Michael Hunter's On The Hunt To Serve Wild Game

Chef Michael Hunter takes aim at his next meal.

Michael Hunter, executive chef at Reds Wine Tavern, wants to serve wild game at his restaurant and is calling on others to join the cause. When the 29-year old chef heard that Québec introduced a pilot project to allow wild game on menus at select restaurants, his mind was blown: "It gave me hope." Living up to his name, Hunter started hunting and foraging at a young age and is 80% completed a cookbook that features his adventures in the wild. But for now, Ontario law prohibits his forest-to-table dining philosophy: "It would be amazing for me to go hunt and share that with the public. That's where food comes from. It shouldn't be fed GMO corn. It's the way nature intended."

Hunter had his eureka moment while on a wild turkey hunt when he was 18-years old. Tasting the rich flavour of the meat, he commented that it didn't taste like turkey. To which, someone shot back: "The crap in the grocery stores doesn't taste like turkey." The chef's cookbook, The Hunting Chef will be self-published in the fall and every recipe will highlight a hunted or foraged ingredient, include tutorials on butchering, and feature photography by filmmaker/photographer-turned-aspiring chef, Jody Shapiro. In the meantime, Hunter invites anyone who shares his philosophy to change Ontario's law on wild game to get in touch on Twitter.