Paul Shufelt
Edmonton International, Alta.
Chef & proprietor of @workshopeatery. Loves food, golf, my kiddo, and all things related to my Montreal Canadiens
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Articles by Paul Shufelt
Paul Shufelt and Robert Spencer Hospitality Group • Troy Media Original
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Chef Paul: Stop eating gluten free bread if you’re not a celiac!
Okay consider yourself warned. If you continue to read further there is a small chance I am going to offend you. Read on at your own risk. STOP EATING GLUTEN FREE BREAD IF YOU’RE NOT A CELIAC! There, I said it. That feels good, like a thousand pound weight lifted off of me. For months now I have been sitting on this, wanting to say it, biting my tongue, but I just can’t anymore.
Chef Paul: When life gives you leftovers
The old saying goes that when life gives you lemons to make lemonade. Well, what do you do when life gives you leftovers? That is a question that I am sure that many of you have been asking yourself since gathering with you family over the weekend. While there are many wonderful traditions associated with the holidays, the tradition of cooking a gluttonous amount of food for the holiday meal is a tradition that we should all find shameful.
Chef Paul: Lots to be thankful for
It’s that time of year again, time for us to consider what we are thankful for. The origins of the holiday in Canada can be dated all the way back to the late 1500’s, when new settlers to North America wanted to give thanks to God for the bounty of their harvest. For many of us that tradition has been lost, as many of us have lost that connection to the land that provides us with our bounty.
Chef Paul: Picking plums from the Okanagan Valley
After missing out on our nearly annual trip to the Okanagan Valley last summer we managed to get down there to visit twice this year. Thanks to two of our family’s favourite couples choosing to tie the knot in western Canada’s wine country we were lucky enough to squeeze in two mini vacation getaways. This second trip was especially fun for a couple of reasons. First, and foremost, we had the pleasure of bringing the kids with us — well, two of them.
Chef Paul: Fall pickling season can't be beet
This time of year always comes with such mixed emotions for me as a chef. The quality and diversity of fresh produce, especially local produce is at its absolute best right now. You would be hard pressed to enjoy something more than a carrot plucked right from the garden, allowed to ripen and reach its full potential before being plucked from the earth, or the juiciness and almost candy like sweetness of the last of the season’s tomatoes, ripened in the last of the late summer sunshine.
Chef Paul: Succeeding, despite Notley NDP attempts
Hello Premier Notley, It’s been awhile since I last reached out, just over a year to be more precise. I first reached out two years ago to share with you my story, and my perspective on your proposed minimum wage increase, and the impact it would have on me as a new small business owner. Well, I’m pleased to share that despite your efforts I have managed to keep the doors to my small neighbourhood restaurant open for nearly two years now.
Chef Paul: Getting back into the school routine
I remember being a kid and hating the feeling that came with the end of the weekend, feeling this heavy pit in my stomach about going back to school. It got exponentially worse when it came to facing the end of summer. I couldn’t even truly enjoy the last few days of summer with my friends because of the depression and stress that came with going back to school. It’s been years since I have felt way, but this weekend it was back. This time around it wasn’t about me though.
Chef Paul: Bird is the word
Here we are again, in the dog days of summer. I don’t know about you, but I feel like another season has flown by in the blink of an eye. It seems like only a few days ago we were unpacking the shed, cutting the grass for the first time of the year, and turning the soil in the garden. Now, as the leaves begin to turn, the days get shorter, the nights get cooler, and the garden gives us the last of it’s bounty, I find myself melancholy about all that I have missed.
Chef Paul: When the student becomes the teacher
In the spring of 2001 I left the comforts of the kitchen at Buffalo Mountain Lodge, where I had spent the past two years working under my mentor, Chef Thomas Neukom. It was time to complete my schooling and receive my journeyman’s certificate as a cook. At the time I had been torn between the proximity of the program offered at SAIT in Calgary, and the comfort of being able to bunk at my dad’s home in Edmonton, while attending NAIT.
Chef Paul: Using fresh ingredients from the garden
While so many other local food writers are sharing their tales of stuffing their faces at the midway at K-Days, in search of this year’s hottest new deep fried item, or waxing philosophical over how the Taste of Edmonton could be so much better, I’m too busy living in my own little bubble to really get out there and see what is happening in our food community, or at least as much as I would like to.
