Max is the Artistic Managing Director of the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company, he is also an actor, dancer and event producer. I have attended many of his theatrical productions over the past couple of years. He recently joined me for the Jazz Blues Brunch at Dockside Restaurant in the Granville Island Hotel.

When did you begin your acting career?

In 1980 I started at The Arts Club dancing and acting in ‘Pipin’ musical that toured through-out Canada. In 1985 working in the Stratford festival.

How does one become an Artistic Director of a Theatre Company?

In my case, I was pursuing a business/legal career – while performing also produced small stage plays, large events including the Gay games. Combination of business and arts that put me in the Helm.

How do you find actors for your productions?

I accept auditions more than any other artistic director of a theatre co. I try to see everyone who submits.

1. Agents submissions (list of characters needed for a play)
2. Attends all productions of Studio 58 and other schools.

When do you begin working on the 2012/13 season?

Now in the fall of 2011, I have to secure rights to be finalized by end of 2011 to launch in the spring of 2012. Alligning themselves with other theatres across Canada.

What do you do in your spare time?

• Tennis
• Cryptic crosswords

Bramwell Tovey is a Grammy Award winning conductor, composer and performer. I chatted with Bramwell Tovey over a wonderful brunch at Provence Marinaside Restaurant in Vancouver.

GRAMMY® Award winning conductor Bramwell Tovey’s career as a conductor is uniquely enhanced by his work as a composer and pianist, lending him a remarkable musical perspective. His tenures as music director with the Vancouver Symphony, Luxembourg Philharmonic and Winnipeg Symphony Orchestras have been characterized by his expertise in operatic, choral, British and contemporary repertoire.

Mr. Tovey who is in his twelfth season as Music Director of the Vancouver Symphony, also continues as Principal Guest Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, and as founding host and conductor of the New York Philharmonic’s Summertime Classics series at Avery Fisher Hall. In 2008, both orchestras co-commissioned him to write a new work, the well-received Urban Runway, which has also been premiered in Canada.

An esteemed guest conductor, Mr. Tovey has worked with orchestras in the United States and Europe including the London Philharmonic, London Symphony and Frankfurt Radio Orchestra. In North America, Mr. Tovey has made guest appearances with the orchestras of Baltimore, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Seattle and Montreal as well as ongoing performances with Toronto, where his trumpet concerto, commissioned by that orchestra received its premiere in winter of 2009 as a preview of his first full-length opera “The Inventor” premiered in Calgary in winter 2011.

Mr. Tovey has also built a strong reputation as an accomplished jazz pianist with two recordings to his name and has made memorable appearances on television, including two documentaries with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and a 1996 CBC TV broadcast of Victor Davies’ Revelation, a full-length oratorio based on the Book of Revelation, with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. He has an extensive back catalogue including recordings with the London Symphony Orchestra, Halle and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra He has also recorded several DVDs, of works including Holst’s The Planets Suite and Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony as well as a solo recording with distinguished guests such as percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie, among many others. His recording with the Vancouver Symphony and James Ehnes of the Walton, Korngold and Barber concerti received both GRAMMY® and Juno Awards in 2007.

I first met Bramwell while dining at a restaurant in Whistler in September, he recently joined me for a wonderful brunch at Provence Marinaside in Yaletown.

When did you decide you wanted to become a conductor?

I wanted to be a conductor at about 8 or 9 years old. I never knew if I was good enough. after a 10 year learning period, at 19 I auditioned for the Royal Academy of Music.

What brought you to Canada?

I worked on Royal Opera stuff in England in Sadler’s Wells world ballet and did a 2-month tour of Canada, which I loved very much. Then a little later I was offered a position with the Winnipeg Symphony and accepted and then moved to Winnipeg in 1988.

What are the most challenging elements to leading an orchestra?

It’s a huge responsibility working with musicians with great talents, also dealing with aspirations of members of the orchestra, taking great care of musical leadership, fundraising, and education. It’s like leading a major corporation.

