A local chef is being honoured with a place on the culinary team at Canada House during the Sochi Olympics.
Chef Terry Vassallo was hand-picked by Mosimann’s of London – a culinary company in charge of hiring for Canada House – to work alongside the prime minister’s personal chef.
“Is every other chef in Canada busy or something? You know, why am I getting this call?” asks Vassallo, who works at Café Chianti on Barrington Street in Halifax.
“You have people who are at the very pinnacle of our industry, and chef Mosimann is definitely one of them. It’s someone who I’ve looked up to and revered for most of my career.”
Vassallo views the pressure of working with the best in the world as an opportunity to use his skills, combining local Maritime ingredients with an Italian flare, and bringing it all to the table in Russia.
The word has only been out for a day, and already it’s good news for the restaurant.
“Surprisingly enough, the phones have been ringing this morning,” says Jan Wicha, co-owner of Café Chianti. “People finding out about him going away and making reservations.”
Vassallo hasn’t heard anything about the menu in Sochi, or about what ingredients will be available, but he says some of his personal favourites involve shoulder lamb.
“I braise the shoulder in red wine and aromatics, slowly, for about eight hours.”
“He’s a great guy and he works very hard and I think he deserves this,” says restaurant co-owner Helen Wicha.
The owners say they have always served good food during their 25 years in business, but Vassallo brings something more to his dishes. They call it a “sense of soul,” making Vassallo a great culinary ambassador for Canada at the games.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Ron Shaw
