- James Holehouse, Team Member
- Roger Andrews, Support Member
- Patrick Gayler, Team Member
- Peter Dewar, Team Member
- Brad Horen, Team Captain
How did you come to be a chef?
I went to university for a commerce degree, but after three years, I realized that I couldn't stand the idea of sitting at a desk all day, so I looked for other options. I was working in a restaurant part-time and got to do a bit in the kitchen, saw how it could be creative. Three months after I quit university, I registered at NAIT in the culinary arts program.
What is your favourite style of cooking?
Modern, but with more traditional French, European flavours. Good, solid technique is important with me.
What's a dish you like to prepare?
I like really good bread—sourdough or with wild yeast that's been fermented—with a good crust on it. Or pastry—a croissant or pain au chocolat. Fresh out of the oven.
Name a few things that are always on hand in your kitchen.
Butter, bacon, truffle oil.
What's your #1 sandwich choice?
Grilled cheese. What kind of cheese? Whatever cheese I have around: sometimes it's Kraft slices; sometimes it's brie with wild mushrooms.
You're out for a drink, what do you order?
A local beer, usually a lager.
The fruit and vegetable you like best?
Strawberries. Potatoes.
Do you have any guilty pleasures?
Milk chocolate … from Callebaut.
Do you have a favourite food memory?
Dinner at the French Laundry. I went with three other chefs and Thomas Keller was cooking. We got to meet and talk with him.
Are you a cookbook fan?
I have maybe 200 or so—lots of baking cookbooks! For baking, I usually follow recipes, but for other dishes, I mainly look for ideas from the cookbooks. I buy some new books, but I also like going into second-hand stores and picking up old cookbooks … I like to see what's changed. And I've got some first editions, like a Larousse Gastronomique.
What do you do to relax and unwind?
I like cars—working on them and driving them. I have a Nissan 350Z sports car, so I take it out for a drive and have some fun.
If you were having a dinner party, what three people would you invite to join you?
Chefs, I think … like Thomas Keller, Paul Bocuse and Mario Batali.
What would it surprise people to know about you?
That I can do small, fine-detail work. I'm a bigger guy, so when we compete, people are surprised that I can do it!
What's the biggest charge you get out of competing?
Seeing what you can do, comparing yourself to others in the world. You learn so much and so quickly.
What's the most tense/nervous moment for you during a competition?
Waiting to see where you finish, to hear the awards announced.
How does the Internet play into your world as a chef?
Tons of information … recipe research; websites and blogs about food and ideas in food; trendy restaurants. I like to look at what Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, WD-50 are doing.
What advice do you have for anyone who aspires to become a chef?
It's a lot of hard work. You need to have a lot of patience, and a lot dedication. There are opportunities to travel, to move up, but it's not an easy career.
A lot of chefs talk about using fresh, local ingredients. Can you give some examples of what that means to you?
Growing up in Edmonton, we'd go ice fishing in winter and cook fresh-caught lake perch or pike. Living in Victoria, the growing season is longer and starts earlier, and there are lots of small farms—greenhouse and field. There's a guy who raises water buffalo and makes fresh buffalo mozzarella. And there are still-smaller producers—not even farms, just stands—with eggs, for example, and a box where you throw in your money.
