Review of The Essence of Ambrose Ichor

The life and food of the world famous and yet somehow fictitious Canadian chef Ambrose Ichor.

"Who knew that food could have such dramatic flair?"
NOW, Jon Kaplan

Essential Ambrose

Who knew that food could have such dramatic flair? Shadowland Theatre 's latest, The Essence Of Ambrose Ichor, only ran two performances last weekend, but it sated its audience's taste in both a culinary and theatrical fashion.

Moving from one site to another on the Toronto Islands, viewers were treated to a history of the fictitious chef's life as well as a sampling of his food, courtesy of chefs Luisa Milan and Lynne Stirling .

The evening was a hit, beginning with a Parisian scene in which Bacchus and a centaur served some delicious amuses bouches. We later had a waterside fish soup accompanied by visual echoes of India, followed by a venison stew main course eaten around a campfire.

The drama grew out of the increasingly argumentative groups who celebrated Ichor's name, the fun-loving party animals known as the Enthusiasts of Ambrose Ichor And His Times Society (Hume Baugh and Clea Minaker) and the more academic, serious Ambrose Ichor Recipe Recovery Service (Selina Martin and Craig Stanghetta).

The highlight of the evening came when the former, dressed as song-and-dance vegetables, interrupted the solemnity of a ritual salad ceremony presided over by the latter.