TONY BRADSHAW IS seasoning the streets of Toronto, Canada with Caribbean herbs and spices. He does not shy away from using bold flavours to create savoury dishes. He uses traditional Caribbean ingredients such as curry, turmeric, chives, garlic, thyme, ginger, cilantro, basil and rosemary to conquer his customers’ cravings for culinary concoctions. If that isn’t enough on one’s plate, Tony also makes condiments with mango and tamarind.
“I did not develop a passion for food until I worked at the CN Tower. Although my father was a server and taught me how to fold napkins, how to layout cutlery and how to order food at a restaurant, it was only when I met a Bajan at the establishment who happened to be a server also, that my love for cooking surfaced,” he told EASY magazine recently on his last day of vacation back home.
The Parkinson Memorial alum migrated to North America after he completed secondary school and worked at one of the 360 CN Tower restaurants while studying hotel management at Ryerson University. He spent six years at CN Tower and moved on to Morton’s Steakhouse.
“Morton’s is a high-end place. I met several celebrities such as Lionel Richie, Robin Williams and Kevin Spacey.
“However, I moved to Vancouver and opened another branch of the company there and spent two years there as manager. The weather in Vancouver was something . . . . It rained and rained, but in between that time I travelled to San Francisco and Chicago and did some work in those states. In 2004, I took the post of general manager at the Canyon Creek restaurant. I oversaw six of their different locations and I did that for 12 years.”
Tony had an entrepreneurial spirit. He had a satisfying time managing restaurants but something attributable to his roots was missing, so with careful thought and planning he opened his own eatery in the same year Barbados celebrated its 50th year of Independence.
“I love our culture and food, and I wanted to highlight it in my restaurant,” he said.
“I wanted my restaurant Street Shak to have the same welcoming feeling you get when someone from Barbados invites you to their home. I wanted my customers to feel the warmth and cheerfulness of living in the Caribbean and eating our food.
“That is why I paid attention to things like the colour and pictures on the walls of the restaurant and I added some Bajan sayings like: ‘Just because someone smiles with you doesn’t mean you are friends’ and ‘De higher the monkey climbs de more he show he tail’.”
One of his best sellers on the menu is fishcakes and bakes, and Tony has added his own spin to it. He described the dish as Bajan style codfish fritters with soft fried dough garnished with a tamarind glaze and zesty cucumber and lime cream dressing. He told EASY that Caribbean style cooking gives him an advantage over his competitors.
“A lot of Canadians come here and express how much they love the food, drinks (such as Ting, Carib and Banks) and vibe of the restaurant. And those who travelled to the Caribbean share some of their experiences during their stay.
“I also enjoy when members of the diaspora like me come in and ask for me. It is satisfying to know that I have made them feel like they were back home.”
Street Shak is a family operated restaurant. Tony’s wife Karen Bradshaw and son Kadeem Bradshaw also have important roles in the food business.
“My wife is our brand manager, my son is involved in the day-to-day activities and in addition to them I have a small team of 12 employees.
“Coming to work is a blast because we all operate as a single unit. And listening to reggae and soca music during the day complements the warm feeling.
“I could have continued my career in fine dining but this was a calling for me.”
The road to success was rocky and pothole-ridden but Tony sliced and diced and sautéed many obstacles in his path. He stressed hard work was what made the difference, along with the help of his mentors Alfred Caron and Kevin Weekes.
Eventually, the 53-year-old wants to open branches in the hemisphere. Pledging allegiance to his homeland, the business ownersous chef wants the first branch of his business to be opened in Barbados.
“The restaurants here [Barbados] are amazing, some of the best in the world. We have a lot of high-end and some in the middle and I would like to build on that. My restaurant would have high-end food and service without being too pricey.
“This mid-range restaurant would be the perfect environment for the family to dine and have fun, while listening to great music; a kind of T-shirt and jeans restaurant that you can kick back and relax and spend quality time with friends and family.”
