Some people say, if you can’t stand the
heat, get out of the kitchen. But for chef Dale MacKay, he embraces it. The hot-headed chef, who was often at
the centre of drama on this past season of Top Chef
Canada,
reigned supreme when
he won the title of "Canada’s Top Chef" on the show’s season finale earlier this month.
After competing for nearly two
months, the Vancouver chef became the first winner of the Canadian version of the show. In addition to
receiving the coveted winning title, he also received the grand prize of $100,000, and a GE Monogram kitchen that is valued at
$30,000.
Fresh off his win, MacKay speaks
with Lifestyler about thoughts on the show, his time working with chef Gordon Ramsay, and his plans for
his own restaurant, Ensemble.
What was your experience
like on Top Chef Canada?
It was really positive,
I loved it. I love to compete. I could have looked at it as, when as an adult do you ever get to go into
seclusion and not have to worry about anything, besides cooking and competing? In that respect, I really
enjoyed it. It was kind of an odd kind of freedom. (laughs)
I loved competing with the
other competitors. On the show, you only saw the competitive side of me, but it wasn’t always like that. I
really enjoyed getting to know the other chefs, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Why did you decide to
participate in the show?
I felt that I could
win. Honestly, I wouldn’t have gone on the show if I didn’t think I could win. I didn’t go on to be a TV
star. I went on to compete, to showcase Canadian chefs, and showcase myself as a chef, not a TV guy. My drive
was to win.
As the only chef from
Vancouver on the show, did you feel like there was a lot of pressure on you to represent the
city?
I have always had a
strange kind of confidence in myself. I don’t really think about the pressure. I just focus on winning and
focus on the fact that I think I could win. I didn’t go in there trying to play any games or play any
strategy. I just wanted to go in there and cook and I felt I could win just on my own
talent.
Obviously, you want to represent
your city, especially if you’re the only one that’s there. I think the city was pretty proud of me, which is
nice.
After working with
Gordon Ramsay, it seems like you could take on anything. How was that experience?
Working for him for so
long, it puts you into a different kind of mind frame. You are able to overcome almost anything – any mental
kinds of things that come your way.
You’re used to being put down to
fight back up – that’s what Gordon is all about – it’s a boot camp. He strips down to bring you back up. If
you have been stripped down before, then you’re used to fighting back… He’s so on it, all the time, in the
sense of diligence and perfection. With Gordon, there are no excuses. It is what it is. You just shut up and
just do it. If you screw up, you get nailed for it. You just carry on. There’s no time for crying or talking
about it.
Being in the bottom multiple
times on the show, I think that’s kind of the way I looked at it. It was like, “OK.. I’m going to show you
next time.” That’s the way I kind of treat everything. Anything that I’m not good at or that I’m told that I
can’t do, that’s when I turn it into a competition and start fighting.
Tell me about your
restaurant, Ensemble.
It’s modern French. I
use products and flavours from around the world. From southern pull pork, to Thai broth, to a Japanese
hamachi dish, to more Italian things like gnocchi… It’s in a very casual atmosphere, good music, and a
higher-paced service.
I have about six dishes [on the
menu] that I did on the show [which include] black cod with Thai broth, strawberry soufflé, pavlova, pull
pork sandwich, and crab and melon soup… It was a natural fit because they are slightly more casual... but the
flavour is still there. People really want to come in and taste those dishes for themselves. They see those
dishes on TV and they want to judge them for themselves.
What’s next for
you?
Spices are very
important to me, so I’m going to be doing some stuff with that. I also want to do something [food-related]
that’s very, very casual and very, very fun. It’s still going to be refined, but I’m taking casual food as a
challenge. •
For more information on Top
Chef Canada and to watch episodes online, visit foodnetwork.ca
Photo
Courtesy: Food Network Canada/Insight Productions
