Who is Jonathan Rassi, the chef behind the FineTable app?
Jonathan Rassi, a local chef and professor at the ITHQ (Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec) in Montreal, is the co-founder of a new foodie app called FineTable. We sat down (virtually) with Jonathan to find out more about his path to entrepreneurship and his exciting new project.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
JR: I was born and raised in Montreal. I worked in the restaurant industry for over 15 years before leaving to teach at the culinary school here. I’ve travelled for work and done every position possible in the kitchen, including running several restaurants.
How did you first get started in the food industry?
JR: My father was originally a psychologist, but he left the psychology world to become a restaurateur. When I was about 15 years old, I was helping out at the restaurant. One day, a cook didn’t show up, and we were in big trouble because it was super busy. So I stepped into the kitchen to lend a hand and never stepped out.
Did you end up pursuing an education in cooking?
JR: Yes. I went to university for several years, while I continued working in the kitchen. But I realized that I was missing many skills because I hadn’t studied cooking. I had one year left in my bachelor’s degree when I switched to the culinary school where I currently teach.
What were you studying when you made the switch?
JR: I was studying sociology, just to make my father happy. He wanted me to go to university, so I decided to study something easy, but I had absolutely no interest in it.
What are some of the top restaurants you’ve worked at?
JR: In Montreal, I worked as a chef at Park, Les 400 Coups, Le Quartier Général, Kitchen Galerie Poisson…
In my early 20s, I worked at Meadowood, a three-Michelin-star restaurant in Napa Valley. At the time, I was in Montreal and fed up with everything. I applied all over the world, and Meadowood was the first to reply. So I packed up my car and drove out to California.
How did FineTable come about?
JR: Obviously, one of the industries that was hardest hit by the pandemic was the food and beverage sector. And that industry is my whole life. Seeing everyone suffer made me want to find a way to help chefs and restaurateurs get back on their feet.
I came up with the idea to create a platform where chefs and restaurateurs could shine, an application where they don’t get the grass cut under their feet anymore. Compared to other big apps that take a percentage from the restaurant or chef, I decided that, with our app, we’re going to add a small surcharge onto the customer.
How does this app differ from Uber Eats or SkipTheDishes?
JR: It’s kind of apples and oranges. If I’m hungry right now, I can go on Uber Eats and order a $5 pizza and have it at my door in an hour. FineTable is an experience. This is what our product is: we offer experiences. FineTable is a planned event. It’s like making a reservation at one of the city’s top restaurants, but at your home.
How does FineTable differ from a home catering service or a personal chef?
JR: It’s essentially the same, but we’re creating a platform that will reach a much broader customer base and provide a much wider selection of chefs.
All the transactions and communications will go through our platform, making it a lot easier to book a chef. FineTable will have pictures and descriptions of all the experiences, time slots, and a simple payment method. It’ll be a one-stop-shop for everything related to in-home dining.
What’s the benefit to the chefs you hope to work with?
JR: Our goal is to reach a lot of customers, so they’ll have a wider customer base. Unlike other platforms, ours aims to support chefs and restaurateurs, so the price they set will be essentially what they receive. And once we scale up, we’re going to create ghost kitchens that chefs and restaurateurs can rent. We’re also going to provide guarantees in terms of cancellations and quality for the customer and for the chef.
Financially speaking, how will FineTable make a profit?
JR: Right now, the project is small. Our goal isn’t to make money. We just want to get it off the ground and make this fun for everyone.
In my opinion, customers haven’t been paying enough for food and beverages, and the people who are really suffering are the chefs and restaurateurs… We’re trying to, I don’t want to use the word revolutionize, but… we’re trying to lend a helping hand to the industry and change some of the long-time behaviour.
How do you see the future of the food service industry in Quebec? Is this app part of that revolution, that attempt to change the industry?
JR: I think so. Restaurants and bars will always exist, but I think there’s a market for our product. People like to be at home, like being catered to—not to mention traffic and parking, or if you want to have an extra glass of wine. There are many perks to having this kind of service at home.
As the pandemic winds down, and things are opening up, what do you see as the role of FineTable as we make this shift back to normal?
JR: Getting back to normal is going to take a while. Yes, things are reopening, but what people don’t realize is that there’s still social distancing in place. Restaurants can’t operate at full capacity. With FineTable, they can easily send a chef to someone’s house to make some extra income.
But regardless of the pandemic, I think our product has its place in the market. FineTable could be your go-to app for a party. It could be a gift you give to someone. The world is our oyster. There are so many opportunities, so we’re really excited to test it out.