Kent Van Dyk is a culinary arts teacher at Longfields-Davidson Heights Secondary School. He was interviewed by Shawna Wagman for the October edition of Ottawa Magazine. Missed it? You can still order the back issue here.

Tacos worth talking about
Lamb tacos with funky chili at Sidedoor. The lamb is beautifully tender, and it’s a nice change from all the pork and fish tacos out there right now.

Worth the drive
The Village House in Wakefield. I love the crispy pig cheeks with herb-cheddar gnocchi.

Favourite brunch 
I love Chez Edgar in Gatineau. Their pastries are lovely and beautiful and quaint — just like the restaurant. I love all of their poached egg dishes. In spring, one was served with fingerling potatoes, duck confit, and fiddleheads. And their lemon doughnuts stuffed with lemon curd — mmmm.

Guilty pleasure
The brown-bag lunch at the Whalesbone Fish Supply. I usually get the smoked white albacore tuna or the oyster po’ boy.

Feel-good fix
When I want to make myself feel really healthy, I go for Vietnamese food. I get rare beef pho from Pho Bo Ga La on Somerset.

 To stock the pantry
I go to Sultan’s Market at Bank and Hunt Club for Middle Eastern ingredients and interesting and obscure items from all over the world. One student wanted to make tiropita — Greek cheese pie — and found the special cheese there that melted perfectly. I’ve bought dried peppers from Mexico and tortilla presses there.