Chef in Midland, Ontario

My vision when I’m behind the line is to change the way people perceive the old standards in cuisine and to make high-quality dining as fun and accessible as it once had been. My entire career is founded on an outward identity that reinforces my stance on cooking as an art form. I’ve never intended my career to simply be a shrine to classic dishes. For me, it is paramount to express and share all my knowledge and techniques through contemporary interpretation. But reimagining food is not simply a gimmick to lure customers through the door. It is an artistic style of reinterpreting an idea and contemporizing it. Yes, many recipes are timeless, but I do not hold onto the conceptions and flavours that do not apply today. I think recipes should serve as learning tools for new inspirations. Culinary culture is only as interesting as its diversity; what a boring world it would be if everyone made food in the same way! Fortunately, as in life, there is no true authority that makes these judgments for all to live by. It is by trying, tasting and figuring out what works and what does not. There are many reasons to reinvent the classics: the craft of cuisine has evolved, the times demand it, Chefs have been reinventing since the beginning, we love to play with our creativity and imagination. Chefs are craftspeople, and we reinvent classics to preserve the craft. We are the next link in a line of professional Chefs who have been passing the knowledge of cooking from Chef to apprentice since the beginning. The secret to making the perfect dish is not measured in cups and tablespoons. It does not require mixing or stirring. It goes beyond mechanics and is far more important than technique. It is what separates a Chef from a cook. It is the human factor. Cooking is more than following a recipe to exact measurements and following directions to perfection. Chefs influence their menus not only in their execution of a recipe but also in their intention, interaction, and communication. Cooking becomes art when your understanding of theoretical knowledge becomes intertwined with your life experience. It cannot be forced. This does not happen overnight, and it does not come solely from reading. It comes from doing, from living and experiencing. It comes from trying. To master this, as in everything you do in life, you must do it well and to the fullest. Bon Appetit! Chef Jason Brown