Chefs from across Canada will be invited to cook for the delegation throughout the Canadian Chefs’ Congress. Bookmark this page to see who will be contributing or contact us to get involved.

Representing:

• British Columbia: Edward Tuson
• Alberta: Wade Sirois
• Saskatchewan: Moe Mathieu
• Manitoba: TBD
• Ontario: TBD
• Quebec: Charles & Jennifer Part
• New Brunswick: Jesse Vergen
• Prince Edward Island: Ilona Daniel
• Nova Scotia: TBD
• Newfoundland & Labrador: Todd Perrin
• Yukon: TBD
• Northwest Territories: TBD
• Nunavut: TBD
• International: Dory Ford

Representative for British Columbia

Edward Tuscon

Edward Tucson, long-time Head Chef of Sooke Harbour House and now chef/owner of Edge Restaurant, brandishes his accomplished skills with the unique regional philosophy of ‘find-it’ local, from sustainable sources cultivated, wild or foraged.

Representative for Alberta

Wade Sirois

Wade Sirois is a self taught chef who was creating dinner parties for his parents and friends at the age of 12.  He began his professional cooking career at Savoir Fare Catering, under the mentorship of Chef Grayson Sherman, where he honed his talents and ultimately oversaw both catering and restaurant kitchens.  In 2001, he and his business partner started Infuse Catering, a full service, off premise catering company.  Wade began to seek and source local ingredients for Infuse and in 2007 they opened Forage – Farm to Fork Foods to Go to provide ready to eat, locally focused food for Calgarians.

Both Infuse Catering and Forage feature Alberta ingredients and Wade’s passion for eating locally led to his nomination to attend Terra Madre 2006 and 2008.  He is active in the local food movement, Slow Food Calgary, and created LOCAL 101, an annual event that brings farmers, chefs, and consumers together.  He has recently spent time working with fellow Albertans to initiate a Culinary Tourism initiative for the province and writes about the local movement, his food experiences, and his travels on his website attheroot.ca.

Wade is a passionate spokesperson for eating seasonally and locally and using Alberta ingredients is part of his core values.  As a chef that wants to use the best available ingredients and he has worked hard to develop relationships with over 40 Alberta producers, farmers, and ranchers to supply his operations.

Representative for Saskatchewan

Moe Mathieu

Moe is an Honours graduate of the Canadian Culinary Institute in PEI and and has worked at Chicago’s Alinea and Yountville’s French Laundry. He was Development Chef at Regina’s Beer Brothers Bakery & Cuisine before lending his culinary expertise as Chef Instructor at the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology.

Representatives for Quebec

Charles Part and Jennifer Warren-Part

Charles Part was born in London, England on December 31st 1956. He graduated from Westminster Hotel School in London in 1978. Having being touched by the passion for cooking he decided against pursuing hotel administration and set out into the world of restaurants, beginning with stages in London at the Inn on the Parkand then in Paris at the Savoy Group’s Hotel Lancaster.

In 1979 Charles opened his first restaurant The General Trading Company Café in central London to rave reviews in the British press including being named by Fay Maschler of the Daily Telegraph as “one of Britain’s top young chefs to watch”.

Charles moved to Canada in 1981 where he continued his work in the industry, and met his Canadian wife Jennifer Warren. Jennifer left a post in the field of international trade to follow her dream and join Charles in the opening of their first restaurant, the well-reviewed Loons Restaurant in the Beaches area of Toronto between 1986 and 1992.

The desire to escape city life and to establish a countryside restaurant brought them to move with their two young children to Chelsea, Québec, in the beautiful Gatineau Hills just north of Ottawa, an area close to Jennifer’s heart as her family had lived in the area for many years. They opened Restaurant Les Fougères in 1993 and began their 16 year journey and love affair with sustainable, seasonal and regional cuisine. Jennifer’s and Charles’ attachment to their environment is strongly reflected in their work. The restaurant’s gardens now occupy a large part of the property and provide the kitchen with a wide variety of fresh vegetables, herbs and edible flowers. Many ingredients are drawn from the bounty of fresh produce available from quality-oriented local farmers. The cooking at Les Fougères focuses on the intrinsic qualities of these fresh foods, and simply tries to convey their true, wonderful flavours.

Year after year Restaurant Les Fougères has received critical acclaim in international, national and regional media including the achievement of a prestigious gold award in the Grand Prix du Tourisme Québécois in 2004.

Restaurant Les Fougères has widened and deepened its character over the years. A Gourmet Store was added in 2002 to offer a select line of made-in-house, additive-free take-home foods, gourmet products and gifts. The addition in 2006 of a Summer Pavilion offers an outdoor venue for weddings and large groups – Les Fougères menu items are prepared in an outdoor kitchen and served on the edge of the forest.

Recent projects include a cookbook titled A Year at Les Fougères, which was awarded Gold in the Culinary Culture category of the Cuisine Canada Cookbook Awards in November 2008, as well as a Gourmand World Cookbook award, an Independent Publisher’s silver medal and a Cordon d’Or.

Charles was also awarded a gold medal at the Gold Medal Plates competition in Ottawa in October 2008, and went on to represent the region at the Canadian Culinary Championships in Banff in February 2009.

The seasons play a determining role in the menus which focus on the intrinsic qualities of the produce used. The cooking at Les Fougères simply tries to convey true, wonderful flavours as part of a memorable oasis which also includes warm and informed hospitality, a wine list of distinction and a lovely amble in a countryside setting.

Representative for New Brunswick

Jesse Vergen

Jesse Vergen is the Executive Chef of the Saint John Ale House, Chef/ Owner of the soon to be opened Farmers Hill and an organic farmer in one of Quispamsis, New Brunswick’s last standing farms.

