COOKSCAMP – the Mise-en-Place Podcast

I am very happy to have had the opportunity to chat with two of the next great leaders of the hospitality industry. Co Chefs of the Restaurant at Poplar Grove in Penticton, Stacy Johnston and Minette Lotz, they share their work life and they share their lives as partners in marriage. Two extremely talented chefs that helped bring the Naramata Inn back to life,  tell their story of the journey through this business, from humble beginnings to running one of the nicest properties in the Read More ...

On this weeks podcast, I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with my old friend Michelin Star Chef Joël Watanabe, of Kissa Tanto, Bao Bei and his new bar Meo. Chef Joël has been cooking professionally for over 30 years across Canada. His reputation of incredibly hard work, exacting standards, and absolutely delicious foods, has made Chef Joël one of the best in Canada. I hope you enjoy his stories of finding his calling in the kitchen from a young age, and what Read More ...

On this weeks episode we have one of the hardest working BC Chefs I have had the pleasure to work alongside. Chef Johnny Bridge, has been professionally cooking in BC since high school and has always championed his love of the craft and his love of British Columbia. I remember seeing an instagram post of Johnny jumping off some coastal rocks into the frigid pacific and coming up with some wild BC oysters, shucking them, slurping them down and on his way again. His outlook Read More ...

On this week's episode we have Executive Chef Clayton Fontaine of the world renown Wickaninnish Inn, one of the most lauded and celebrated hotels in Canada. We delve in Chef's early career, the love of food, ingredients and the amazing west coast. We also chat about the many wonders and challenges of working in a small tourist focused community like Tofino. I hope you enjoyed our conversation and that you have a better understanding in a young Chefs mind. Thank you for listening.

On this weeks podcast I have a Chef Dennis Peckham. Executive Corporate Chef of the Glowbal Group he in Vancouver. From humble beginnings and go for it attitude, his first job in the industry was at Lumiere. For those who don't know about Lumeire, please look it up. As a first rung on the ladder it was a great place to start, The best part of Chef's story is gets sooo much better for only his second job in a restaurant. Listen in, hear the Read More ...

I am happy to have Clayton Fontaine on the podcast this week. This young Chef took over the kitchens at the Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino about a year ago, and he is making waves on the Island with his take on West Coast Island food. We chat Tofino, the state of the industry and where he plans to take the food moving forward. I am really interested to see where this young leader takes his career. I believe you will be hearing his name a Read More ...

In 2022, I asked Chef Bernard Casavant to be the Chef leader of the World's Largest Family Meal at COOKSCAMP 2022. I have known about Chef Casavant for a long time as one of the OG. A Chef who led a team that turned Canadian food upside down while he was opening and running the Chateau Whistler. His reputation as one the best Chef Mentors around came from so many of the other respected Chefs I talked with. When I talked with Chef Casavant about Read More ...

On todays podcast I am very happy to chat with Brandon Grossutti of Pidgin Restaurant in Vancouver. A Vancouver native, Brandon's unique story of a real BC man, has taken him from fishing boats in the Haida Gwaii to owning an incredible popular upscale ding restaurant in Gastown. His lived perspective as small restaurant owner in the heart of the chaos of the DTES give Brandon a hard knox perspective of the restaurant business. His love of hospitality, his team and his Read More ...

The 20 somethings who come to the hospitality industry want and need different things than we had, to be fulfilled in their careers. The pontificating from old Chefs and Managers about how hard they had it in their day, means absolutely nothing to this younger generation. They will not tolerate a toxic work environment, shitty pay and no future. They do want to work hard and learn, they want to find balance with their work and personal lives but are willing to Read More ...

On this weeks Podcast we have Mary Mackay, VP of Innovation and Product, and also co owner of Terra breads here in Vancouver. I first met Mary about 15 years ago when I started volunteering for the Chefs' Table Society of BC. She was the one that held the CTS together and to account in those early days for me. Mary has been a part of the restaurant and hospitality scene here in Vancouver for over 30 years. Her Bakery,  Terra breads,  Read More ...