‘Tis the season for family gatherings and hearty meals, and there are few places in Ottawa that embrace these concepts as wholeheartedly as Stofa. Translating from Norse as ‘hearth’, Stofa’s core values have always been warmth and togetherness. No surprise when you hear other Ottawa-area industry folk talk about chef-owner Jason Sawision. The usual description is some variation of ‘hell of a chef and an even better person.’
Born in Toronto, Sawision honed his skills at The Healthy Butcher, Eigensinn Farm’s Haisai Restaurant, and Canoe before moving to Ottawa for a seven-year stint at Atelier that saw him rise to the position of Chef de Cuisine.
“Atelier was doing things that were about as different as they could have been from Eigensinn,” says Sawision. “It was a radical shift for me, and that’s really what I was looking for coming here.”
Chef Jason Sawision of Stofa. Photo provided.
During his time at Atelier, considered by many to be one of Canada’s best restaurants, Sawision not only came up with inventive and delicious dishes on the ever-changing tasting menu, he also acted as a mentor to other staff members, honing the leadership style that would endear him to all with whom he shared a stove.
I’ve been lucky enough to never work in kitchens that have a toxic atmosphere. That’s a part of the industry that really turns me off. I’m certainly not oblivious to it, and that’s influenced how I run my own kitchen and business.
The business opened its doors on Oct. 4, 2017, in what used to be an African restaurant smack dab in the middle of Wellington West.
“Because it was a restaurant previously, the bones were there,” says Sawision of the building. “We did a full front and back makeover, though. I think we were a full month – to the day – behind schedule in opening the doors. But my first child had just been born. I didn’t want to push for the opening and not be around for my family.”
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Stofa debuted to much fanfare, being favourably reviewed several times within the first month of being open. Sawision refers to his cuisine as “approachable fine dining” – there’s always something familiar to guests, but perhaps the way it’s presented or paired is unique.
While the restaurant began its life with only an à la carte menu, an accompanying tasting menu soon followed. “Tasting menus were in the plans from day one,” recalls Sawision. “We went whole hog in those early days. There were seafood towers, special menus, the works. Things were going smoothly, lots of good press and happy diners. Then of course, in 2020, everything came crashing to a halt.”
While the initial plan was to just chill for a couple weeks, as the world realized the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sawision realized that things at Stofa were going to have to change too. And thus, a series of take-home meals dubbed ‘Stofa-on-the-Sofa’ was born.
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“What we offer for take-home, it’s a little simpler and more familiar than what we’d do for dine in,” says Sawision. “The initial thoughts were ‘the food we normally do wouldn’t travel well, and was it really what people wanted?’ We still hold Stofa-on-the-Sofa to the standards we keep for any of our dishes, but the offerings are certainly homier.”
Each member of the staff also got to bring home a full meal, which kept everyone fed and taken care of.
Additionally, Sawision and the team would pick another restaurant at random each week and donate a meal or two to their staff as a gesture of goodwill during those difficult times.
We were doing so many of these meals, we’d just message a restaurant and kind of feed their staff too. It felt really good to do that. I’m not sure exactly how many industry colleagues we fed, but I know it was a lot.
Stofa-on-the-Sofa proved so popular that it continues on even now with a dedicated base of fans. These multi-course meals for two are meticulously crafted and prepared up to the point of final heating and assembly, then sent out with detailed finishing instructions. The ‘finish-at home’ elements ensure that quality isn’t sacrificed and diners get to enjoy their feast fresh from the oven.
And while a night in can be nice, experiencing Stofa at Stofa is even better. In its current iteration, guests can choose from either a three or five-course table d’hote menu. While diners have full control over the three-course, the first two dishes of the five-course will be selected by the kitchen, which is a wonderful way to ease into the world of tasting menus for the uninitiated.
“Both options sell well,” says Sawision. “It’s important to me that guests have different ways to engage with the restaurant. Our ‘hybrid tasting menu’, as we’ve taken to calling it, allows us to be creative and offer surprises.”
With the number of choices per course, with or without the kitchen’s special creations, you’ll never have to experience the same menu twice. Unless of course, you choose to. And that’s the beauty of Stofa. It’s fine dining, but the guest is in the driver’s seat. Stofa will impress you, nourish you, and leave you feeling like you just ate at grandma’s… but maybe grandma has caught a few episodes of Chef’s Table.
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“I think we’re doing food that’s creative and interesting, yet easily approachable,” says Sawision. “We set ourselves apart from other restaurants doing fine dining with not just our ingredients and flavor profiles, but how you as the guest create your menu with us in the kitchen. You can choose a bit, leave a bit in our hands, have some fun with it. The restaurant has really come into its own over the past seven years and we’re proud of it. I don’t think you’re ever going to have a boring meal here, that’s for sure.”
Stofa is located at 1356 Wellington St. West. Follow them on Instagram @stofarestaurant or visit stofarestaurant.com for reservations or to order Stofa-on-the-Sofa.
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