When you are not conducting or working what type of music do you listen too?

Although I prefer peace and quiet when I am at home, there are some musicians that I love and those include Jamie Cullam, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Oliver Jones, Oscar Peterson as well as Cole Porter and the music of that era.

Do you have a favourite instrument that you do not play?

Cello

What is your favourite food?

• Indian is my favourite food.
• In the Summer, Antipasto-I could sit there for hours just eating their Antipasto – at Cafe Fiorello in New York.
• In the Winter, English Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding with all the trimmings.

What is your favourite restaurant inside and outside Vancouver?

Often I am in need of enjoying a meal in a quiet restaurant and as I mentioned I love Indian food. Handi on Dunbar is my favourite Indian restaurant here.

Cafe Fiorello in New York is my favourite restaurant outside of Vancouver.

What do you do in your off time?

Read – I have a huge library of fiction and non-fiction- walking and playing cricket.

With the orchestra, typically how many rehearsals do you have before a concert?

4 or 5 usually, the orchestra has every Tuesday off. If a concert takes place on a Wednesday then we often will only have 2 rehearsals.

Are you still working at the Hollywood Bowl?

Yes and I love it.

Do you have a favourite period of Music?

The last 100 years mostly as well as the Classical and Romantic era.

Is there something you want to conduct that you haven’t conducted yet?

A piece by Schnurrenberger called Gurrelieder which has several soloists and a big orchestra. Unfortunately the stage in Vancouver is too small to perform this piece.

How far in advance do you plan your seasons?

2 years planning now for 2013/14

When you are not conducting here, and have visiting conductors to Vancouver, do they choose the program or do you?

I am responsible for programming and the program committee. The guest conductor may suggest works. Often it is collaboration. I make the call.

When you are not conducting here, and have visiting conductors to Vancouver, do they choose the program or do you?

I am responsible for programming and the program committee. The guest conductor may suggest works. Often it is collaboration. I make the call.

Is the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra planning any new recordings?

The last concert of the season, we are planning to record the opera that I wrote “The Inventor’.

Is the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra planning any International tours?

We are going to the western USA in 2013. To do an International tour it requires our governments to have a cultural export interest in that region, also requires business leaders on our side.

Besides Vancouver and Los Angeles, how many international concerts do you do a year?

About 50 concerts, this past summer I conducted my 100^th performance with the NY Philharmonic as guest conductor.

If you weren’t a conductor what would you have done?

Academic law or history.

If you were playing in the orchestra and not a conductor, what musical instrument would you play?

Probably would have been more of a composer and wouldn’t have played in the orchestra.

Do you come from a musical family?

I grew up in the Salvation Army and everyone was an amateur musician.

Outside of conducting and your musical career, what else do you do?

Playing Chamber music and accompanying choral and chamber groups.

How do you get inspired to compose new works?

Recently I was reading a book of poetry by Dorothy Parker (Pictures in the Smoke) and while reading, it instantly hit me and I wrote a piece for brass, percussion and piano. It’s been played all over the place. I like to take selections from books I have read.

Where was your most recent trip?

The day after Labour Day, I was conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic with 4 concerts of Mozart’s Requiem.

Where is your next trip?

To London to make a CD recording of the National Orchestra of Wales with the BBC. Then flying back from London to Vancouver to have dinner with my kids, then the same night flying to Melbourne, Australia to perform concerts and then to Perth to perform more concerts.

When do you do your writing of compositions and playing?

I usually write works and the play the piano from 6am for 2-3 hours.

If you could offer any advice to people wanting to become Conductors, what advice would you give them?

Be prepared to work 20 hours a day. It’s like being an artist, academic and entrepreneur all rolled into one.

Do you have any advice to give young musicians who want to make it big in Classical performance?

Define your objectives and be prepared to practice to achieve those goals. Then it’s a combination of lottery and talent.

