Chef Profile – Alan Crosby

Chef: Alan Crosby
Restaurant: White Point Beach Resort

What  advice do you have for home chefs?  
Season your food properly.  Don’t be afraid of the salt.  Drink wine while you cook.

Have you cooked for any celebrities? 
I cooked for Stephen Hawking when I worked in the Roof Restaurant in the Hotel Vancouver..but I had to blend the whole meal.

What is the best thing about being a chef ?  
I love food and I get to be surrounded by it all day.  And, you’ll never go hungry.

What is your favourite item on your menu?   
That’s like choosing between your children!

What is your guilty pleasure? 
Wow, after cooking a great meal, I’m prone to stopping for burgers on the way home.

What is your favourite kitchen “tool” or gadget?   
Microplane Grater 

What is the one Taste of Nova Scotia product that you can’t live without? 
Maple Syrup!

Aside from your own restaurant, what other Taste of Nova Scotia restaurant to you frequent? 
I don’t get out that often, but I really enjoy Trattoria della Nonna in Lunenburg, and Sunday brunch at Saege Bistro.

What is your ultimate comfort food?   
Great steak, mashed potatoes and Cabernet.

Why do you, or why is it important to support local? 
It’s great to know the origins of your food and to have that contact with the producer.

What is the best meal you have ever had? 
That’s tough, but on sentimental value, I’ll have to say L’eau et La Bouche in St Adele QC.  Sweetbreads, roasted guinea fowl  and great crème brulee.  I’ve been there three times and never disappointed.  Close second would be on a Celebrity Cruise ship, The Solstice, in the Tuscan Grill.  Best Mac and Cheese ever.  I had to write and request the recipe.