West Vancouver chef chooses West Coast chic over haute cuisine for homecoming gig
A West Vancouver chef is returning home to Vancouver after building a star-studded resume in some of Europe's most prestigious kitchens.
Catherine Stewart, 34, said she was drawn home by the more relaxed dining culture in her hometown.
Stewart is starting a new stint cooking Italian fare at Cin Cin Restaurant as second-in-command to chef Andrew Richardson.
The well-respected restaurant in downtown Vancouver is vastly different from her former haute cuisine employers like L'Espadon at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, or the kitchens of globally revered chef Joël Robuchon.
But Stewart insists the move more closely aligns with her personal love for fresh ingredients and a cozier dining experience.
Carefully squeezing out dots of sauce on an intricate plate is something she says she's not going to miss.
"I think the joys of being a chef is going to the market in the morning and choosing your produce … and making those ingredients shine," she said, adding that's not as simple as it seems.
During Stewart's decade in Europe, she held posts at three different Michelin-starred restaurants, and her work garnered a personal recommendation from Robuchon.
She even spent two years as the personal chef of an international celebrity (whom she is sworn to secrecy).
From Lions Bay to Paris
Born and raised in West Vancouver, Stewart says it was her mother who taught her how to cook.
But she credits her long-time mentor and former employer, chef Alain Raye, proprietor of the now shuttered La Régalade in West Vancouver, for cultivating her career.
Raye, the once-Michelin starred chef, helped arrange her first job outside of the North Shore at the renowned French restaurant La Pyramide, which once held the reputation as the greatest restaurant in that country.
"He's the one who did everything, sent me to France, mentored me," Stewart said of Raye. "He's the one who gave me confidence in the kitchen."
But those who knew Stewart from the start of her career say Raye was just part of the equation.
Brigitte Raye, Alain's ex-wife, was co-owner of La Régalade. Brigitte said Stewart's strong work ethic and positive attitude had just as much to do with her success.
"If people talk about Alain as a chef, no one would say he's the easiest one. He's a tough, tough chef, but she resisted," Brigitte Raye said.
"She never showed any bad temper, never show any anger, very very consistent in her work, very punctual — very different."
'She made it'
Brigitte Raye also noted Stewart is one of few female chefs to reach high levels of success in the industry.
She described her ex-husband's protegee as "brave" for never backing down in the once traditionally male-dominated industry.
"She was one of a kind and she made it."
Stewart said she's never experienced hardship as a female chef but does acknowledge some kitchens may have a "hard ambiance."
However, she said she's observed an overall shift toward a kinder kitchen culture over the last decade.
Her advice to other young chefs is to remain open, helpful and and adaptable in every job. And to stay true to one's passion — much like she's tried to do.
