Catching Up With Vancouver’s Chef Tony Starratt
On Thursday nine of British Columbia’s top chefs will head to Victoria to compete in Canada’s Great Kitchen Party, the regional qualifier for the Canadian Culinary Championships. We’re learning a little bit about them before they compete. Here we throw a few questions out to Vancouver’s Chef Tony Starratt.
Tell us a little bit about your restaurant and/or style of cooking.
Two Rivers Specialty Meats is an established local wholesale meat supplier, specializing in hormone/antibiotic free product. We opened a public-facing butcher shop last fall that features a 50-seat eatery with a charcoal-fired grill. We love to educate people on the meat they eat. My style of cooking focuses on bold flavours with simple plating and using the freshest product possible.
Where do you eat in your city?
It’s hard to pick just one in our city! I think my go-to is one of the classics – Phnom Phen (Vietnamese-Cambodian). It has always been a staple for me growing up in Vancouver. Just honest, delicious food – I love it.
What would be your ideal food day?
Eating something new with the one I love.
What ingredient do you always have on hand?
Good salt, good oils and fresh pepper. Most of the time I grocery shop to order, I get an idea and must go get the items to make it that day, whether it’s Asian dumplings or an Italian feast.
What’s your go-to recipe when you’re eating at home?
The One Pot Wonder dishes. Creating meals out of anything on hand but if I must pick one I would say Fresh Korean Rice Cakes stir-fried with kimchi, soy and gochujang.
What cookbook would you suggest for a gift for your foodie friends this year?
I am excited about my copy of ‘Earth to Table Every Day: Cooking with Good Ingredients Through the Seasons’, it just came out. The Ontario chefs and co-authors focus on local farm grown food cooked simply with care.
Any hints on what dish you will be preparing for the Great Kitchen Party?
All I can say is dry aged pork.
Who’s coming with you?
Members of our sales team are all former chefs and they’ll help me represent what we do every day at Two Rivers in Victoria.
TONY STARRATT BIO
With over 12 years’ experience in the culinary industry, Chef Tony Starratt’s passion for food and international flavours has taken him around the world. Beginning in Prince Edward Island, where he received his formal training at the acclaimed Culinary Institute of Canada, Tony has worked the line at high-volume Banff resorts using classic French techniques, trekked to remote Australian outback towns to serve South-East Asian cuisine, and mastered the art of refined BBQ at Toronto’s Barque Smokehouse.
Tony joined the Two Rivers Specialty Meats team in 2014, adding skills in butchery and charcuterie to his repertoire. With his position as Chef, he brings his vast culinary knowledge and limitless curiosity to the new customer-facing food programme at Two Rivers Meats North Vancouver-based eatery.
