Page 46 - Sharp Winter 2025

T HINGS ARE COMING FULL CIRCLE FOR DAVID SCHWARTZ.
He opened his newest restaurant, Linny’s, in September — his third project in a three-year span. Following great success with MIMI Chinese and Sunnys, two Michelin-recognized restaurants in downtown Toronto, his latest venture has given him a new hat to wear as creative and culinary director for his restaurant group, Big Hug Hospitality. The trope of chef-turned-creative-director is something we see often, especially as one finds success in an industry as hostile and unforgiving as hospitality. Still, the case with Schwartz is different. Feeling uninspired while studying political science at Western University, he pivoted to a degree in food and beverage management at Fanshawe College. In the years following, Schwartz took several trips abroad, exploring traditional Chinese cuisine along the way. His travels ultimately formed the foundation for two of the best Chinese restaurants in the city, which he opened alongside his partners Braden Chong and Brandon Marek. Now, Schwartz is introducing Linny’s, a project that sits closer to home,
bringing together his passion for hosting with his own familial roots.
Named after his late mother, Linda, the restaurant is more identifiable with him as a person than his previous projects. Here, he has taken on one of the most daunting tasks in the restaurant industry — the steak house. Schwartz makes a point to describe Linny’s as a deli steak house, specifically, and for good reason. He explains how his dream was to open a deli, and the steak house concept just allowed him to marry these two elements together. “I’ve always worked better with constraints,” says Schwartz, referencing what the menu must look like to identify as both steak house and deli. The parallels exist in things like homemade sauerkraut and pickles, or Caesar salad and fries, but it’s in replacing prime rib with pastrami that we see just how defined these lines are.
While Linny’s hasn’t yet claimed its place on the Michelin list alongside Schwartz’s other two projects, the menu itself certainly maintains the same quality. Caviar and challah service, the chicken liver toast, white fish, and of course, the steak itself are held to
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PHOTOS BY DANIEL NEUHAUS