Transition
in the Kitchen
New Faces, Fresh Ideas
By Nikki Bayley / Images by Joern Rohde
QUATTRO
Chef de Cuisine Thierry Bastian
Bistecca alla Griglia
From Michelin-starred locations in Cannes to exclusive European ski resorts to glitzy American cruise lines, chef Thierry Bastian has seen — and cooked — it all. “I’m very lucky to have [had] these beautiful experiences,” Bastian says in his rich French accent. “When I’m travelling, I always want to understand how people make their food and learn their culture.” Having grown up in Corsica, chef Bastian’s Mediterranean roots run deep, but after six years cooking in kitchens around Whistler, he’s excited to bring his flair to Quattro’s menu. “You know the movie Ratatouille when the Inspector tastes the food and starts to dream about his mama? That’s what I want for our guests!”
“Some chefs love ‘wow!’ food, but I’ve done that; for me now, it’s about quality, freshness and making the guest feel like they are having a really good time.” While we talk, I slowly devour the velvet-tender certified angus striploin steak, lavishly garnished with arugula, crunchy pops of capers and perfectly sweet, pickled onions. Bastian may think he’s not making ”wow” food, but I would absolutely beg to differ. The inspiration for this plate-licker of a dish came from a simple feast that he would whip up at the end of a night. Can a salad be meaty? This one is, and wonderfully so! Using a traditional carpaccio garnish of arugula, pickled then sous-vide cippolini onion, fried capers, a generous heaping of Parmigiano, this dish is perfect if you’re looking for a keto-friendly bite, or you could pair it with one of their house-made pastas to carb up.
604-905-4844 | quattrorestaurants.com
PROVISIONS WHISTLER
Executive Pastry Chef Rachel Nicholson
Hazelnut Bombe
After a decade of creating award-winning desserts at Ontario’s prestigious Langdon Hall, pastry chef Rachel Nicholson has come home to B.C. and has achieved a lifelong dream of living and working in Whistler. “Ever since I was little, I wanted to do that,” beams Nicholson. “It just seemed like it would be so much fun! And so far, it certainly is.” Overseeing the dessert programs at Provisions, Bar Oso, and Il Caminetto, Nicholson’s busy schedule may not allow a lot of leisure time, but she and her teenage daughter can’t wait to get on the snow. “We are both so excited to ski all winter; it’s going to be amazing just to be able to walk out of the door and go up the mountain!”
Nicholson’s current favourite part of the job? The equipment. “To have access to really good equipment is incredible; for instance, we have a blast chiller that cuts freezer time down from 12 hours to one. It allows your thoughts to come to life within hours rather than days; instant gratification is amazing.” Also notable is her hazelnut bombe, likely the fanciest creation available at Provisions (“people just want comfort food, like a really good cookie”), a decadent dessert that manages to be silky, creamy, crunchy, salty, chocolatey and buttery all at the same time! “It’s not just a chocolate dessert, it has depth and texture too,” Nicholson says as I inhale the sweet treat. “The principles are the same for high-end desserts or comfort foods. I want consistency and to make people happy!”
604-972-0077 | provisionswhistler.com
ARAXI
Executive Chef Ying Gao
Duo of Duck with Confit Duck Tortellini
“It’s my first time living in Whistler and my first winter here, but I feel like I’m back home!” Araxi’s new executive chef, Ying Gao, enthuses. Reunited with ex-colleagues from her recent stints cooking at Michelin-recommended restaurants in Vancouver, since she arrived in September, life has become thrilling. “Every day off, I’ll explore and see a new lake [and] see more of the mountain[s]; everywhere is new, and I’m just excited all the time!” But the best thing about Whistler? It’s the opportunity to learn from and cook alongside chef James Walt. “Chef James knows every [local] farmer; he knows which vegetables work with which season,” explains Gao. “Everything is so different here, and it’s wonderful to meet the suppliers.”
Her new creation for the winter menu is a duo of Yarrow Meadow duck with a confit duck tortellini, featuring a superbly meaty, three-day jus (“Reduce, reduce, reduce! We call it gold”), rich and fragrant, sweet with dried figs. There wasn’t a drop left on the plate when I finished! “People ask what style of food I make, but as a chef, I love all cuisines — French, Italian, and Asian influences. For me, I like to make seasonal food, and that’s what I’m most excited to share with Whistler.”
“I can’t wait to go snowboarding, and I love snowshoeing too. I’ll make a little miso soup, put it in my flask, and snowshoe up the mountain, then have my soup and go down again!”
