This former therapist left his career to follow his dream of owning a restaurant: Andrew Coppolino

Chef Fernando Toro uprooted his career as a therapist in Mexico to become a cook and food entrepreneur and now, his new restaurant Casa Toro 88 is about to open in downtown Kitchener.

The distance between psychology and food isn't nearly as far as the 3,000 kilometres he travelled to southwestern Ontario but it's easily bridged by memory, Toro said.

"I remember coming home from school when I was a kid and smelling something delicious my grandmother was making. The whole house smelled good, so food is something I link with memory, with people," the 35-year-old said.

In his hometown of Puebla, Toro graduated with a Master's degree in 2010 and trained in clinical psychology. But after several satisfying years in the field, the draw to cooking simply became too strong to ignore.

"I loved my work in psychology, but my passion for food has always been there since I started cooking at 14 years old. I realized cooking is fun and that I was good at it," he said.

While working as a therapist, Toro and a friend bought a food cart in Puebla, which they operated for about two years.

"We worked at the cart after our nine-to-five jobs and it was a lot of fun. I didn't know anything about cooking except for what my mom taught me," he said.

Toro had an opportunity to come to Canada seven years ago and enrolled in culinary management training at Conestoga College's Waterloo campus.

He worked at Rustico Kitchen and Bar in Kitchener for his college co-op, uptown Waterloo's Prohibition Warehouse (when it was Stark and Perri), its sister-restaurant Kentucky Bourbon and at the Charcoal Group's Beertown Cambridge location where he cooked for roughly three years.

Along with his formal culinary training, several years of practical experience shaped Toro's skill set and cooking savvy, but the passion for home-style street food persisted.

Casa Toro 88 Mexican Street Food at the former Crepe Café at the corner of Benton and Charles streets in downtown Kitchener will open in a few weeks.

The 88 refers to the year of his birth.

Calling it an homage to his family, mother and grandmother and their cooking, Toro says that when he prepares their dishes he's "transported" home and that's the goal he's setting for his soon-to-be Casa Toro 88 customers.

The menu being served in the 27-seat dining room, with main floor and upstairs seating, will include Puebla-style street-food dishes and those from other regions of Mexico such as Yucatan state.

Toro says he cooks his menu with an attention to detail and tradition: tamales (including for breakfast), esquites toasted corn snacks, queso fundido, ceviche, flautas and tacos like carnitas, carne asada, cochinita and vegan tinga.

"Casa. It's my home. It's your home. I want to show customers what my family has given to me with food," he said. "I love food in general, but street food is something that just hits the spot."

Appreciating the detail of fine dining, its technique and his formal culinary training, Toro argues that humble street food has a special comforting taste and is not without its own detail and special techniques.

He says the menu strives to not be "North Americanized" and as authentic to his Puebla heritage and food experience that it can be.

Toro says he's setting up with a dash of realism.

"It might work, it might not," he says of the approach. "But we will adapt."

He has an inkling it will work, however, given the demographic and cultures around him. Having obtained his permanent residency in 2021, Toro says he is impressed with Canadians and the recent growth in downtown Kitchener.

"The past few years has seen a lot of development, and downtowns are great places to get street food. And I think Canadians are adventurous now and want to try other cuisines. I love the multiculturalism here."

He says he recognizes that success in the restaurant industry depends in good part on building connections and more bridges into the communities around him — the two can't be separated, he adds.

"Being part of and helping the community to me is important. I'm happy to be getting established in downtown Kitchener, and I look forward to becoming a spot that is known for community."