Pho on the Go

One of my favourite lunch meals is a bowl of good flavourful bowl of PHO. The Vietnamese street cart staple which was first introduced in 1920 at a place where one could sit to eat, instead of standing or squatting. Many new PHO restaurants are springing up everywhere here in BC. I took on a cooking position working alongside a Vietnamese Chef at the Green Papaya  who made a great tasting lemon grass broth using several different techniques that I watched and studied. Roasting some veal bones sided with an array of herbs and spices made the broth take on a more the...

Movie Catering Trailer Kitchen

This is what the inside of one of my 45 foot mobile kitchen’s looked like. This one had a huge fridge, several ovens and held a thousand  gallons of water made with its own water purification plant, solar panels and butane cooking fuel. This work horse of a unit could be be set up in an isolated area running fully operational for 60 hours before needing off site fuel services or satellite refueling. This is what my boss expected my three kitchen’s to look like every day at start up because you never knew who would drop in to ask for some grub! FYI, if you...

The Saviour Pot Roast.

The Saviour Pot Roast. I remember my college years and the amount of energy spent making the day count. There was lots of pressure to be in more then one place at a time. Loads of studies to undertake and without a computer back then tons of research was done at the library or study hall. The first college year was at Conestoga food and beverage coarse then more at in Alberta Institute. Here I was starting a new chef position at Panorama Resort. All my friends and family were all back in Ontario.  Moms home cooked meals were miles away. You soon miss the hands on endless...

Star Crab Cakes

              Back in 1984 I was asked by some celebrities that I was cooking for if I ever have eaten at Stars Restaurant in San Francisco. My reply was not yet, but after hearing about the chef in charge and his new style fusion food menu I knew it would not be long before I would be there in the flesh. Stars were noted as being the birthplace of New American Cuisine. The restaurant was an instant sensation and quickly became the top-grossing restaurant for years. Chef Jeremiah Tower and his posse of celebrity chefs like Wolfgang Puck...

Fried Egg with Chili Pork Belly Bacon

The Thai, Mandarin, Vietnamese fusion foods are usually found on the Victoria, King Edward corridor in East Vancouver. Literally hundreds of little family run pop-up diners line the streets. Even the market stores have a BBQ or a wok fryer going full steam somewhere in the store. I found that these store cafeteria style eateries are providing cheap eats for the average street New Canadian. Some of these diners use real plate ware and some just a box or a napkin. Like dim-sum,… only hundreds of more interesting tasty options. This simple Fried Egg with Chili Pork...

Alan Alda’s Chili Garlic Pasta

                  I was just finishing up feeding the cast and crew of the movies Cocktail and Three Men and a Baby that had been shooting in several locations. Doing both shoots a once was totally exhausting. All that was left to do was throw the wrap party and then it was time for a break. I was looking forward to the down time after being on call 24/7 for the last several months. My crew was also run down and greatly needed some time for R&R. I was living in Preston at that time and could not wait to loaf about and visit...