Text and photo by Maureen Provencal
James Brook
Sous Chef, Joey Chan’s Chinese Eatery
PQ: What’s your food/wine philosophy?
JB? Always perfection. Cooking foods that complement each other.
PQ: One food you can’t live without?
JB: Steak.
PQ: One ingredient you can’t live without?
JB: Salt.
PQ: What food/drink should people be more open to trying?
JB: New food and gin.
PQ: One food you avoided as a child and now you love?
JB: Fish.
PQ: Weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?
JB: Oysters.
PQ: Most memorable meal you’ve ever eaten?
JB: Christmas buffet at King Valley, Ontario.
PQ: Exact moment you decided to become a chef?
JB: I was 13 years old washing dishes at Cherry Downs Golf & Country Club in Ontario.
PQ: What’s your solution for a last-minute meal?
JB: Peanut butter & honey on toast.
PQ: Best trend in food/restaurants?
JB: The quality of fine dining.
PQ: Worst trend in food/restaurants?
JB: There is no worst trend. Everybody has their own tastes.
PQ: Greatest professional moment?
JB: Being a prep cook at the Crab Shack and within a month being promoted to Sous Chef.
PQ: Where would you go to eat, if you could go anywhere in the world?
JB: My grandmother’s house when she is serving chilli.
PQ: Where would you go for your last meal in Whistler?
JB: The Tratt.
PQ: Who has been the most influential person on your cooking/career?
JB: My old chef Leighton Asaparte.