Ciao Dec/Jan 2016 number one hundred one | Page 40

inthekitchen

a place to
call home
At The Cornerstone, high calibre
cooking in a comfortable setting shows
how food creates common ground

by Arvel Gray
Chef Norm Pastorin’s decision to enter the culinary world began with
a hot dog.
In 1999, the graduate of the Asper School of Business was working
for an advertising agent in Manilla, Philippines. One of the clients
was a food company that needed a campaign to showcase its hot dogs
to home cooks.
He still remembers the mouth-watering aromas wafting from the
food lab and the choreographed efforts of a team of chefs turning
simple fare into something memorable and beautiful.
Creating unforgettable food has become a mantra for the 42-yearold chef. He never regrets his life-altering decision to abandon
marketing, enrol in Culinary Arts at Red River College, and carve
a niche in Winnipeg’s culinary scene by using food as a catalyst for
community.
These days, chef Norm can be found pouring over a binder
of hand written recipes at The Cornerstone, a pillar of bustling
Osborne Village that blurs the line between fine and casual dining.
On any given night, the place is packed with locals drawn by
an engaging food and bar menu and a convivial atmosphere as
welcoming as a family kitchen.
This philosophy of food as an anchor for community was fostered
during a visit to France. Dining with friends every night reminded
the chef of the Sunday night pot lucks of his childhood, when
his large extended Filipino family would gather over traditional
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ciao! / dec/jan / two thousand sixteen