Chef’s Table is a series of Interviews with some of the top chefs in North America.

Chef Jason McClure

I had dinner at Sazerac Restaurant where Chef Jason McClure resides they are located inside Kimpton Hotel Monaco in Seattle.

After graduating with a degree in Hotel/Restaurant Management from Northern Arizona University, Chef McClure cooked his way across the country. From the southwest north to Minneapolis, Chef worked his way up through several restaurants before his spatula came to rest at Sazerac in 1997.

What style of cooking is your cuisine at Sazerac?

It’s rustic American food, with roots in the south. We focus on this region using as much local product as possible to execute soulful, straight forward dishes.

Which wine would you pair with your Steak Frites- Washington Beef Tenderloin dish?

I love “La Serrene”, from Betz, 2004, Columbia Valley.

What is your favourite cuisine to eat?

I’m torn,  I am passionate about Japanese Cuisine but love the simple, rustic nature of country dishes from Italy and Spain.

What challenges you as a chef?

The industry is full of talent in this town. Staying competitive and at the forefront is a huge challenge that requires daily commitment.

What do you want your chefs to learn from you?

Integrity

What is your favourite dish to make (personally) at home?

Something long cooked and rewarding like short ribs or shanks, simple mash, sauteed greens like kale or chard.

Where is your favourite food city and why?

Seattle because of my love for sushi: mashiko, Otto, and nishino, all fantastic sushi spots.

What did you want to be when growing up?

Race cars or fly planes.

What are your favourite Seattle restaurants (other than yours) ?

• Le Pichet
• Ocho
• Via Tribunali
• Pig Iron BBQ

What do you like to do in your off time?

• Dine out
• Cook
• Eat
• Hang out with friends and family
• Travel
• Art
• Music

Which 3 wines or beers do you enjoy personally?

I love hard cider, Fernet Branca. And anything from the Marlboro Region of New Zealand, specifically Whitehaven, and the first 2 beverages together.

How do you go about pushing the boundary and achieving excellence in your profession as a chef?

Be aware of what’s happening , exercise creativity daily so it comes easier, maintain a high standard.

If there was one thing you could do as a chef that you have not already done, what would it be?

I would have to go back in time and train in Europe as a young chef, experience that culture of food from inside.

Chef’s Table is a series of Interviews with some of the top chefs in North America.

Chef Walter Pisano

I had dinner at Tulio Restaurant where Chef Walter Pisano resides they are located inside Kimpton Hotel Vintage Park in Seattle.

Through traditional apprenticeships, Chef Pisano was trained in classical European cuisine before moving to Seattle in 1980 where he helped open The Hunt Club at the Sorrento Hotel. In 1984, Chef Pisano ventured on a culinary tour of Europe, immersing himself in Italian and French cuisines.

Appointments that followed included the Executive Chef at the popular Bravo Pagliacci, and the Sous Chef at Gerard Relais de Lyon restaurant in Bothell, where he met superstar Chef Jean-Louis Palladin. Pisano then became the first American to work as a Sous Chef at the prestigious Jean-Louis restaurant at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C.

What style of cooking is your cuisine at Tulio?

Italian with a northwest influence (all regions of Italy)

Which wine would you pair with your RIBEYE dry aged 28 days, porcini salted potatoes, Gorgonzola Dolci ?

VIETTI ‘Castiglione,’ Barolo, DOCG

Have any celebrities that you know of dined at your restaurant over the years? If so who?

• U2/Bono
• Paul Newman
• JFK JR
• Jeff Bezos (Founder of Amazon)
• Bill Gates
• Sylvester Stallone
• Sidney Poitier
• Al Gore
• Alan Greenspan
• Many Major League Baseball Players including: Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Mike Piazza

What is your favourite cuisine to eat?

Sushi

What challenges you as a chef?

Making creative food that inspires me that also pleases my guests-it’s a balance I try to achieve every day

What do you want your chefs to learn from you?

