by Ken Tsui | After being closed for two days, Tuesday afternoon is a busy push at the award­-winning, South Granville restaurant Farmer’s Apprentice as chef/owner David Gunawan and his team are hard at work preparing for another fully booked night. For Gunawan, staff meal is all about the challenge of putting together a delicious meal from the odds and ends of the restaurant’s myriad ingredients.

Today, David begins to build a simple yet restorative Korean stew by telling one of his chefs to fetch the sausage leftover from the weekend’s brunch. The spicy stew is a low maintenance one­pot wonder. As it starts to come to life, David feeds the red, bubbling pot handfuls of diced potato, sauteed shitakes, and other ingredients.

As he leaves it to simmer and cook down, the sausages are gently warmed in a crowded pan. David continues gearing up for the dinner service, occasionally walking by the pot to taste and adjust. When the stew and sausage are ready, David brings it out to the dining area along with rice and a large bowl of house­made kimchi. The front of house staff serve themselves and sit. while co-­owner Dara Young takes it upon herself to ladle out a bowls for the kitchen crew, who are too buried with their prep to serve themselves.

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