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.
Ask any chef and they’ll tell you that the job is not for the faint hearted. You’re likely to hear how tough it is – long hours (well above 50 per week), stressful, and in a kitchen that is scorching hot!
Even how much of a tough grind the job is, the really passionate cooks like Mount Pleasant Published on Main’s Executive Chef Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson, would tell you that isn’t enough to put them off cooking.
We spoke with Chef Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson 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?
[Gus]: I grew up with food being very central to my family’s life. My parents have always had a huge garden in our yard, and my grandparents lived on a farm an hour outside the city, that also had a huge garden. The days were always focused around processing, preserving, cooking, eating things from the garden.
I’ve been working in restaurants since 2001, and it came really naturally to me. While I was in culinary school, I did my final practicum in Germany at the Hotel Atrium and it really opened my eyes to a level of cuisine that I hadn’t really been exposed to yet in Winnipeg, that was probably a big turning point for me.
How did your career get you to where you are today?
[Gus]: Started at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Winnipeg, as a dishwasher, and quickly rose through the ranks and was more or less running the kitchen by the time I was 16. Worked at a few other restaurants through that time as well. Went to Culinary School (Red River College) and then that led me to Germany to the Hotel Atrium.
Staged at several Michelin Starred Restaurants at the end of my stay in Germany. Came back to Canada and worked at The Pear Tree for Scott Jaeger, from early 2009 to late 2014. Definitely a huge influence on me.
Left Pear Tree to open Perch, a 300 seat restaurant in the UBC AMS student nest. Staged at Michelin Starred Restaurants Shortly before the opening. After Perch closed, went for an internship at noma in Copenhagen.
Came back and spent better part of a year doing catering, working as a private chef or at Heliski Lodges etc. Consulting at Heirloom. 1 year as Sr Sous Chef at Hawksworth.
Now currently Executive Chef of Published on Main.
Where do you get your culinary inspiration from? (cultural heritage/family/mentor)
[Gus]: I think my culinary inspiration comes mainly from the ingredients. I love to highlight what is in season, what is at the peak of quality at the moment. We have built a bountiful pantry here at Published, so we have so many ways to take an already beautiful and delicious product and elevate it was a turbo condiment.
I do draw on my German background, and fondness for creating dishes that are nostalgic, but I would definitely say my focus is ingredient-driven cuisine.
What would we find you doing when you’re not in the kitchen?
[Gus]: 9/10 times I’d be in the woods, picking elderflower, morels, chanterelles, huckleberry or some other wild food. It’s my favourite.
What is your favourite part of your job?
[Gus]: I love almost every aspect of this life. I love cutting a mountain of shallot brunoise. I love cutting and portioning salmon, roasting a duck breast, glazing vegetables, building a pretty dessert plate.
I love the infinite creativity we can have in this job.
What is your favourite dish to make and why?
[Gus]: I love making my Opa’s German potato salad. I like getting the potatoes going, and trying to cut all the accouterment and make the dressing by the time the potatoes are ready. It’s something I used to help my Opa make, and it’s something that we would always have for family gatherings.
Not only is it delicious, it really makes me happy to reminisce about the times we made it together. I miss him a lot, and it kind of brings him back for a minute.
How do you balance your work time and personal time?
[Gus]: It can be challenging. A lot of 70+ hour work weeks. I really haven’t had much of a personal life for the last 2 years, as most of my time and energy have been focused on the restaurant. Getting into the woods to forage, while still “work” is my biggest form of stress relief. I always feel very energized after time in the forest.
What was the biggest challenge you faced to get to where you are today?
[Gus]: I think overcoming massive disappointments, working for years for little or no pay, it’s been a grind. I think in this life you get out what you put in, so it does feel rewarding to finally be in a position that all that hard work and long hours has paid off.
If you could give a piece of advice to your past self, what would you say?
[Gus]: I don’t think I would truly do much differently, because the path I took led me to where I am today. I think if anything I would have tried harder to not waste days off being hungover.
What is your under-the-radar food spot in Vancouver?
[Gus]: I very regularly eat from Mr. Red Cafe, the “vong village young rice cakes” and green papaya salad are my staples.
What do you love and hate about Vancouver’s food scene?
[Gus]: I love that my crew of pals are starting to try to create a new generation of Culinary Community, trying to be the changes we want to see in the industry. I love that we have access to arguably the best products in the World, we have so many amazing farmers, foragers, and producers. I love how supportive the industry has been for each other, especially over this last year. Very inspiring to see.
I hate how many cookie cutter, big box restaurants at an “assured level of mediocrity” water down the culinary scene.
This is only a bite into the successes of Chef Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson.
But the next time you visit the Published on Main you will know a little bit more about the effort served into the food in front of you.
Published On Main
Address: 3593 Main St. Vancouver, BC V5V 3N4
Website | Instagram | Facebook
This piece has been prepared with the help of Kameela Nash.