• Finesse.
• I want them to bring finesse into their cooking style through flavor, execution and presentation

What is your favourite dish to make (personally) at home?

Anything new that I haven’t tried before.  The other night I made empanadas for the first time-they were great.

Where is your favourite food city and why?

New York. It’s so diverse and there is so much ethnic cuisine and various styles of food.  You can really get anything you want whenever you want it.

What did you want to be when growing up?

A forest ranger (kind of funny for a kid from Brooklyn)

What are your favourite Seattle restaurants (other than yours)?

There are so many great restaurants and great chefs in this city it’s really tough to choose one.  We have so many new restaurants opening all the time I really try and get around to as many as I can.

What do you like to do in your off time?

• Go to Sounders (MLS) games
• Spend time with my family
• Cook for friends
• Spend time outside

Which 3 wines do you enjoy personally?

1. Col Solare
2. Marceau (white burgundy)
3. Amarone

How do you go about pushing the boundary and achieving excellence in your profession as a chef?

By knowing what’s going on seasonally, and with new products.

I’m also constantly expanding my food knowledge to the beverage side-recently I came up with a menu of ‘food inspired cocktails’ which merged my favorite liquors with my favorite Italian foods.

If there was one thing you could do as a chef that you have not already done, what would it be?

I would love to go on a culinary excursion through Italy, France and Spain.

As an experienced chef, my travels would be quite different than when I visited those countries before-now I have a better understanding, appreciation and knowledge of food.

Mackenzie Gray is a Canadian film, television, and stage actor.

I chatted with Mackenzie Gray over a wonderful brunch at Market by Jean-Georges in the Shangri-La Hotel Vancouver.

A professional actor for over 30 years, he has worked on stage numerous times in Britain, Canada and the United States. He has also appeared in over 130 films and television shows and was a series lead on a major US network. Gray has also done voiceover work for animated series, documentaries and video games. In addition to performing, Gray is a director, writer and producer in film and theatre. He wrote vignettes and “shorts” for several episodes of “Sesame Street” from 1984 to 1986.

Gray also has a musical background. He was the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the Toronto rock band The Fridge Stickers. Mackenzie has composed and recorded many songs, incidental music and scores for films, TV shows and web features. In 2008, he co-produced the award winning feature film Poe: Last Days of The Raven. He taught Film History at The Art Institute of Vancouver for 5 years and teaches Acting for Film at The University of British Columbia.

Mackenzie has worked on stage in Canada, Britain and in the United States in hundreds of plays, musicals and cabarets. He was most recently seen onstage as Steve in the Pulitzer Prize-winning August: Osage County at The Stanley Theatre in Vancouver, and as the “Foreman” in the Snickers commercial featured during SuperBowl XLV.  In addition, he played several roles in the Tom Waits/William S. Burroughs award-winning hit rock opera The Black Rider, in Toronto and Vancouver.

What were your most recent films?

• Alcatraz (produced by JJ Abrams) that was filmed in Vancouver.
• Ninjago –animation tv series
• The Haunting Hour –tv series for kids and teens with a scary horror theme

What do you do in your spare time?

Sitting in cafes having cups of tea and watching people go by while reading the newspapers. I also play guitar with a band “rekkerz” for fun at Wreck Beach in the summer.

Did you always want to be an Actor?

Yes, at 5 years old my parents played me “Camelot” and I always wanted to recite. I performed plays throughout school. In high school I formed my own theatre group –writing my own material, doing plays in Toronto (Jarvis collegiate), creative friends who are musicians (also went to art school in my teens), after high school I went straight to London moving there at 18.

Why London?

All of my heroes were British Actors and I loved London. That is where I went to get trained in those days. I did Theatre first and acted on stage for 4 years.

I went back to Toronto to the U of T for 4 years and trained as an actor, designer and director. I Graduated in 1983 and landed a role in “Summer Folk” the biggest show in Toronto. From Toronto I was doing theatre, film and television.

