#HumansofTK: Jason Mclelland says Goodbye to the “Grunt” Work
Meet the Chef: Jason Mclelland
Jason Mclelland was born and raised in the small town of Cellardyke, Scotland. With a population of only 12 thousand people and a reputation for being a tough, “dog-eat-dog world” kind of place, Jason was inspired to leave and travel. He learned to cook at a young age from great chefs around the world, working in some of the best 3 Michelin-starred restaurants in Scotland, Paris, London and across Australia. After years of strenuous hours, he’d had enough of the “grunt” work and began leaning into his philosophy that inspired good, honest food — this is where the concept of “Grunt” was born.
In the years to follow, he moved to Canada with his wife and opened in a restaurant in a neighbourhood that reminded him of the community he grew up in. Being apart of the community is very important to Jason, he today he is proud to have a platform that allows him to make an impact. At Grunt, you can find food that is fresh, connected, and forward-thinking… but leaves the “BS” at the door.
The Space
Grunt is tucked away on a residential side street in Mechanicsville, the neighbourhood north of Scott Street and east of Tunney’s Pasture. The venue itself is intimate and funky — seating roughly 20 heads at chunky wooden and at the counters, the space encourages connected with your neighbour. Like walking into your best friend’s home, Grunt is a place to relax, enjoy the atmosphere, and truly experience honest and wholesome food.
The Food
The menu at takes your taste buds on an adventure, truly allowing you to explore surprising pairings, delicious flavours, and outstanding treats all in the comfort of your friendly neighbourhood restaurant. “Like Spiderman, but with less crime,” jokes Mclelland. Despite the pig-themed logos and art that adorns the walls, their menu is friendly to pork-lovers and vegetarians alike. Their menu is driven by seasonality, and thus their menu changes roughly every two weeks. To follow is a seasonal representation of the kinds of dishes that might land in front of you while experiencing the approachable, yet expertly assembled fare at Grunt:
This pâte a choux gnocchi is made without potato, it’s made with the pâte à choux technique. This gives you the perfect light and fluffy gnocchi. It’s accompanied by a carbonara sauce, sieved egg yolk, smoked bacon, bacon fat bread and goats cheese from Micky at Nicastro’s.
The Porchetta Sandwich is a staple at Grunt. House porchetta sits atop a fresh bun garnished with applesauce, crushed root vegetables, a mini Yorkshire pudding, and mushroom demi off to the side.
Bison kofta sits in a mint cream and is accompanied by sun-blushed tomatoes, toasted almonds, crispy onions and shaved pigs fat.
Lemon sorbet is garnished with confit lime, pink pepper, lemon balm, torched melon, extra olive oil. Prosecco is poured tableside to bring a freshness to the end of the dish.
See head chef Jason Mclelland’s full TK profile here.
