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Stefan Czapalay
Background
Chef Stefan was born in Montreal to an Irish mother and a
Hungarian father. He moved to Nova Scotia at a young age and as a youth
spent a great deal of time hunting, fishing and gardening.
Trained
Stefan began his cooking career in 1984 under the tutelage of the
late Chef Alex Clavel of Wolfville, Nova Scotia. It was here that the
discipline, knowledge and perfectionism was instilled and where Stefan
maintains that he received the majority of his education. He also studied at
the Nova Scotia Institute of Technology for a period of time after which he
wrote his journeyman's papers. In March of 1998, he competed in the WACS
World Culinary Cup competition in Melbourne, Australia where he received a
bronze medal. He has also competed in several local and national
competitions where he has received various additional medals.
It was under the mentorship of Alex Clavel though, that "my classical
cooking roots were formed, and a path to Europe to discover Michelin Star
restaurants was forged."
Worked
Stefan's highlight of his career has to be cooking dinner at the
James Beard House in New York City, which served 250 dinners a year to the
who's who of American Food Connoisseurs, and only 15 Canadians have been
invited. "It's like being nominated for an Academy Award and I have been
dreaming of this since I was 16!" Stefan said. Stefan began his culinary
career at Chez La Vigne, Alex Clavel's top ranked Annapolis valley/Nova
Scotia property. He also performed at Montreal's Grand Hotel and Ritz
Carleton and at a small restaurant in PEI's Tyne Valley. After working at
Charlie Palmer's Aureole kitchen's in Gotham, Stefan headed for Julien in
Stasbourg and Michel Troisgrois famous Roanne Restaurant. Training means
working in the chef field, and this chef's experience is broad... extending
from New York to France and Italy to Switzerland, including small intimate
dining rooms to large Canadian Hotels.
How he got into cooking
"There is no doubt - I started cooking because
of my mother's passion and my own personality. I thrive on the high energy
of the kitchen."
First thing he ever cooked
"Scrambled eggs with fresh dill, with my
mother of course!"
Favorite Place to eat
"Susur in Toronto. His amazing flavours rival
Lespiniste in New York. The tastes are undeniable!"
Recipe Tip
"In order to maximize your success in the Kitchen, it would be very
useful to learn how to properly make stocks. Reducing them carefully ensures
that they do not become bitter. You simply cannot substitute powdered bases for
a great sauce or stock. Study the classics and implement regional ingredients
and your own personal touches."
What he'd be if he weren't a chef
"I would probably have become a naturalist - wildlife
photographer or something along those lines."
Favorite Kitchen Tool
A hand blender and a heavy duty all-clad sauce pan are indispensable for Chef Stefan.
Menu Bomb
Chartreuse of Monkfish and Lobster. "People didn't seem to like
the collage as much as I do."
Chef Czapalay states, "Chefs should try to make every piece of food they touch
an awesome culinary experience. Taking even a simple food like toast and
preparing it with excellent ingredients like fresh bread, salt free butter
and cooking till golden brown... makes perfect sense to me."
Chef lives by the standard that "all cooks should strive to make every
piece of food they touch and awesome culinary experience."
Recipes:
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