Then I did an audition film for a production in Vancouver, the whole process was crazy, but the agents in Vancouver loved it and they booked me for 13 episodes to start, playing Greg Harney the hitman. 1st class ticket to Vancouver, $5,000 signing balance, $17,500 per week.

The Net (based on Sandra Bullock) that`s what brought him to Vancouver. He was set up with a Vancouver agent sharing him with his Toronto agent.

What is your favourite food?

Fresh peaches and strawberries, lamb, sole and asparagus.

Which restaurant are you looking forward to dining at next?

NU Restaurant

What is your favourite neighbourhood restaurant?

• Lucy’s Eastside Diner (cool people, artists, musicians)
• East is East
• Crave
• Sawasdee

Chef’s Table is a series of Interviews with some of the top chefs in North America.

Chef Dan Hayes

I chatted with Dan at The London Chef on a recent visit to Victoria.

Dan Hayes has been a chef for over 11 years, beginning his professional culinary training working with renowned English seafood chef Rick Stein on the west coast of England. Dan acted as Commis chef for Stein in both of his seafood restaurants and cookery school for over three years.

After working with Stein, Dan went back to London where he worked as the Sous Chef at one of the oldest and most prestigious restaurants in London, Poissonnerie de lʼAvenue. Here, Dan honed his French-style culinary techniques, and developed an interest in classical cuisine. During this time Dan was also acting as Head Food Stylist working with noted food photographer Paul Webster where he styled for editorial campaigns, television advertisements and food packaging.

After Poissonnerie, Dan went on to work at Michelin starred restaurant La Vinoteca in the Fenicia Presige Hotel in Ibiza, Spain, opened three restaurants – including two Fishworks seafood restaurants in London where Dan served as Executive Chef and taught at the Fishworks Cookery school, and The Lodge in the Canary Isles.

Dan has also run a successful catering and private chef business in London, and worked as the Food Marketing Manager at Whole Foods London. He also created and ran a successful cooking school at Whole Foods where he taught many cooking classes.

Since moving to Victoria two years ago, Dan has been familiarizing himself with west coast cuisine, developing relationships with local chefs, and working with regional produce and flavours.

What is your favourite cuisine?

Southern Spanish

What challenges you as a chef?

Anything involving pastry work, love to concentrate to get it right.

Tell about The London Chef,

We are a cooking school, caterer, we operate a café as well as a pantry where we sell sausages and other gourmet products.

What do you want chefs to learn?

Tasting, tasting, tasting

What are your favourite restaurants in Vancouver?

• L’Abbotoir
• Campagnolo

 What are your favourite restaurants in Victoria?

• Stage Wine Bar
• Scasz Sausages
• Brasserie L’ecole

What are the differences between London and Victoria?

In London restaurants would tip off delivery drivers to find out where those Scallops are coming from or when the price would drop etc, people are hostile.

In Victoria, we work as a community where we can borrow shallots or other ingredients if we  are short.

What are you passionate about?

Seafood and within that Bycatch, the latest find Dogfish

Stay tuned for the next chef in the Chefs Table series.

Shawn Soole | Victoria

What drew you to Bartending?

I was a handyman at a hotel when I was 17, they asked me to come in to help out while  I was living in Brisbane, Australia. From there I worked up and down the coast in Australia for 10 years, then moved to Canada and worked in Victoria for the past 5 years.

What goes into creating a new cocktail? What inspires you?

Just think about a new flavour I had when I was a kid. Such as Earl Grey and the goes from there working backwards to the beginning.

Shawn mixes up a few of his signature cocktails:

1)    Managua

• Nicagaragua Rum
• Averna amuro
• Boker’s bitters
• Flamed orange garnish

Managua

If you weren’t a bartender, what would you be doing?

Criminal Psychologist

What is you cocktail program like at Clive’s Classic Lounge?

