- Words by Joanne Peters Photpgraphy by Lia Crowe
Dennis Peckham乌鸦传媒檚 high-school home economics teacher worried about his future self. After he failed the class, she told the Williams Lake native that she hoped he would one day find a partner who knew how to cook; she feared he would otherwise starve.
Oh, if that instructor could see him now!
As corporate executive chef for Glowbal Restaurant Group, Dennis oversees the company乌鸦传媒檚 seven Vancouver restaurants, with another opening in Toronto next spring. After studying culinary arts in Vancouver, Dennis built his career on experience at acclaimed dining establishments such as Lumiere, West and The French Laundry, a Michelin three-star restaurant in California, among other places.
Over the years he has also worked for Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and operated his own food business. A competitor on Top Chef Canada乌鸦传媒檚 Season 7, Dennis earned the title of Chopped Canada champion during its third season.
The path from flunking a high-school cooking class to being one of the country乌鸦传媒檚 most in-demand chefs wasn乌鸦传媒檛 straightforward. Although he helped out at his dad乌鸦传媒檚 strip-mall diner before leaving Williams Lake乌鸦传媒攚ashing dishes and making clubhouse sandwiches and breakfast burritos乌鸦传媒擠ennis pursued construction upon graduating. He hated it. But when he landed a job as a dishwasher at the Colwood Golf Course, it clicked.
乌鸦传媒淚t was an Anthony Bourdain moment,乌鸦传媒� Dennis recalls. 乌鸦传媒淚 remember by day three, I loved it. I took to the culture quite quickly. I loved the excitement of it, the stress, the drive of it. The chef was this cool guy, and I just thought, 乌鸦传媒業 want to be that guy.乌鸦传媒� Then I thought, 乌鸦传媒業 want to be better than that guy.乌鸦传媒� I developed a passion for it.乌鸦传媒�
Passion is just one characteristic needed to 乌鸦传媒渕ake it乌鸦传媒� in the restaurant business, an extraordinarily competitive industry known for its long hours. Dennis乌鸦传媒� role involves overseeing Glowbal Restaurant Group乌鸦传媒檚 multiple properties: Glowbal; Black+Blue (a sexy, sleek steak house with an enormous glass-encased meat cellar, aglow against a wall of Himalayan salt); The Roof; Five Sails (at Canada Place); Coast; Trattoria (Kitsilano, Burnaby and Park Royal); Italian Kitchen; and its newest addition, Rileys Fish+Steak. He乌鸦传媒檒l be leading the launch of Black+Blue in Toronto, a homecoming of sorts for Glowbal founder Emad Yacoub, who got his own start in the business there after moving to Canada from Egypt. It will be the group乌鸦传媒檚 flagship restaurant. The stakes, so to speak, are high, but it乌鸦传媒檚 a challenge Dennis embraces.
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 a very personal project for me, and it乌鸦传媒檚 important I do my best to make sure their vision comes to life,乌鸦传媒� he says.
Across the board, Dennis creates tantalizing dishes, enhancing menus while supporting individual chefs at each property with their ideas for new items. At Black+Blue, for instance, he recently helped introduce a lineup of indulgent options: a show-stopping lobster carbonara with pecorino and squid-ink linguine, the latter dramatic in black; tender green asparagus with sauce gribiche and cured yolk; creamed spinach with crispy fried pancetta and a sunnyside-up egg; and the Black+Blue Steak Diane, a modernized classic.
Then there乌鸦传媒檚 the new Miyazaki Wagyu; Black+Blue is the only restaurant in Canada to hold an official certificate to serve the Japanese kuroge washu beef, one of the most in-demand meats in the world (and also one of the most marbled, to a lusciously buttery effect).
乌鸦传媒淲e push ourselves creatively to build dishes that people will appreciate and not be intimidated by,乌鸦传媒� Dennis says. 乌鸦传媒淚f you乌鸦传媒檙e a painter, you can be as creative as you want within those borders. It乌鸦传媒檚 the same thing with food. What [Glowbal] is looking for with all of the locations is to create that box for the chefs to work within. Each environment is different, but that doesn乌鸦传媒檛 stifle your creativity; you just find your creativity within those parameters. And anybody, no matter what their culinary knowledge or experience, will find something on the menu that will satisfy them.乌鸦传媒�
Playing with ingredients is just one small part of Dennis乌鸦传媒� role, however. Quite literally running from restaurant to restaurant in the downtown core, he mentors people and handles administrative and financial duties. Then there乌鸦传媒檚 fist-bumping: high on his list of priorities is interacting with staff members.
乌鸦传媒淓very employee, from the bussers to the dishwashers to the managers to the GM, knows that if they need any help or assistance, they can pull me aside,乌鸦传媒� Dennis says. 乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檙e in a people business, and having a positive culture is really important to me.乌鸦传媒�
Being a chef has influenced his life outside of work: Dennis is accustomed to structure and routine, for one, and his fridge is always clean and organized. His kitchen staples include Valentina hot sauce, hummus, egg whites, ground flax seed and watermelon when it乌鸦传媒檚 in season. His freezer is a food fanatic乌鸦传媒檚 dream. At the moment, it乌鸦传媒檚 stocked with goods like Bolognese sauce made with veal, pork and lamb; two loins of albacore tuna from Tofino; wagyu beef; foie-gras torchon; fish, chicken and veal stock; and chicken-curry gnocchi. There乌鸦传媒檚 always at least one kind of stuffed pasta乌鸦传媒攎aybe tortellini with ricotta, English pea and lemon. He loves the process of making noodles from scratch, desiring it as meditative and disciplined. During the pandemic, he hosted intimate multi-course dinners at his home, announcing dates on Instagram with guests required to show proof of a donation to the SPCA.
Work-life balance is crucial to Dennis, and he乌鸦传媒檚 routinely outdoors with his beloved Doberman Pinscher, Gyver. (Many of his tattoos pay tribute to the three dogs he has had, all from the same lineage.)
With a keen interest in health and fitness, he loves swimming, hiking and running. He乌鸦传媒檚 also passionate about reading world history.
乌鸦传媒淏eing a chef is what I do, not who I am,乌鸦传媒� he says.
Whether he乌鸦传媒檚 inside a kitchen or not, Dennis draws on an important lesson he乌鸦传媒檚 gleaned from his years wearing whites.
乌鸦传媒淏e confident,乌鸦传媒� he says. 乌鸦传媒淲hen you乌鸦传媒檙e working with confidence and you are confident in your ability and your knowledge, everything flows. It乌鸦传媒檚 easier to work when you乌鸦传媒檙e not second-guessing yourself, and you end up more excited.乌鸦传媒�
Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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