Mise en Place - the Podcast

On this weeks podcast we have longtime Chef and owner of La Quercia in Vancouver and La Bettolina (seasonal) in Halfmoon Bay. There are very few Chefs who put ingredients and technique ahead of ego in our Culinary world and Adam is definitely one of those Chefs. That stoic and unrelenting pursuit of quality has forever cemented the reputation of La Quercia and Adam as the high-water mark for food...

Welcome back to Mise en Place, after our restful Holiday break and very happy to share our latest podcast with Chef Sean Cousins and his life and business partner Sandra Dowsett. I met Sean when I first started at C Restaurant in 2002. Sean was running Raincity Grill for Harry Kambolis and it was killing it. He was pushing the limits of local foods, I even remember him picking chanterelles in the...

This week’s episode perfect for ending the old year or kicking off the new one depending on when you tune in. This episode features two of the key operators behind a true Vancouver institution: Chef Raymond Mah and front of house manager Richard Mah from the Northern Café. A beloved diner since 1949 the Northern Café came under the Mah family’s ownership 17 years ago. Patriarch Jimmy Mah and his w...

On this Special Christmas Podcast we have our friend, outspoken Chef Ron Mckinlay. Having just come off a year of touring through Europe and US and finishing up at a special Guest Chef Spot at Published on Main with Chef Gus, Ron joins us on the podcast for a catch up. We discuss his time going from guest Chef spots from Atlanta, Philly, Austin, Chicago, Nashville and Vancouver. I have missed some...

On this weeks episode we invited long time front of house industry veteran and now media creator, James Grass to the podcast. After learning the trade of hospitality from some of the best in BC, James started his own business, showing what he learned so well. That slowly morphed into his early ideas for Chefs' Favourites and Mates on Crates. It has become the go to platform to get the word ou...

A Vancouver born native, Chef David Speight fell in love with our industry as most of us have, out of need and then finding purpose and meaning in the cooking and hospitality. After cooking and running some larger restaurant operations, he was presented with the opportunity to run the behemoth that is GM Place and did so successfully at the same time that the Canucks had their best years. Coincide...

On this weeks podcast I have the opportunity to sit down with President and CEO of Glowbal Restaurant Group. As a young eager and ambitious immigrant from Egypt, Emad moved to Canada in the 1980's. His humble beginnings as a breakfast cook in a very busy hotel, took him to be a very successful Chef and then restauranteur. His constant drive for hospitality and sharp business sense has grown t...

I was very pleasantly surprised to find my old friend Todd Perrin was in town for Whistler's Cornucopia event. He was able to carve out a bit of time to come down to the Commons Studio. We chatted about his career, Mallard Cottage, the future of restaurants and a bit of politics. I hope you enjoy our chat as much as I did.  Send us your feedback

On this week's episode we have long time chef and educator Ben Kiely. Head instructor at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts here in Vancouver. His many years of cooking in England and across Europe led him to Greece where he found himself falling for a Canadian woman and he followed her back to Vancouver and they started a family. A story as old as time. Especially for a cook. I hope you...

Hailing from Manchester England, Chef Andre Richardson, is a quiet giant. A chefs Chef, so incredibly respected by the restaurant community and his peers, that lives for the work and the craft. We sat down and had a chance to chat about his time here in Vancouver and opening and running some very Iconic Vancouver restaurants. I hope you enjoy our chat as much as I did.  Send us your feedback

On this week's Podcast we have Community advocate and Farmer Tomer Rockman. Tomer's story is inspiring for anyone looking to find their own place in this world. I was struck by Tomer's curiosity and tenacity for knowledge and his story of just learning and trying to understand what interests him and what can make a dramatic impact on people and our community. I hope you enjoy our ch...

On this week's episode we have the community advocate, social impact provocateur, and speaker, Mark Brand. He is also an accomplished barman, restaurateur and Dj, and has made an indelible mark on the culinary and hospitality scene across North America. I was lucky enough to get to sit down and chat about his work, his history and the future. His infectious personality has helped him facilita...

