Picture an elegant fine-dining experience where every dish is crafted just for you and your guests. And it all unfolds right in your own home!

This is the magic that Chef & Somm brings to life. Owned and operated by Chef Eyal Liebman and Sommelier Rebecca Meir, Chef & Somm transforms home dining in the Greater Toronto, Ontario area into a sensory journey that blends exquisite food, wine pairings, and cultural storytelling.

Talia and I, along with artist and photographer Krista Sobocan, recently had the privilege of experiencing this firsthand. Each dish was meticulously prepared before us, and each glass of wine held its own story.

We’re excited to share our experience with Chef & Somm, exploring Eyal and Rebecca’s story, their creative process, and our unforgettable evening—a night celebrating food, wine, and connection.

Meet Eyal and Rebecca

Eyal Liebman and Rebecca Meir bring an intimate, high-end dining experience directly to their clients’ homes. Eyal’s culinary artistry and Rebecca’s talent for pairing wines that tell a story come together to create a personalized, immersive meal where each dish and wine blend into a rich, cohesive narrative.

After moving to Canada over 15 years ago with experience in film, Eyal and Rebecca discovered a new calling. Eyal’s passion for cooking evolved into storytelling on a plate. While Rebecca, with her love for wine, found joy in guiding guests through memorable pairings.

Chef & Somm work closely with local butchers, fishmongers, and grocers to bring the freshest ingredients to the table. But the true collaboration is with their clients, making each evening a blend of fine dining and personal and cultural connection.

Eyal and Rebecca’s vision has grown to embrace inclusivity, community, and authenticity. And Eyal’s journey, proudly embracing their identity, reflects their commitment to inclusivity and authenticity, values they bring to each dining experience.

For Eyal and Rebecca, Chef & Somm is a platform to share their love of food and wine while sparking meaningful discussions and exploration of social and historical themes.

The Chef & Somm Process

Every Chef & Somm experience is carefully crafted to be as unique as the guests themselves. Rebecca begins with an in-depth consultation to understand the client’s tastes, preferences, and vision for the evening. From this, they build a menu that weaves together each dish and wine pairing as part of a cohesive story.

Through conversation, Eyal and Rebecca gauge clients’ openness to flavors and cultural exploration. For example, if a client finds frog legs exotic, Eyal might explain that while they’re uncommon in North America, they’re a staple in Vietnam. Eyal might also share that, while steak is common here, people in parts of India consider it exotic.

This dialogue helps shape the meal with a blend of familiar and adventurous elements. If clients prefer minimal discussion, Eyal focuses on crafting simply delicious food. But if they’re open to conversation, they create a menu with storytelling elements.

Rebecca carefully chooses wines that deepen each dish’s flavors while breaking down the mystique around fine wine. Together, they create a dining journey that invites guests to savor new flavors and explore deeper meaning around food.

On the day of the event, Eyal and Rebecca arrive with fresh ingredients sourced from trusted local purveyors. They value quality and transparency, preparing everything on-site to ensure each dish is at its peak. Eyal adapts easily to different kitchen spaces, bringing some of their own essential equipment, making sure the meal unfolds smoothly.

After the final course, Eyal and Rebecca handle all clean-up, leaving the kitchen as spotless as they found it.

But their clients leave with warm memories of an exquisite meal and a stronger sense of connection that lingers well beyond the evening.

An Intimate Evening

Our evening with Chef & Somm began as Eyal and Rebecca entered our home, bringing with them fresh ingredients and an energy that made the experience feel special from the start. They transformed our kitchen into their workspace, preparing everything with precision and care. Watching them work, we could see they had created this experience just for us.

The courses unfolded beautifully, each with its own story and wine pairing:

Opening with Elegance

We began our evening at a candlelit, fall-themed table, where gold chargers and tuxedo-folded napkins created a refined tone. A glass of semi-sweet Veuve Ambal (Grande Cuvée, Crémant de Bourgogne, France NV) complemented the ambiance and our first course of lobster on scalloped potatoes with rich duck rillettes.

As we savored the dish, Rebecca shared the story behind the name ‘Veuve Ambal,’ explaining the legacy of ‘veuve’ Champagne houses established by resilient widows like Veuve Clicquot.

Photo Credit: Krista Sobocan, photographer

A Culinary Riddle

Then came a playful second course. Two small, beautifully arranged plates, one with strawberry and green beans and the other with tomato and cucumber. Chef Eyal posed a thought-provoking question: “What’s the difference between a fruit and a vegetable?”. This sparked lively conversation around the blurred lines between these categories.

The dish was paired with the white wine Botanica, ‘Mary Delany’, Chenin Blanc, South Africa 2022. Rebecca pointed out the wine’s label—a botanical collage by artist Mary Delany from the late 1700s—as a striking example of the shift from traditional wine labels to more creative and artistic designs.

Contrasts in Harmony

After the light-hearted exploration of fruits and vegetables, the third course brought an unexpected blend of flavors, with salmon, chocolate tortellino, kiwi, apple, and mushrooms.

The rosé (LQLC, Rosé, Vaucluse, France 2022), widely embraced in France, led to a lively discussion about its contrasting perceptions across cultures. This playful exploration of flavors and cultural perceptions added depth to an already fascinating course.

Rebecca then surprised us by prompting a broader question: what truly makes red wine red and white wine white? This sparked an intriguing discussion about the role of grape skins, revealing that all grape juice is naturally white, as the inside of both red and white grapes is the same color. Red wine’s color comes from extended contact with the red grape skins during fermentation. If the skins are removed early, however, it’s possible to make white wine from red grapes.

This added yet another layer of curiosity to an already complex meal.

Classic Meets Playful

Our main course was a perfectly cooked, medium-rare steak accompanied by squash, corn, and mashed potatoes, with the unexpected touch of popcorn as a garnish. A playful nod that encouraged us to break traditional boundaries.

The pairing of a bold French red wine (Le Comte de Malartic Rouge, Pessac Léognan, France 2020) led to a discussion about the contrasting approaches to wine appreciation: the prestige some associate with their expensive wine collections versus the simple enjoyment of wine by others as one of the world’s oldest beverages.

A Sweet Farewell

The meal concluded with a stunning dessert: a torched clementine nestled atop a smooth white chocolate and olive oil mousse, served with an exquisitely crafted gelato. The pairing was Frescobaldi, Pomino Vin Santo, Tuscany, Italy 2014. A coveted Italian dessert wine that brought the meal to a refined close.

Eyal and Rebecca thoughtfully curated every course of the evening. They selected each wine and dish to tell a story, spark curiosity, and deepen our understanding of food and wine.

Photo Credit: Chef & Somm, photographer

A Tale of Two Passions

Our evening with Chef & Somm was a reminder of what dining at home can truly become. With Chef Eyal’s artfully crafted dishes and Sommelier Rebecca’s carefully chosen wine pairings, our dining table transformed into a place of discovery, reflection, and connection.

In a world where dining out can often feel rushed and impersonal, Chef & Somm offers a return to the authentic, personal experience of home dining. Through their service, they redefine what it means to “host” and inspire us to make every dinner a meaningful memory.

Chef & Somm transforms dining at home into a celebration of connection, discovery, and culinary artistry. Our evening with them left us with lasting memories and a renewed appreciation for the beauty of sharing a meal.

Bon appétite!