Canada’s first Top Chef to be named during ensemble’s July 4th dinner service!
Win or lose, Top Chef Canada competitor Chef Dale MacKay will be surrounded by friends and family this coming Monday, July 4th, when top judge Mark McEwan, host Thea Andrews, and resident judge Shereen Arazm declare Canada’s very first Top Chef on the final episode of season one of Top Chef Canada, broadcast on the Food Network. Competing for the coveted top spot are Chefs Connie DeSousa of Calgary, Dale MacKay of Vancouver, and Toronto’s Rob Rossi. To relieve the tension and celebrate the lifting of the Top Chef Canada cone of silence, Chef MacKay is throwing a party.
In-house July 4th to help in the ensemble kitchen and celebrate the spirit of culinary competition will be Top Chef Canada semi-finalist Chef Dustin ‘Dusty’ Gallagher – a top Chef Canada favourite. Dusty and Dale roomed together during the filming last summer, and became good friends. “Dusty is a fantastic chef and a great person, and I am so happy we’ll be together in Vancouver to watch the finale at ensemble,” says Dale MacKay. “After almost a year of carefully watching every word we said – first about whether or not we even made the cut, and then about the competition itself, it will be great to finally relax, say whatever we want, and let whatever happens, happen. It’s going to be a great party!” Read Dusty’s bio.
The $150 per-person, four-course dinner will be served precisely at 5:30 pm, to ensure that service concludes about 90 minutes later – more-or-less the same time as does Top Chef Canada episode 13. “But, if, after competing down to the wire over and over again in the GE Monogram kitchen, Dusty and I can’t get the timing thing right . it won’t really matter. We can’t be eliminated,” adds Dale.
MacKay, Gallagher and Sous Chef Bradley Hendrickson will be cooking for just 65 guests, with Dale and Bradley presiding over a Lobster Iceberg Salad with Caesar Dressing, Pea Shoots, Bacon and Crispy Shallots; Dale’s Top Chef Canada challenge-wining Black Cod with Pork Thai Broth, Bok Choy, Coriander and Chili Oil; and a Pineapple Soufflé with Spiced Pineapple and Coconut Sorbet. Dusty will be cooking his much-loved Roasted Ontario Quail with parsnip purée, summer vegetables and a smoked chicken jus. Gorgeous paired wines for the evening have been generously provided by: Tantalus Vineyards of the Okanagan Valley; Blue Mountain Vineyard & Cellars of Okanagan Falls; and The Wine Syndicate of Vancouver – showcasing the Jackson Estate Winery of New Zealand’s Marlborough Valley.
Net proceeds from the evening will benefit the Boys Club Network (BCN) for at-risk youth and one of its beneficiaries, the celebrated Culinary Arts Program at Templeton Secondary School. Chef MacKay is an active BCN sponsor and mentor, and also mentors young male and female chefs attending Templeton’s chef training program. Mentoring is dear to Dale’s heart and is a cause he is deeply committed to. “If Chef Ramsay hadn’t recognized my passion for food and taken a chance on a young nobody from Canada 11 years ago, I wouldn’t be here today,” says Dale. “The truth is, real culinary talent often comes from the most unlikely of places and as accomplished chefs it is our responsibility to find and nurture that talent.”
The grand finale event is a sold-out private party. ensemble dinner service is offered Tuesday through Sunday from 5pm-11pm, with weekend brunch service from 11am-2pm. For more information or to reserve Tuesday through Sunday visit the ensemble website.
About ensemble Restaurant & Bar
Executive Chef/Proprietor Dale MacKay, General Manager Kevin Van Hullebush, Sous Chef Bradley Hendrickson, Bar Manager Chris Cho. At the corner of Smithe and Thurlow, a block south of bustling Robson Street, ensemble sits wrapped in floor to ceiling windows on culinary adventure. Chef/Owner Dale MacKay – a Top Chef Canada contender, presides over the city’s newest and coolest restaurant & bar – his very first, after opening restaurants around the world for chefs Gordon Ramsay and Daniel Boulud. ensemble is an entirely new and exciting dining concept for Vancouver: “We’re combining classic French techniques with modern influences and flavour profiles from around the world. Experience a variety of tastes and textures in generous tasting size dishes, affordably priced from $8-$24.”
ensemble’s interior design mirrors Chef MacKay’s fresh, clean and modern culinary vision. An open concept space features a cocktail bar/lounge with 30 comfortable seats and plenty of standing room for busy times like game nights and live music weekends. The 80 seat dining room, separate from but flowing seamlessly into the lounge area, is at once intimate and social – what Dale describes as a reflection of Vancouver’s contemporary dining scene. Combine Dale’s Five Diamond reputation with the cosmopolitan vibe of Vancouver, and ensemble promises an extraordinary culinary experience in a fun and approachable environment.
Weekend brunch from 11am-2pm Saturday and Sunday, including holidays
Dinner service from 5pm – 11pm Tuesday through Sunday
Reservations & Walk-in
Dress: Casual
About Chef Dale MacKay
Chef MacKay’s resume, like his culinary style, is condensed and flavourful. Highlights include time spent as a private chef in Italy; as Executive Chef at an exclusive BC resort; protégé to Chef Gordon Ramsay at his restaurants in Tokyo, New York, and London; then most recently, as Executive Chef of Lumière, Vancouver’s Five Diamond, Four Star, Relais Gourmand establishment managed by New York Chef Daniel Boulud’s Dinex Group. Dale is a contender on Top Chef Canada, airing Monday nights at 6pm (Pacific) on Food Network Canada.
Follow ‘Chef Dale MacKay’ on Facebook. Visit the ensemble Twitter page
