IN CONVERSATION WITH CHEF JAMES CRAIG

By Chef Brian Henry Food Editor, ATOTK

I recently was able to connect with Chef James Craig at Shantilly’s Place on Chandos Lake (owned by his sister, Shantelle Bisson). His culinary journey started 13 years ago when he was 35 after years of working in IT.

Chef Brian (CB): It’s a beautiful sunny weekend many are enjoying the day off. What are you doing today? Chef James

(CJ): I’m working an 1pm to 11pm shift at the Chelsea Toronto.

CB: So why did you choose to be a chef?

CJ: I always enjoyed cooking so I decided to sign up for Second Careers through the province of Ontario and graduated from George Brown and am a Red Seal Chef. Due to my previous management experience I shot up the ranks pretty quickly. After school I went to the Distillery Corporation and worked at the Old Boiler House now known as El Catrine. From there I went to Scaramouche, one of the best restaurants in the city of Toronto.

CB: Is this where your career started to take off?

CJ: Yes. I learned a lot from Chef Keith Froggett and everything I learned there I have carried forward to where I am today.

CB: Is there any chef that you follow or look up to?

CJ: Not specifically. I try to every couple of months buy a cookbook on a cuisine that I haven’t worked with before. Most recently I picked up a copy of “My Korea” to explore Korean food. I don’t have a favourite cuisine. I like to dabble in all of them. CB: It’s one of the things that pisses me off when people ask, ‘what’s your specialty or your signature dish?’ My title is Chef or Certified Cook so technically I should be able to prepare whatever is requested.

CB: So if I came by your home for dinner, what might be on the menu?

CJ: The other night I did a couple of filet mignon steaks for my wife and I with some sour cream and buttered smashed potatoes with yellow beans and a simple salad.

CB: Very simple old school food.

CJ: Exactly

CB: Got any favorite foods, cuisines or go to recipes?

CJ: I love making and I love eating food. My wife and I went to Cancun and did a Ceviche tour. We hopped on a local bus and toured around to 7 different restaurants over 7 days and tried different Ceviche. I’m really into bright citrus flavours. CB: Ah, I do miss working in the Caribbean for those fresh flavours.

CB: Our profession’s sees the flavor of the week trends and fads that come and go, the very nature of which motivates our industry, how do you keep things real and balance it out with a contemporary approach?

CJ: There are always going to be staples. Like French Cuisine will always be a staple. I’m a fan of combining different techniques with different types of food. I almost said fusion. I really do hate that word.

CB: I was just going to say, please don’t fucking say fusion.

CJ: It’s like this is fusion or that is fusion but I just think of it as cooking and trying new things. CB: I couldn’t agree with you more. Being of Irish

decent apparently it’s all about potatoes but potatoes originated in Peru. As people and spices were traded and sold around the world, foods naturally travelled with them. Most recipes are fusion cuisine regardless of point of origin.

CJ: Yes, a lot of Caribbean foods are west African. The dinner I did at Shantilly’s Marina was Middle Eastern, because I love their flavours. I spent some time working at Byblo’s (downtown Toronto) and a lot of that is North African.

CB: What makes being a chef worthwhile for you?

CJ: It’s the joy you bring to people. Serving amazing food that people love and is memorable. I love being a part of that. Creating memories for people.

CB: What fires you up or pisses you off in the kitchen?

CJ: Like a typical chef it’s the ridiculous mods (menu order modifications). The general public doesn’t seem to know that when they say they are allergic to something, we take this extremely seriously; we set up a separate station to ensure there is no cross-contamination. People don’t seem to know what a true allergy is versus a dislike and too many people just throw the word around.

CB: You mentioned something about leaving knives in the sink...

CJ: Oh yeah, back at George Brown people leaving knives in the bottom of soapy sink of water not realizing that someone could go into grab something and cut their hand off.

CB: Entering your career at a later age, how did you find the transition?

CJ: It wasn’t easy at first as a lot of people didn’t take me seriously because they thought I was so old. My experience managing teams before, as well as my wife and I having our boys at a younger age I coached a lot of hockey, lacrosse and baseball. Managing fifteen groups of parents will prepare you to manage anything. (Insert lots of laughter) CB: No doubt! That would prepare you for anything! CJ: You know everyone’s little Johnny is the best. (More laughter)

CB: I’ve got a soufflé in the oven, as I’m sure you do too. So what closing thoughts can you leave us with?

CJ: You are never too old to follow your dreams!