Recipes for Success

Creativity and perseverance and everything innovative – that's what top chefs are made of. The professional kitchen is a pressure cooker of expectation, and to make it in the culinary world, you need so much more than a discerning palate and impressive knife skills. We spoke to five culinary rock stars to learn how they take that heat and make it work for them, covering topics like continuous learning, leadership and decision-making. Whether you're a foodie or not, we guarantee these well-seasoned accounts are brimming with bite-sized takeaways for investors (hint: the power of humility translates from souffles to stock trading).

Find Your Voice

The first female Top Chef Canada winner and a semifinalist on season two of Iron Chef Gauntlet, Nicole Gomes co-runs Cluck N Cleaver, a Calgary-based takeout chicken emporium. Plus, she recently sold her successful boutique catering company, Nicole Gourmet Catering. This busy professional also stages, or interns, at select restaurants.

“In reflecting on my career so far," says Gomes, “I see I was a cook learning to be a chef, then a chef becoming an entrepreneur, eventually coming back to having the freedom to just be a cook again. Full circle!"

These three stages differ greatly, she says. “A cook is about passion for cooking. A chef passes on knowledge from cooking to other passionate cooks while learning how to effectively run a cohesive team and a profitable business. An entrepreneur is someone who takes her passion and a big leap of faith to go into business for herself."

And how has entrepreneurship treated her? “I have learned from many of my own mistakes," Gomes says. After 13 years of independently financing her first business, she has started a scalable company with a partner. “The second time around, I know more about building a business for growth, and nurturing others. Through both of these processes, I have learned so much about my faults, how to improve on them, and hopefully how to inspire others along the way," she says. Often in her career, Gomes was the only female in male-dominated kitchens. “You find your voice!" she says. Finding her voice has served this high-profile chef well. Decision-making is simple, she says. It boils down to this: “Does this make me happy? Am I enjoying what I'm doing?"

Nicole Gomes, founder/proprietor at Cluck N Cleaver, Calgary

Learn from Failure

After leading Team Canada to a top 10 finish at the 2013 Bocuse d'Or in Lyon, France, Alex Chen went on to win a gold medal at the 2018 Canadian Culinary Championships. In 2018/19, he also won a battle on Iron Chef Canada and an assortment of chef and resto awards from Vancouver Magazine. He is now executive chef of the prestigious Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar in Vancouver.

“Every day is about decisions. As chefs, that's part of our DNA," says Chen, citing budget planning, achieving goals and generating profits among the areas of his day-to-day responsibility. “In order to survive in this tough business, we had to start at a very young age with food cost, labour cost, menu planning, menu engineering. We wear many hats."

Among Chen's many skills is leadership. “I have never been shy about leading," he says. “I love to accomplish and execute through excellence. Having a team that is fully aligned with your vision, there are no boundaries." Chen also considers himself a student. “You gather experience through your work and travel, and you draw on life experiences. Having great mentors has helped shape who I am today."

Another source of learning for Chen? Failure. “Failures and mistakes became a guide and template of what to do and what not to do. I went from an immature, inexperienced sous chef with too much ego to a more humble and thoughtful chef," he says, adding, “I believe in relationships, growth, evolution, authentic experience and mentorship."

Alex Chen, executive chef at Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar, Vancouver

Exit Your Comfort Zone

Before landing his current gig as executive chef at the Hotel-Musee Premieres Nations in Wendake, Que., Olivier Bernadet took his skills on the road. During his tenure, The Exchange Grill in Dubai was shortlisted for best fine dining restaurant in the Middle East. Back in Quebec, Bernadet earned four diamonds for his work at both the Monte Cristo Original in Hotel Le Bonne Entente and Le Charlevoix restaurant at the Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu.

Leaving his comfort zone – a good job, family and friends – to scour the globe for new techniques, flavours and trends has proven to be one of the main drivers of his career, he says. “With the decision to travel, I had to make big moves, and I accepted commis [a lower role] when I was already chef de partie [a more senior role]. But both times I did this, it made me grow even more and move up quickly in the end."

In Bernadet's world, growth is perpetual. “I will always be learning," he says, adding that he draws on his years in the kitchens of different types of chefs, taking from each what he believes is best for his own cooking space.

After all, Bernadet does not take a restaurateur's investment in him lightly. “People put their trust and money on your talent and skills to lead their kitchen," he says, “so it is just fair for me to treat it as my own money spent."

Olivier Bernadet, executive chef at Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations, Wendake, Que.

Build Relationships

Colombian-born Paula Navarrete moved to Vancouver as a youngster, then to Toronto later in her teens, carrying with her a passion for cooking inherited from both of her grandmothers. That passion, mixed with talent and drive, would lead celebrity chef and Momofuku boss David Chang to give Navarrete the keys to Momofuku Kōjin in Toronto, where she layered her Colombian flair over a Korean concept.

The childlike curiosity that initially ushered Navarrete into the culinary realm remains a driving force. “I am constantly fascinated by food, culture and travel," says the chef. “Throughout my career, I have tried to learn a variety of different cooking techniques and cuisines, from my beginning as a butcher, to Korean food at Daishō and most recently blending my Colombian roots and passion for butchery and meat at Kōin."

But no matter how far she evolves her skills, Navarrete keeps her attention on those who surround her. “As a chef, my focus really has been on building teams and growing with the people around me. At the end of the day, cooking is about a team. Our business is about people. The more we invest in human interactions, the better we can make our businesses."

To be sure, leading her people well is a top priority for Navarrete. “I think about how to be a great leader and teacher maybe more than cooking itself!" she says. “I have made mistakes as a leader, and the biggest thing for me is learning from those mistakes."

Paula Navarrete, former executive chef at Momofuku Kōjin, Toronto

Be Nimble

As a novice chef, Francois Privé won the prestigious Young Commis Rotisseurs competition in Quebec and was named executive chef at a four-star hotel before the age of 30. More recently, his talents have been talked up in Condé Nast Traveler. Currently, he holds the position of executive chef at Bistro L'Atelier in Quebec City.

Entering the pro food scene at a young age, Privé had to grow up fast. Fortunately, he had experience in another area from which to draw analogies and inspiration: hockey. “I was always a leader on the team," he says. “I was not the one with the most talent, but the one who gives 100 per cent every time I step on the ice either in practice or in a game." This level of dedication is something he's carried with him into the professional kitchen.

Privé has embraced technology in his pursuits, which he says has changed his technique over time. One gadget that's top of mind today is an immersion circulator, a hightech temperature precision tool. “It lets me cook fish or meat to perfection every time," he says. The chef, of course, has evolved from where he was in his 20s, having built upon a mosaic of experiences.

“The biggest piece in the puzzle is my way of looking at things," he says. “I'm more like a snake now. I find my way around problems to get to the goal."

François Privé, executive chef, Bistro L'Atelier, Quebec City

This article was featured in our special issue, as seen in the Globe and Mail. Download the full magazine HERE.