Dirty Apron: a Vancouver Foodie Bucket List Must!

November 29, 2010November 29, 20104 Comments

Dirty Apron Cooking School: 540 Beatty Street, Crosstown, Vancouver BC

I joined a mini-class at Vancouver’s Dirty Apron Cooking School for an upcoming SHAW TV holiday segment, and I certainly felt like a culinary pro! Their cooking school is designed to make everyone feel that way – be a kitchen pro for a day.

First we received a lesson from the Chef on how to make a fun holiday-entertaining appetizer – then we made the same recipe ourselves using their kitchen stations.

My experience was incredibly fun and I dub this a Vancouver Foodie Bucket List must!

The classroom set up reminded me of being in highschool home-ec class, with the demonstration mirrors above the Chef station, and the personal instruction provided to us as we made the recipe on our own.

Learning new things in the kitchen is a top pass-time of mine, and here I learned some new basic knife skills and techniques for preparing the recipe ingredients – I loved every minute of the class. The surroundings were professional and it felt like we were on a food tv set: I was giddy over the gourmet kitchen experience!

Kitchen classroom work stations

Once the Chef’s interactive cooking demonstration was complete, we manned our stations to find everything portioned out for the recipe – just like on tv! Each station is equipped with all necessary tools, pans, and fun kitchen accessories.

My heart raced with excitement as we began by cutting our onions for caramelization. I’ve chopped an onion dozens of times before, at home, but here it became an adrenalin rush for me – I am an foodie-anomaly though! I was excited to be in the kitchen setting, fitted with my apron and hand towel tucked into my side – we cooked up a storm! And then we feasted!

My first puffed pastry tart, after the first bite:

Savoury goats cheese pesto puff pastry tart - garnished with rocket, tomatoes, cheese, walnuts, and drizzle of olive oil.

A tasty tart - perfect for holiday entertaining with rich colours of green and red...

At the Dirty Apron Cooking School you’ll WATCH, LEARN, COOK, EAT, and really HAVE FUN! I recommend their classes are for everyone, and they make great gifts too because anyone can participate : from amateurs to culinary-enthusiasts!

Stay tuned at Shaw Express for their holiday entertaining segment from the Dirty Apron Cooking School.

The Rational Experience of a Corporate Chef with Dwayne Botchar

September 12, 2010October 9, 2010Leave a comment

Every time I dine in a restaurant, if I can, I always glance through the kitchen window – where dishes wait to be served, and the restaurant’s front and back of house teams connect. It fascinates me to see how others operate in kitchens; I think life in a professional kitchen may easily be my Pandora’s box.

Fortunately, as I journey Beyond The Dough, meeting people like Dwayne Botchar help me piece together real kitchen experiences from a distance.

Dwayne is a trained Chef with over 33 years of industry experience. Now, he sits on the board of directors of the BC Chef’s Association and is a Corporate Chef and Regional Sales Manager for Rational-Canada – an international company that manufactures specialty kitchen equipment, specifically, combi steamer ovens.

Dwayne Botchar in between meetings in downtown Vancouver.

Due to frequent business travel, Dwayne’s office is mobile, so we met in downtown Vancouver, at Café Artigiano. Among the barista buzz and café chatter, I tuned in to learn about combi ovens, kitchen life, and some food philosophy.

“Being in a kitchen is very difficult. There is a lot of stress – a lot of stress. Especially working on the line, which is where everything happens. It’s very stressful. Would I like to work on the line again? I don’t think so. Would l like to have my own kitchen again? Maybe,” said Dwayne, after I asked if he missed being in a professional kitchen setting.

Later he also added, “It is a very difficult industry. Everyone says look at this great restaurant, great food, and this Chef is famous; he must be rich, etc. It’s not like that. The average salary of the average Chef, is a lot of work for little pay.”

Although he does not work directly in a kitchen anymore, he said, “I don’t have to miss anything really, I still get to do everything I like to do. I cook at home, I volunteer with the Chef’s association and we’re always cooking and doing things. I don’t feel I lack in that area. I could get my hands as dirty as I want, as we say.”

On working for Rational, Dwayne shared that the company only hires Chefs and the oven was also originally designed by a Chef. Among the fun facts I learned about their product line, I was most impressed to hear 95% of kitchens in Europe use them, compared to a mere 10% in Canada. Dwayne said, “we’re about 5-10 years behind Europe in that regard”.

