Park-ing it in Nova Scotia
This week’s episodes of Assis Toi and Have A Seat wouldn’t have happened without the help of social media.
I was at the CBC working on an episode of Assis Toi, when I checked my Twitter feed. And this is what I saw:
I was a little confused... what was one of the biggest names in Canada's culinary world doing in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia? So I tweeted at him, asking what he was doing in the province.
Turns out he has family in that area of southwestern Nova Scotia, and was paying a visit. He was really impressed by what he saw in the area and wanted to share things with people on his social media accounts. Things like this video of sword fishing that he posted to his Instagram account.
Clockwise from top left: Park and Neil Patrick Harris, a selection from Park's restaurant, Park and his fellow judges on Chopped Canada, down at the wharf in Yarmouth, NS. All images from Antonio Park's Instagram feed, which you should check out.
For those of you who don't know Antonio Park, here is the Coles Notes version:
- He is the brains behind Park Resto and Lavanderia, two very successful restaurants in Montreal.
- He is of Korean heritage, raised in South America, came to Canada as a teen, and trained as a chef in Japan.
- He is a judge on Chopped Canada.
- People go ape for his sushi. Especially celebrities.
- He brings in fish from Japan. But not just any fish. Fish that is, in layman's terms, acupunctured.
I sent Park a message and asked him if I could interview him about his time here in Nova Scotia, and he happily agreed. You can listen to that interview in its Assis Toi version, by streaming or downloading it. Or check out Have A Seat for an extended interview with Antonio, where he tells me how his time with the men and women who work the waters in this region have changed the way he looks at fishing.