Several Taking it to Heart chefs were featured in the J/F2012 cover story, A woman in the kitchen. Read about them here, then taste their delicious food at the stellar event February 25 at the Edmonton Petroleum club.
Professional cooking is not for the faint of heart, however glamourous it may look on the Food Network. It has a rep for being one of the more macho trades. It’s one that, in Edmonton, few women have achieved what is considered the pinnacle — executive chef positions in operations with multi-million dollar budgets.
What we do have: extremely talented women doing their own thing — owning restaurants, creating food products, running catering operations, and as second in command at the Shaw and at Zinc.
Photo by To Be in Pictures
Doreen Prei, sous chef Zinc restaurant, Art Gallery of Alberta
Doreen was a university student in Berlin when she discovered cooking by accident in a Mexican restaurant where she was the dishwasher.
“One night the cook was sick and the manager asked if I could fill in,” says Doreen. “I went to the line and started cooking. That was it! I was never sure what I wanted to do until I discovered the pots and pans.
“I’m from East Germany. I had never seen basil or eggplants. Before the wall fell it was pretty basic, we had cabbage and berries.
“The German system works like this: you go to school for one day a week learning basic skills, wine, coffee, maths for the business side of cooking, health, safety and nutrition and for four days you work at a restaurant of your choosing.
“I chose a Michelin star restaurant called First Floor. I was lucky get in. “In 2006, my partner Carrie and I decided to move to Dublin. I cooked in the Four Seasons there and worked with my first Canadians. ‘We have to move to Canada,’ I had said to Kari. ‘Canadians are super super nice.’
“In the German system they push hard for the first year — they break you down and then build you back up. I cried at home, never in the kitchen.
“Maybe this system could be a bit more like Germany’s: push, but in a nice Canadian way.
“Next was a Ritz Carlton opening near Dublin with a Gordon Ramsay restaurant. I was there for 10 months until Carrie became a professor at University of Alberta.
“The sous chef at Gordon Ramsay had worked at Fairmont and sent my cv. I started at Hotel MacDonald and within six weeks was the sous chef in the Harvest Room.
“Then I met Dave (David Omar, executive chef) who asked me to come to Zinc pre-opening. We do have to play it safe here in Edmonton sometimes. People expect an art gallery restaurant to be cheap cafeteria-style food, not a nice fine dining room.
“My biggest adjustment is that almost everything is frozen — meats, fish. Our catch of the day depends on what we can get that’s good and fresh.
During her time at Zinc, Doreen gave birth to Leopold, now 16 months old.
“The pace at Zinc is much more suited to family life. I can work 8-10 hours per day rather than 12-14, or the 16 in Europe when I was starting out.
“My next goal is chef de cuisine at Zinc. Eventually, I would love to have my own spot, but not until Leopold is older.
“My greatest influence is the person who eats my food. My mentor is Herr Horn, the First Floor sous chef. He was far over 60 and such a brilliant chef. He taught me terrines, pates, mousse, with classic French and German technique.
“In Europe the majority of women work in the pastry or garde manger no matter how good they are. The Zinc kitchen includes a few female chefs who always have the opportunity to do the real cookin’.”
Doreen Prei is now chef de cuisine and head of culinary development at the Edmonton Petroleum Club venue for Taking it to Heart, February 25, tickets at Eventbrite.
“Never thought I’d be running a kitchen. I was happy putzing around in pastry.”
Tracy Zizek, executive chef and co-owner Café de Ville
Tracy is a 2002 graduate of the NAIT Culinary Program whose primary interest was pastry.
“I always wanted to be a cook. I spent a lot of time with my grandmother — she was always doing something exciting, like working in the garden, or making bread.
“I didn’t have any female instructors at NAIT. I didn’t think anything of it at the time — I thought head chefs were men.
“I never thought I’d be running a kitchen. I was happy putzing around in pastry. When the Sherwood Park café became a reality, I was offered co-ownership in this location. It’s a big deal for me, and I’ve discovered a new passion, wine.
“As much as I’d like to work with other chefs I admire, and would love to do more traveling and cooking stages, I’m happy here. I worked for Paul Campbell for 10 years. He and Anita have allow me to spend time on the volunteer work I consider important, such as Indulgence, a Slow Food Edmonton event I co-chair, and they have always given me opportunity to grow.”
Christine Sandford, Chef de cuisine Culina Mill Creek
Christine is a graduate of the NAIT two-year commercial cooking program and a member of the Staff Meal collective.
“I grew up cooking with my mom, and after high school traveled around Europe,” Christine says. “All I thought about was the food.
”I started catering with fellow chef Andrew Hess and John Lizotte; I worked at Il Portico and Delish, which was challenging and a great experience — that’s where I started developing relationships with farmers and producers.
