CHEF: Rory Mayne
Club: Greystone Golf Club, Milton, Ontario
Years as Chef: Cooking for 18 years, Chef for 6
History
I’ve worked very hard and sacrificed quite a bit to be where I am presently. I’ve worked in greasy spoon restaurants, BBQ smokehouse, fine dining, casual dining, food truck, bistro, ribfests, golf clubs, culinary theatre, in the middle of a forest over an open fire, and at the James Beard House in Manhattan.
Q. What is your favourite dish to cook and why?
A. Pad Thai. I learned how to make it when I was 14 years old at a restaurant north of Sutton, of all places. Not a lot of people remember what they were doing when they were 14 but I remember that day distinctly, and to this day I have left the recipe relatively unchanged. It’s special to me.
Q. Who was your biggest professional influence and why?
A. Although I have worked with many extraordinary cooks and chefs, the biggest professional influence would be Leighton Azzopardi and Kevin McKenna. Both their work ethic and passion for doing food right have always, and still to this day, inspired me. I’ve never apprenticed under two people who work as hard as they do.
I have based my professional career on their example and hope that one day any apprentice that works under me will feel the same way.
Q. What is your favourite kitchen equipment and why?
A. The grill. No matter how far kitchens have come or are about to go, I do believe there is a romance with the grill that cannot be forgotten. The versatility, and the different ways you can positively affect your food using a grill are virtually endless. From some of the largest kitchens in the world to the smallest, there is an unbreakable bond with humans, kitchens and a grill.
Q. What is your favourite ingredient/spice to use?
A. Garlic – it is an unsung hero. It is in everything; whether it’s the star or singing back up, it will always make something taste better and I don’t believe it gets the credit it truly deserves. In some cultures’ cuisine, garlic is in everything.
Q. What is your favourite thing to do when you are not in the kitchen?
A. Initially my instinct is to say sleep. After consideration I would say spend time with loved ones. This industry, unfortunately, has us all working while everyone plays, so when I do find the opportunity to take time and spend it with the people that are the most important to me, I do my very, very best to see that I do.
Q. What is your biggest kitchen fear/concern?
A. Harm coming to my staff. Like other jobs, there are pieces of equipment and tools that can adversely alter one’s life quite drastically and within mere seconds. We work every day around fire, hot oil, boiling water, steam, hot surfaces, knives, mechanical equipment and, in some instances, slippery surfaces. Some of the younger staff have a hard time absorbing the gravity of what can happen to them if they aren’t working in a safe manner around a lot of these pieces of equipment or tools.
Q. What is the weirdest dish you ever made or ate?
A. Bear; it definitely did not taste like chicken.
Q. Who is your favourite celebrity chef?
A. Jamie Oliver. He’s an excellent role model. He cooks extraordinary food. His message and determination, support and execution in fixing the food programs in both British and American school systems, are awesome. There are very few people in this world who would stand up to entrenched systems that vast, and never back down. To watch him do just that says something about his integrity and beliefs.
Q. After training an apprentice what is the last bit of advice you give them?
A. Whatever you do, do it with confidence. If you make a mistake, the only thing that will happen is you will learn from the experience, and ultimately be better because of it.
