Chef's Special: Chow Chef/Co-Owner Jean-Christophe Poirier

Welcome to Chef's Special, where we talk shop with Vancouver's hottest chefs, wine stewards and gourmands.

Who: Jean-Christophe Poirier

What: “I’m from Montréal and I moved to Vancouver three years ago to work in a renowned restaurant. I was supposed to stay only for one year, [but I] ended up opening a restaurant. You never know…”

Where: “I’m the chef/co-owner of Chow, 3121 Granville Street, 604 608-2469, www.chow-restaurant.com”

What's your specialty? “Nose to tail… Our local suppliers bring whole pig, whole lamb and whole duck to the restaurant every week. My cooks learned how to butcher properly, to understand every part of the animal, how to cook it, how to cure and brine, how to make sausages and terrine…and so much more.”

Who is your culinary hero? “Martin Picard, the chef/owner of Au Pied de Cochon, in Montreal. He opened a restaurant that is completely different from what others are doing, a restaurant that is 100% like his personality - no rules - heavy food, big portions, foie gras is all over his menu and [he] just doesn’t care what people say. Guess what? It’s packed every day.”

If you could cook dinner for anyone (and join them for the meal!) who would it be?

I think if I could invite all the cooks that I have worked with in the past, the ones that inspired me over the years and made me a better cook; it could be a very interesting dinner. Probably end up very late too…

If you're not dining at your own restaurant, where can we find you? “I just love La Buca Restaurant - unpretentious, simple, affordable, great staff and wonderful food. What more do you want???”

Vancouver's best-kept culinary secret is.... “I can’t get enough of Coco et Olive, a very warm and welcoming café at 3476 West Broadway. Beautiful sandwiches, pastry and coffee.”

Best spot in Vancouver for a picnic “Jericho beach is a nice spot. The view is beautiful and it's kinda quiet. I would make a simple pasta salad with tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and arugula. A few sandwiches, made with the leftover roast from the night before, and a bottle of wine. That sound like a good recipe for a perfect day.”

Confessions: “It was a busy service at [Montréal restaurant] Toqué!’ on a Thursday night. I was bastinga rack of lamb in a pan with lots of butter, I had too much going on at the same time, I lost my focus forone second and made a bad move. Suddenly all the hot butter end up on my arm. I could see my skin bubbling; it was a really bad burn. Still two hours to go through service, [and] the sous-chef is yelling at me because he needs the meat. Nobody saw my accident… so I just closed my eyes for 5 seconds and said to myself 'J-C, you are not going down tonight, not now, not here, not in that kitchen.' it was by far the most painful service I have ever had.”

You can never have too much... “charcuterie, cheeses and wine. It’s just the perfect combination.”

You'll never find “green peppers” in my kitchen. “They are just not good.”

What's the one cookbook you can't live without? “Charcuterie, from Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn, is the best book that I've read so far. They explain the craft of salting, smoking and curing so well, [with] so much information. The book really guides me for a lot of things that we are doing at the restaurant.”

It's your last meal on earth. What are you having? “A simple roasted chicken with fingerling potatoes, haricot vert and a nice tomato salad. Nothing can beat that.”

The secret to any good meal is...“to share your food with people you love. It doesn’t matter where or when… it’s who you are with.”