Jen Agg
Jen Agg | |
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| Born | September 4, 1975 Scarborough, Ontario, Canada |
| Spouse | Roland Jean |
| Culinary career | |
Current restaurants
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Previous restaurants
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Jen Agg (born 1975)[1] is an owner and operator of several Canadian restaurants and an author of two published memoirs.
Agg's first establishment was the Toronto cocktail venue Cobalt, which she launched in 1998 with her then-husband, Tyler Taverner.[2] In 2008, Agg founded the Toronto restaurant the Black Hoof with business partner Grant van Gameren.[3] It became well known for its charcuterie and cocktails[4] and was featured on the Toronto episode (s2e15) of Anthony Bourdain's TV series broadcast on the Travel Channel's The Layover.[5] Agg bought out Gameren's share in the restaurant in 2011 and opened Cocktail Bar in the same year.[1] In 2012 Agg opened the seafood restaurant Hoof Raw Bar, which closed in 2013.[6] In its place Agg opened a Haitian-themed bar named Rhum Corner, which was inspired in part by her husband's Haitian cultural heritage.[7] The Black Hoof closed in 2018 after ten years.[8]
In 2015, Agg and her husband Roland Jean partnered with Arcade Fire’s Régine Chassagne and Win Butler to create and operate a Haitian-themed restaurant in Montreal called Agrikol. Agg and Jean ended this partnership in 2018 and sold their share to the co-owners.[9] Two years later, Agrikol closed.[10]
In June 2015, Kate Burnham, a former pastry chef employed by Toronto restaurant Weslodge Saloon, filed a complaint to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, alleging sexual harassment in the kitchen.[11] In response, Agg organized a one-time conference called Kitchen Bitches: Smashing the Patriarchy One Plate at a Time.[12]
Since 2015, Jen Agg has opened and operated four additional restaurants in Toronto: Grey Gardens (2017–present), Le Swan (2018–present),[13] Bar Vendetta (2019–present)[14] and General Public (2025–present).[1]
In 2022, two of Jen Agg's restaurants received recognition out of the 74 Canadian restaurants with awards from Michelin's first Canadian edition. Grey Gardens won a Bib Gourmand award[15] and Bar Vendetta made its list of Selected restaurants.[16]
Books
[edit]In 2017, her memoir I Hear She's a Real Bitch was first published by Doubleday Canada and was a finalist for the Toronto Book Awards.[17][18]
In 2026, her second memoir will be published by Penguin Random House Canada. It is entitled Table Boss: How to Build a Restaurant When Your Life Falls Apart (A Love Story).[19]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Landau, Emily (March 2016). "Mean Girl: Jen Agg doesn't play nice". Toronto Life. Vol. 50, no. 3. p. 60. ISSN 0049-4194. Retrieved 2026-01-19.
- ↑ Shea, Courtney (2017-04-10). "If standing up to restaurant bro culture makes you 'a real bitch,' food-world rock star Jen Agg says bring it on". Chatelaine. Retrieved 2026-01-18.
- ↑ Adler, Tamar (2017-11-01). "'I Hear She's a Real Bitch': A Swaggering, Feminist Restaurant Memoir". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-01-18.
- ↑ Shea, Courtney (2024-10-15). ""My restaurants are for anyone, they just might not be for everyone": Jen Agg on perceived value, handling rude customers and burgers that aren't smashed". Toronto Life. Retrieved 2026-01-18.
- ↑ Modak, Sebastian (2021-04-13). "How Do You Write an Anthony Bourdain Book Without Anthony Bourdain?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-01-18.
- ↑ Youdan, Caroline (2013-07-08). "Hoof Raw Bar, The Black Hoof's pescatarian offshoot, is closed". Toronto Life. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
- ↑ "Rhum Corner". Retrieved 2026-02-08.
- ↑ Canavan, Hillary Dixler (2018-05-17). "Jen Agg Will Close the Black Hoof This Summer". Eater. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
- ↑ Forster, Tim (2018-05-14). "Toronto's Jen Agg Departs Montreal's Restaurant Scene, Signing Agrikol Over to Co-Owners". Eater Montreal. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
- ↑ Karwacki, J. P. (2020-12-20). "Top Montreal Haitian restaurant Agrikol announces its closure over the weekend". Time Out Montreal. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
- ↑ "Former pastry chef alleges sexual harassment at top Toronto restaurant". The Toronto Star. 2015-06-13. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
- ↑ "Kitchen Bitches". Retrieved 2026-02-08.
- ↑ Liu, Karon (10 Oct 2018). "Jewish comfort food with a slice of nostalgia: The Last Schmaltz teaches home cooks how to replicate Anthony Rose's greatest hits". The Toronto Star. p. E.1. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- ↑ Burton, Monica (Sep 16, 2019). "What Makes a Good Bar?". Eater.com. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- ↑ Yousif, Nadine (14 September 2022). "Michelin awards first stars to 13 Toronto restaurants". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ↑ "Bar Vendetta". Michelin Guide. BBC. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ↑ Agg, Jen (2017). I hear she's a real bitch. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 9780143132646.
- ↑ van Koeverden, Jane (24 August 2017). "Jen Agg, Catherine Hernandez nominated for Toronto Book Awards". CBC.
- ↑ Agg, Jen (August 18, 2026). Table BossHow to Build a Restaurant When Your Life Falls Apart (A Love Story). McClelland & Stewart. p. 368. ISBN 9780771020513.
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