What it's like earning — and maintaining — a Michelin star
"We don’t cook for lists or accolades, we cook for our guests," says Enigma's chef Quinton Bennett.
When the Michelin Guide came to Toronto in 2022, it wasn’t without criticism — a lot of which I frankly agreed with.
For one, the inaugural list (and subsequent years’ lists) was not representative of the true diversity of Toronto’s food scene, capturing mostly Japanese, Canadian and European restaurants. The places represented on the list were also concentrated in the city’s downtown core. And if you know anything about Toronto, you know that the outer ‘burbs are where the really good food is at. It’s part of why I started this newsletter — for a bit of counter-programming.
But still, the Guide is an important part of the city’s food scene and it has irrevocably shaped it in the short three years it’s been around. It has the potential to make or break restaurants, boost the places that do truly deserve recognition and give food writers like me an idea of what culinary gatekeepers hold in high regard.
As a diner, all I know about the guide’s selection process is that its shrouded in mystery. To find out a bit more about how the Michelin Guide works from the restaurant’s point of view, I hit up chef Quinton Bennett at Enigma Yorkville.
Enigma is a fantastic and unique restaurant totally deserving of their star. Aside from the food being tasty, chef Bennett and his team hatch up seasonal internationally-inspired tasting menus filled with creative culinary creations that play with ingredients’ form and diner expectations. It’s fine dining at its finest. Here, I spoke with Bennett about what it’s like to earn a star—and maintain it.
Tell me about yourself: where have you worked?
I’ve had the pleasure of working in kitchens around the world throughout my career. Starting in South Africa, where I’m originally from, I developed my foundational skills in luxury 5-star hotels in Cape Town and Johannesburg before moving to the UK. There, I worked at The Westbury Hotel, The Arch London and Northcote Manor in Lancashire.
My career eventually took me to NOMA in Copenhagen. From there, I made the move to Canada and opened Enigma in 2020. I’ve had the privilege of leading this restaurant ever since.
What inspired you to become a chef?
My mom is one of my biggest culinary influences, and she launched my interest in pursuing a career as a chef. She encouraged me to attend culinary school and even helped me get my foot in the door with a job in the hospital kitchen at the age of 16, where she worked as a nurse. This initial exposure kickstarted my love for professional kitchens, and I’ve been in the industry ever since: I love the pace and pressure.
What is the story behind Enigma: what is the inspiration for the restaurant?
We launched Enigma in 2020 amidst the pandemic. As with many businesses born during that time, we’ve had to evolve quickly. The investors called me whilst I was taking a short career break on the South Shore of Nova Scotia. They flew me over to Toronto for a tasting so I packed my knives and some prep items and cooked for them. The rest is history as they say!
Enigma is rooted in storytelling, and every aspect works together to take guests on a journey. This belief is why we primarily focus on tasting menus that change seasonally. The format allows us to create a unique, ever-evolving experience that surprises and excites guests, even those who visit over and over again.
Tell me about pursuing the Michelin Star. When did you decide you wanted one and why?
As a chef, especially one who’s previously worked in Michelin-star restaurants, it’s viewed as one of the highest possible honours in the field.
When I first moved to Canada with my wife after spending years in Europe, I put any Michelin aspirations I had aside because the award hadn’t yet come to the country. My interest in living in Canada and building a life for my family here took priority. Of course, when I heard Michelin was coming to Toronto in 2022, it was a great surprise. I always tell my team that we don’t cook for lists or accolades, we cook for our guests. If the recognition comes, that’s amazing, but first and foremost we do what we do and do it well without the thought of getting something for it. Our repeat guests are a very high accolade too.
What was the process of earning a star?
The process of earning a star is somewhat ambiguous, as, of course, you don’t know when an inspector will be coming in to experience the restaurant. We strive to operate at a high standard every day, regardless of who’s dining, and I think that mentality was part of what helped us achieve a star in 2022 and how we’ve continued to maintain it every year since.