Rational's Self Cooking Center product line. Source: Rational-Canada

What do you enjoy about this role vs. being in a kitchen? There are several things. First and foremost, the machine is an amazing tool and it actually can save time in the kitchen, so it can make a chef’s life easier. One of the reasons I like this company is because I can actually help cooks like myself to breathe a littler easier at end of the day, have more time for creativity, more time to train staff and manage production much simpler. The other reason is I can now have long weekends and holidays…. When you’re out eating that’s when we [Chefs] are in business.

Where do you recommend going for dinner in Vancouver? Well do you have a lot of paper? [pause] A fun and interesting place to go to is SALT. It’s a great little place, like going to a French charcuterie…. There are tons of places though, the Chef [Jean-George] at the new Shangri-La’s Market is fantastic, and smaller places like Cioppino’s are great.

I could tell he wanted to list dozens more, but then he added, “There is a place I bring people to all the time. It’s a burger joint, but it has the single best view in the entire city. The Galley at Jericho Sailing Club…has a 160-degree view of everything from English bay all the way over to Vancouver Island…The food is fantastic. The Chef there is solid.”

As we wrapped up, I was left with a bit of food philosophy, “Vancouver really is a great place for food. It really is. Food, besides the obvious that you have to eat to survive, as humans, we have taken it to a whole other level – its an experience now.”

He added with strong conviction, “And food is social. You can break down more barriers of multiculturalism through food, than you can of any other method. When people sit down and break bread together, you learn about customs and so much happens. What happens around the table is what matters.”

As we walked away from the table to go our separate ways, I felt like our conversation definitely mattered.

Mr. Mikes Gives A Buck!

August 2, 2010October 9, 20103 Comments

MikeBurger Madness runs from July 18 – August 26, 2010: Mr Mikes’ aims to raise $50,000 for local charities!

Claire Booth, of Mr Mikes Steakhouse & Bar, stands next to some fun artwork displayed at their corporate office - same artwork found in the franchises.

Not many places in BC can say they’ve been making the same burger for 50 years. Well Mr Mikes steakhouse chain can, and are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year by highlighting an original menu item: the MikeBurger. Fifty years later, they are still making MikeBurgers and now are giving back to local charities through the sale of each MikeBurger.

At their head office in Vancouver recently, I chatted with Claire Booth, Vice President of Brand Strategy, to learn more about Mr Mikes story and this anniversary campaign.

What is the story behind Mr.Mike’s? It was a coupe of brothers. It was on Granville st. [911 Granville St to be exact]. They started off with this ‘steak for everyone’ making steak inexpensive. And they had this salad bar concept and when people think back to the Mr.Mikes they know and love, they think about the salad bar. They remember the baked potato wrapped in foil. ….But times have changed and we’ve moved on. Comparable to other steakhouses, our steaks are much better quality now. There is no story to the name though. [Just the name the brothers chose]

Tell me more about MikeBurger Madness? This is our 50^th anniversary campaign. We wanted it to be community focused. We wanted to highlight out MikeBurger because that is the only product that is still on our menu from 50 years ago. It is the same MikeBurger served in the same way. So we wanted to make that the focus. …[It was key for us] to ensure we were giving back the community that is supporting us. …We aim to sell 50,000 MikeBurgers, and so far we are on track, we’ve already sold over 11,000 [as of day nine of the six-week campaign].

For a list of the charities each franchise is supporting, visit MrMikes.ca!

What are the franchises saying about MikeBurger Madness? They are really supportive. Corporate office is going to match the winner [most sold burgers], so if the winner manages to raise $5000 then we’ll match it. A great example is Dawson Creek, they are using the money to go towards building the community a new water park. Chilliwack is also a good example, they sold the most MikeBurgers on the first day [and are going strong still].

On a personal note, have you always worked in the food industry? [Claire joined the Mr. Mikes earlier this year, but has always worked in food related industries] I really enjoy working in the food & beverage world. You’ve got to be so cutting edge and so aware of what’s going on competitively. …It keeps you on your toes, because there are so many trends when it comes to food and beverage.

…Working for a company like Mr.Mikes, and being so community focused, you can’t help but have a good time at work as well. Because what you are doing is bringing joy to other people so it reflects in the corporate culture as well.

Mr Mikes menu Mike Burger options! Source: MrMikes.ca

Can you describe a MikeBurger? It’s different from other hamburgers. Its one of those foods that Mr.Mikes is known for. …It comes on a garlic buttered toast, and the bun itself is a piece of French loaf. A large oval beef patty, our special sauce and served with fries. Its one of those burgers that you bite in and it is just messy, yummy, and rich! You have to try one if you haven’t! There are different types as well, I just described the Classic MikeBurger, but there is the Bacon, Avalanche, or Mushroom MikeBurger too.