Chef Paul: Older, wiser and what’s next
As my savings dwindled and the restaurant inched closer to opening I still didn’t fully understand what I was in for. The bills kept piling up and there were delays and more delays. I had hired some of my key people and had them doing anything and everything to keep them occupied. My home kitchen felt more like a production facility, as we tested recipes, canned product, and did the occasional catering in an attempt to pay the bills.
Chef Paul: A change of menu can be a good thing
After a few weeks of delay we managed to get the menu changed at the restaurant. While I would love to change it more often, it’s a daunting task to try to create 15-20 new dishes every few months. Well, that’s not entirely true. The creating is actually the most pleasurable part. Reading, researching, experimenting, failing, trying things over and over again, until we finally get it right, that’s the fun part. It’s the process that follows that I find draining.
Chef Paul: I love carbs - breads, grains, potatoes and pasta
There’s no doubt about it, I like carbs. Correction, I love carbs. That’s carbohydrates for those of you who need a little further explanation. Scientifically they are referred to as the sugars, starches and fibres found in fruits, grains, vegetables, and milk products. From a chef’s standpoint, I am referring to breads, grains, potatoes and pasta. I am blessed to not have any allergies, except for the occasional bout of hay fever.
Chef Paul: Raising a toast to an old friend
Over the course of cooking career it would be fair to guess that I have probably worked with a couple thousand industry people. That’s not all that surprising considering how transient our industry can be, with people coming and going seemingly as they please. I remember my first winter season working in Banff, as a young breakfast cook. In the first few weeks I would take the time to introduce myself to the new staff members as they were doing their orientation and training.
From my kitchen: Defining our cuisine
This week our nation marks a pretty monumental milestone, 150 years as a nation. While I would most definitely consider myself a proud Canadian, even brandishing the Canadian flag sewn to my backpack while travelling when I was younger, I don’t find myself all that excited about the benchmark. Maybe it’s all of the hype surrounding one big day. Maybe it’s the way it seems just about every company is trying to capitalize on the celebration with their own spin on it.
Chef Paul and a few fun cocktails
Summer is in the air, or sort of. While the weather has only been teasing us so far, with the occasional warm sunny day, followed by wind, rain or cool weather, yesterday marked the official arrival of summer, according to the calendar. With the kids only having a few days left of school, if any at all, our minds begin to shift to long lunch breaks on the patio, ducking out early on Friday afternoons, and making every weekend a long weekend. You’re not alone.
Chef Paul: We’ve come a long way
On Monday evening, in the large banquet hall of the Delta Edmonton South, fifteen of our region’s finest farmers and purveyors showcased their finest produce, paired alongside some of the city’s premiere restaurants, and some of western Canada’s best winemakers, craft brewers and distillers. It marked the 17th instalment of Indulgence, a Canadian epic of food and wine.
Chef Paul: Spending time in the garden
Growing up in a small town meant that having a garden was a must. It felt like everyone in my rural community had some patch behind their house converted into a garden. Some were small, but others were the size of football fields. Heck, they even had an entire building at the county fair dedicated to showcasing the best of the regions growers every September. There was fierce competition over who could grow the largest pumpkin or the longest gourd.
Chef Paul: Mistakes can happen in any kitchen- how they're handled is important
We made a mistake, a big one, and it had an impact on one of our regular guests. During the haste and chaos of a busy Saturday service one of our best people inadvertently garnished a dinner feature with crispy leek frite, a task he had already completed over a dozen times that night, because that’s what he was supposed to do. What did he do wrong? He forgot that this plate was intended for a guest who was a celiac.
Chef Paul: Eating lighter during the summer months
Spring is in the air, or at least it is trying to be. While the weather is not cooperating too much we have seen signs that the warmer weather is on it’s way. At the restaurant we have even had the chance to open the patio for a couple of days here and there. As the weather warms up though, it’s got most people thinking about bikini season, and as is usually the case at this time of year, we are seeing a change in the way people are eating.
Chef Paul: Springtime means time for foraging
The craft of foraging for our food is as old as time. Long before we were able to domesticate livestock and plant gardens, it was our ability to scour the land for our food that kept us alive. It often kept us lean and in good shape too. Now that we can drive to the 7-Eleven for a corn dog and a slurpee in between binge watching our favourite TV show our abilities to hunt, gather and fend for ourselves have been diminished.
Chef Paul: What a way to make a living
When I was young I remember spending a lot of time on the road with my mom. It seemed like we were always driving somewhere, mostly running from store to store to go grocery shopping. She was a coupon queen before they put people on TV shows for the talent. Frankly, she had to be. She managed a small nursing home, with about ten patients, and she was responsible for their well-being and making sure everyone was well fed, while also raising me.