Jesse is a loud voice for New Brunswick cuisine and with his classic French training, eye on international trends, and intense passion; he is fast becoming one of New Brunswick’s culinary leaders. His training at the Dubrulle French culinary school in British Columbia pushed him to stage in some of Vancouver’s best kitchens, leading to a journey to work in a small bistro in Paris, France.When he got back to Canada, he spent time working in kitchens in Quebec, Nova Scotia, and his home province of New Brunswick.

Jesse is not just into cooking food but the process of planting and working the land to have total control of the quality of the food. Known for cooking with local NB products, he picks fish up right off the boat, whole animals from small farms, slaughtering his own animals on his farm, smoking his own hams, or hunting though the local markets for the freshest products.

Jesse is also the Manager of Culinary Team New Brunswick and with the team won the senior ACE compition in Newfoundland, bringing the trophy back to the province for the first time in 23 years.

In his spare time you can catch him on Rogers TV doing cooking demos, Cooking at fundraisers like chefs for UNICEF, OCIA’s organic banquet, Boys & Girls club, or at the farm with his wife Kim raising their three children and weeding their 50 foot green house.

Representative for Prince Edward Island

Ilona Daniel

Hailing from the Greater Hamilton area, Ilona is a graduate with Honours from the Niagara Culinary Institute’s Culinary Management Program. Ilona’s passion for using local and artisan products was first sparked while working in the heart of Niagara’s wine country. It was there that she learned how different peaches from Washington were in comparison to the sun drenched, Niagara peaches picked ripe from the tree.  That was just the beginning- volunteering at various food and drink festivals opened her eyes to the importance of working and supporting the community she was now part of.

As her culinary journey continued after graduation, her interest in the Slow Food Movement was heightened through her work in Montereggioni, Italy, at Ristorante Casalta; and then at Spencer’s at the Waterfront in Burlington, Ontario. Chef Jeff Crump of the Ancaster Old Mill and Chef Chris Haworth of Spencer’s at the Waterfront added depth and practical experience to her understanding of the value of local product.

After her time at Spencer’s at the Waterfront, Ilona’s journey took her East. First, to Quebec to work as a personal chef, and then to beautiful Prince Edward Island where she went to further her studies with a scholarship at the Culinary Institute of Canada. Ilona was part of its inaugural class in the Applied Degree in Culinary Operations program.

Shortly after graduation, Ilona became the Executive Chef of Stanhope Bay and Beach Resort where she has been Executive Chef for the last two years. At the resort, Ilona has been able to exercise her culinary vision, while creating dishes which simultaneously reflect her personality as well as the Atlantic Canadian bounty. The kitchen garden in conjunction with local growers, artisans and farmers are a constant source of inspiration for Ilona in her professional and personal life. Ilona proudly participates in local festival and events such as: Nigwek Organic Street Festival, Fall Flavours, Shellfish Festival and Meal in the Field. Her support will always be rooted in efforts to bring to light the beauty of the local small-scale farm and its importance in our everyday lives.

Representative  for Newfoundland & Labrador

Todd Perrin

Todd is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of Canada, class of 1996. Upon graduation, Todd spent a season at The Church Restaurant & Belfry Bar in Stratford, ON, as Chef de Partie under the watchful eye of Executive Chef Sheldon Russell.

The following year was spent at The Lodge at Kananaskis getting a taste for life in a large hotel kitchen under Executive Chef David Garcelon, before travelling east from the Rockies to the Alps and to spend 2 years at Hotel Alexander am See in Thalwil, Switzerland as Chef Tournant.

In 1999, Todd returned to St. John’s and helped to open Nageira’s Restaurant as Sous Chef for Chef Jonathan Gushue, now of Langdon Hall. From there he went on to open Two Chefs with Chef Maurizio Modica.  In 2001, Two Chefs was honored by Enroute magazine as one of the Top 50 New Restaurants in Canada.

Todd currently owns and operates The Chef’s Inn, a B&B on Gower Street in St. John’s where he offers special Chef’s Table events in the private dining room as well as a variety of catering services.

International Representative

Dory Ford

Executive Chef Dory Ford oversees all culinary production for Ventana Inn & Spa including the Restaurant at Ventana, Ventana Bistro, room service, as well as menus for weddings, special events and executive retreats. Ford utilizes the freshest local sustainable ingredients and seafood to inspire his menus which feature sustainable seafood and produce supporting local farmers and artisans.

Ford’s life long passion for food began in the Pacific Northwest. Fueled by his love of food and inspired by the abundance of local ingredients — wild mushrooms, garden fresh produce, and fresh seafood; a result of his own fishing experiences in the ocean and lakes of British Columbia. In 1988 he entered Malasapina College’s chef-training program in and has been cooking ever since.

After steadily advancing through the ranks in kitchens of the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii, Ford moved to Los Angeles in 1996 to broaden his horizons. Since his arrival in Southern California he served as Executive Chef for Gai Klass Catering (repeatedly voted Best Caterer in Los Angeles by Zagats), The Huntington Museum, Library and Botanical Gardens in Pasadena, CA and the prestigious Jonathan Beach Club in Santa Monica, CA.

Previous to his appointment at Ventana Inn & Spa Ford was the Executive Chef for Bon Appétit Management Company at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. In his position with Bon Appetit he had the opportunity to showcase his passion for fresh seasonal food made with sustainable, low-carbon ingredients to create new menus for the Portola Café and Restaurant, oversaw the banquet/ catering division as well as served as host chef for Cooking for Solutions, the Aquarium’s premier annual food and wine event.