The massive MikeBurger experience is worth the trip to Langley, Coquitlam, or Surrey for GVRD residents. Summer is the perfect time to explore new places, burgers, and give back to charity as well!

Endless Edibles with Eric Pateman

June 4, 2010October 9, 20102 Comments

Edible BC retail location in Granville Island Market

On a busy afternoon in Granville Island market, I made my way to EdibleBC at the north end of the market. As I passed vendors of fresh produce, meat, breads and pastries, the market hummed to my delight, with tourists and locals. I had the opportunity to meet Eric Pateman and learn more about his business. We found a seat at the Granville Island Tea Merchant, one of Eric’s neighbours, on a first name basis no less, “Good afternoon Eric, what can I get for you?” Just like an episode of Cheers, everyone seems to know his name.

Later Eric explained, “It’s all about relationships in this business”. Owner of EdibleBC, Eric Pateman’s business is showcasing local flavour and he is a pioneer in culinary tourism.

Truly passionate about what he does, Eric’s energy is fresh and inspiring to hear, so when he began his story from the beginning I was all ears, “I’m a fourth generation Vancouverite and I’ve been cooking since I was 12 years old. I had my first catering company when I was 17.” Now he is a trained Chef, has an Oxford MBA, and is well known in Vancouver’s food industry.

Eric Pateman displayed in an ad for Granville Island Market, as a Birch Syrup expert!

“I’m a local guy, that thought there had to be something better,” and so Eric left Vancouver on a search for something more. He did find some inspiration in Paris, France, during his travels, which he brought back to Vancouver. And EdibleVancouver was born. “I thought it would just be a website where I could tell people where to eat, and didn’t know if would go anywhere. Six months later we had five employees.” His business began as a culinary concierge, for people to tour the great eats of Vancouver, and it grew into events, and now retail, online shopping and even blogging.

In 2005, EdibleBritishColumbia opened on Granville Island in the spring. Known for distributing quality local artisan products, they host interactive market dinners after hours in Granville Island, and other creative culinary tourism adventures.

A selection of some of the products available at Edible BC in Granville Island Market.

What inspires you about your work? Its different everyday, everyday brings new challenges and opportunities. Companies approach us everyday with new products; we receive 20 – 30 products a week. We promote the best of what everyone else is doing. I’ve done the corporate thing, and this is much better!

How do you choose the products in your store? We have a monthly staff meeting. All staff are involved, products are tasted, reviewed from a marketing perspective, shelf space, etc. If it makes the grade on all the levels then we’ll bring it in.

Voted top 40 foodies under 40 in Canada by Western Living magazine in 2008, what do you think qualified you for this? Because what we are doing is unique. We are promoting small artisan products, and culinary tourism is huge now. Part of it is the business background, passion for what we do, and hitting the market at the right time. If we’d started a year earlier, it would have been a different story.

What is your favourite product? It varies every month.

What is your current favourite lunch place? Go Fish. It’s the best seafood in Vancouver by far. They do fish tacos, grilled oyster pulled sandwhiches, scallop burgers, and fish and chips. It is outstanding!

Birch syrup, featured during EdibleBC’s 1500+ market tours during the 2010 Vancouver Games. Eric describes, “It’s like maple syrup but from birch trees. and comes from Quesnel, BC. Maple syrup takes 40 litres of sap to make 1 litre of syrup, and it takes 100 litres of birch sap to make one litre of syrup.” Birch syrup outsells maple syrup in their store five fold; with a more molasses and trickle flavour it has more cooking implications, such as birch syrup ice cream, salad dressing, or marinades for fish.

Well, if you ask this foodie, follow Eric Pateman and his endless edibles. You can trust his products, because they are passionate about what they do – their signature is sharing other artisans’ signatures! Eric Pateman’s team is still growing and the edible journey has really just begun, they just incorporated EdibleCanada…

Beyond The Dough

Sharing my sweet kitchen adventures, with an eye on the Vancouver food scene.

Tag: corporate experience

Dirty Apron: a Vancouver Foodie Bucket List Must!

The Rational Experience of a Corporate Chef with Dwayne Botchar

Mr. Mikes Gives A Buck!

Endless Edibles with Eric Pateman