Mise en Place - the Podcast

In this industry we speak of great Chefs and amazing restaurants, but there is an upper echelon of space reserved for the real Titans of our Industry. I am very happy to introduce you to a chef who has been at the top of Vancouvers food scene for 40 years. Chef Michel Jacob. He sold his world famous restaurant Le Crocodile to his former young cook, Chef Rob Feenie, two years ago and it looks like Michel is enjoying his retirement. I really hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did. Michel is a gentleman and Chef. Send us your feedback

On this weeks podcast I am happy to share the stories from an absolute legend in Vancouver. For 40 years Caren has been a cook, teacher, entrepreneur and community advocate. I really hope you enjoy her stories and some very sage advice when it comes to business and to life. Send us your feedback

I am very happy to have Chef Warren Chow of Wildlight Kitchen and Bar to the podcast this week. Warren is an highly motivated young talent who has made a very strong name for himself in a short time. His work with Culinary Team BC and the Chaine d' Rottisiers has cemented his name as a new Hospitality Leader in BC. I hope you enjoy our chat. Send us your feedback

In collaboration Les Dames d’Escoffier we are celebrating the Woman Leaders in Hospitality. Each week we will bring the amazing stories of 4 incredible women to you in this long form podcast. The last in our collaboration in the series will be Cristina Dias of Mogiana Coffee. Les Dammes d'Escoffier is an international community of women leaders in food, beverage, and hospitality. Les Dames invests in the next generation through scholarships and mentorship and celebrates the women shaping our culinary community. Cristina Dias is the founder of Mogiana Coffee, a BC-based small-batch roastery connecting Canadian coffee lovers directly with beans from her family’s multi-generational farm in Brazil’s Mogiana region. Born in Rio de Janeiro and raised with deep ties to coffee farming, she blends traditional Brazilian growing practices with modern roasting in British Columbia. Cristina is also an active member of Les Dames d’Escoffier BC, where she supports mentorship and collaboration across the culinary community while sharing her passion for ethical sourcing and exceptional coffee Send us your feedback

In collaboration Les Dames d’Escoffier we are celebrating the Woman Leaders in Hospitality. Each week we will bring the amazing stories of 4 incredible women to you in this long form podcast. The third in the series will be Dr. Jane Ruddick, Food Scientist. Les Dammes d'Escoffier is an international community of women leaders in food, beverage, and hospitality. Les Dames invests in the next generation through scholarships and mentorship and celebrates the women shaping our culinary community. Send us your feedback

In collaboration Les Dames d’Escoffier we are celebrating the Woman Leaders in Hospitality. Each week we will bring the amazing stories of 4 incredible women to you in this long form podcast. The second woman in the series will be Maj Yee of Goldilocks Bakery. Les Dammes d'Escoffier is an international community of women leaders in food, beverage, and hospitality. Les Dames invests in the next generation through scholarships and mentorship and celebrates the women shaping our culinary community. Maj is the President and Managing Director of Goldilocks Bake Shop (Canada) Inc. and a proud second-generation leader of the iconic Filipino bakery that has served communities across Canada for decades. A graduate of the University of British Columbia with an Executive General Management certificate from the Sauder School of Business, she blends entrepreneurship with cultural stewardship and community leadership. Maj is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, an international organization of women leaders in food, beverage, and hospitality. A five-time consecutive winner of the Hyatt Gingerbread Lane competition and returning seasonal judge, she was also recognized as one of the 75 Faces of Immigration, celebrating 75 years of Canada–Philippines relations. She was also featured for International Women’s Day by The Province in 2023 and Vita Daily in 2025 for her work championing Filipino culinary heritage and supporting women in leadership. Send us your feedback

