Emma Cardarelli has witnessed an evolution in professional kitchens. “There’s been a massive change. The first kitchens I worked in were very sexist,” says the chef and owner of Montreal’s Nora Gray restaurant. “All the jokes were dirty, gross, derogatory things about women.”
The chef, who’s been cooking since graduating university with a BA, takes comfort in knowing women in today’s kitchens aren’t derided the way she was. “Standing up, being a feminist — I was ridiculed. I have no problem saying I’m a feminist, but it’s a dirty word in the kitchen to say that, or [it] was when I was starting out.”
The English and psychology major entered the ruthless culinary world by fluke. “My marks were nothing to write home about, so I took a summer job to see what cooking was like,” she says. Her first gig at Lake O’Hara Lodge in Lake Louise, Alta. — where she excelled at bread and pastry — is where she “fell in love” with the culinary world.
Bice, a heritage Montreal restaurant, was the then aspiring chef’s next stop and next source of inspiration. “They have a very serious pastry section, so, as pâtissière, I learned amazing stuff,” says Cardarelli. From there, her persistence paid off, and she landed a job at Globe — the resto where David McMillan and Fred Morin, current owners of Montreal’s Joe Beef, started out. “That’s where I met Fred, and he became my mentor. I bugged him for months before he had a position available for me,” laughs Cardarelli. “He really took me under his wing.” But the pinnacle of Cardarelli’s training was a trip to France for an unpaid stage. Staging in the Loire Valley was an invaluable experience, says the Montrealer. “I worked in a small town near Tours called Amboise. It’s in the middle of castle country — castles everywhere — it was awesome.”
Fast forward to today and Cardarelli co-owns Nora Gray with two partners. The restaurant seats 45 and features a simple homestyle southern Italian menu. “I don’t like to overcomplicate things, so my food is very simple. I don’t like too much manipulation,” she says, describing her technique. “It’s not about the newest, the fanciest, the most complicated or how many organ meats are in one dish; I’m not about layering too much stuff.” Cardarelli’s menu, which changes every six weeks, features Quebec snow crab with fresh fava beans ($16); Pacific Halibut agrodolce ($35); and Orecchiette with crispy headcheese and rapini leaves ($13/$25).
Of course, like many chefs, a hectic schedule makes it difficult to carve out a life outside the kitchen. “I’m single — I’m married to my job,” admits the 35-year-old. “I’ve been locked in a kitchen for years, so I’ve literally just gone on dates,” Cardarelli laughs.
And, finding a mate who understands the rigours of the kitchen is another challenge. “That’s one of the biggest problems for me right now; finding somebody who understands I’m not going to be around for dinner all the time or [for] social occasions on weekends. That’s the biggest negotiator.”
