Take It to the Next Level
"Keep your head down, work hard and your work will show."
Chef Warren Chow knew from a young age that he wanted to be a part of the culinary world. From watching the Food Network on days home sick from school, to writing about wanting to be a chef and decorating plates with food when he was 6-7 years old, he has always had his eyes set on creating in the kitchen.
And it’s not a surprise when he saw how the magic of connection every night when his mom cooked dinner for the family and everyone came together to enjoy the meal and spend time together- no matter what everyone’s day held. Dinnertime was a time to decompress at the end of each day.
Knowing from a young age that the culinary industry was where he desired to be, Chef Chow took the first opportunity that came up to enter a kitchen as a dishwasher at Earl’s. During the next three years he would jump on the line during slow periods to learn appetizers and salads and in turn how each station worked.
One day when a chef called in sick, Chef Chow got thrown onto a station and it became his first shift on the line.
From that moment, he received proper training, guides, and recipes before slowly making his way up the line and was offered a sous-chef position while he was still in high school.
This wasn’t a position that Chow took, as he wanted to complete his high school education, so while in grade 11 he applied to the ACE-IT (Culinary Arts) program. This program allows students and potential cooks to test the waters and really learn if the culinary arts is the right place for them through practical skills.
But when interviewing with Chef Steven Wade for admittance to the program, Chow had to face that his behaviour could harm his future career—since Chow knew he wanted to be in the industry since he was a child he would often skip classes, but Chef Wade asked him, “If you aren’t going to show up for school, how do I know you’ll show up in my classroom?”
And Chef Chow stepped up and began to show his intent with his actions.
Chow would spend half a day at school and then from lunch until 6pm he would be learning culinary skills firsthand. By pursuing this dual education when he graduated grade 12 he also had his first year of cooks training behind him. This was the beginning of his career and learning how to better himself and his skills.
After the ACE-IT program and graduating high school, Chef Chow was introduced to Industry mentor and chef Scott Jaeger. After a trial shift at The Pear Tree, Chef Jaeger offered Chow a position in his kitchen.
Stepping foot into The Pear Tree was a wake-up call for Warren.
It was at The Pear Tree that Chef Chow’s foundation in the kitchen was built. From attention to detail, organizational systems, and making each plate perfect before sending it out of the kitchen. It was also here that Chow crossed paths with Chef Poyan Danesh, Chef Ryan Stone, Chef Bruno Marti, and Chef Gus Steiffenhofer-Brandson, among many others in the BC culinary world!
Chef Chow worked at The Pear Tree for two and a half years, and during that time he also attended the VCC Culinary Program. It was through the program and hands on learning that Chow learned the terminology he needed for success.
Working with Chef Jaeger means being exposed to culinary competitions and Chow wanted to get a taste of it so entered the BC Food Expo competition for apprentices in 2012. He was 17 at the time. Youngest of the 18 competitors by at least 4 years.
After continuous practice, during the live competition Chow completed his dishes in 27 minutes and won gold.
When it was time to find his next move, Dan Greg reached out to chat and Chef Chow worked at the Delta Burnaby for 3 years before moving to Kelowna to work at the Delta Grand during the winter and at Mission Hill Winery during the summer.
At Mission Hill, Chow worked as a Chef de Partie and continued to learn about food systems. In particular, the deep connection between farmers and chefs through the farm-to-table movement, as part of Mission Hill orientation includes visiting the farms who supply the restaurant and working on them!
Vancouver is always home for Chow, so after two years, he returned to city and researching next steps. He knew he was ready for more in the kitchen and became the sous chef at Juniper. The first two months at Juniper Chow was focused on learning the role, how to manage people, and how to properly do inventory. He was still stepping into it when his chef gave notice and the GM of the restaurant trusted him to take on the Executive Chef role.
This was, as he put it, his learning right angle. He just had to do it.
And he succeeded in brining up the food program to meet the cocktail program while learning how to successful manage and run a kitchen along the way. Chow admits there were missteps and questions along the way that he had to find answers for, but he was able to find his communication style and ask the right questions so that each member of his team understood expectations and directions clearly.
Chef Chow started asking, “What do you need from me as a chef and your mentor?”, understanding that these relationships are two-way streets.
When Juniper closed at the end of 2019 it was a good opportunity for Chow to consider his next move. With a variety of options in front of him but no set plans, he connected with Evan Elman who was opening Vancouver Private Dining. They had coffee and a few chats, and both saw it was potentially a great fit.
Chow enjoyed the work with Vancouver Private Dining, but at the start of 2020 as a new company the work was slow, so he signed on as Executive Chef with Bauhaus.
That lasted three weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the world down and Bauhaus was sold.
With the restaurant closing, Chow was faced with a lot of down time, and a lot of produce that was about to become food waste. Enter: Soup Project.
Inspired by Chef TJ Conwi, through the Delta family, Chow gathered a couple chef friends and began making soup to give to those who had lost their jobs and were in need. It was a project that allowed Chow to give back and engage in something bigger than himself. The Soup Project became more than a fulltime job for the first 4-5 weeks of shut down.
Once things began opening up again and there were small, private events and celebrations Chef Chow returned to cooking and managing with Vancouver Private Dining, where he is currently the Culinary Director and runs a team of 6 chefs in Vancouver.
Right now, Chef Chow is focused on taking it one event at a time as each is a new experience where he gets to play all the parts producing a good show! He’s enjoying the work/life balance he’s found and the ability to see his friends and family on evenings where that possibility never seemed attainable before.
When asked about advice for up-and-coming chefs, Chow indicated whether new or seasoned, the biggest advice he can give is to never stop learning. Ask questions. Be a sponge and check your ego at the door. And beyond that your work will speak for itself.