Touski is a day-to-night, cafe-to-wine-bar that just opened in Vancouver’s historic Chinatown. The name comes from the Québécois slang tout ce qui reste which means ‘everything there is’ or ‘everything that’s left’. The name also summarizes Touski’s culinary philosophy, one that was already in action at Touski’s sister restaurant Say Hey Sandwiches.
A Long Time Coming
Say Hey Sandwiches has been serving up hoagies since 2017. It is a casual but chef-y sandwich shop. Lina Caschetto, chef and owner of Say Hey, has long been guided by the Touski culinary philosophy, using every last scrap, even down to spent citrus. She can see the treasure in what others might deem trash and always looks for an opportunity to make the most of what she already has on hand.
This instinct is what prompted her to consider maximizing Say Hey’s space. As the sandwich shop is only open during the day, she has long been toying with the idea of an evening pop-up. But when the space beside Say Hey, previously a boutique, became available, Caschetto recognized the opportunity to expand what she had already built into a brand new concept.
But she didn’t necessarily want to do it alone.
Two Chefs Are Better Than One
Thankfully, friend and fellow chef Neil Hillbrandt found himself in the right place at just the right time. Hillbrandt last cooked at Bar Gobo before switching tracks entirely. He completely abandoned cooking and went into bookkeeping.
Caschetto recalls, “I was like, ‘Why are you doing that?’”
She coaxed her friend to help out with a few long table dinners informed by the Touski concept as they geared up to launch.
After assisting, Hillbrandt had a change of heart. He says, “I was like, cooking’s fun. I like cooking.”
Just like that, Touski became a two chef enterprise.
Caschetto explains, “You kinda have to get to a place with it where you have to believe that it’s gonna work out, that things are gonna come to together, that the right people are going to show up. And, like, they generally do.”
Hillbrandt confesses, “I don’t know if I would have necessarily come back to cooking before we started doing the long table pop up table dinners.” But once he was on-board, the Touski concept became more concrete.
Touski Bridges Past and Future in Chinatown
First things first, they had to fight for the lease next door. Caschetto shares, “It almost became a vape shop, and I was like, hell no.”
Updating the Touski space took time and came with unique challenges given the building’s age. The wooden portion dates to 1871, making it the oldest in Chinatown not to have heritage designation.
With the goal of maximizing Say Hey’s existing kitchen, the two neighbouring spaces were opened in the back so that both restaurants could share the same production space.
Why not maximize the equipment they already had?
“The salad spinner can work for both businesses,” quips Caschetto.
Prep and ordering have also been consolidated for both. While Say Hey’s menu is relatively set besides seasonal specials, the menu at Touski changes with what’s on hand. The Fridge Salad, for example, is the perfect distillation of the Touski philosophy. There’s usually a pasta dish on the menu, but what iteration of noodle changes frequently.
From Cappuccino to Dirty Martini
The team also utilizes everything that’s left. So, leftover bread from Say Hey’s sandwiches finds its way into Touski’s cookies and desserts.
You’ll also find meatballs from Say Hey’s sandwich on the small, share-plate style menu at Touski. Caschetto and Hillbrandt are making the kind of food they like to eat. Hillbrandt shares, “I’m a big fan when I get out to eat. I just want to eat a bunch of small things.”
One of the biggest changes to the back of house has been building a baking team. Besides creating the pastry program for Touski, they are busy working on a bread program, which will start with sourdough before expanding to include baguettes. The idea is that customers can enjoy the bread on-site or take it to go. The same goes for Touski’s wines.
While nights at Touski are filled with snacks and martinis, the team is still figuring out how to best use their space during the daytime. The goal is to soften the transition from cafe to wine bar and make more Touski snacks available during the day.
Designer Calen Knauf created a dining room that shifts easily from bright daytime cafe to intimate evening wine bar, and with Caschetto and Hillbrandt leading, informed by a clear culinary philosophy, Touski makes delicious use of everything they have.
