The GOODS from The Mackenzie Room

Vancouver, BC | In October, sparks flew at The Mackenzie Room and we’re ready to make it official! Executive Chef Sean Reeve has brought on Ralph Cravalho to be the new Chef de Cuisine of The Mackenzie Room and together they will be getting to know each other dish by dish with a 5-course tasting menu.

‘I’ve always been drawn to classic, refined dishes with a twist – simple but surprising’, says Carvalho. ‘Working with Chef Sean there’s a great opportunity to explore the many cuisines that have influenced me like Korean, Filipino, and culturally Quebecois, while staying connected to BC and being informed by classical training’. Although born in the Philippines, Carvalho’s first food experiences were deeply informed by American cuisine having grown up in Whistler. His drive to become a chef came at the behest of his mother who encouraged him to learn to cook for himself and find things he loved.

Both Chefs were pushed towards the culinary arts by their parents and have nothing but gratitude for the passionate career it jumpstarted. ‘When my dad told me I had to get a job as a dishwasher, I could never have imagined I’d end up a Chef. But looking back, there is nothing I’d rather be doing’, recounts Chef Sean Reeve. Now that the two of them have combined forces, they draw on culinary influences from around the world to create new dishes that best showcase The Mackenzie Room’s style.

Their 5-course menu playfully tracks through things they each fell in love with on their journey’s to becoming chefs. We begin with ‘Turn Up The Beet’, a beet salad that celebrates the excellence and simplicity of classic dishes, followed by ‘Bagel&Lox’, a steelhead tartare with a nod to Montreal where they both cut their teeth in kitchens at a young age. For the mains, ‘Midnight Snack’ will be a cod dish inspired by the type of food Chef Ralph enjoys at his favourite local after a long shift, and ‘Shake n Bake’ will be a black tea and rosemary glaze duck dish which uses their combined years of cooking to re-imagine a childhood favourite. And for dessert, ‘Head Rush’, a ‘sugar pie’ perfect for any sweet tooth!

The tasting is available Saturday the 13th and Sunday the 14th by reservation online (www.themackenzieroom.com) and runs a table of two $120. There are optional wine pairings available for $40/guest. The meal contains allergens (dairy, gluten, egg).

THIS IS THE MACKENZIE ROOM

The Mackenzie Room

Neighbourhood: Downtown East Side

415 Powell St.

604-253-0705

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