When chef Angus An started down his own culinary path, he knew that while it would mean travelling far and wide to learn as much as he could, one day he’d be back to share his knowledge with diners in Vancouver.
An — who runs Maenam restaurant in Kitsilano, grew up in Maple Ridge and graduated from fine arts at UBC — said he was always attracted to the “magic” that happened in the kitchen, starting out as a youngster helping his mother and grandmother whose food was always at the centre of family gatherings.
And even through high school he found himself in part-time jobs where he gravitated to the kitchen.
“I started off as a busboy and then delivery driving when I was 16,” said An, who is one of Vancouver’s four leading chefs headlining the From the Kitchen to the Boardroom 2.0 event hosted by the Richmond Chamber of Commerce and Richmond News on Jan. 12 at the River Rock Casino Resort. “But I actually found myself always helping the cooks more.
“When I was a busboy I would rather prep salads than clean tables.”
And when he was in university, part-time jobs put him in pubs and other eateries.
“I’m not sure when things turned, but I realized that while I wanted to finish my schooling, food was going to be my career.
Originally, I wanted to be an architect,” he said, adding that after graduating from UBC he went off to New York City to learn about French cooking at the French Culinary Institute, where he ended up top of his class.
“I wanted to get more serious when it came to fine dining,” he said, adding he realized his formal training in local restaurants started a little later than those of his counterparts. “I was used to producing more casual food and wanted to get exposure in New York to all the great restaurants and wonderful melting pot for food.”
Possessing a Green Card made accessing the U.S. easier, as well.
But he also got encouragement from local, prominent chef John Bishop to pursue his ambition south of the border.
An, who was a big fan of Bishop’s — he celebrated his 19th birthday at Bishop’s restaurant and even enrolled in some of his cooking classes — didn’t hesitate in recommending the venture to the Big Apple.
“Even as an ambassador of food in Vancouver, he told me that if I had a chance to go to New York, I should just go,” An said.
After studying in New York, An wanted to gather more experience on the east coast and went to Montreal for a couple of years and then ventured to Europe.
Among the places he stopped off at was The Fat Duck, a three Michelin star restaurant located in Berkshire, west of London, run by now celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal and famed for its 14-course tasting menu.
“I think I was there when it was named the best restaurant in the world,” An said.
However, the major influence he had while in the UK came from working with Australian chef David Thompson, who in 2001 opened Nahm, a Thai restaurant in The Halkin hotel in London, which was the first Thai restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star.
“When I first realized I wanted to be a cook, I looked at other local chefs like John Bishop and Rob Feeney, who was just starting out at the time, use local ingredients to create a unique west coast cuisine. And I’ve always envisioned coming back home and being a part of that.
“While I was travelling on the east coast then in Europe, it was always about wanting to learn something different and bring it back to Vancouver,” An said.
And during the time he was away cultivating his talents, the Vancouver dining scene had time to grow and develop.
“I think in 2010 the Olympics helped a lot. There was a lot of world attention and the city matured a lot for a dining standpoint,” he said. “But you have to work with your clientele, as well. You can’t just serve food that you are used to cooking in Montreal, London or New York and expect people to just get it here.
“Vancouverites are very particular diners; they are very health conscious and lifestyle oriented. And you have to be able to work with that if you want to succeed in this market.”
In addition to An, From the Kitchen to the Boardroom 2.0 will feature David Hawksworth of Hawksworth restaurant, Nightingale and Bel Café; Lucais Syme from Cinara, and Franck Point, of Faubourg. Tickets are $250 plus GST, or $225 for chamber members, and includes a five-course meal. For tickets, visit online at RichmondChamber.ca or call 604-278-2822.
