We start with the food of Italy as we know it – a snapshot of our Family Food Archives bent by time and space, and heavily influenced by countless unforgettable ’70s Sundays crowded into Nonna’s Basement, in a mining town, in Northern Ontario.
The records turned, the grappa flowed and Italian deck cards were dealt all afternoon. And of course, our Nonnas and Moms and Zias in their tiny kitchens sending out only their BEST, bringing the family together to the table and holding us all there – spellbound and really living – with smokin’ Italian Family Cookery, over the top Italian Energy and heaps and loads of authentic family love.
New to our country and city for barely a decade, our parents, our grandparents, our aunts and uncles - and their colourful, crazy, artistic, loud, loving, magnificent friends - created and instilled in us a culture of entertaining, solidarity, friendship, comradery and easy-going style and Community that won’t be soon forgotten.
And of course the Mother lode - the fantastic distillation of classic recipes from our central regions of Italy and sometimes beyond from the lands of Friends, re-interpreted and tweaked over rich years passed in our Family Kitchens, mashed with passion, adventure and easy laid-back style.
This is the essence of Respect is Burning Kitchen and Bar: we present to you a style of Italian and culturally curved cooking that’s uniquely ours, in a place lost in time - somewhere between Fam and Glam - a vehicle for bringing good people together for celebration, bonding, laughing out loud - and REALLY LIVING.
We choose our Downtown - it's our historic cultural center, and worthy of preservation and stewardship of Our Community.
And we believe there's no better way to unite Community than with passion, hard work, tradition, hospitality, kindness, and great Food.
Just like our Nonnas taught us. ❤
Welcome to our Home - and Enjoy!
