Skiers like to eat, and Whistler boasts some of the best food artisans within Canada. Although the population of Whistler is only 10,000, the Village has over 90 eateries and is home to some of the best chefs in the country.
In a profession traditionally dominated by men, Melissa Craig, the award-winning executive chef of the Bearfoot Bistro, is a rarity. And, she's just 29 years old! In 2008 she was named the winner of the Gold Medal Plates' Canadian Culinary Championships - arguably the most prestigious culinary event in Canada. Passionate, driven, and undeniably talented, Craig is a B.C. girl whose career began in the Culinary Arts Program of Malaspina University College on Vancouver Island. Her menu features the very finest wild and cultivated products paired with wines from the Bearfoot's 16,000 bottle wine cellar.
Recognized by Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper as ‘one of the top seven chefs in the country shaping the nation,' James Walt is executive chef at Araxi Restaurant. Walt creates compelling regional cuisine based on local, sustainable ingredients. His impressive culinary career includes stints at some of British Columbia's leading restaurants, as well as an appointment as executive chef to the Canadian Embassy in Rome, a post that significantly influenced the way he cooks today. He has also been invited to cook at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City three times, the first and only chef in Whistler to receive such an invitation.
Scott Thomas Dolbee, executive chef of Four Seasons Resort Whistler, might best be described as ‘a cook's chef'. Unlike most occupying his culinary echelon, Dolbee never studied at a cooking school. Instead, at 18, he joined a hotel restaurant in his hometown of Los Angeles and began learning the art from fellow line cooks. What he missed in class, Dolbee gained in hands-on experience. Appointed to Four Seasons Resort Whistler in early 2008, Dolbee has brought California cool and boundless possibility to the Four Seasons' Fifty-Two 80 Bistro. Rather than transplant California cuisine to the Coast Mountains, Dolbee draws influences from around the world and from his own backyard. He drew inspiration from First Nations culture to create a menu for Whistler's Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre, which includes items such as caribou tacos, bison carpaccio, Dungeness crab cakes and wild rice pancakes.
Chef/owner of the Rimrock Café, Rolf Gunther is a long-time Whistlerite. His formal training includes Hotel and Restaurant Management in Heidelberg, Germany as well as culinary training in Germany's Black Forest region. His experience has taken him from Switzerland to Holland to various leading establishments in Canada. Specializing in fish and game, Rolf Gunther and his team at the Rimrock have cemented themselves as firm favourites with locals and visitors to Whistler.
Originally from Montreal, Fairmont Chateau Whistler executive chef Vincent Stufano studied culinary arts at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, where he developed a unique style and flair. Over the years, Stufano has worked under influential leaders of the Canadian culinary profession, who helped shape his style. His culinary philosophy reflects the growing trend towards a healthier and down-to-earth lifestyle and diet. Stufano works with neighboring farmers to seek out the finest in regional and local organic produce.