In collaboration Les Dames d’Escoffier we are celebrating the Woman Leaders in Hospitality. Each week we will bring the amazing stories of 4 incredible women to you in this long form podcast. The first in the series will be Susan Mendelson of the Lazy Gourmet and Compass foods. Les Dames d’Escoffier International is an international organization of women leaders with more than 2,800 members in forty chapters in the US, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Italy who provide leadership, educational opportunities, and philanthropy within their communities. Les Dames are named after Georges Auguste Escoffier a restaurateur, culinary writer, and philanthropist, who popularised and updated traditional French cooking methods. The BC Chapter (LDBC) is comprised of BC’s hospitality, food and beverage professionals who are committed to inspiring, advancing and supporting women, particularly in these sections. Their work largely focuses on granting scholarships to women and their applications are open this year until March 14th. Apply now at www.lesdames.ca Susan Mendelson is the founder of Vancouver’s iconic Lazy Gourmet, which she started in 1979. A celebrated caterer and bestselling cookbook author, she has written ten cookbooks, beginning with Mama Never Cooked Like This, which helped home cooks simplify classic gourmet recipes. For more than four decades, Susan has been known for her passion for beautiful food, her commitment to exceptional ingredients, and her generous spirit as a mentor, philanthropist, and champion of Vancouver’s food community. Today, The Lazy Gourmet remains one of the city’s most respected catering companies, built on Susan’s enduring love of food and hospitality. Send us your feedback

I had the opportunity to chat with Chef Lucais Syme, a local, very well known Chef and restaurateur here in Vancouver. The food and restaurants he has built over the years has made Lucais a legend in our community and Canada. His steadfast dedication to using the best quality local ingredients he can find is also a great reason to eat his food and listen to this podcast. I hope you all enjoy our chat and like always if you have suggestions or comments please reach out via instagram. Send us your feedback

I am very happy to share my latest podcast with Ali Finn of Cream Pony in North Vancouver and soon to be open Main st. We chat all things about opening a foodservice place in Vancouver, the good and bad, the highs and lows. We chat about working with family and how doughnuts started on a bit of a whim from Alis' Mom, Erin Smith. The doughnuts and the fried chicken are delicious and you should seek them out when you are on Lonsdale or sometime in March or April when they are open on Main st. I hope you enjoy our chat. Send us your feedback

On this episode we have a legend of the Vancouver Restaurant scene, Quang Dang. Originally from Alberta, Quang came to Vancouver to pursue his career and his accomplishments are many. From Diva at the Met to C Restaurant, West, the Bocuse D'or and so many more great accomplishments. Quang has a reputation as a Chefs Chef. Incredibly hard working, imaginative and fantastic cook. I hope you enjoy our chat about amazing local ingredients, the pitfalls of working to hard and amazing food culture we have here in Vancouver. Send us your feedback

Hello everyone, on this weeks podcast I am very happy to be joined by Chef Tushar Tondvalkar of Kavita Restaurant. On the show we get a great understanding of a recent immigrants journey as a cook in the United States, south east Asia and Canada. Kavita was one of my favourite restaurant meals in 2025 and I am very happy to announce that Tushar will be leading the team for the Cultural meal at COOKSCAMP in September. He, along will a deep talent pool of amazing Chefs will be celebrating the diverse cuisine of India. Send us your feedback

On this weeks podcast we are presenting an introduction to the Restaurant Culture Shift Toolkit. This FREE resource is available on the Chefs' Table Society of BC website. It's geared towards small independent foodservice businesses, and can save hours and hours of work. The whole idea is to make your culture better which in turn, helps morale amongst the employees, that leads to better engagement with customers and ultimately more revenue. Take a look at the website and I hope you enjoy our conversation. Send us your feedback

On this weeks podcast we have longtime Chef and owner of La Quercia in Vancouver and La Bettolina (seasonal) in Halfmoon Bay. There are very few Chefs who put ingredients and technique ahead of ego in our Culinary world and Adam is definitely one of those Chefs. That stoic and unrelenting pursuit of quality has forever cemented the reputation of La Quercia and Adam as the high-water mark for food and hospitality in Vancouver. We get an opportunity to chat and he tells the story of how it all came together for him, and his deep respect for the mentors that helped shape and inspire him. I hope you enjoy the chat as much as I did. Send us your feedback

Welcome back to Mise en Place, after our restful Holiday break and very happy to share our latest podcast with Chef Sean Cousins and his life and business partner Sandra Dowsett. I met Sean when I first started at C Restaurant in 2002. Sean was running Raincity Grill for Harry Kambolis and it was killing it. He was pushing the limits of local foods, I even remember him picking chanterelles in the endowment lands out at UBC. He has just opened a new restaurant with Sandra in Hope BC called Nomad Social Eatery. I hope you enjoy our conversation Send us your feedback

