Hey friends,

I’m Tyler James Da Silva and the Chef de Cusine at Sidedoor in the Byward market area of Ottawa.  Sauce on Side (S/os) is a major passion project of mine and I’m so excited to be able to share this with you. I've worked in the Byward Market since 2009, learning with some of the best at Social, Smoque Shack, and Sidedoor in those years. Ottawa has been home since 2007, and in my 10 years here I've loved seeing our culinary community grow with so many people that I now call my friends. 

When I started at Sidedoor 4 years ago, I was told two things by Chef Jonny Korecki, that has shaped how I have come to approach this industry. The first was, ‘Always make it nice’. The second, ‘Go out there and do a good thing’. Simple ideas at its core but much harder to execute. The great thing was, that after working with Chef for 3 years and seeing him maintain his attitude, execute these philosophies, and teach it to our staff, I recognized these ideals more and more in the people working in this industry all around me. It also allowed me to reflect on the great people I had been working with over the previous 5 years before and realized that yep, this is what it's all about.  

Now, when I look at the top three major cities in Canada (Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver), I really believe - as I know so many people in this city do - that Ottawa is part of that conversation when it comes to what we're doing to create a truly amazing and unique food culture. The best part about it is that it comes down to one word: Community. I've seen it first hand when I talk to others and when I go out and eat at these restaurants. And it's that sense of community that I want to bring to the forefront, so that people within our industry, and those outside of it, get to hear and see what we're doing on a personal level.  

We are here to talk about what's happening with our city, from the Chefs to the service staff on a peer to peer level. There will be no reviews and no awkward Q&A sessions. As someone who has a viewpoint from within the industry, the big thing here is the organic conversation that I always have with these great people that I want to showcase.

All the content that we do here on Sauce on Side is going to come straight from the source. And this is going to be a great chance for people to get to know our Chefs, cooks, and service staff on a personal level. Sauce on Side is about the new ideas these wonderful and talented people are bringing to the city, the heart they pour into their work, and the sacrifices they make in their day-to-day jobs. It’s their stories, in their voices, from their perspective. Because at the end the day, we're all trying to do a good thing. 

Tyler