PQ: What’s your dining philosophy?
MP: Slow food and long wine.
PQ: What’s the most important principle in cooking?
MP: Experiment often; don’t be afraid to try new ingredients.
PQ: One food you can’t live without?
MP: Spaghetti.
PQ: One ingredient you can’t live without?
MP: Garlic.
PQ: What food/drink should people be more open to trying?
MP: Seafood varieties, especially fish.
PQ: One food you avoided as a child and now you love?
MP: I never liked liver and I still hate it. But I am warming up to Brussels sprouts.
PQ: Most memorable meal you’ve ever eaten?
MP: My first date with my wife. We went to Les Deux Gros 16 years ago. We had trout.
PQ: Exact moment you decided to become a chef?
MP: I’ve always worked in the kitchen, it was my first job.
PQ: Most interesting environment you’ve ever worked in?
MP: When I was younger I worked at Sanders on the beach. It was chaos.
PQ: What’s your solution for a last minute meal?
MP: Pasta.
PQ: Greatest professional moment?
MP: Opening my first restaurant.
PQ: Do you dream of opening your own restaurant?
MP: Now that I have, I have bad dreams about the restaurant. Restaurant nightmares!
PQ: How would you describe what it is to be a chef?
MP: Immediate gratification. Great opportunity for creativity.
PQ: Where would you go to eat, if you could go anywhere in the world?
MP: Restaurant hopping in Europe.
PQ: What brought you to Whistler?
MP: Work, a change of environment and to ski.
PQ: Has Squamish opened up any doors for you?
MP: Yes, we opened our restaurant.
PQ: Who has been the most influential person on your cooking/career?
MP: My mother.
PQ: What would you advise anyone wanting to get into this industry?
MP: Do it because you love it. Don’t do it for the money. You really have to be a people person.
