Chris was a recent recipient of a 2024 TMG Peer-to-Peer Awards – congratulations Chris!
Position: Associate Chef, Hospitality Services
How long have you worked at McMaster? I have worked in this position since McMaster Hospitality took over in January of 2022. Prior to that I was the Head Chef of the University Club of McMaster right here in the same building. I like to joke that I came with the building.
Tell us a little bit about yourself: I was born and raised here in Hamilton but spent most of my younger working years out west. It surprises many that before I took up cooking for a living I was working in the banking industry. I walked away from a promotion to go to culinary school and haven’t looked back since. I’ve been cooking for almost 20 years now in various kitchens in Edmonton, Vancouver and right here in Hamilton. Everything from small cafes and bistros to catering and cafeteria services for resorts and non-profit organizations.
In 3 sentences or less, describe your job and the best part of your job? My main job is to oversee food services at Alumni Memorial Hall. We do daily upscale lunch service in our dining room, The Buttery, and provide catering services to the rest of the the building. There’s a lot I love about my job here, but if I had to pick the best part, it would have to be the creative outlet the job provides. We do lunch for clientele that comes in quite often so in addition to changing our menu 3 times a year we run a few features to ensure there is something fresh and new to offer to our loyal diners.
What is your favourite thing to do when you’re not at work? Just spending time with my wife Taryn and my kids is probably top of the list. My son is a very talented soccer player and my daughter is an exceptional artist. Two things I love but am quite mediocre at so it’s a ton of fun watching them grow and excel (well past my abilities) at their respective passions.
Tell us about a mentor that you’ve had and how they supported your career development? Or how you’ve mentored someone and supported their development? Our resident, Chef Paul Hoag, has been a fantastic mentor to me since I started here at McMaster. It’s been quite a long time since I’ve had a manager in a culinary capacity so I expected a bit of an adjustment but we hit it off pretty much immediately and he has been a wealth of new knowledge and has pushed me to think and cook in new ways and with flavours, ingredients, and techniques that I’ve not used in the past. We have very different cooking styles which creates so much opportunity to to learn and grow what I do in the kitchen.
The Division of Operations and Finance has identified the core values that run through all of our work: curiosity, accountability, quality, empathy, teamwork, inclusiveness, and integrity. Please tell us which value means the most to you and why, and any work you are doing that embodies or speaks to the value. Curiosity would definitely be the value that most embodies what we do here. So many conversations here start with the question, “What if we…” and with the talented staff I get to work with here everyday the conversation usually ends with something very tasty.
What is a piece of advice you would give to someone embarking on their career at McMaster University? It’s an expansive campus with a lot of moving parts. I recommend that they learn more than how their part moves the organization. You’ll meet a lot of new people and learn so much about what goes on around you. Also I’d advise them to go the The Buttery for lunch… frequently.