Mississauga is the Next Culinary Destination

If you build it, they will come. Mississauga is in the midst of a major culinary revolution and is set to become an international culinary destination in 2014. 

Toronto Pearson International Airport, located in Mississauga, plans to offer travellers culinary experiences that reflect the cultural diversity of the GTA. 

Terminals 1 and 3 will undergo a major ‘food-lift’ that will include a global food program with more than a dozen new dining spots. 

HMSHost, a global food service leader, has partnered with a number of award-winning and celebrity chefs and partners — two of whom call Mississauga home — to transform the terminals into culinary hubs that will feature a broad range of ethnic cuisines. 

“Pearson will have an extensive collection of dining experiences with the greatest number of chef-inspired restaurants of any airport worldwide”, says Janine Gervais, Associate Director Retail and Food Programs with the Greater Toronto Airports Authority. 

Celebrity chefs Lynn Crawford, Susur Lee and Roger Mooking are just a few of the famed toques who have partnered with HMSHost to elevate the dining experience for travellers. 

Internationally acclaimed Master Chef Susur Lee will present modern Asian and French bistro style entrees at Asian Kitchen By Susur Lee. The Hearth will feature celebrity chef Lynn Crawford’s creations, which include hearth-fired flatbreads, sandwiches, fresh salads and small plates. 

Twist will feature celebrity chef Roger Mooking’s locally sourced North American comfort foods with a global twist, such as his Splat Cones creation made with Devonshire cream, lavender honey and peameal bacon. 

Mississauga’s notable modernist chef John Placko will launch an exclusive new restaurant – Bar 120: Cuisine Transformed. The menu will feature modernist cuisine using molecular techniques. 

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be partnering with HMSHost at Toronto Pearson on this unique concept of Bar 120: Cuisine Transformed. You’ll be able to watch the chef create molecular cuisine right in front of you, which provides that familiar taste with a modern twist and unique textures. And we’ll have some chef inspired drinks to enjoy as well. This is my second time working with HMSHost at Toronto Pearson, so I’m really looking forward to this restaurant opening,” says Placko.   

Paramount Fine Foods CEO Mohamad Fakih is expanding his successful Middle Eastern brand of restaurants by opening two restos in Pearson. Fakih’s restaurants are unique for bringing Middle Eastern cuisine to the masses and serving Ontario-raised hormone-free and grass-fed halal meats. 

“I am exceedingly happy to have the opportunity to bring Paramount Fine Foods and our Middle Eastern Cuisine to hungry travelers of Toronto Pearson,” Fakih says. “Our halal food is a healthy, quick and tasty option for the thousands of visitors and locals who walk through the halls of Toronto’s largest airport. We look forward to the new expansion of Paramount Fine Foods and are eager to have teamed up with HMSHost. They have made the transition smooth, as they are highly professional and have the same passion for quality food and customer service as we do”. 

Toronto’s first pop-up restaurateur, Zane Caplansky of Caplansky’s Deli, will have two locations at Pearson Airport which will feature Jewish deli-style dishes including breakfast plates, hot sandwiches, and home-style dinner entrees. 

An exciting time for Mississauga, and this is just the beginning.