Step inside Smoked and Cracked restaurant in North Toronto and you instantly feel as though you’ve been transported to the Nova Scotia seacoast. With the aroma of freshly prepared seafood and the down-home friendliness of the staff, it’s not hard to imagine yourself sitting in a dockside café overlooking the picturesque Halifax harbour. In fact, it’s downright easy, given that the restaurant’s seafood is flown in directly from the east coast six days a week.
“Fresh makes the most impact,” says Ron Raymer, the restaurant’s chef and co-owner. Indeed fresh is one word that he invokes often to describe why his restaurant is such a hit.