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Chef Alan Crosby, Executive Chef
Background
Alan was raised in Liverpool, on Nova Scotia's south shore. He and his wife Jacqueline are raising a young son named
Benjamin.
Trained
Alan's formal training was at the Culinary Institute of Canada, a very highly regarded institution in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. "I loved every minute of my two years at the Institute. I'd never worked as a chef before, but from my first day in class, I knew that this was my calling."
Worked
His first kitchen was in the Church Restaurant in Stratford, Ontario in 1991. "I was working under a Chef who was from the 'Old School' of culinary arts. It was a demanding position that required a lot of discipline, and the kitchen had a very strict regimen. There were between 150 and 200 guests per evening, yet we had 20 cooks on the line. It's more common to have 3 or 4 cooks for an operation of that size." The next stop was in British Columbia at the Hotel Vancouver, where Alan had the opportunity to work under renowned chef Jeremiah
Tower.
In 1997, Alan returned to Nova Scotia to reunite with friends and family, accepting a position as an Executive Sous Chef of the Delta Barrington. "One of the things I noticed in just the six years I was away was the dramatic difference in the culinary scene here in Halifax. People are seeking out fine dining in a big way now, and the suppliers and restaurant managers have responded to it." In 1999, he was promoted to his present position as Executive Chef.
How he got into cooking
Alan first became interested in cooking at home. "Everyone in my family cooked, so the interest was always there. Even now, we finish a meal and we're talking about what's next!" After obtaining a degree in Theatre/Drama from Mount Allison University in New Brunswick - and a stint as a professional tennis instructor - Alan began looking for a different career path, and decided to pursue his attraction for the culinary arts.
First thing he ever cooked
"Growing up in Liverpool, my mother showed me how to make an "esoteric" maritime dish called 'cream peas on toast', which was one of my favourites. It consists of buttered toast with a spread of bechamel white sauce, then topped off with canned peas. For purists, neither fresh nor defrosted frozen peas would work - they had to be canned."
Favorite Place to eat
Alan singles out L'Eau à la Bouche for high praise. "It's in the resort town of Sainte-Adèle in Quebec's Laurentian region, and the restaurant is in a one-story cottage. In addition to the service and the food - utterly impeccable on both counts - what is really impressive is Chef Anne Desjardins' approach to her menu. She takes traditional
Quebecois dishes and gives them an haute cuisine twist. Chef Desjardins' experimentation shows that one can elevate the quality of regional dishes without betraying their
spirit."
Recipe Tip
"Far too much seafood is overcooked. Medium rare is the ideal for most seafood dishes, and conscientious chefs should educate their staff and their guests on this point. I'm convinced that most people who claim to dislike seafood have probably never had it prepared correctly. We have to challenge the old adages, too, such as the notion that salmon should be cooked until it flakes easily. Most chefs today would argue that if a salmon has been cooked to that extent, it's been ruined."
What he'd be if he weren't a chef
"Not being a chef is an unpleasant thought, but if I had to confront it, I'd seek my fortune on the links as a golf pro. Alternately, being an Innkeeper has appeal - probably because after so many years in this business, my sense of guest service and hospitality is deeply ingrained."
Favorite Kitchen Tool
"A good heavy frying pan. If it's well constructed and properly seasoned, it will develop the same non-stick properties as the familiar brands that market themselves as such. The durability of frying pans is also important for a busy kitchen."
Menu Bomb
"I once tried to introduce a salmon fish & chips menu item. I came up with the idea from my experiences out west, where they're used to making fish and chips with unorthodox species - including salmon - with great results. Here on the east coast, however, my guests simply couldn't accept the idea of salmon being prepared that way. It was an illustration of the fact that chefs have to understand their audience. A chef can and should experiment and innovate, but in any given market there are some things that simply will not work."
Chef Crosby States:
"Chefs should be true to their ingredients. You can get carried away by taking a beautiful chicken breast and then stuffing it with all sorts of different things, to the point where you don't even notice the chicken anymore. I prefer to start with good products and bring out the best in them, and minimize their impact on other parts of the meal. If you've got great ingredients, be true to them."
Recipes
Tomato Peppercorn Jam
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