#FOOD: RADICI PROJECT X ODD DUCK COLLABORATION SEPTEMBER 30, 2026

On Wednesday, September 30, 2026 Radici Project will welcome the team behind Kitchener’s MICHELIN Guide-recognized Odd Duck Wine & Provisions for an innovative collaborative dinner bringing together two distinct approaches to seasonal, ingredient-driven cooking. Chef and Co-Founder Emiliano Del Frate of Radici Project will join Culinary Director and Co-Founder Jon Rennie of Odd Duck for an intimate multi-course tasting experience exploring the relationship between food, wine, seasonality, and creative exchange.

Held at Radici Project (Toronto Life’s Best New Restaurants #7) in Toronto’s Little Italy, the evening will offer 30 guests the opportunity to experience the two restaurants’ distinct culinary perspectives through a menu created exclusively for the collaboration. Reservations will be available from 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m., with guests choosing between the Essence Menu ($120 per person, plus tax and gratuity) or the Immersive Menu ($195 per person, plus tax and gratuity). Beverage pairings will be available for an additional cost. Reservations can be made for Essence Menu HERE and Immersive Menu HERE.

Rather than presenting dishes from each restaurant separately, Del Frate and Rennie will work together to create a menu that responds to the ingredients, seasonality, and ideas of both kitchens. Odd Duck’s wine-first philosophy will play a core role in the creative process, with dishes developed in response to Radici Project’s curated wine selections and shaped by each wine’s structure, texture, and flavour. The result will offer guests an opportunity to experience each chef’s individual approach while exploring what emerges when their culinary perspectives, ingredients, and approach to wine meet.

Different Kitchens, Shared Curiosity

While their culinary backgrounds and creative starting points differ, Del Frate and Rennie share a commitment to seasonality, experimentation, and allowing ingredients to guide the experience.

At Radici Project, Del Frate explores the intersection of Italian and Japanese culinary traditions through a distinctly Canadian lens. The restaurant’s menus are intentionally micro-seasonal, evolving alongside the availability of ingredients and the inspiration of the kitchen. Rooted in the principles of Itameshi, Del Frate’s cooking brings together Italian and Japanese influences through precise, ingredient-driven techniques.

At Odd Duck, in addition to the wine-first philosophy, Rennie constantly evolves his menu, sometimes changing from week to week or even day to day according to ingredient availability, seasonality, and the wines inspiring the kitchen.

The collaboration will extend to the bar, beginning with two welcome beverages created specifically for the evening. Julian Manley of Radici Project will prepare a non-alcoholic welcome beverage, while Odd Duck Bar Manager Emma Osmond will create an alcoholic welcome beverage featuring Valley of Mother of God Gin. Together, the drinks will offer guests two distinct expressions of the collaboration before the tasting experience begins.

Meet the Collaborators
Originally from Italy, Chef and Co-Founder Emiliano Del Frate brings an internationally informed perspective to Radici Project. His career has taken him through acclaimed kitchens across Europe, Japan, and Canada, including Noma in Copenhagen, Gucci Osteria Tokyo, ADMO Paris, Don Alfonso 1890, and DaNico.

Together with Co-Founder Kayo Ito, Del Frate founded Radici Project as an expression of the dialogue between Italian and Japanese food cultures. The restaurant’s cooking is grounded in Canadian ingredients, seasonality, sustainability, and precise technique, with menus that evolve throughout the year.

Culinary Director and Co-Founder Jon Rennie leads the culinary program at Odd Duck Wine & Provisions in Kitchener, recently recognized by the MICHELIN Guide for its distinctive approach to food, wine, and hospitality. His culinary experience spans classical French, New American, and Southeast Asian cuisines, informing an approach rooted in experimentation, collaboration, and continual change.

At Odd Duck, Rennie works closely with his kitchen team to develop dishes collectively, allowing menus to evolve according to seasonality, ingredient availability, and the wines shaping the restaurant’s creative direction.

Emma Osmond, Bar Manager of Odd Duck Wine & Provisions, has helped shape the restaurant’s beverage program since before its opening. Her work extends the restaurant’s ingredient-driven philosophy to cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages, with a focus on thoughtful flavour combinations and a creative approach to beverage.

Osmond was named a Canadian National Finalist in the 2026 Vero Bartender competition and has also participated in the Tales of the Cocktail apprenticeship program in New Orleans. For the September collaboration, she will create the evening’s alcoholic welcome beverage featuring Valley of Mother of God Gin.

At Radici Project, Julian Manley brings a creative, technique-driven approach to the restaurant’s beverage program, with a focus on unexpected flavour combinations and thoughtful guest experiences. For the September 30 collaboration, Manley will create the evening’s non-alcoholic welcome beverage, designed as an equal expression of the collaboration alongside Osmond’s cocktail.

Event Details
Event: Odd Duck × Radici Project Chef Collaboration
Date: Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Reservation Times Available: 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Radici Project, 588 College Street, Toronto
Essence Menu: $120 per person, plus tax and gratuity
Immersive Menu: $195 per person, plus tax and gratuity
Beverage Pairings: Available at an additional cost
Capacity: 30 guests
Reservations: Essence Menu HERE and Immersive Menu HERE

Due to the highly curated nature of this collaboration, dietary restrictions and menu modifications cannot be accommodated. Reservations for this intimate dinner are limited.