I received an invitation to join Michelin for the 2022 ceremony, but you don’t know what you’ll be recognized for until the evening of the awards. The possibility of earning a star was there but felt far away so I didn’t get my hopes up and resigned myself to the fact that what will be will be. It was an incredible feeling when they announced our win that evening.
How did it feel when you found out you had earned a star?
Surreal. Hearing Enigma's name announced as the winner of a star marked a pivotal life moment. Anyone in the culinary industry will tell you that it’s not easy. I have immense love and respect for my craft, but it involves sacrifice and long hours. Enigma receiving Michelin recognition put all that work into perspective, validating the years of passion our team has poured into creating something truly spectacular.
What sorts of pressures were there? How did you keep up the quality with an influx of interest from diners?
We first received our star in 2022, just two years after Enigma opened, when we were newer to the community, so we experienced a spike in interest from diners who had discovered us through Michelin.
Kitchens are already an extremely fast-paced environment, but it was supercharged following Michelin's recognition. Thankfully, by that point in my career, I’d already had years of experience in Michelin-starred restaurants and had seen the kind of hypergrowth associated with the annual announcements.
I’ve never shied away from a challenge, so I’d say it was more excitement than pressure that first year, and in the years following. We’re always excited for a bigger audience of diners to experience Enigma for themselves.
How have you kept up the high quality?
We have a distinct operating style and high standards, which all our team members are well trained to operate at. When everyone is working together, maintaining quality becomes second nature.
We’re also extremely intentional about every aspect of Enigma, from our interiors to each component of a dish. No matter how busy the restaurant gets, that micro attention to detail is needed to create a truly memorable guest experience.
How does it feel to be a part of this distinguished class of restaurants?
It’s truly an honour. Every year, looking at the list of Michelin-recognized restaurants, I know Enigma is in great company. Toronto’s food scene is so diverse, with talent and cuisines from around the globe. It’s a world-class food city, and it’s exciting for Enigma to be part of this scene.
What does a star change about how you run a restaurant?
I wouldn’t necessarily say the star designation has changed how we run Enigma. My culinary and restaurant management philosophies have largely remained the same over the years, and I think this consistency has contributed to our consecutive Michelin stars.
That being said, we naturally want to evolve to meet our guests’ demands. Earlier this year, we underwent a renovation that consolidated the neighbouring bar with Enigma to create a unified space. This allowed us to introduce new experiences like an à la carte lounge menu and expanded private dining options for larger groups. We also recently began offering catering services, bringing our Michelin-quality food to events around Toronto.
When branching out into new additions like this, we’re always cognizant of maintaining the same high standard throughout each venture. Consistency of high quality in every aspect is key and runs the show.
What is your favourite dish at Enigma and why?
Right now, on our Spring 2025 menu, we have an Ontario Lamb shoulder. We like to use local ingredients and I’ve always particularly liked lamb as a meat over beef since it’s more flavoursome and gamey. This is slow braised, seasoned with Chinese spices, and paired with lemon turnip that’s been cooked in a lemon stock with lemon glaze and wild ramps. It’s got an intense pickled lamb tongue capper jus as well. Overall, it’s hearty and bold but very “springy” for the season.
This interview has been edited for concision and clarity.
Enigma Yorkville, 23 St. Thomas Street.
Three bites I can’t stop thinking about:
🌽: Sweet corn arancini ($18) from the brand-new Playbook Commons at Hotel X. Designed to be an upscale sports bar with genuinely good American Italian food, this delectable little appy was filled with gooey mozzarella and was served with a brown butter aioli.
🥟: Steamed fish dumpling from the Takja x MIMI collab dinner. The steamed sea bream in these dumplings were perfectly bouncy and swimming in a spicy doubanjiang (or Sichuan chilli bean sauce).
🧀: Beer battered cheese curds ($16) from Bandit Brewery. This is like the elevated version of a mozzarella stick: poutine cheese curds are deep-fried in a beer batter for a one-bite treat that’s rich, salty, crunchy, chewy and squeaky. Goes amazing with one of Bandit’s many sour beers.
You had me at the subject line ❤️