Jeff Crump, Executive Chef at Ancaster Old Mill and cookbook author

Jeff is a Canadian chef who has developed his talents at a number of the world’s top restaurants; including The Fat Duck, Lumiere, Araxi, AGO and Chez Panisse.  He is a graduate of UWO, the Stratford Chefs School and is a Canadian Slow Food pioneer. He is currently the Executive Chef at the  Ancaster Old Mill & Spencer’s at the Waterfront in Ontario.

What’s your weakness? Dessert or mains?
Ice Cream is my weakness…vanilla with caramel sauce

Who or what got you interested in food?
My father cooked at home, so I started cooking

What inspires you?
Cookbooks, what other people are doing.  And just looking at ingredients, what is in season gets the ideas flowing.

What was your favourite dinner when you were a kid? Do you like it now?
Manicotti stuffed with ground beef. Yes, I still love stuffed pasta.

What’s the first dish you remember making?
Mussels steamed in white wine and garlic.

Proudest food-related moment?
Fortunately I have so many… cooking at Chez Panisse, publishing a cookbook, seeing my young cooks grow into very skilled chefs.

Strangest food you’ve ever eaten?
Bulet (duck embryo, soft boiled still in egg) on a street corner in Thailand.

Favourite sound in the kitchen?
Silence, I like when I’m in the kitchen before everyone else.

Favourite cooking smell?
Onions, garlic cooking in olive oil.

Quintessential Canadian dish?
Butter tarts.

Molecular gastronomy, best thing ever or the unwearable haute couture of food?
When done well it is astounding.

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

What local foods can’t you live without?
Corn, apples.

What’s your greatest culinary extravagance?
Le Creuset pots & pans.

Most over-rated kitchen gadget?
Garlic press.

What’s the most treasured possession in your kitchen? Why?
My head chef, Bryan Gibson. He makes my life easy!

Fill in the blank. If I never cooked / ate / heard about  ________ again, I’d be happy.
Raisins or green peppers.

If you could cook for anyone, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
My son, Kane.  He is young and I look forward to cooking for and with him.

What would you prepare for him/her?
We would make pizza.

What  was the last thing you ate?
Honestly, ice cream that was my  staff meal.

If you had to work outside the culinary field, what would you do?
Stock Broker?  Really I couldn’t imagine not cooking.