In this age of chef as celebrity, its refreshing to cross paths with one who has climbed to the top of the kitchen and has no illusions about why hes there. The Fairmont Chateau Whistlers executive chef Vincent Stufano didnt choose his profession because of the limelight, but because of the limes and the lamb and the crones and everything else he loves to cook with. And Vincent loves to cook, more explicitly to cook food for people to eat as opposed to, say, cooking for food stylists at glossy magazines or for TV cameras.
If you were part of Cornucopias Chefs Trip to the Farm session, you would have experienced Vincents work at its finest. Sunchokes and crones and salsify from Jordan Sturdys North Arm Farm spoke for themselves alongside the likes of pine mushrooms and veal and rabbit in all, a multi-course celebration of fall.
He would have told you how he buys thousands of pounds of pumpkins from North Arm the pumpkins the bears dont get first and you would have oohed and aahed over such details. But you likely wouldnt have known that the same weekend, Vincent was also ensuring that 700 delegates attending the Liberal convention at the Fairmont were well and properly fed, as well as co-ordinating the Gold Medal Plate Dinner, a.k.a. Olympic fundraiser that same weekend.
So heres a short sampling from a self-styled cook, whos been at it for 30 years and hasnt burnt out yet, who supervises some 80 chefs at the Chateau, and who would rather cook a roast at home and be with his family than explore the latest dining hot spot.
GB: Be a philosopher for a minute whats your approach to food?
VS: I dont think its anything earth shattering. For me its making sure you work with a quality product all the time. And its very important to understand the product because I see this so often they have all this beautiful, expensive stuff but they dont know how to put it together. Its either overcooked or poorly seasoned, you know what I mean? So you dont enjoy it much. To me its important to really understand what I work with, to have a strong knowledge of the food.
I read a lot, and I always preach that to my apprentices, to keep reading and learning. Just being on the job daily is fine because that gives you the motor skills and the techniques and all that. But the knowing why, the why, why, why why am I doing it this way? Why do we get this product this time of year? Why are different kinds of salmon prepared different ways? Knowing your foundation is incredibly important.
GB: You said you love using the types of vegetables Jordan is now growing on his farm parsnips, salsify, crones, sunchokes because theyre so flavourful and you can offer guests something different. I think there are lots of elements, like these forgotten vegetables, that are wonderful and seldom appear on menus.
VS: So many menus seem like cookie cutter menus theres the chicken, theres the rack of lamb. Maybe chefs dont venture out because they think we, the public, wont like it. But we can be poorly informed, as in, we dont like beets because the only way mom served them was boiled. So where do you draw the line and lead us, the public, in learning to appreciate food off the beaten path?
I never look at it as an education I dropped that concept long ago. To me, I look at it as I cook what I like. But I will not put five courses of beets on the menu. I just wont do that. This is not a stand-alone restaurant, this is not my restaurant, this is a hotel so I have to cater to a broad audience. So obviously Im going to have my steak and salmon. A lot of tourists come to B.C. and expect salmon. Rack of lamb is a signature dish. I can cook lamb probably 50 different ways, but rack of lamb is something people love to have.
I would love to do a little composition with lamb, but you know what? I do it. For example, at my winemakers dinner I had a suckling pig prepared three different ways.
GB: But do you get to do it enough?
VS: Oh, I could do it more, but if I put pigs trotters on my menu it will not sell. You have to be very cautious of things like that. If you place on your menu sweetbreads and pigs trotters and too many of these things, then youre not going to attract the public. Its just that way, unfortunately. You have to have a balance.
And its a hotel, so you have to please a wide range. You come with your family and your child wants a grilled cheese sandwich. And whats wrong with that? So make a good grilled cheese sandwich. But when I design a winemakers dinner and things like that, I design it around things I enjoy preparing. The benefit to the guests is that I cook what I truly want to cook. And thats really going to stand out.
But even with the Wildflower menu or the Portobello menu, the stuff we put on, we enjoy putting them on. We dont go, oh god, lets put this on because we have to, you know?
GB: Why do you love your work so much?
VS: Its not repetitious. You keep coming back and there are always new challenges. It always keeps you sharp. Of course its very creative, but as well, you have to be a visionary you have to look ahead to stay in front of the other guy all the time you have to be a businessman, you have to listen to your staff and help them. Its a lot of things.
GB: Are any of your children interested in cooking?
VS: I hope not. Its an insane job!
Glenda Bartosh is an award-winning freelance writer who loves the smell of parsnips.