Episode #28
Robert Rainford on Licence to Grill, Charcoal & What’s Coming Next
Before Robert Rainford became one of Canada's most recognizable celebrity chefs and taught a generation how to get more out of their backyard grill, he was a picky kid growing up in a Jamaican household—and becoming a chef wasn't exactly the career his father had in mind. On this episode of Boats, Beers & Backroads , Jamie Allison sits down with Robert for a wide-ranging conversation about the unlikely journey that eventually put him in front of television cameras and made Licence to Grill a Canadian food-TV favourite. Robert takes us back to his childhood, his Jamaican food traditions, the influence of his mother and grandmother, and the cooking camp that first sparked something in him. He talks candidly about his father's initial resistance to cooking as a career, spending years working outside the industry, and finally deciding to enrol at George Brown Culinary School . And his first day didn't exactly suggest future celebrity-chef status. He set his towel on fire making crêpes. Robert shares how persistence, ambition—and a willingness to think bigger than the opportunities immediately in front of him—eventually led him into professional kitchens and then television. He talks about working with chef Ned Bell, getting an early look behind the scenes of Cook Like a Chef , and learning how television actually worked before ultimately getting his own opportunity with Licence to Grill . But the episode isn't just nostalgia. Robert explains the philosophy that made the show work: take legitimate culinary technique and make it approachable enough that someone standing beside their backyard barbecue could actually use it. We get into charcoal versus gas, controlling heat, creating temperature zones, mise en place, burgers, marinades, dry rubs and why learning to manipulate heat may be the single biggest difference between simply owning a grill and knowing how to use one. And despite three decades in the culinary world, Robert makes one thing clear: He's still learning. The conversation also goes beyond the grill. Robert talks about earning respect as a chef after becoming known as a television personality, treating everyone the same whether they're famous or not, family, philanthropy, Born to Grill , and what he still wants to accomplish. And there's one particularly interesting possibility on the horizon... Robert Rainford wants to get back on television. He's been developing another television concept for years—and Jamie might just be ready to start the letter-writing campaign. From Jamaican family cooking to culinary school, professional kitchens, television fame and whatever comes next, this is the story behind the chef millions came to know simply as The Grillmaster . Watch & listen to Robert Rainford on Boats, Beers & Backroads. Instagram: @boatsbeersandbackroads YouTube: Boats, Beers and Backroads Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and wherever you listen Follow Chef Rainford Instagram: @cherobrainford Facebook @RobertRainford
