Quick bites with
Jipsea Levan
"The only other guy who knows how to cook at Millar Creek Cafe, besides the owner"
Photo and questions by Maureen Provençal
PQ: What’s your food/wine philosophy?
JL: Meat and potatoes.
PQ: How would you describe what it is like to be a chef?
JL: Satisfying the hungry masses – it’s not about what you want to eat, it’s about what they want to eat.
PQ: One food you can’t live without?
JL: Red meat.
PQ: One ingredient you can’t live without?
JL: Salt
PQ: What food should people be more open to trying?
JL: Liver.
PQ: Weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?
JL: Tripe.
PQ: Most memorable meal you’ve ever eaten?
JL: Curried Spam and lentils.
PQ: Exact moment you decided to become a chef?
JL: When the government told me they would pay me to go to school.
PQ: Most interesting environment you’ve ever worked in?
JL: Millar Creek Café.
PQ: What’s your solution for a last-minute meal?
JL: I don’t believe in last-minute meals. You’re always going to eat so you should always have something ready.
PQ: Worst trend in food/restaurants?
JL: Food as a religion.
PQ: Greatest professional moment?
JL: Getting into Quick Bites in Pique Newsmagazine .
PQ: Where would you go to eat if you could go anywhere in the world?
JL: The Flaming Chicken Restaurant in Bangkok. They soak a chicken in brandy, light it on fire, put it in a catapult and launch it to your table, where your unicycling waiter will catch it and serve it to you.
PQ: What brought you to Whistler?
JL: Loose morals.
PQ: Who has been the most influential person on your cooking/career?
JL: Rico Sauve.
PQ: What would you advise anyone wanting to get into this industry?
JL: Further up the ladder you get, the more you have to work.
PQ: What is the most important principle in cooking?
JL: Cook it till it’s done.
PQ: Do you dream of opening your own restaurant?
JL: Only when I really hate myself.
