Meet the Chefs


Blue Mountain Village is home to over 20 restaurants and eateries, each with unique culinary offerings that are as diverse as our guests' palates. With SpringLicious around the corner, we want to give guests an opportunity to discover the award-winning and culturally authentic chefs that contribute to the unique culinary experience at Blue!

From April 2th to May 17th indulge in 3-course Prix Fixe SpringLicious menus at 10 Village restaurants, 7 days a week! View menus, book reservations and learn more about our passionate chefs. Check back weekly for all new interviews! 

Stephen Perrin

Excecutive chef | rusty's at blue


Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in the culinary industry? 
A: I love the hospitality industry and making people happy through food

If you had to describe the perfect dish in 3 words, what would they be? 
Quality, savory and unique 

How does your menu reflect your personal experience as a chef? 
I travel for bbq competitions all over the US and bring that knowledge back to the restaurant 

What does eating “local” mean to you? 
Supporting canadian farmers is important and keeping our dollars local improves the community 

What does the future of the culinary industry look like to you?
Healthy dishes that taste great!. Healthy CAN taste good! We don't have to sacrifice flavour when cooking healthy dishes!  
 

Francis Bermejo

Excecutive chef | Mother Tongue


What was the first meal you cooked for yourself?
The first meal I cooked for myself is Beef with mushrooms and rice.

If you had to describe the perfect dish in 3 words, what would they be?
Something that is unique, balanced, and unapologetic.

Which seasonal ingredients do you get excited most about in Spring?
Ramps, Heirloom tomatoes and certain foraged mushrooms that you can only get during spring like hedgehog and morels.

Why pursue a culinary career at Blue Mountain Village?
It's a great opportunity to cater to a different demographic.

What does the future of the culinary industry look like to you?
The future of the culinary industry looks promising to me, although we still have a lot of work ahead in providing work / life balance for all industry workers and not just culinary. I believe that we need to put more effort into fighting mental health stigma in hospitality worldwide. Initiatives like The Burnt Chef Project should be shared more by our hospitality peers.

Gerry Williams

Excecutive chef | Oliver & Bonacini 


What inspired you to pursue a career in the culinary industry?
My Mom would always have me in the kitchen helping her to prepare my own meals as a kid being that I was such a picky eater. Throught these experiences, I developed a love for food and cooking which led me to pursue a career in culinary.

What was the first meal you cooked for yourself?
Ackee & salt cod with fried dumplings.

What does eating “local” mean to you? 
It's about eating locally grown food. Supporting and eating locally Is very vital to our long term food security -  eating what we grow today will keep the former around tomorrow.

Which seasonal ingredients do you get excited most about in Spring? 
Ramp is one of my favorite ingredients (it is locally grown and I always go harvest it myself).

What does the future of the culinary industry look like to you? 
There are many opportunities for cooks once they have some experience. I will continue to hire and develop young talents to fill the void that we are experiencing at the moment.

John Cajili

chef De cuisine | Twist kitchen + cocktail


Why pursue a culinary career at Blue Mountain Village?
I firmly believe that it is an exciting opportunity to work and learn from a vast demographic all year round.

How does your menu reflect your personal experience as a chef?
Working with amazingly unique people from various parts of the world led me to develop an eclectic and unapologetic approach in my cooking style that is reflected on the menu.

Which seasonal ingredients do you get most excited for in Spring?
Fiddleheads and ramps.

Describe the perfect dish in 3 words.
Bold, simple and balanced.

What does the future of the culinary industry look like to you?
The future of culinary focuses on adaptability, collaboration and balance. I’m happy to see the cultural changes in the industry.
The kitchen environment is slowly shifting to becoming more collaborative - I see more and more employers are providing work-life balance and breaking off from the "yes, chef!" mentality.

Nick Fingarson

Excecutive chef | Tholos Restaurant


Describe the perfect dish in 3 words.
Simple, Fresh, Delicious.

What inspired you to pursue a career in the culinary industry?
Cooking has always been an integral part of my childhood. I spent lots of time growing up in the kitchen with family members. Food will always be an important part of my life.

What drew you to Tholos Restaurant?
Tholos is a truly authentic Greek dining experience - from the romantic Mediterranian ambiance when you walk in the door to the  traditional family recipes on the menu. I love the genuine family dynamic and being able to create the most authentic cuisine for our guests.

What does eating “local” mean to you?
Eating local to me definitely means supporting the small restaurants in my area and having them using local farms to build the menus. 

What does the future of the culinary industry look like to you? 
Hard to tell, the last few years have taken quite the toll on the Food & Beverage industry. Hoping it can bounce back to what it was before the pandemic.

Christopher Stadinski

Excecutive chef | Kaytoo Restaurant


What inspired you to pursue a career in the culinary industry?
My wife. Before we were together, I had very little interest in quality food. I found my love for cooking in cooking for the one I love.

What does eating "local" mean to you?
Supporting local farms and growers! It's great for the local economy, and provides the freshest ingredients for our guests.

If you had to describe the perfect dish in 3 words, what would they be? 
Fiery, sweet, and beautiful.

Why pursue a culinary career at Blue Mountain Village? 
The Village provides a great place for a wide range of people to come enjoy and try the food I create. Hearing positive feedback from satisfied guests keeps me motivated to continue experimenting and improving my craft.

How does your menu reflect your personal experience as a chef? 
I enjoy a lot of foods from different cultures so the menu brings some of those aspects together with a Canadian feeling.

Matt Smithers, Kevin Coulter,
& Terry Prince

culinary team | copper blues bar & grill


What inspired you to seek out a culinary career?
[Smithers]: My mother's cooking inspired me to both want the ability to recreate dishes, as well as be able to adapt her missteps. Fond memories [and] amusing stories of miscues gave me the desire to learn more.

What was the first meal you cooked for yourself?
[Prince]: When I was younger I used to make my grandmother's baked goods as a way to feel closer to her.

What does eating "local" mean to you?
[Coulter]: Picking and eating locally organic food means the world to me and my family. We have such a great local market in our area . We should all be proud of supporting our farmers and our community.

Which seasonal ingredients do you get most excited about in Spring?
[Coulter]: Definitely asparagus and rhubarb!

Describe the perfect dish in 3 words.
[Prince]: Love. Quality. Inspiration

Prateek Bisht

chef de cuisine| magnone's italian kitchen

 

What inspired you to pursue a career in the culinary industry?  
My mother sparked my love for cooking when I was very young. As I grew up I realized cooking is an art form, and this ability to express myself through food is what drives me everyday. 

What was the first meal you cooked for yourself? 
One immediate memory that comes to mind is making tortilla's from scratch with my mom. 

How does your menu reflect your personal experience as a chef? 
In Italy, eating does more than sustain life: it embellishes daily existence. The history, the culture, the emotion of italian food aligns with my belief that cooking is an act of love, to help people connect, share, satisfy curiosity, experiement, and indulge. 

Why pursue a culinary career at Blue Mountain Village?
I enjoy the competitive environment in the Village, surrounded by so many talented people in such close proximity. 

What does the future of the culinary industry look like to you? 
The post pandemic era has enlightened the culinary industry as a whole to how important fair pay, work life balance, and treating each and everyone as a valued team member is. 

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