Chef Tobias Grignon

Vancouver is home to some of the best chefs in the world, many have worked for the top chefs and restaurants around the world as well as around the city. Dishing with the Chefs is a series of Interviews with some of the top chefs in and around Vancouver.

Chef Tobias Grignon

Tobias went to cooking school at Malaspina College in Nanaimo. He then worked at the Delta Vancouver Suites as a 3rdcook and Garmage where he did his apprenticeship for 3 years. He then worked at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel for a year, then at the Fairmont Empress Hotel for a year as the Chef de Partie followed by the Rosemead Hotel. Tobias then moved to Vancouver and worked at the Wedgewood Hotel for 3 years starting off as the Chef de Partie moving up to the Sous Chef. He was then the Exec Chef at Senova Restaurant for a year, then the Sous Chef at the Vancouver Club for a year, then joined Bistro Pastis almost 2 years ago as the Executive Chef.

What have you learned in your early career until now?

Everything is built on everything, just not much glowbal cuisine now.

What do you want your chefs to learn from you?

How to taste food and how to think about food. I don’t want to teach memorization. I want them to know how I make my recipes and each step along the way.

Who created the menu for Le Parisien?

The menus are mine, but I collaborate with my chef de cuisine as well at Le Parisien.

Your nasty bits menu at Le Parisien, who drove it?

Us for sure, we wanted to challenge ourselves and broaden our customer base. It is a huge part of French cuisine. Distinctive flavours , a way of doing something different for the restaurant.

What is your Favourite cuisine?

Asian food including pho, sushi and dim sum.

What are your favourite restaurants outside of where you work?

  • Espana
  • Guu – any of them

What did you eat growing up?

I grew up in a vegetarian household, now cooking protein/meat forward. I would consider cooking some vegetarian dishes given the opportunity.

What do you like to do in your off time?

  • Hang out with my kids
  • Swimming
  • Running

The First Dish:

French Onion Fondue

French Onion Fondue

For the Onions: Onions, sherry, port, worcestshire sauce, salt, pepper

For the Fondue: butter, flour, milk, Emmenthal, Gruyerre, salt, lemon juice

What was your inspiration behind this dish?

Inspired by a snack that I frequently ate in the restaurant with the soup leftover in the pan with cheese melted directly on it.

What has inspired you lately?

We have new seasonal menus, the trend of nose to tail cooking, inspired by the public embracing nose to tail cooking. I love charceutere and terrines. Any time we can teach each other something new it is inspiring.

What is the trick to making the perfect French Fries?

A day to rinse in the water after you cut the potatoes. Drain them at the right time at 280 degrees for 1st blanche. Cook them for 3 minutes at 350 degrees to be perfectly crispy.

What excites you?

Creating a Pot de Feu gets me excited, mix an old style French dish with new lighter flavours including cinnamon into the broth.

The Second Dish:

Crispy Sweetbreads with Cauliflower Puree & Caper garlic butter

Crispy Sweetbreads with Cauliflower Puree & Caper garlic butter

Sweet breads, cauliflower, raisins, butter, lemon juice, parsley, garlic

What was your inspiration behind this dish?

An updated classic French dish with more texture with the cauliflower

What is the concept behind Le Parisien vs Bistro Pastis?

At Le Parisien we have a tiny kitchen so our menu provides options that are feasible for the kitchen. At Bistro Pastis we have a large kitchen and offer a very refined French comfort food.

The Third Dish:

 

Pot de Feu

Pot de Feu

Braised beef shoulder, bone marrow, braised bacon, savoy cabbage, turnips, carrots, broth

What was your inspiration behind this dish?

Refinement of a classic, twisting it with Asian flavours in the broth, wonderful hearty refined Winter dish.

Who are your Mentors?

  • David Griffiths
  • Rob Cleland
  • Lee Parsons

 Do any of your customers order off the menu?

Yes usually I will do off menu tasting menus and vegetarian dishes.

Stay tuned for the next chef in the Dishing with the Chef series.

By: Richard Wolak

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