Welcome to the Track & Food podcast. Host Jamie Mah is a writer, bartender and sommelier in beautiful Vancouver, BC. Join him as he takes a deep dive into everything food and culture happening in the city and around the globe.

Recently, I sat down for a discussion with my good friend James Iranzad (co-owner and operator of Gooseneck Hospitality), along with two of the city’s most respected chefs, Joël Watanabe (Kissa Tanto, Bao Bei, Meo) and Ron McKinlay. McKinlay is a Vancouver-born chef who has spent the past nine years in Toronto as the Executive Chef at Canoe in Toronto. Earlier this year, he left that position in order to focus on travelling, collaborating, and cooking around the world – including at a special dinner with Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson, Executive Chef of Published on Main.

Together, we dug into the topic of current chef culture; including how leadership has shifted, what awards actually mean, and the real challenges of running a functional, creative and healthy kitchen in 2025. We also talked about the beauty of collaboration, the grind behind big-name restaurants, the music that shaped Ron’s early cooking years (plenty of hip hop), and how chefs stay inspired over the course of their careers. If you care about where restaurant culture is heading, you’ll get a lot out of this one.

Listen to the latest Track & Food podcast episode using the player above, or watch the video recording below.