How I Cook is a Q&A series that peels back the curtains so you get a glimpse of the backgrounds and stories of some of the best chefs, pastry chefs, mixologists, and food specialists in Vancouver.
Even with being surrounding with food and chefs all his life, becoming a chef or restaurateur wasn’t the plan for Straight & Marrow’s Chef Chris Lam. Not until later did he really fall in love with restaurants.
We spoke with Chef Lam to hear about his culinary journey, the challenges and the rewards of the job, and his true feelings towards the Vancouver food scene.
How did you get into cooking?
[Chris]: I’ve probably loved eating every and anything as long as I can remember. One of my first memories that really got me interested in cooking was visiting Hong Kong as a kid and shopping in the street markets. Seeing all the food and what we wanted to cook every night had a huge impact on me and how I view ingredients.
Otherwise my dad was also a chef and I would have to help out at his and his friends restaurants.
How did your career get you to where you are today?
[Chris]: I actually went to school for something completely different. I did my undergrad at the University of Waterloo and was suppose to go to the University of Queensland for medical school. After university I came back from Toronto to Victoria to visit my dad, he had a restaurant named Ribs and Bones and I cooked there while visiting.
I fell in love with restaurants and decided to enroll in VCCs culinary program and never left. That was about 13 years ago. During cooking school I worked two jobs at the same time, at Macaroni Grill on Davie and at Provence for lunch.
It was pretty crazy times as I was full time at school, so my weekend schedule would be school til 3 on Friday, work at 4-1 at Macaroni Grill, then have brunch the next morning at Provence at 8am. And I wouldn’t get any time off until after Monday’s school. I was trying to catch up as I was starting in the industry late.
After that I was at The Westin Bayshore during the Olympics to try out hotels which I realized was not for me. After the Olympics I returned to Provence where I eventually became sous chef while on and off working at other places. After a couple years I went to Nuba Gastown as sous chef.
I then took a 5 year hiatus while only working events every once in a while. I took this hiatus after the birth of my son. I ran a property management company which I still do during this time. And this continued until I started Straight and Marrow July 2020.
Where do you get your culinary inspiration from? (cultural heritage/family/mentor)
[Chris]: All of my training is traditional French but my cooking philosophy comes from my Chinese background and our views on food. In the sense that we do not waste any part of animals, and in most cases actually have dishes highlighting the weirder underutilizes cuts. I grew up eating everything and loving offals etc.
So now I try to come up with new and creative dishes with no boundaries and plates that I myself would love to eat.
What would we find you doing when you’re not in the kitchen?
[Chris]: I enjoy crabbing on docks such as at Jericho pier or if I ever have spare time I will most likely be playing some pitch and putt.
What is your favourite part of your job?
[Chris]: My favourite thing in the world about my job is my staff. I get to work with all my best friends and it’s a great atmosphere as we all have known each other for over 10 years. If it wasn’t at work, we would all still be hanging out together.
It’s great having the same work/friend bubble during these crazy times.
What is your favourite dish to make and why?
[Chris]: My favourite dish that sadly will be taken off the menu in the next change is my sweetbread dish. Sweetbreads are my favourite thing to eat, and if I see them I will always order them. But this is the first time I have been able to make a dish completely different than other more traditional sweet bread dishes I have had.
It uses lamb sweet breads which are not readily available but I prefer, garlic purée, Brussels sprouts with fish sauce and brown butter powder. The whole thing is completely different than any other preparations I’ve ever had and I may be bias but it’s probably the best plate I’ve ever put together.
How do you balance your work time and personal time?
[Chris]: I don’t think you can ever truly take off the chefs hat. It’s not a switch. What makes me successful in the kitchen is my calmness and problem solving skills.
However it is very important to have some time set aside completely from the industry where you can reset your brain and just have some fun. I do this by spending time with my son, or going for some pitch and putt with my friends.
What was the biggest challenge you faced to get to where you are today?
[Chris] The biggest challenge that I’ve had to face is probably the balance of the industry lifestyle and career. Being in the industry there is lots of alcohol with Late nights and early mornings. And always lots of things that needs to be done.
It takes a lot of maturity and mental health to be able to control urges in such a tight knit community. I am constantly working on myself to not procrastinate, to be responsible and to be a leader. Mental health in industry workers has been coming to the forefront these days which is excellent and needed, there is lots of depression and a stigma to keep things to yourselves in past times.
Gladly that is changing and people are realizing that mental health is just as important as physical health so that more people can succeed in our industry.
If you could give a piece of advice to your past self, what would you say?
[Chris]: I probably would have told myself to start cooking earlier. As great as university was, I never wanted to be a doctor. I did it for the wrong reasons and I wish I had the courage to go the unconventional path earlier and do not what was expected of me but what I myself wanted to do.
What is your under-the-radar food spot in Vancouver?
[Chris]: Ole chicken on Robson. Pre-pandemic was my go to spot. Best Korean fried chicken and great atmosphere.
What do you love and hate about Vancouver’s food scene?
[Chris]: I would say that conforming to fads is the biggest issue. One place is successful doing Asian French fusion, 10 other places pop up doing the same thing. This place worked, what else can we mix?
And then random fusion restaurants will start opening. Oh a fried chicken place is super successful, 15 more open around the city trying to copy it. We’ve learned by now hopefully that truly original places are great and appreciated.
We used to have a million all you can eat sushi places, that fad faded and here we are. Copying trends is not a recipe for success in this city but it won’t stop people. And also it’s quite boring. I want the food people of this city to challenge themselves, to be original and take chances. It’s the only way for our food scene to hit the next level.
This is only a bite into the successes of Chef Chris Lam.
But the next time you visit the Straight & Marrow you will know a little bit more about the effort served into the food in front of you.
Address: 1869 Powell St, Vancouver, BC V5L 1H8
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This piece has been prepared with the help of Kameela Nash.