I have known Irwin Kauffman most of my life. He and his family grew up a street away from me in Côte Saint-Luc and we run into each other often.
Before we crossed paths last May, I knew Irwin had spent several decades in the garment trade. He told he had stepped away from that career in order to help his son Robert with a business called Chef on Call. Rewind to 2009 when Robert and a friend had a novel idea: prepare meals out of a small kitchen in their student apartment and see if they’d get any customers. The key target market was students.
“Virtually through word of mouth alone, we were getting at least 40 orders a day,” Robert recalls. “Within a week we had to find larger space to cook.”
That marked the birth of Chef on Call, now an absolutely thriving business with a storefront location at 3430 Avenue du Parc near McGill University and a delivery system that has gone through the roof. While students have made up the bulk of the clientele, Irwin came aboard to help reach out to the corporate sector and this has been a huge success. Robert’s business partner is Gabriel Malbogat, whom after many calls and e-mails I finally met in person.
One of the very novel ideas Chef on Call has launched is their Donator Burger. For every one sold, Chef on Call will donate $2 to a different charity each month. Malbogat says they raised more than $10,000 in 2017. The Donator initiative was first started in 2015 and has since that time it has assisted over 20 different local charities/non-profit organizations. This brings me to the Côte Saint-Luc Cats Committee, which I proudly oversee as part of my city council portfolio for Animal Protection. For the month of February we will be the beneficiary so I urge everyone to drop by Chef on Call before February 28 or make an order if you are in the delivery area.
As I sat down to chat with Robert and Irwin, Gabriel made sure I did not leave without sampling this month’s creation: a crispy breaded chicken breast in a delicious bun topped with Monterey Jack cheese, sliced tomatoes, crunchy iceberg lettuce and some pesto mayo. All chicken burgers are served with curly fries. Yes, this Donator burger was an extreme treat to consume. I loved every morsel of it.
Irwin waved a server over as I took my last bite. “This is our new maple crisp chicken burger,” he said. “We just added it to the regular menu. It was our Donator Burger in January benefitting students for UNICEF. Customers loved it so much, we kept it.”
Even though I felt quite full, I agreed to share this with Irwin. I did not want to insult my old friend. And yes, it was pretty spectacular.
I am pleased to say that Diane Liebling, our invaluable and tireless working chair of the CSL Cats Committee, experienced the Donator Burger with her husband Allen and signalled a big thumbs up to me..
The Avenue du Parc storefront is very close to McGill Stadium. They moved here in April 2016. If you want to take advantage of counter service and eat in the restaurant, capacity is 45. This is an upscale version of any fast food spot you have dined, with some of the distinct décor coming from Gary Litwin’s Union Square Vintage Wood at Carré Union on Royalmount. All of the food is made from fresh ingredients in the kitchen, where I saw Chef Raffi hard at work.
“We take pride in our homemade recipes and our wide range of selection,” says Robert, a graduate of the John Molson School of Business. “From breading our one of a kind chicken tenders by hand, to mixing our own hamburger recipe, to all of our delicious dipping sauces including salad dressings and pasta sauces, we offer fresh home-style cooking for the health conscious, comfort seekers, and everyone in between.”
Delivery orders represent the bread and butter of the operation, with drivers available during the day and 15 to 20 at night. They also now user Uber Eats and Foodora as well. “We are open 18 hours a day Thursday through Saturdays and 16 hours the other days.
“Given our student clientele, our busiest period is between 2 and 4 am,” Robert notes.
There is a delivery zone map on their website. Chef on Call essentially covers downtown, Westmount, St. Henri, Old Montreal, the Plateau and Mile End. With sufficient notice, large orders can be accommodated elsewhere.
The menu includes various hamburgers, chicken burgers, poutines, wraps, hot dogs, pastas, salads and vegetarian options. Milkshakes represent one of their best sellers. They have 30 different flavors.
Malbogat is now in serious negotiations to open the second Chef on Call in Waterloo, Ontario. The hope is to make this happen by next summer. From there expansion is envisioned in London and Hamilton.
Operating hours are 11 am to 2 am Sundays to Wednesday and 11 am to 4 am Thursday to Saturday. For more information log on to www.chefoncalldelivery.com or call 514-844-2044.
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Go, Go, Go Irwin!! We loved this last blog and looking forward to the next one…..
That new hamburger is making our mouths water!!!! When we come into Mtl. we
are heading straight to Chef on Call. Miss you guys , just waiting for a decent
week-end and we’ll be there………Love to all
Shirley and Seymour