Fairmont Edmonton - Flipbook - Page 49
up Close & Personal
With Chef John lance
Executive Chef, Fairmont Hotel Macdonald
YO u ’ V E B E E n PA RT O F T H E FA I R M O n T
FA M I lY F O R Q u I T E S O M E T I M E - H O W H A S
YO u R C u l I n A R Y P H I l O S O P H Y E V O lV E d
O V E R T H E Y E A R S , A n d W H AT k E E P S YO u
I n S P I R E d TO dAY ?
Since 昀椀rst stepping into a Fairmont kitchen in
2008, the drive for using and featuring local
and seasonal produce has kept me constantly
inspired. I’ve been tending to hotel kitchen
gardens since being an Apprentice - such as at
Fairmont Empress, Fairmont Royal York to here
at Fairmont Hotel Macdonald. Partnering with
local farms in Alberta, Bermuda, Vancouver
Island and the Fraser Valley has been a
blessing and we are so grateful to have an
opportunity to support local businesses.
The plating styles and food trends may have
changed over the years but our values of
sustainability and community have not.
MAnY PEOPlE dOn’T REAlIzE YOu’RE
AlSO A SOMMElIER. HOW dOES YOuR
W I n E k n O W l E d G E I n F l u E n C E T H E WAY
YOu dESIGn MEnuS OR PAIRInGS?
Since adulthood, I have had the pleasure of
drinking fantastic wines from $6 to $26,000 a
bottle. The experience of pairing food and wine
together correctly can elevate a great
experience into a special moment that lasts
forever in your memory. As I studied WSET
level 3, I learned that wine assessment is
much more layered than food assessment and
therefore I started considering how elements
like aromas come into play on our dishes
instead of just considering 昀氀avour or texture.
We recently used an applewood smoked
tincture spritzer on one of our famous long
Table dinners.
T H E H O T E l’ S B E E H I V E S A R E S u C H A
u n I Q u E F E AT u R E - H O W d O YO u
I n C O R P O R AT E T H E H O n E Y I n TO YO u R
M E n u S , A n d W H AT d O E S I T M E A n TO
YO u TO B E PA R T O F T H AT S u S TA I n A B l E
PROCESS?
We love having hives on property and utilize
the honey in our guest amenities and other
speci昀椀c dishes like cakes, madeleines,
vinaigrettes. The bees gather pollen and water
from our garden right in the hotel’s backyard!
Bees are such an important part of the food
ecosystem and we feel it is our responsibility
to support initiatives like using local honey
sourced from our backyard to all over Alberta.
In A luXuRY HOTEl SETTInG, HOW dO
YOu STRIkE THE BAlAnCE BET WEEn
C R E AT I n G E l E VAT E d d I n I n G E X P E R I E n C E S
And kEEPInG THInGS APPROACHABlE
And WARM?
The advantage of working in a hotel is that we
have more than one venue and can create a
variety of incredible dishes across our
property. Each area has a speci昀椀c focus,
however our guests are welcome to choose
from any menu currently on offer across the
hotel. On top of that, Edmonton’ s current food
scene is almost exactly as the question
describes – elevated approachable food.
CAn YOu SHARE A MEMORABlE MOMEnT
OR dISH FROM YOuR TIME WITH FAIRMOnT
T H AT R E A l lY S TA n d S O u T F O R YO u ?
There are so many memories to think about,
however my personal journey is closely tied in
with the Fairmont Empress where I went for
my high school graduation gala, completed my
culinary apprenticeship and also got
married there. That really is a Fairmont
‘turning moments into special memories’
personal hat-trick for me.
PRESTIGE | Fairmont Hotel Macdonald
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