It wouldn't be fair to say, as this series of articles approaches its end, that I have saved the best until last. No. But it's more than fair to say that Craig Flinn is one of the best chefs in the Atlantic Provinces.
Born, bred and buttered in Dartmouth, NS, he set out to become a cartographer, but was sidetracked into the culinary scene by a fascination for food.
Starting in his teens, Craig loved to prepare meals for his very supportive family and always-hungry university friends. His parents, Faye and Roger, and younger brother, Jason, didn't always have to fake appreciation for the pizzas he topped with chopped wieners. They weren't bad. But compared to the food he now serves at his two eating establishments in Halifax, they could fade considerably.
Craig credits his brother for setting him on the right career track. "Jason simply said to me at 3 a.m., after too many beers: 'Why don't you become a chef?' We were watching a taped show at the time, and I was expressing confusion over what I wanted to do in my life," Craig recalls. Within a week, he was at the Culinary Institute of Canada, in Charlottetown, getting a tour.
But this career path wasn't a direct route. Craig spent two years in 20 European countries, eating local foods and keeping a journal of ideas and recipes from his travels.
"I conceived the idea of a restaurant called Chives on a train from Geneva to Lucerne in 1997," he says, "…a bistro that would be fun and casual, but have the best cooking in my favourite city, Halifax."
Following seven years of cooking and gaining experience in European and North American kitchens-including a 5-star hotel in Switzerland, and London's famous Savoy Hotel-he took the leap that led to the 2001 opening of Chives Canadian Bistro. A year later, EnRoute magazine named Chives one of the best restaurants in Canada, and the recommendation has continued every year since. Chives also regularly receives kudos from Where to Eat in Canada and Wine Access magazines. With Craig's strong belief that the very best cooking can be achieved by using excellent ingredients, he set out to find farmers who took care to produce the best. Once in his hands, these ingredients are cooked simply, using classical and traditional methods, to bring out the essence of each item while blending flavours.
"I believe that fine dining means fine ingredients, fine cooking methods, and fine hospitable service," he says. "It does not mean white table linens, waiters in white gloves and pretentious attitudes."
With energy to spare, Craig decided to open a second eatery this past January. Ciboulette Café (the word means chives in French) caters to a lunchtime crowd, conveniently located near its big sister in downtown Halifax.
But that's not all there is to this ambitious, energetic and discriminating 37-year-old. His cookbook, Fresh and Local, is a new addition to bookshelves. Devoted to using local ingredients in season, Craig says the 150 recipes are "Chives' food from its heart."
You can find risotto, one of his favourite foods, but the snack he prepares when he arrives home from a long day of cooking is not there-peanut butter on toast is comforting, if not highly creative. Creativity creeps into traditional dishes like the old Maritime favourite, Hodge Podge, and his version of the classic Tart Tatin, using Nova Scotian apples.