“I’ve worked at Culina for three years, starting as a sous chef. I’ve been able to meet more suppliers and have been able to develop my own cooking style — it’s grown and expanded.
“I always envisioned my chef would be a man. I didn’t have a single woman instructor at NAIT. I asked somebody once and they said that they had never found a woman who wanted to teach there. I think there should be some women.
“Culina is the first place I’ve worked with lots of girls in the kitchen.
“Maybe some men are overprotective and think women are not meant to lift heavy things, hear dirty jokes, do dirty jobs. But we are, and we do.
“My advice to girls: if you want it, go get it. Portray yourself as a chef with confidence, and back it up with skills. Show initiative and don’t be afraid to say ‘Look what I’ve done.’”
Heather Dosman, chef, Culina Muttart
Heather thought she wanted to be a cellular biologist, but discovered she wanted to cook instead.
“My mom was a recipe tester for Company’s Coming,” says Heather. “That certainly influenced my knowledge of food.
“I did my apprenticeship with Brad at Culina and stayed on. I have my Red Seal, which means I am a certified journeyman cook (two years plus 1600 apprentice hours).
“What I like the most is the ability to be creative. But first you have to learn skills. My first job was in the kitchen at OPM. I was at Millcreek for about two years, then Brad needed somebody for Muttart.
“Brad is my mentor. He respects food, he’s interested in how the animals are treated; he works well with women. We were joking at the photo shoot that we’re Brad’s Angels.”
“My experience with woman cooks is: sure we’ll get together and have wine, but after a shift we’d go home and look at cookbooks.”
Carla Alexander, executive chef and co-owner MARKT
Originally, Carla wanted to be a food photographer, but ended up taking the two-year commercial cooking program at NAIT.
“I worked at Pack Rat Louie for three years,” says Carla. “Barbara Lipanauer, the chef de cuisine then, taught me discipline and I started to develop the metal toughness you need. Then, with Brad Lazarenko. I consider Barbara, Peter Johner (then owner) and Brad as mentors.
“I was the little black girl in the beanie. I had to prove myself. Burn your finger? Suck it up. Not feeling well? Too bad. Wash your hands, put an apron on, and get to it. I would drop things; I couldn’t hold a pork loin in one hand.
“Now, after lugging 50 litre soup kettles at Soul Soup for four years, strength is not an issue.
“I do think that suck-it-up culture leads to people bottling up. Many cooks find relief in cocaine, cigarettes, pot and 20 cups of coffee a day. My experience with woman cooks is a bit different. Sure we’ll get together and have wine but generally after a shift we’d go home and look at cookbooks.
“I went to Culina to work with Brad. Culina was also the first kitchen I had worked in with lots of women — it’s inspiring.
“Brad said we should go into business together, and we opened up Soul Soup with Sal Di Maio.
“From that came MRKT where food is meant to be shared. It’s a modern indoor picnic, people elbow to elbow sharing food.
“I’m hands-on. This is what I do; it’s what I love.
“When you need to cut veg for 3000 people, you have to be able to work as a team.”
Lupe Ratcliffe, executive sous chef Shaw Conference Centre
Lupe has spent her entire cooking career at the Shaw. No wonder she considers the Shaw’s executive chef Simon Smotkowicz her mentor. But there was also Annette, the chef de partie who comforted Lupe with a kind ‘never mind’ when things were not going well in the beginning.
“To succeed in cooking you have to enjoy it, you have to focus, and you need personal support,” says Lupe.
“I met my husband Tony when we were both on vacation in Acapulco. We married and I came to Canada shortly after. My friends and coworkers thought I was crazy. I didn’t speak English. I couldn’t nurse (her profession at the time) so I took an introduction to cooking course at Keyano College.
“When we moved to Edmonton, I started part time at the Shaw. Two days later it was: ‘can you come tomorrow?’ From that, I became the executive sous chef.
“I oversee the hot and cold kitchen on a daily basis, including purchasing. My role is active management. I work with the team on the line; I am rarely sitting.
“Our local food initiative started with one per cent of our food budget — it’s way beyond that now. All our carrots, onions and potatoes are local year ‘round. We work with the local companies Centennial and Full Course Strategies to source from farmers like Spring Creek Ranch and Irvings.
Zana Murray director of catering, Culina family
Zana, mother of two, has worked with Brad Lazarenko from his days at Savoy. She is now director of catering, working out of the Culina Canteen at Edmonton Police Service. What excites Zana about food? She loves how it brings people together, and to cook the food of your grandmother keeps the memories alive.
