I was born in the Okanagan, and moved to Ontario at a fairly young age. I have great memories of my grandpa standing behind the grill on a hot summer day, surrounded by orchards and mountains. His favourite meal was a mixed grill…
Originally from Brantford, Eric Robertson has always had an agrarian passion. After graduating from SCS in 2011, he spent time cooking in France and then in Belgium, where he met fellow chef Daniel Hadida, who had a similar culinary background and passions….
Our class had the extraordinary opportunity to try some very old wines from Bordeaux that Chef Ian Middleton generously shared from his father George’s collection. As interesting as the wine was in flavours and complexity, for me, the most fascinating part of the afternoon came with the stories and the history they illustrated…
I was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec in a family that celebrated food on a daily basis. I was always fortunate enough to have one of my parents at home with me growing up, so I made impromptu lunches and dinners from scratch with Dad or baked cheesecakes or cupcakes with Mom. Cooking was always a job, but never entered my mind as a career opportunity until I discovered the Stratford Chefs School, where I graduated before my 20th birthday…
Latkes (potato pancakes) are a delicious reminder of the Hanukkah story, and have origins in the eastern European countries of Germany, Austria, Russia and Poland as a peasant food. Potatoes were cheap, plentiful and easy to store, making them a staple and necessitating inventive potato recipes…
I was born in Lerwick, Scotland and grew up near Aberdeen. I was interested in cooking at a young age, watching my mother cook. After traveling and working in many pubs I came to Canada in 2005, and graduated from the Stratford Chefs School in 2011…
After being awakened to global food at the Stratford Chef’s School, Victoria Allman wanted to go out and taste the flavours she had been studying in their own countries. Victoria became a private chef, cooking her way around the world on yachts. This has allowed her to not only study what paella is but how it is made in Spain by authentic local cooks. Victoria has been lucky enough to visit 52 countries – cooking and eating her way through the cuisine of each. Victoria currently works as a Yacht Chef for Motor Yacht Odessa.
Earlier this month, during one of the coldest weeks of this winter, students at the Stratford Chefs School were lucky enough to experience some Italian warmth thanks to a visit from Chef Gino Minacapilli. He was here as our second and final International Guest Chef in Residence for this year. He is a chef and teacher at a school of hospitality in the region of Piedmont, an area of Italy renowned for the production of Barolo and Barbaresco wines, truffles and many other Italian delicacies.