604-932-4540 | araxi.com
BEARFOOT BISTRO
Culinary Director Dominic Fortin
Japanese A5 Wagyu Carpaccio
After almost a year of settling into his groove as Bearfoot Bistro’s culinary director, chef Dominic Fortin feels right back at home. “I feel honoured to follow in the footsteps of my close friend, chef Melissa Craig, respecting the roots and traditions that Bearfoot represents.”
Among Fortin’s new inspirations at the Bearfoot is how the first course of the tasting menu is now presented — which you can now preview online — (“people like to know, and they are sometimes shy to ask!”) with a sampler of up to five small appetizers. “We get to showcase things we really like here, super-seasonal items like Dungeness crab in a cannoli,” said Fortin. Because, of course, as a chef often best known for his pastry work, Fortin has plenty of innovative and delicious ways to showcase savoury pastry on his menus.
Also, look for more delicious small-plate options — the mini lobster roll is divine — and consider ordering several for the table to share, as well as large cuts and other dishes designed for “two to share,” making the dining experience even more social.
One of the new dishes for this winter displays Fortin’s culinary vision to a T: simple yet complex, and absolutely freaking delicious: Japanese A5 Wagyu beef sliced wafer-thin and served with a garnish of daikon, pickled Matsutake (a.k.a. pine) mushrooms, quail’s egg yolk jam, charred pomelo with tiny puffs of crisp tempura oyster. Try it alone (divine!!), dipped in the wasabi-soy dressing (mmm!) or mix and match with those puffy crisp bites from the ocean with perfectly cooked jammy eggs (yes!).
604-932-3433 | bearfootbistro.com
The Den at Nita Lake Lodge
Executive Chef Derek Weerts
Charcoal Roasted Squash
Continuing in their tradition of making some of the most interesting plant-based creations around (as well as some of the tastiest meat-based meals), The Den at Nita Lake Lodge stays in safe hands with Executive Chef Derek Weerts. “I’ve been joined by my old sous chef, Sanat Kapila, and we’re enjoying the freedom to explore our creativity.” One of Weerts’s new additions to The Den’s kitchen is a Hibachi grill. “We like using fire to cook with as much as we can; we cook over the coals, and it brings a lovely flavour.”
New on the menu for this season are squash “steaks,” crisp with a smoky char from the coals; if you’re a vegetarian who’s bored of unimaginative squash dishes, prepare to be utterly delighted by this barnstormer! Velvety and complex with hot pops of flavour from the peppercorn sauce made with a butternut squash demi-glace for a sweeter note, this should satisfy even the most demanding meat eater.
“We have a firm foundation in the kitchen now for winter,” Weerts says with a smile. “We’ll be staying true to what The Den does best: using local ingredients and highlighting different parts of plants and animals, researching new techniques and staying innovative. We’re so lucky in this part of the world, [with] amazing farms, the flavours of the forest, and we’re close to the ocean too!”
604-966-5700 | nitalakelodge.com
Mekong South East Asian Kitchen
Executive Chef Bonnie Khummuang
Geng Gola Wagyu
Leaving the city for life in Whistler initially proved a bumpy transition for Executive Chef Bonnie Khummuang. “I kept going back to Vancouver every week, I missed my friends, and it was hard for me,” she shares. “But chef Angus An (culinary director) reached out to me and said, ‘You gotta be here to be here,’ and he was right. Now I feel [like] Whistler is my home. I’ve met so many [new] friends; I’m much more relaxed, happy and ready for an exciting winter.”
Taking “home” as her culinary inspiration, Khummuang is building a workplace where she hopes everyone wants to be, to support one another and be family. “We’re a very multicultural team; they may not know Thai food, so I want inspiration from their home, which we can use to create something new.”
New for this season is Khummuang’s Geng Gola Wagyu, a twist on a southern Thai classic: butter-soft tenderloin wagyu on the bed of a rich, creamy, house-made Southern-style dry Geng Gola curry with shallot, garlic, ginger, freshly grated coconut and peanuts. Served with a side of green beans and punchy pickled ginger, my notes for this dish simply say, “I am losing my mind over how delicious this is!” Suffice to say that it’s an absolute marvel, and you absolutely have to try it! Find your way home to Khummuang’s wonderful cooking in Creekside Village. As chef Bonnie says: “Bring your friends, and we will treat you like family.”
604-902-1694 | 88mekong.com
