At 42, Jen Agg is the woman behind five of Canadaâs top restaurants.
In Toronto, she created The Black Hoof, Rhum Corner, Cocktail Bar, Grey Gardens, and in Montreal, Agrikol, a place she opened with the Grammy-winning indie rock band, Arcade Fire.
Itâs actually quite remarkable Agg was able to build an epicurean empire in an overwhelmingly male industry; a so-called macho culture, which sheâs been fearlessly taking on.
Itâs made her tough.
Agg has as many enemies as allies. To some, sheâs a bully who feeds off her devoted following. To others, sheâs leading the charge for change.
Sheâs in your face, says it the way she sees it and doesnât back down from a confrontation. In fact, she thrives in combative situations. Few critics are bold enough to publically criticize her.
Agg may be a tastemaker, but she also has a reputation for being unforgiving, with a take-no-prisoners attitude.
Needless to say, I was curious about what this trendsetter would be like when we sat down to chat for CTVâs W5. I anticipated Agg would be a lively interview and she didnât disappoint. After all, behind her back, sheâs described as picky, volatile, sarcastic, stubborn and opinionated.
Her response. âWhat are you going to do? You know, ultimately I donât care. (But) I mean it. You know, (there are) some things Iâm going to take personally. Iâm not made of stone.â And she adds: âBut I do think I wouldnât be as polarizing as a man. And I think thatâs where the kind of crux comes to all the time.â
We certainly got a sense very quickly of how polarizing this ambitious and strong-willed woman can be, but her candor and determination were disarming.
Itâs easy to see why sheâs the go-to restaurateur for commentary, especially in the era of #metoo.
Agg says sexual misconduct is rife in the restaurant business.
âI had a cook (who showed), what do you call it, a boy partâs pic? A dâk pic.? (He showed) that to a server and you know Iâve never screamed at someone the way I screamed at him.â
As to whether sexual harassment is epidemic in her industry, Agg says: âYes, absolutely. Itâs systemic. Itâs an epidemic. Itâs endemic. Itâs all of these things.â
It has driven Agg to write editorials and essays in and . Sheâs also been tweeting about restaurant industry harassment for years. In 2015, she even staged a conference around the issue â â: Smashing the Patriarchy One Plate at a Time.â
Recently Agg released her memoir, aptly titled. âI Hear Sheâs a Real Bitchâ, a tongue-in-cheek nod to her reputation.
Of course, I had to ask: âSo are you a bitch?â
Aggâs uncompromising answer: âWell, twist ending ⌠no! Thatâs kind of the point. [Because] when you say things that you think, or you live the way I do, or you live an uncompromising life, or however you want put it, as a woman, you get branded a bitch, and as a man you donât, and itâs not fair.â
Watch â5 Star Jenâ Saturday at 7pm, on CTVâs W5.