Craig Flinn
Craig Flinn is the chef/proprietor of Chives Canadian Bistro in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Craig graduated in 1997 from the Culinary Institute of Canada following a Bachelor of Arts degree in geography from Saint Mary’s University. His apprenticeship began in 1996 when he met and worked with Chef Michael Smith at The Inn at Bay Fortune on Prince Edward Island. He continued his apprenticeship over the next 4 years in Europe, Canada, and the U.S., most notably at the famous Savoy Hotel in London, England.
Craig opened Chives on December 4th, 2001. Since then the restaurant has been a solid supporter of local food producers. The restaurant menus are based on seasonal produce from local farmers, artisan cheese and meat producers, and sustainable seafood with the core menu changing every 6 to 8 weeks. The bistro’s clientele enjoy contemporary Canadian dishes rooted in European culinary history.
Chives has received numerous awards for its food and wine including 2 stars in “Where to Eat in Canada” 2006 to present; named in The Top 100 Restaurants in Canada, “Wine Access Magazine”, 2006-08; named Best Restaurant in Halifax, “The Coast” 2006-07; named one of the Best New Restaurants in Canada, “En Route Magazine”, 2003-04. Craig was recently voted “Best Chef in Halifax” by a reader’s poll for The Coast from 2008 to 2011 and Chives was voted “Best Fine Dining Restaurant in Halifax” in 2011. And in November of 2009 Taste of Nova Scotia awarded Chives its Prestige award for “Best Cuisine in Nova Scotia.”
In November 2008 Craig’s first cookbook called Fresh and Local was launched nationwide (Formac Publishing). The book focuses on the food of Chives and dishes that showcase seasonal ingredients from the farms and artisan producers of Canada. Craig’s second book called Fresh Canadian Bistro was released in October of 2009. The third book in his “Fresh” series is called Fresh and Frugal and was released in October of 2010. It is a collection of Craig’s favourite home cooking recipes and attempts to dispel the myth that cooking in season is expensive and only for the trendy epicurean.
“My decision to cook using locally produced food is not an effort to be trendy or start a revolution. In my mind it is the only way to cook well. It is the way restaurants have always been.”
Caroline Flinn
Caroline is a public relations consultant and event planner, previously with Zed Events of Halifax. Caroline is maintaining a part-time board position and acting as a consultant during the crucial early phases of the event planning.
Michael Howell
is chef and owner of Tempest World Cuisine in Wolfville. Michael is also the leader of Slow Food Nova Scotia and the president of The Restaurant Association of Nova Scotia. He is a passionate advocate for local food and food security issues. Michael is also the author of Maritime Seafood, his first cookbook published in 2009.
Peter Jackson
Once a chef and restaurateur in Edmonton, Peter now grows grapes in the Annapolis Valley. He is an active member of the chef community both in fundraising and with his work in Slow Food Nova Scotia.
Renee Lavallee
Known in Halifax as The Feisty Chef Renee has made a name as a food writer, blogger, and supporter of local food in Nova Scotia. Last year she took over the role of executive chef of one of the most popular cafés in Halifax/Dartmouth… Two If By Sea. Her “family suppers” showcasing the farmers and wineries of Nova Scotia, are one of the hottest meal tickets in town.
Jason Lynch
Jason is the chef of Le Caveau, the winery restaurant at Domaine de Grand Pré Winery in Grand Pré. Jason is a valley native and is also an ardent supporter of local farmers and, for obvious reasons, locally made wine. Le Caveau was recently named one of the “20 Best Winery Restaurants in the World” by Wine Access Magazine.
Colette O’Hara
Colette is the owner of Red Balloon Relations, a PR company with a new and vibrant outlook on business life in Nova Scotia. Colette is also the co-founder of Awesome Halifax, one of the coolest and most exciting foundations that supports inventive, creative, and just plain awesome projects around Halifax.
Bill Pratt
Retired military chef (Go Navy!) and consultant, Bill recently opened Cheese Curds Gourmet Burger and Poutinery in Dartmouth. Bill has travelled extensively as a chef consultant and was most recently the Executive Chef of the Athlete’s Village in Whistler for the 2010 Olympic Games. In 2010 he appeared on Iron Chef America with friend and colleague Michael Smith.
Mike Stack
Mike is the proprietor of Crosstalk Media and also has extensive experience in event planning and fundraising. He is heavily involved in social media strategy work and filmmaking.
Chris Velden
Chris recently retired from many years of cooking on the line of some of the best restaurants in Europe and Nova Scotia to open his own catering and consulting company called The Flying Apron Cookery. Chris volunteers a tremendous amount of time in our community. Chris and his family are also active members of Slow Food Nova Scotia.
Christine White
Christine is a leader in the food and wine community in Nova Scotia through her work with Taste of Nova Scotia and The Winery Association of Nova Scotia. One of the best known faces in the hospitality world, Christine works tirelessly to promote local farmers, food producers, wineries, and restaurants.
Lisa Wood
Lisa chose to leave the world of finance to follow her love of food and wine. She opened Fusion Catering in 2007 and has established herself as one of the premium catering chefs in Nova Scotia. Her food is classic “think global, buy local” in style. She incorporates products from small farms around her home in Truro in her internationally inspired recipes.
This post is also available in: French
