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November 14th, 2011 
admin Vancouver is home to some of the best chefs in the world, many have worked for the top chefs and restaurants around the world as well as around the city. Dishing with the Chefs is a series of Interviews with some of the top chefs in and around Vancouver.
Paul Haldane
A few weeks ago I spent the afternoon with Chef Paul Haldane at the Blue Canoe Restaurant in Steveston. I previously met Paul this past summer when dining at Blue Canoe on their outside patio.
Paul got his start in the kitchen when he was 15 years old in Battle, England. While at school, he apprenticed at a hotel that had 2 rosettes for fine dining and he did all the Larder and Pastry etc. He then worked at a 1 Michelin Star restaurant in Cambridge, at 19 years old he worked as the Sous Chef in a semi-fine dining establishment. He then travelled to Australia for a year and worked all over and then returned to the restaurant where he had apprenticed back in England where he met his wife. They moved to Brighton where he got a job at The Jolly Sportsman as a Sous Chef who was then promoted to head chef.
In 2009 Paul and his wife moved to Richmond, BC where he got a job at a Greek restaurant. In April 2010 he became the Sous Chef at Blue Canoe Restaurant in Richmond and was then promoted to Executive Chef in July of 2010.
Did you always want to be a Chef?
Yes, I cooked family dinners while I was growing up, got a job as a dishwasher when I was 12 years old getting paid 2 lbs 60 per hour and from there pursued cooking as a career.
What was it about Cooking that you liked growing up?
Pressure, speed, the amount of respect that was given by chefs to the head chef and vice versa.
What is it that makes you stick with it when working in a yelling kitchen?
The passion for cooking.
The First Dish:
Ling Cod
Ling Cod
Fish
Puttanesca Sauce with tomatoes, capers, olives, garlic and onions
Burnt spinach and kale lasagne –spinach, kale, béchamel, zucchini, noodles, puttanesca sauce
What was your inspiration behind this dish?
Burnt spinach idea (like on a pizza) mixing a protein and a carb.
What is your favourite kind of food to eat?
- Steak & Kidney Pudding
- Sweet Breads
- Chicken Livers
- Beef Liver
The Second Dish:
Halibut
Haida Gwaii Halibut
Creamed leeks and kale sauce with Jack Daniels bourbon and grain mustard.
What was your inspiration behind this dish?
Earthy and rosemary, a little sweet with Bourbon and savoury with roasted garlic.
What are your favourite restaurants in Vancouver (outside of where you work)?
- The Apron (when Chef Hamid Salimian was there)
- The Sandbar
The Third Dish:
Cherry Braised Short Ribs
Beef short rib
Cherries
Roasted beets
Brown butter mash
Sauce – cherries, veal demi, red wine, vegetables and garlic
What was your inspiration behind this dish?
Winter – fatty cut of beef, sour cherries, sweet and sour sauce
With your short rib dish, what would you pair with it?
Pike Kiltlifter Beer or a Cabernet Franc Wine
What is your favourite food to eat locally?
- Salmon
- Seafood
- Spot prawns when in season
What is your Favourite Food city in your culinary travels?
Naples, Italy
What do you want your chefs on your team to learn from you?
The British way of having in jest, be responsible for your job and pass. Be part of the team and have a passion for cooking.
You love to make scones, what types have you made?
- Beet horseradish
- Squash
- Cardamom
- Cumin
- Coriander
- Carrot Ginger
- Carrot Honey
- Thyme
- Onion and Bacon
What do you like to do in your off time?
- Fishing
- Listening to music
- Drinking wine
Stay tuned for the next chef in the Dishing with the Chef series.
By: Richard Wolak
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