Dishing with Chef Davis

By Ms. M. MacMillan, Communications Director

I caught up recently with Chef Dave Davis, who heads up our hard-working cafeteria kitchen (click here for his delicious weekly menus, which feature only the freshest, in-season produce and ingredients). The busy father of three, who will soon complete the esteemed Chef de Cuisine certification, shares how he made the switch from engineering to cooking, his Olympic highlight, his favourite family dish, and how he came to cook at WPGA.   

Q. How long have you been at WPGA? How long have you been with Sodexo? 

A. I catered the athletic banquet in June 2011, and then started as school chef in September 2011. I’ve been with Sodexo for just over 3 years—I was brought in as lead chef for the Athlete's Village at the 2010 Olympics. My team and I were responsible for feeding 6000 athletes and 1000 volunteers morning, noon and night.  

 

Q. Wow, that must have been quite the experience—and food bill! What is your best Olympic memory? 

A. The whole experience was incredible, but the highlight was feeding the men’s hockey team, including coach Wayne Gretzky, just before the gold medal game. Then all the staff watched the game on the big screen. The energy, the excitement—it was something I will never forget.

A. Well, I was studying civil engineering at university in Windsor when I started cooking part time in a restaurant. I had always enjoyed cooking with my mother and grandmother. Long story short, when the chef left, the owner offered me the opportunity to take over. I became chef of a 300-seat restaurant at 19. I then left my engineering program and went to culinary school.

A. After culinary school I moved to Toronto, where I got my Red Seal and worked at the Metropolitan Hotel, eventually becoming chef de parti. It was there that I worked with Susur Lee. In fact, Susur's former sous chef Lorenzo Loseto was my executive chef. When Lorenzo moved to Vancouver to become executive chef at the Wedgewood Hotel, he invited me to join him. I became sous chef at Bacchus and then joined Compass Group, where I was executive chef at the Diamond Club at Simon Fraser University.  

Q. Didn't you have your own restaurant, too?  

A. Yes, Bianco Nero, a little Italian spot on Georgia Street. A lot of work, but a great experience!

 

A. Yes, I am lead chef for the Canadian Scout Jamboree this July in Sylvan Lake, Alberta. There will be 5000 Scouts and 1000 volunteers, whom we’ll feed breakfast, lunch and dinner for two weeks.

A. Definitely! It is a big undertaking--we'll have huge mobile kitchens onsite and vans of food delivered from Calgary. But I'm a Scout leader, too, so it’ll be fun.

A. Either curry or braised flank stank, which I put in the slow cooker in the morning with potatoes and vegetables. It’s a one-pot meal.

A. I think so--some kids have more sophisticated taste buds than adults! Our best selling days are when we serve butter chicken and coconut chickpea curry, or our Korean beef dish. And sushi always sells out! I’ve always tried to offer kids more interesting foods and flavours than chicken fingers and spaghetti, staples of many other school cafeterias. In the spring, we'll also be working with the Earth Club to expand our organic garden outside. We'll use the lettuces and herbs in our dishes. 

Q. What is your ultimate meal? Any favourite local restaurants?  

A. My favourite meal is rib eye steak, with cracked black pepper and sea salt, and crème brulee. As for restaurants, I recently went to Nuba, which I enjoyed. For a more casual spot, Rogue is fun.

A. My first cookbook was Charlie Trotter’s, and I really like his style of cooking—he was doing vegetarian long before it was in vogue. Michael Smith’s cookbooks are good, too. I subscribe to Art Culinaire, and read Lucky Peach, a magazine out of San Francisco.

A. The kids, for sure. They’re so great, as is the community atmosphere at WPGA. The teachers, the staff, the students—it’s like a big family.

Thanks, Chef Dave, for giving us the scoop on your chef career, and thanks for providing such healthy and tasty meals. From breakfast to lunch to snacks in between, you and your team ensure we stayed fueled and focused!