Pearl Diver Presents The Coopers Room And The Spirit Scholarship

There are thousands of restaurants in the city of  Toronto and I can confidently say that most of those kitchens have had a student or graduate of George Brown College’s School of Hospitality & Culinary Arts work in them at one time or another. As a matter of fact, some of the city’s more renowned chefs have graduated from this school, chefs and restaurateurs like Mark McEwan, Roger Mooking, Bonnie Stern and Christine Cushing, to name a few.

Goat Roti Chronicles - Rudy Guo - Pearl Diver - Cooper's Room

You can see the passion in Rudy Guo’s face as he talks about the new Spirit Scholarship

One graduate who may not be as well known is Rudy Guo, co-owner of seafood restaurant Pearl Diver and four other restaurants in China. One of the biggest influences on Rudy’s life was the late Brian Cooper, former Dean of Hospitality and Tourism at George Brown College, and his wife Midge. According to Rudy, “When I first came to George Brown College, Brian Cooper showed me the true meaning of being a great host. It’s informed everything I’ve done since I left school and I’d like to honour their memory.”

It is in their honour that Rudy, along with fellow Pearl Diver partner and chef Tom Milosz Malychathe have decided to launch the Cooper’s Room which will be a permanent home to a series of seasonal dinners called the Cooper’s Dinners. Each of these dinners will pair a new chef with an experienced one for a one-night taste adventure with fifty percent of the proceeds going towards a new Spirit of Hospitality Scholarship.

I was invited to the very first of these dinners where Ottawa’s Chef Michael Blackie partnered up with some of the George Brown students currently working at Pearl Diver. Chef Blackie, who is also a George Brown alumni, has quite an impressive resume having spent time in the kitchens of renowned restaurants like Fairmont Pierre Marques in Mexico, Oberoi in Bali and the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong. Listening to these two men talk about the impact that George Brown College has had on their lives and careers was quite moving.

Goat Roti Chronicles - Rudy Guo - Michael Blackie - Cooper's Room - Pearl Diver

Rudy Guo and Chef Michael Blackie

We started off the dinner in the main dining room with some fresh oysters, various finger foods and some featured cocktails before moving into the Cooper’s Room for dinner. After we had settled in Rudy shared his plans for the room and told us all about the scholarship.  As the food started arriving, Chef Blackie came in to walk us through the menu he had curated for the evening. First up were some “bite sized” items followed by a carnivore loving meat platter that featured 36 hour sous-vide pork belly, digby scallops, crispy shallots and cashew encrusted bone pork ribs.

Goat Roti Chronicles - Rudy Guo - Michael Blackie - Cooper's Room - Pearl Diver - Cheese

Tempura Battered Cheese Curds

Goat Roti Chronicles - Rudy Guo - Michael Blackie - Cooper's Room - Pearl Diver - Seafood

Seafood Platter

Goat Roti Chronicles - Rudy Guo - Michael Blackie - Cooper's Room - Pearl Diver - Mushrooms

Roasted Mushrooms on Première Moisson Toast

Goat Roti Chronicles - Rudy Guo - Michael Blackie - Cooper's Room - Pearl Diver - Tuna Sashimi

Rare Tuna Sashimi Pizza

Goat Roti Chronicles - Rudy Guo - Michael Blackie - Cooper's Room - Pearl Diver - Grilled Cheese

Duck Confit Grilled Cheese

Goat Roti Chronicles - Rudy Guo - Michael Blackie - Cooper's Room - Pearl Diver

The meat platter featured 36 hour sous vide pork belly, digby scallops, crispy shallots and cashew encrusted bone pork ribs.

The food fiesta ended with their dessert platter which was served on the board that Rudy and Chef Blackie are holding in the above photo. Pearl Diver’s pastry chef, Sooji, has been making quite the name for herself and she presented her dessert platter which included stewed peaches, chocolate ganache tartes, sticky toffee pudding, and her famous Hibiscus cake.

Goat Roti Chronicles - Rudy Guo - Michael Blackie - Cooper's Room - Pearl Diver

The dessert platter featured a Hibiscus cake, chocolate ganache tarte and stewed peaches among others.

I thoroughly enjoyed the evening and the fact that Rudy and his partners are using this dinner series as a way to give back to the school that taught them the true meaning of hospitality is quite heartwarming. The first of a not-to-be-missed dinner series set the standard for future dinners and I for one cannot wait to see what the next student/chef partnership will bring.

 

Disclaimer: My meal at the dinner was complimentary but all opinions expressed are my own.

 

Permanent link to this article: https://www.goatrotichronicles.ca/pearl-diver/

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