On this weeks podcast we have longtime supplier and hospitality veteran Jenice Yu of EatFish.ca Jenice comes from a very strong food and supply chain background, she has been part of it most of her life. Her family, seafood wholesalers themselves, set the stage for Jenice's life long passion for fresh and delicious seafood. We chat about her experiences, her working for Bruno Marti and becomi...

On this weeks episode, we chat with Certified Master Chef and Educator Tobias Mcdonald. Currently on faculty of Culinary Arts at Vancouver Community College. Tobias and I discuss his time her in Vancouver going through his apprenticeship and working with very strong mentors such as JC Felicella, Scott Jaeger and Bruno Marti. We then go through the challenges of the Certified Master Chef program an...

On this episode we recap some of the highlights of this years COOKSCAMP that happened about 3 and half weeks ago. We are all still floating on the good feeling from this years absolutely epic event. We chat about some of the past ones and look towards the future and what COOKSCAMP is becoming. Unanimously, our best on yet and we can't wait to start planning for next September.  Send us your f...

On this podcast we talk about the recently announced opening of the brand new Chefs’ Table Society of BC Culinary Commons.  a brand new brick and mortar space built as a new community hub for our Culinary and Hospitality people throughout Vancouver, British Columbia and Canada. The Commons will have a large reference library, archive of menus and restaurant memorabilia, an event space, continuing...

On this weeks episode we have Executive Chef of the Fairmont Pacific Rim, Damon Campbell. A native Vancouverite with very deep ties to our whole Culinary community. We have a great chat about the business of being a Chef at a hotel, the Culinary Teams and where technology is helping in the kitchen. I hope you enjoy our conversation.  Send us your feedback

On this weeks episode, an absolutely massive announcement from the Chefs' Table about the brand new Commons by CTS space. Also we have a long time friend of mine and of the CTS, Chef Brodie Swanson of the Haida Nation. We chat about his history, wild foods, fishing, foraging and indigenous agriculture. I hope you enjoy the show.  Send us your feedback

On this weeks podcast I am very happy to chat with an amazing Chef and incredibly knowledgeable wild foods expert, Robin Kort of Swallow Tail Culinary Adventures. We chat sustainability of our foods and our people of the industry. After this podcast please take the opportunity to join Robin and her team on a mushroom picking or wild foraging adventure, It will open your mind to flavours you did ev...

On this weeks podcast we have long time restaurateur and business owner Calen McNeil from Victoria. His first venture into the hospitality business was over 25 years ago and the restaurant is still running very strong in Victoria. Zambri's is my favourite Italian restaurant around and if you are in Victoria make sure to go and check it out. Calen also runs 5 outlets of his fast food concept c...

On this weeks podcast we have Executive Chef of Boulevard Restaurant, Roger Ma. A Vancouver native who made cooking his life. From culinary school, to the stoves at Daniel Restaurant in NYC and now running one of the best restaurants in Canada, Roger's vision for getting the best from people is a true evolution from the old school kitchen. I hope you enjoy the podcast. Send us your feedback

On this weeks podcast we have the owner/ operator of Como Taperia Shaun Layton. A long time industry vet who has been part of many iconic Vancouver restaurants over the last 15- 20 years. Como, at Main and 7th and open 7 years now, has become a Vancouver go to for industry and anyone looking for a lively, and fun place to go. Shaun's insights into opening and operating restaurants and bars is...

On this weeks podcast we are happy to have Chef TJ Conwi of Ono Vancouver. I have never known anyone in our industry or others that have given of themselves so incredibly selflessly to help his community. I am happy that he is on the CTS board and I am proud to call him a friend. Last summer TJ and a large group of amazing Filipino Chefs, cooked the cultural dinner at COOKSCAMP. It will forever go...

On this weeks podcast we have Mo Jessa, President emeritus of Earls Restaurants. From very humble beginnings starting as a dishwasher at Earls, through hard work and ambition he was able to work his way up the company ladder to being the first non family member as President. Mo help spearhead the a change in the company to evolve with the times and expand into new markets as they continued to supp...

On this weeks Podcast we have one of my favourite Chef's, James Walt of the Top Table Group. If you have been to Araxi, you know his food and if you have eaten at a Top Table restaurant you can feel his influence. I hope you enjoy his insights into our business and the impact one man can have. Send us your feedback