Rafael Covarrubias of Hexagon is the MICHELIN Guide Toronto 2024 Young Chef Award Winner

What inspired you to become a chef?

It was certainly a family inspiration. I come from a family of cooks where everybody is heavily passionate about the art of cooking. But I think most importantly, I fell in love with the concept of creating experiences, and what food could do to people. As a family, we would gather together to eat, to celebrate occasions. It was always surrounding food. That is what made me fall in love with this career.

What is your favorite dish on the menu?

Our duck. It's a signature dish that we have developed over the years. It's always been only on the tasting menu. It's a labor of love that takes a couple of weeks, from our sourcing to the handling of them. It takes a couple of weeks to process them, and then a couple of weeks to be able to enjoy it. It's something that we have nurtured on every aspect of the process. Over the years, we have really become proud of the final product. And our guests really do like it.

What motivates you in the kitchen?

The pursuit of aiming to be better every day. People say that perfection is unattainable, but perfection is a journey, not a final destination, so I am always trying to work toward becoming better.

The team also motivates me. It's good to surround yourself with people that also have high expectations for their careers, because they're constantly on the lookout for how to be better. This team is constantly pushing and bringing new ideas or things to the table.

Also, our guests and the experiences that we can curate for them motivate me. Once you see how you can change somebody's perspective in a guest experience, you can hear from them what it means. The pursuit of making people happy is what drives us.

What do you eat for breakfast?

A nice oat latte is my favorite breakfast, maybe with some fruit. At the moment, in Ontario, we are in the stone fruit season, so there's a lot of peaches and apricots, nectarines, and cherries. A nice bowl of yogurt with granola and some fruit.

How do you wind down at the end of a shift?

I commute from the restaurant to home. It's about a 25-to-30-minute drive. Those 30 minutes in solitude really ease out my day. Going through what the day was, what the service was like, thinking about the next day, what can we do to have a better day or what we can repeat the next day.

Do you have a favorite food-related show, book, or program?

I listen to a couple of podcasts. I listen to Andrew Talks to Chefs. The David Chang Show back in the day. I have watched The Bear. It's probably the most asked question in the last two months that I get from guests.

How do you motivate your team?

Creating small challenges for them and having goals, but also making them part of the bigger picture – having them be heavily involved in the service aspect of the restaurant, as well as the creating of the menu and then the creating of the guest experiences. Once they know that their work is crucial for the operation of the restaurant, they're self-motivated to do as best as possible.

What advice would you give to a young person who wants to become a chef?

Believe in yourself. Bet on yourself and know your capabilities. I was fortunate to be in a position leading a kitchen at a young age, and I always had doubts about what I could do and what I couldn't do because of my age. But what kept me moving was that motivation, that goal of being the best I could.

Stay open, stay focused, and have self-discipline and determination. Surround yourself with people that you admire, and people you can learn something from. Don't get discouraged if things don't happen overnight, just keep pushing for the goal. It doesn't matter how long it takes.

Hero image: Daniella Koczur / Chef Rafael Covarrubias