- Roger Andrews, Support Member
- Patrick Gayler, Team Member
- Peter Dewar, Team Member
- Brad Horen, Team Captain
If you weren't a chef, what would you be?
Probably something to do with sports physiotherapy, sports injury prevention and management. I play a lot of sports — and I have a lot of injuries!
Is there any food you hated eating as a kid?
Green peas in any form. And how do you feel about them now? I don't mind raw peas or cooked fresh or frozen peas, but I hate canned green peas with a passion.
Is there a food you especially like?
Jerusalem artichokes. I like their taste and texture of them, but because there's not a big market for them here, we don't get to play around with them a lot.
What is your favourite style of cooking at home?
Simple and fresh. Depending on the season... home-style braises and stews in the winter; barbecuing at least two-three times a week in the summer.
What about when you don't feel like cooking?
We'll usually go out somewhere to eat — nowhere fancy … say, for fish and chips or roast chicken.
If you could go for a birthday dinner anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Noma in Copenhagen. For the last couple of years, it has been considered the top restaurant in world.
What's your favourite way to eat potatoes?
Potato chips.
Is there one food you could never give up?
Potato chips. Any flavour.
What do you put on your hamburger?
Hellmann's mayo, ketchup, lettuce, tomato, pickle, raw onions and cheddar cheese.
Name a few things that are always on hand in your refrigerator. In your pantry.
With a wife who's a pastry chef, we always have unsalted butter in the fridge and freezer. A few different kinds of salt, but always iodized and flaked salt (Maldon's). And tinned smoked mussels or smoked oysters — I love them for a snack.
What might people be surprised to find in your kitchen?
Frozen POGO corndogs.
Is there a local food that you most look forward to?
I love snow crab. Fresh is available only in early summer, June/July, shortly after the lobster season. My wife's cousin is a fisherman, so he'll show up at the door with half a green garbage bag full of fresh crab.
What chefs do you feel are setting trends today?
I follow Wylie Dufresne, at WD-50 — not that I would do what he does in my restaurant if I had one, but I think it's cool and funky. Thomas Keller, of The French Laundry fame. Locally, Jeremy Charles, at Raymond's here in St. John's, is someone to watch.
As a culinary instructor, what do you see as current challenges in your field?
On the education front, lack of parity across the country. Education is the mandate of the provinces, and each has a different approach to culinary programs, apprenticeship, certification … I'd like to see it streamlined for the sake of the students. Many of them want to travel to other provinces to work and continue their training, but that's not an easy, seamless transition.
And within the industry, I'd say changing chefs' perceptions about what a student is going to be able to do when he or she comes out of school. They have the basic skills and a good professional attitude, but it's just the starting point. They need to be taught and nurtured through the next stage on the job, as part of a kitchen team.
If you could invite three people (dead or alive; chef or non-chef) to dinner, who would they be?
Doc Holliday — I love the way he's portrayed in the Wyatt Earp movies and if that character is anything close to the real guy, he'd be cool to hang with. Muhammad Ali. And Guy Lafleur, my favourite hockey player of all time. That'd be some group! And I'd probably cook up some unique local food … maybe cod tongues and cheeks...
What would it surprise people to know about you?
I have a pretty massive hockey card collection, that's probably worth a ton. I recently picked up an autographed Wayne Gretzky card valued around $500. I have a Maurice Richard card that includes a piece of one of his game jerseys, and the same with a Guy Lafleur card — each card is worth probably $1500.
What do you do to relax, unwind and de-stress?
I do some fly-fishing for salmon in the summertime, go to the gym and play volleyball with the boys in the winter. I've also been playing competitive volleyball for about 10 years.