”I did my practicum at Red Ox Inn. Brad was there helping out (he had left Pack Rat by then) and I’ve been following him around since — first Savoy, then Sugarbowl, followed by Culina Millcreek.
“Restaurants are such a dynamic environment. It takes passion and talent. If you’re not passionate, you’re not going to make it. When I ran the kitchen at Culina, I tended to hire people who perhaps had more passion than experience.
“I have an interesting routine now. It’s less about being on the line and more about planning, such as prep spreadsheets. I can do those from home.
“Brad has always been supportive around family. Happiness is finding the right employer/mentor.”
“I cook the food, people eat it, I’m happy.”
Judy Wu, Wild Tangerine
Chef Wu co-owns Wild Tangerine with her brother Wilson, and their popular university area restaurant, Polos, for 11 years before that. Judy, an accomplished chef with 30 years experience, wasEdmonton Gold Medal Plates champion in 2007. She learned to cook in Hong Kong, then cooked in her friend’s restaurant in Vancouver, “Shanghai style.”
“I love slow cooking — braising,” says Judy. “Like our bison; we use miso and it’s slow cooked, amazing flavours. I also like to cook fish — simply steamed with a sauce dried scallop maybe, or black bean and garlic. It tastes very good. I cook the food, people eat it, I’m happy.”
“Canada has been the land of opportunity for us.”
Yvonne Borbolla has created a line of chorizo (sausage) using Alberta pork. Their casual west end restaurant, Mexico Lindo, will be closing at the end of February — get there before then for a delicious meal.
“My parents entertained often,” says Yvonne. There were always elaborate meals to be made, and not Mexican food. My father loved French cuisine so that’s what we cooked
“Later it was a business. I liked using the flavours of Mexico, things like flor de calabaza (squash flower) and huitlacoche, a special corn fungus.
“We were invited by Ian Clarke to come to Canada to develop lamb products that would increase the consumption of lamb. My husband was a very large lamb producer in Mexico. We needed a kitchen factory where we developed products and thought might as well have a bit of a restaurant out front. Now we work with pork.
“We have created three unique products, a Mexican chorizo, Spanish chorizo and chistorra. Our pork is from Sturgeon Valley, Sunterra and Irvings’. It’s available at the Italian Centre Shops and through Wild Game Consultants. We expect to be across Canada in two years, and into the US as well.
“Canada has been the land of opportunity for us.”
“I find working with volunteers and seniors rewarding.”
Shannon runs the food service operation of the non-profit Ital-Canadian Seniors Centre. The hall is available for rent for dinners and celebrations.
“You don’t have to be Italian to rent the hall,” says Shannon. “But those are our most popular menus.
“It’s fairly straightforward food, but it’s all made here. The vegetables are fresh, and I make all the stocks and sauces. Most of the service staff and bartenders are volunteers from the community.
“I’ve been here for eight years and I like it. It’s something different with every event. I find working with the volunteers and the seniors rewarding.
“I’ve been cooking for 25 years. I’ve worked in hotels, in pastry, at high-end restaurants. I’ve worked with a lot of good chefs. Two I consider mentors: Marcel Perron was my chef at the Derrick Club, and Cesar Gentile at the Mayfair. Funny that they are both Italian.”
“At Red Ox, I learned how far you have to go to create a meal for people with sensitivities or allergies.”
Jenna Beard, NAIT apprentice of the year 2010
Jenna is taking a break from cooking at the moment, but intends to be back on the line in February.
“My grandmother used to own a restaurant,” says Jenna. “I liked the work style, it’s fast paced. Red Ox was a great experience; Frank and Andrea are great. I’ve learned that in small working environments like a restaurant kitchen, you have to like the people you work with.
“I’ve learned about how far you have to go to create a meal for people with sensitivities or allergies.
“I’d like to travel a bit, do some stages in Canada and abroad. One day I would like to own a restaurant.
“I don’t know exactly what I want. I’m only 21 years old. I’m winging it.”
“During my practicum I learned you have to be strong as everyone else, both physically and mentally — there’s pressure to accomplish.”
Maurin Arellano, NAIT culinary student
Maurin is finishing her practicum at the Manor Café.
“My partner is taking a job in Montreal so we’re moving there,” says Maurin.
“For the past few years I worked for a management team opening seven quick service type restaurants in northern Alberta. My skills were primarily front of house administration and management. I knew how to set up a kitchen, where to place equipment and inventories, but not how to cook in one.
“I would like to own a restaurant, a small place with a chalkboard menu. For that, I needed to learn to cook.
“My plan in Montreal is this: to improve my French (Maurin speaks English and Spanish), take a business course, learn who the good producers are. But first, get there and eat for a month to figure out where I want to work.”