Sommelier & Manager Val dIsere Brasserie
And owner/operator Platinum Palate Food & Beverage Educators
Photo and questions by Maureen Provençal
Q: Whats your food/wine philosophy?
DL: Eat what you like and drink what you like. And it will be somewhere between fine and fantastic.
Q: One food you cant live without?
DL: Alsation onion tart.
Q: Your favourite wine?
DL: I cannot choose a favourite wine: choosing a favourite wine is like choosing a favourite child, each one is special.
Q: One ingredient you cant live without?
DL: Sauce I cant eat dry food.
Q: What food/drink should people be more open to trying?
DL: Champagne.
Q: Weirdest thing youve ever eaten?
DL: Fruit de mer (tempura fried minnows).
Q: Most memorable meal youve ever eaten?
DL: Italian, near the Colosseum.
Q: Exact moment you decided to become a sommelier?
DL: When a boss told me I had great wine knowledge. Unfortunately 80 per cent of it was bullshit. It motivated me to study and become a sommelier.
Q: Whats your solution for a last-minute meal?
DL: A ribeye barbecued with red Zinfandel Ridge.
Q: Best trend in food/restaurants?
DL: Three course special tableau dhote.
Q: Worst trend in food/restaurants?
DL: Fast food.
Q: Greatest professional moment?
DL: Im living it right now.
Q: Where would you go to eat, if you could go anywhere in the world?
DL: I would go to a sailboat on Sea of Cortez and catch a Dorado and eat it ceviche.
Q: What brought you to Whistler?
DL: Food & beverage industry.
Q: Personal hero?
DL: The Dali Lama.