook with and be inspired by.

Oscar: It’s an area of the world that’s spoiled with an amazing amount of culinary heritage. So much history, not only with food but their wine, as well. The south of France is synonymous with so many ingredients that we see on menus across the world. Being able to go on a cruise like this, where you’re able to stop in multiple towns that are each known for specific ingredients is an amazing way to get up close and personal for a short time to see how the people eat, how they cook, how they live life. It will be a lot of fun.  

H: One of the highlights is a collaborative French-inspired menu at a special onboard dinner. Can you share anything about that? 

Oscar: We love cooking together and whenever we do, we look at what’s in season and how we like to eat, as well. With the array of amazing produce and style of cuisine that southern France will have, my dad and I will be working hard to put together a multi-course menu that showcases the flavours of the region. The biggest challenge will be narrowing it down to a few ingredients because there are so many ideas that come to mind when you think of places like Provence and Lyon. It’s going to be a wonderful showcase of the cuisine in that area.

Michael: The cruise starts in early April – spring in the south of France – so there will be gorgeous vegetables, lots of delicious savoury herbs, spring lamb, fish from the ocean and sweet water fish, and of course fruit. It’s going to be an exciting challenge for us to see who’s going to take which dish and how to pair them and then we’ve got the wines to go with it and the whole experience. We’re very much looking forward to it.

Food is all about making memories and for Chefs Michael and Oscar, many of those are family memories. How special it is that they get to host this cruise together and share it with so many people. Michael has a last heartfelt sentiment, “For me, as a father, it’s an unbelievable opportunity to be doing this and cooking with my son. It’s a moment of great pride and I know that Oscar is up for the challenge, it’s a case of whether I can keep up with him. I’m excited but I’m going to have to be on my game because he’s a force to be reckoned with. And I love him dearly.