Chef’s Table is a series of Interviews with some of the top chefs in North America.

Chef Dan Hayes

I chatted with Dan at The London Chef on a recent visit to Victoria.

Dan Hayes has been a chef for over 11 years, beginning his professional culinary training working with renowned English seafood chef Rick Stein on the west coast of England. Dan acted as Commis chef for Stein in both of his seafood restaurants and cookery school for over three years.

After working with Stein, Dan went back to London where he worked as the Sous Chef at one of the oldest and most prestigious restaurants in London, Poissonnerie de lʼAvenue. Here, Dan honed his French-style culinary techniques, and developed an interest in classical cuisine. During this time Dan was also acting as Head Food Stylist working with noted food photographer Paul Webster where he styled for editorial campaigns, television advertisements and food packaging.

After Poissonnerie, Dan went on to work at Michelin starred restaurant La Vinoteca in the Fenicia Presige Hotel in Ibiza, Spain, opened three restaurants – including two Fishworks seafood restaurants in London where Dan served as Executive Chef and taught at the Fishworks Cookery school, and The Lodge in the Canary Isles.

Dan has also run a successful catering and private chef business in London, and worked as the Food Marketing Manager at Whole Foods London. He also created and ran a successful cooking school at Whole Foods where he taught many cooking classes.

Since moving to Victoria two years ago, Dan has been familiarizing himself with west coast cuisine, developing relationships with local chefs, and working with regional produce and flavours.

What is your favourite cuisine?

Southern Spanish

What challenges you as a chef?

Anything involving pastry work, love to concentrate to get it right.

Tell about The London Chef,

We are a cooking school, caterer, we operate a café as well as a pantry where we sell sausages and other gourmet products.

What do you want chefs to learn?

Tasting, tasting, tasting

What are your favourite restaurants in Vancouver?

  • L’Abbotoir
  • Campagnolo

 What are your favourite restaurants in Victoria?

  • Stage Wine Bar
  • Scasz Sausages
  • Brasserie L’ecole

What are the differences between London and Victoria?

In London restaurants would tip off delivery drivers to find out where those Scallops are coming from or when the price would drop etc, people are hostile.

In Victoria, we work as a community where we can borrow shallots or other ingredients if we  are short.

What are you passionate about?

Seafood and within that Bycatch, the latest find Dogfish

Stay tuned for the next chef in the Chefs Table series.