Rampant Kitchen A Rampant Success

Jemma | Dec 20, 2023

Rampant Kitchen, a passion project that was planted as a seed almost two years ago, has made its roots and begun to blossom in the South Frontenac Community after its official launch almost six months ago.

Elisa Corrigan, the founder and operator of Rampant Kitchen, a catering business “a cut above”, has had a passion for cooking since she was a child standing on a chair in her mother’s kitchen in Brimbrook, Ontario.

When she moved to Toronto at 17 to pursue a Bachelor’s of Journalism, she found herself skipping class to cook, so she dropped out, took a full-time job at a restaurant and has never looked back. Classically trained in pastry, Corrigan dipped her toes (or fingers) in many other cuisines after spending “the better half of almost two decades” in kitchens in Toronto, which ultimately led her to what she really wanted to do - it all.

“That’s the thing about cooking careers, you transform depending on the kitchen you’re in and the food that you cook,” she said. “I learned how to cook vegan food and I became very comfortable accommodating dietary restrictions and then I wanted to learn how to do it all.”

After teaching herself how to cook on the grill, hotline, make sauce and make pasta, she realized she has a knack for creating dishes that have a unique spin that still allow the high-quality ingredients to shine, and make it personal.

“That’s kind of my specialty. I want to personify food for people and make sure they have a menu that meets their event and it’s not just a carbon copy of other menus,” said Corrigan.

To do this, first she finds out what the event is, then, she asks her clients what their favourite food memories are.

“Because I find food is inherently linked to good memories.”

For the record, Corrigan’s favourite food memory is simple: apple pie.

“I learned the basics of cooking from my mother and she makes one hell of an apple pie,” she said. “Whenever I smell apple pie baking in an oven, whether I’m at a restaurant, my own house or my mom’s house, I am five years old again and helping her peel apples. Apple pie instantly brings me home.”

In December of 2019, she sold her shares of The Green Wood, the restaurant she owned in downtown Toronto, and although her priorities of the fast pace life of being a head chef in a big city shifted for more space for her children (the oldest age 3 and the youngest aged 11 months) leading her and husband to South Frontenac in 2022, her passion for making good food and the appeal of being a business owner never waned - and so, Rampant Kitchen was born.

Although starting a business with a 3-year-old and 5-month-old (at the time of her first event) may sound chaotic and of course busy, because it is something she has always done with her mother, she believes cooking with her children is one of the most important things she can do for her family.

“Food is becoming a little bit of a lost language,” she said. “I think we should all eat together more. That’s when the stories get shared which is why we have family dinner together every night.”

Her advice for parents who want to integrate their children into the kitchen: don’t overthink it.

“With my eldest we just started playing ‘what’s this?’ as I would cut vegetables or fruit,” she said. “We would try it together and describe it and move on to the next thing.”

She would hold her daughter in one arm and stir or mix with the other, which would allow her daughter to see the actions that associate with the foods, even something as simple as watching cookies bake in the oven, to see the magic of dough.

“All foods are neutral in our house, so we talk about how food gives us energy for staying strong and healthy.”

Although the pandemic was difficult for many in the restaurant industry, Corrigan used the opportunity and the money from the Green Wood to go back to business school (on line of course) and realized that people want to celebrate now more than ever.

“There’s always moments to celebrate and I want to help people celebrate those moments,” she said. “And I feel like [in South Frontenac] I am able to do it on a more personal level.”

The personal, slow-paced vibe of South Frontenac is not the only thing she loves about being a chef in the area - the local produce and ingredients are also a bonus.

“The most important thing when it comes to prep and making sure your dishes really sing when you eat them is using the most fresh, local ingredients possible,” she said. “The Harrowsmith Farmer’s Market is amazing and the Memorial Market in downtown Kingston is also amazing. Even just the neighbours around, I’ve been trading tomatoes [from my garden] for zucchinis and it’s been really welcoming in that sense.”

Readers can find Corrigan on Facebook at Rampant Kitchen, on Instagram and if they want to see her in action, on an episode of Fire Masters from last season called “Claim to Flame.”