This week’s episode perfect for ending the old year or kicking off the new one depending on when you tune in. This episode features two of the key operators behind a true Vancouver institution: Chef Raymond Mah and front of house manager Richard Mah from the Northern Café. A beloved diner since 1949 the Northern Café came under the Mah family’s ownership 17 years ago. Patriarch Jimmy Mah and his wife Connie both seasoned restaurant veterans were looking for a way to stay active in retirement. Word quickly spread about the excellent food and Jimmy soon called on his son Raymond an accomplished fine dining chef to lend a hand whenever possible. That collaboration elevated the menu even further drawing bigger crowds. Then Richard the other son and a longtime marketing and advertising executive based in Japan decided it was time for a major life change. Wanting his children to grow up in Canada he moved his family back home and joined the family business as well. I’ve always had a soft spot for classic diners. They take me back to childhood road trips with my dad long haul trucking runs filled with simple soul satisfying food made with real care and love. The Northern Café delivers exactly that 75 years of lived in character genuine hospitality and food that feels like home. The Mah family truly understands what hospitality means: a warm smile, remembering your name, attentive service, delicious plates, and the irreplaceable history that fills the space. It’s an authentic experience that many Michelin starred restaurants could only dream of capturing. Send us your feedback

On this Special Christmas Podcast we have our friend, outspoken Chef Ron Mckinlay. Having just come off a year of touring through Europe and US and finishing up at a special Guest Chef Spot at Published on Main with Chef Gus, Ron joins us on the podcast for a catch up. We discuss his time going from guest Chef spots from Atlanta, Philly, Austin, Chicago, Nashville and Vancouver. I have missed some spots for sure. We chat about protocol as a guest Chef and as the Chef inviting someone to come do a dinner. Ron tell it like it is, as he always does, no sugar coating, just down to business. I hope you enjoy our chat as much as I did. Merry Christmas! Send us your feedback

On this weeks episode we invited long time front of house industry veteran and now media creator, James Grass to the podcast. After learning the trade of hospitality from some of the best in BC, James started his own business, showing what he learned so well. That slowly morphed into his early ideas for Chefs' Favourites and Mates on Crates. It has become the go to platform to get the word out about what is happening in the food scene in Vancouver. The Chefs Favourites team has big plans to expand their reach and continue the amazing work in other cities and beyond. I hope you enjoy our chat and make sure to check it out on instagram. Send us your feedback

A Vancouver born native, Chef David Speight fell in love with our industry as most of us have, out of need and then finding purpose and meaning in the cooking and hospitality. After cooking and running some larger restaurant operations, he was presented with the opportunity to run the behemoth that is GM Place and did so successfully at the same time that the Canucks had their best years. Coincidence, I don't think so. Then he left for the biggest challenge of his career, running all the food operations at the University of British Columbia, with potentially 70000 people eat everyday. His passion for food security, potential food waste and sustainability has put his at the forefront of Chefs who are feed ing so many people and considering all factors involved with that process, not just the cooking. I hope you enjoy our chat. Send us your feedback

On this weeks podcast I have the opportunity to sit down with President and CEO of Glowbal Restaurant Group. As a young eager and ambitious immigrant from Egypt, Emad moved to Canada in the 1980's. His humble beginnings as a breakfast cook in a very busy hotel, took him to be a very successful Chef and then restauranteur. His constant drive for hospitality and sharp business sense has grown the Glowbal Brand to 8 restaurants and the 9th coming in 2026. From his stories of the highs and lows of the hospitality industry, I hope you understand and take away some of his hard earned lessons of running a business and that at the end of the day its always about people. Send us your feedback

I was very pleasantly surprised to find my old friend Todd Perrin was in town for Whistler's Cornucopia event. He was able to carve out a bit of time to come down to the Commons Studio. We chatted about his career, Mallard Cottage, the future of restaurants and a bit of politics. I hope you enjoy our chat as much as I did. Send us your feedback