50 cocktails that are pretty varied –Lungo Italiano, Bar Keep’s creations, Intense Idealogy, barrel aged cocktails. Tiki Punches (in the summer), Classic Tiki’s & Anji-Sticks, Quintessiantial series, spirit flights and spirits Cocktails.

2)    Cannibal’s Campfire

• Mount Gay rum
• Islay Whiskey
• Earl Grey Tea Syrup
• Grapefruit juice
• Ice

Canables Campfire

Who are your mentors?

• Angus Winchester
• Phillip Duff
• Gary Reagan

Tell us about Clive’s Classic Lounge, what type of drinks do you showcase?

House mixology -50 cocktails on the menu, European style hotel lobby bar from the 1920’s that is defined

3)    The Humbolt

• Oaken Gin (Victoria Spirits)
• House made Chai Tea bitters
• Sugar syrup

The Humbolt

What is your Favourite Drink right now?

Sullivan’s Australian Double Cask – single malt whiskey

What is your favourite Bar in the World?

Cure in New Orleans

What is one of the Feature spirits of your bar at Clive’s?

We currently have 75 Whiskey’s and are going to double to 150 later this year.

Chef’s Table is a series of Interviews with some of the top chefs in North America.

Chef Dan Bain

I chatted with Dan after dining at LURE Restaurant at the Delta Ocean Point Resort on a recent visit to Victoria.

Dan washed dishes for 6 years in Cowichan Bay, then worked at Earls from the bottom and worked his way up to the restaurant chef in 3 years. He then joined the Delta Ocean Pointe Resort as the Chef de Partie and was in that role for 6-1/2 years, he was then promoted to Executive Restaurant Chef 7 months ago.

What is your favourite cuisine?

Great pub food – good pint and a good steak sandwich or antipasto

What challenges you as a chef?

Committing to standards, inspiring standards, watching over my team. Me always wanting to be better.

In your role as Executive Restaurant Chef, what are you responsible for?

I oversee our LURE Restaurant and lounge menus, In-room dining, Tour Groups special menus, Winemaker Dinners and Beer Dinners.

What do you want chefs to learn?

Ethic of life, attention to detail, to really enjoy it and to have fun.

What is your favourite dish to make (personally) at home?

Bolognaise with pasta with 4-5 types of meat and locally farm picked tomatoes.

Where is your favourite food city?

• Bangkok
• Taipei for their night markets
• Bournemouth, England for their Cornish Pasties

Do you have freedom to create in your kitchen?

I have a lot of freedom in this hotel and we play. The hotel and restaurant strives to create anything that our customer wants from doing a Halal dinner, no salt and other dietary concerns.

What other escapes do you enjoy?

Beaches, taking my son roaming and wandering through the local farms (from Saanich to Metchosin)

What did you want to be when growing up?

Marine Biologist

Do you feature other more obscure fish on your restaurant menu?

We are Ocean Wise and we strive to keep within that focus, did Monkfish recently.

What are your favourite restaurants on a day off?

• Foo (for lunch)
• Hernandez (for lunch)
• Stage (for dinner)
• Brasserie le Cole (for dinner)
• Glo (favourite place for a pint)

Peter Klein is a TV Producer, Documentary Filmmaker and Acting Director of the School of Journalism at the University of British Columbia.

I chatted with Peter Klein over Brunch at Fleuri Restaurant in Vancouver while eating a delicious array of dishes of their buffet.

Peter W. Klein is a former producer with CBS News 60 Minutes, and has produced projects for many of the major American news programs, including Frontline, Nightline, 20/20 and 48 Hours. Peter is the director of the UBC School of Journalism’s International Reporting Program. In 2009 he led a team of students on a global investigation about electronic waste, which won the Emmy for Best Investigative Journalism. When he’s not producing documentaries, teaching students, writing his book, raising 4 kids, walking his dog or renovating his 100 year old house, Peter occasionally sleeps.

Are you doing any Film work currently?

