Philanthropy runs in Chef Sash Simpson’s family. His mother, Sandra Simpson, adopted him from the Families for Children orphanage in Coimbatore, India, a non-profit she founded around 1974. Known as “Babu” while living on the streets prior to his time there, Sash credits his adoptive mother with not only providing him a home, but a name, a birthdate and identification documents. (Sash is short for Sashi, which he’s pretty happy with, he says.) In an instant, he got a second chance at life and at being part of a family—a large one with over 30 siblings, many who were also adopted from around the world through Sandra’s work. 

As the story goes, on a snowy December day in 1979, an almost-eight-year-old Sash arrived in Toronto. He was greeted warmly by his adoptive father, Lloyd Simpson, who waited for him at the airport with a big winter coat. 

As he says today, “If it wasn’t for Mom and Dad, Sash would never exist.”

Cooking has long been Sash’s love language. The kitchen is his sanctuary, and doing dishes— even now at his own restaurant—satisfies his desire for order. He has fond memories of cooking and sharing meals with his large adopted family in their massive Forest Hill mansion. His bedroom was on the top floor, and he could always smell the breakfasts his mom made—muffins, pancakes, French toast, porridge and more. 

As the siblings grew older, they took turns cooking in the kitchen. On Wednesday nights, Sash served spaghetti dinners, making sure to cook in abundance. 

“I want you to eat your first plate, then I want you to come for seconds. I want you to come up for a third if needed,” he says. “So I wouldn’t just make enough. I would make a lot.” 

One might expect meal service for so many children to be chaotic but, according to Sash, it was quite orderly. “It was fun,” he says. “I truly loved it. We didn’t need [other] friends because we [were] our own and could make our own baseball team.”

All these years later, Sash is one of Toronto’s most notable foodies, having spent more than two decades at Mark McEwan’s iconic Yonge & Eglinton fine-dining restaurant, North 44 before opening his own space, Sash Restaurant and Wine Bar, in 2019.

Following in his parents’ generous footsteps, there’s more he’d like to do. For starters, each year, Sash participates in University Health Network’s Grand Cru Culinary Wine Festival pro bono. The festival, which was held in October and celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, raised $38 million to support UHN’s new surgical tower at Toronto Western Hospital.

During this year’s festival, exclusive wine and dine experiences were laid out in 19 homes across Toronto crafted by not only Sash, but fellow esteemed chefs Daniel Boulud, and Eron and Elena Novalski who each put together custom menus paired with wines from international producers making for many memorable nights.

But Sash isn’t done giving back just yet, especially when it comes to his birthplace. He has visited India twice since his adoption. His first visit was in 2001, at a time when he felt burnt out from working at the now-closed North 44. He was also going through a difficult breakup. 

“Nobody saw me for two, three years, if not longer. I was trying to create a career for myself,” he recalls. 

Sash needed a break from Toronto, and Sandra convinced her son to visit his birthplace. “My mom’s always been trying to get me to go to India, to see where I’m from,” Sash says. “And I’ve always said no. I said, ‘Mom, India’s been a bad place for me.’” 

But this time was different. Sandra asked him for a favour. In India, girls over 18 must leave the orphanage, a reality she found troubling given the risk of rape and violence they face. Inspired to create a safer alternative, Sandra envisioned a restaurant within the orphanage. It would give these young women a safe place to live and work. So, Sash built it in the span of three weeks, working every single day—and in the process kicking off his own journey in philanthropy.

The second time Sash visited India since being adopted was during the filming of Born Hungry, a documentary based on his life by Canadian filmmaker Barry Avrich and which hit select theatres earlier this fall.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would do a movie,” he says. 

He had previously shared abbreviated versions of his story, believing it wouldn’t interest others. It was one of the film’s producers, Jay Hennick, who persuaded him to fully embrace the opportunity. 

“In doing this movie and talking about [my adoption], I found myself,” Sash says. “I was looking for my parents…and I found Sash.” 

It was the closure he hadn’t realized he needed, though speaking about it still stirs deep emotions.

And now, he has a bold vision for the orphanage where he once lived. Sandra had previously raised just enough money to keep the orphans fed, clothed, sheltered and educated, but Sash wants to take it further.

“I want to elevate it,” he says. “My goal is to raise a million [dollars] next year.” One of Sash’s sisters will be helping him with his plan to purchase more land, build additional space and hire onsite medical staff. Last year, he raised more than $260,000 toward this goal by throwing private dinner parties and events.

Sash has been reflecting on his roots as he reconnects with them through his visits to India. He cherishes the array of Indian spices and flavours he’s weaving into his culinary repertoire. 

“All I’ve ever wanted was a second chance,” he says. “And I got it. Once I got to Canada, I was just like, ‘What can I be?’ What can I do that’s going to make my mom, my dad so proud that they made the right decision [in] taking me off the streets and putting me in the orphanage and, most of all, adopting me into their home.” 

Sash plans to take his two sons, who are five and 10, to India sometime soon to show them where he comes from—the orphanage and even the spot he was found on the street. In sharing his story, Sash wants people to “believe in the process.”

“I want people to understand that not everybody’s story is like mine, but a lot of people have these kinds of stories,” he says. “For me, it was a total ride [with] emotions of all kinds.”

Even after many years, he remains deeply grateful to Sandra and Lloyd Simpson. Their legacy, he says, lives on.