STAR CHEF AND DOTING DAD CORY VITIELLO TALKS FATHERHOOD, FAMILY AND HIS LOVE STORY WITH DRAGONETTE SINGER MARTINA SORBARA AS THEY INVITE HELLO! TO THEIR ONE-OF-A-KIND TORONTO HOME

This space is so special. I think it would take a very special house to get us out of here' 

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He’s known around town as a talented chef and esteemed restaurateur.

But at home, Cory Vitiello holds the title of hands-on dad – which is how his partner, singer-songwriter Martina Sorbara, describes him – and world’s best human jungle gym! “Martina doesn’t get this – I get this,” Cory tells us as his four year-old son, Barlow, playfully climbs all over him. “She doesn’t put up with it,” he adds with a laugh.

The couple have made their west end Toronto home – a beautifully renovated 19th-century coach house once used to store horse-drawn carriages – a safe and loving space for Barlow to grow up. Although their busy careers keep them on their toes – Cory as head of culinary development at the Cactus Club Cafe and co-owner of local restaurant chain Flock Rotisserie + Greens, Martina as frontwoman for electro-pop band Dragonette – family time is their number-one priority.

“We have a little mini-routine that we like to play out on weekends,” Cory shares with Hello! Canada. “We wake up early, take our crosswords and our little baby boy here and walk around the neighbourhood.” They’ll often end up at MOCA, a local art museum and café. “It’s something we can do that doesn’t revolve around screens or entertainment,” he adds. “It’s always interesting for Barlow and for us.”

LAID-BACK LIVING

Similar to their weekend routine, Cory, 43, and Martina, 44, keep other aspects of their lives relaxed, too - like Father's Day.