Yes, I am doing a well-funded theatrical documentary about both problems in the pharmaceutical industry and some of the creative solutions that are being tried out to solve those problems. We have some charitable support for this film project, and we’re going all over the world talking to CEOs of major pharma, patient advocates, different NGOs, to look at why there aren’t more cures for life-threatening diseases.

Tell me about The Pain Project

The Pain Project, is being produced by the International Reporting Program at the University of British Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism, reveals the causes — and devastating effects — of the lack of access to pain medication around the globe. A team of students and faculty from the International Reporting Program at the University of British Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism traveled to India, Ukraine and Uganda to investigate how, faced with this lack of access, such countries manage the pain of patients suffering from cancer and other terminal diseases.

How did the show The Standard come about?

I was on the show as a guest previously, Joy TV then bought the Canadian rights to CBS 60 minutes, but for Canadian regulations they needed to have Canadian content so they had to legally reinvent the show. The former host wasn’t able to do it so the Executive Producer Jonathan approached me to do the show.  He wanted to get his other segments on to the air in Canada. When Moses Znaimer bought the station, he cancelled all original production which included The Standard.

What is your favourite food?

Mushrooms

What is your favourite cuisine?

Thai

What are some of the most interesting experiences you have had at the UBC School of Journalism?

• I have taken my students to Uganda and India
• Going to Brazil soon

Anything you want to do at UBC School of Journalism?

I want to setup a Centre for Enterprise International reporting, still need financial support for this, around $5 million.

What do you like to do in our off time?

• Spending time with the kids
• Building a tree house
• Play Jazz piano
• Kayaking
• Skiing
• Scuba-diving

What is your favourite city for travel?

Budapest

What is your favourite food city?

Johannesburg

What was the latest variety of mushroom you ate that you enjoyed?

I had an outstanding dish made with Parasol Mushrooms which happened to be cooked for me while I was visiting Paul Stametz who is a mushroom expert in Olympia, Washington.

Any Writing Projects in the works?

I am currently writing a book about the domestic war on terror, with St. Martin’s Press, due out in 2012.

Have you ever done anything in Radio?

I had a radio show in Europe called “Central Europe Today” while living in Hungary years ago, it was broadcasted to the Anglophones in Poland and Hungary.

What do you want to accomplish in the next 2 years?

Pharma Doc

 Solomon Siegel | Victoria

I met up with Solomon Siegel who is the Food & Beverage Director at Hotel Rialto in Victoria. We chatted about bartending, cocktail culture and he mixed up some cocktails.

What drew you to bartending?

I worked at Pagliacci’s starting when I was 12 years old, in my teenage years I was interested in beverages and bartending it always seemed interesting. I started learning about wine and beer, I was also interested in coffee, started making espresso’s in our house when I was 6 years old.

What goes into creating a new cocktail? What inspires you?

The ingredients are the inspirations (the techniques) blended in a way that exemplifies them. Specific spirits, keep it simple, balanced and beautiful.

What was your training like?

Very much self-trained from a restaurant bartender stand point. My training was challenging the techniques.

Tell our readers where you have worked in the past 10 years?

For the past 1-1/2 years I have  been the Food & Beverage Manager at Hotel Rialto. Previously I had my own bar, “Solomon’s” on Herald Street for 1-1/2 years. Before that I worked for BC Ambulance as a Paramedic for 3 years, I also worked at Discovery Coffee and Café Fantastico and at the beginning at Pagliacci’s.

Who are your mentors?

1)    My dad who is the best host in the world

2)    Simon Ogden

3)    Shawn Soole

Tell us about Venetto Lounge, what type of drinks do you showcase?

Classic cocktails that are spirit forward, delicate alchemy of mixing spirits and fruit juices.

Solomon mixes up one of his signature cocktails

1)    Ghetto Punch

• Don Juilio Bianco Tequila
• Madeira
• Ginger of the Indies
• Brewed Tea
• Regans Orange Bitters