Cuisine Canada Scene

Stefan Zauner started his culinary journey by attending the Schloss Hofen Culinary Arts School in Lochau, Austria. Upon graduation he began his career working in world-class facilities in Austria, Switzerland, and Bermuda.

In 1989, after moving to Canada, Stefan began working at the award winning Post Hotel Relais & Chateaux in Lake Louise, Alberta.
The majority of the past decade Stefan has been working in Toronto’s finest hotels including the Sutton Place Hotel, The Westin Harbour Castle Hotel and Conference Center and The Delta Chelsea Hotel.

In the spring of 2006, Stefan moved to Saskatoon where he was the Executive Chef at the renowned Delta Bessborough Hotel and then later held the Executive Chef position at TCU Place Saskatoon’s Art and Convention Center . Stefan has joined the Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts as the Corporate Chef in 2008.

What’s your weakness? Dessert or mains?
Desserts.

Who or what got you interested in food?
At and early age of 14, I was given the opportunity to work with a great Chef who has traveled the world.

What inspires you?
Every day there is a new creation in food in an industry that doesn’t stand still.

What was your favourite dinner when you were a kid? Do you like it now?
Kaese spaetzle. I’ll still make it for my kids today.

What’s the first dish you remember making?
It still doesn’t have a name.

Proudest food-related moment?
One night 8,500 people came, ate, enjoyed themselves. And it all went well…

Strangest food you’ve ever eaten?
Still think about…still wonder if I should have eaten huo zhu zi*.

Favourite sound in the kitchen?
Laughter.

Favourite cooking smell?
Roasted garlic.

Quintessential Canadian dish?
The apple pie.

Molecular gastronomy, best thing ever or the un wearable haute couture of food?
Let’s cook with what nature gave us and let the scientist battle this one out…

Cilantro — can’t get enough or tastes like soap?
Love it! Need it! Cant get enough!

What non-local foods can’t you live without?
The banana.

What’s your greatest culinary extravagance?
Our combi therm.

Most over-rated kitchen gadget?
The can opener. Hide that thing somewhere. Get rid of it.

What’s the most treasured possession in your kitchen? Why?
A turn of the century (1900), “Chef the Chef” High Carbon 13-inch chef knife made in le Creux de l’enfer, Thiers, France.

Fill in the blank. If I never cooked / ate / heard about __________ again, I’d be happy.
Foie gras.

If you could cook for anyone, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
Anyone.

What would you prepare for him/her?
Anything.

What was the last thing you ate?
Roasted beet soup (that one of our students made) and a ham sandwich. The simple life.

If you had to work outside the culinary field, what would you do?
Live and work on a farm.

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* Editor’s note: Huo zhu zi is fully-formed chicks still unhatched in the shell.

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