Chef Paul: Why I don't like Easter
Consider this your warning. I am about to be a cynical old fart for a few moments. While some of you may not like it, bear with me, there may be a tasty recipe at the bottom, making it worth the read. Who knows, you might even get a laugh out of my ramblings while you’re at it. Now that you’ve been adequately warned, here we go.
Chef Paul: Never forget the value of loyalty
Over my time as a cook I have learned many things, some of which are practical skills, like soup-making, or preparing hollandaise, but today I find it is the business skills that I have acquired in recent years so valuable. I owe a great deal of what I do know today to my time working with Century Hospitality Group. Having spent the better part of ten years cooking when I joined the group, I thought I knew a great deal about being a chef.
Chef Paul: Spring is time for change
Spring is in the air, or at least it is supposed to be, and with the changing of the seasons comes the changing of the menu. While I do thoroughly enjoy the change and the excitement around a new menu, it is also no easy task to create twenty or so new dishes every 10-12 weeks. Simply creating new ideas and flavour combinations isn’t all that bad, it’s actually the most enjoyable part. It’s everything that comes with it.
Chef Paul: Time to embrace counter culture
As anyone who knows me knows, I have been a pretty vocal business owner against our government’s plan to increase the province’s minimum wage to $15/hour by October 2018. While some view my sentiment as being a greedy owner who wants to keep “all the profits” for myself, some have come to understand there is more to it than that.
Chef Paul: Little can prepare you for kitchen chaos
This past Monday marked the eleventh annual High School Culinary Challenge awards ceremony. Again this year, I had the pleasure of judging the competition, as well as taking part in the ceremony. With 17 schools participating this year the field was packed with talent and the caliber of food being presented was arguably the best we had seen. When the dust had settled and the marks were tallied the team that was crowned the winner was Jasper Place, for the third year in a row.
Chef Paul: We're a country of spoiled shoppers
I was strolling through the aisles of the neighbourhood grocery store a couple of weeks ago, trying to wrap my head around what to make the family for dinner. While I was struggling through the cook’s equivalent of writer’s block I got to thinking about just how much our eating habits have changed in the thirty or so years I can recall going to the grocery store.
Edmonton chef's daily grind
I will be the first to admit that the Food Network, reality TV, the internet and social media have done wonders for our industry as whole, but it has also done it’s fair share of damage. While the last twenty years or so has seen the transformation of the role of the chef into something of a star, it has also glorified to many what our role really entails.
Getting Out of the Valentine’s Day Doghouse
Right now you’re reading this from a cold, damp place, also known as the doghouse. Every time you turned on the radio or TV, or spent some time on social media over the past few weeks, there it was, that reminder that Valentine’s Day was coming and you better do something special this year. Despite the countless unsubtle reminders and hints from your loved one you managed to forget to make dinner plans, or pick her up something memorable on the big day.
Chef Paul: Edmonton finally blossoming as a culinary destination
I can think back to my first visit to Edmonton. The year was 1995. My father had left to move out west, following the love of his life, shortly after my departure for college. A few months later, sensing I was maybe struggling with the transition, he sent me a ticket to visit his new home, in the heart of Mill Woods. Having spent some time living in Montreal I had expected to arrive in Edmonton and see a bustling downtown and a vibrant city. Boy was I wrong.
Score a touchdown with fried chicken on Super Bowl Sunday
To the surprise of just about nobody outside of the United States, the first few days of President Trump’s time in office have sent that country into a whirlwind and has only further widened the divide. While some of us are already feeling the effects of his early choices, many of us are merely observers, watching the car wreck unfold, unable to look away. While I certainly don’t speak for everyone I can say that I think many of us are about ready for the rubber-necking to come to an end.
Never too old to learn new things
When I was young a cook, just starting out, an experienced chef I was working for once looked me and boldly said, “Young man, I have forgotten more about cooking than you’ll ever know!” At the time I took his statement as being quite arrogant and thought to myself “What did he know?”. As I look back now I have come to understand his statement in a bit of a different light. While he may have been speaking from a place of confidence in his own skills I choose to think differently.
Chef Paul: Time to get off the couch
After weeks of getting up early and hitting the gym, in an effort to not embarrass my wife too much while taking my shirt off while on vacation I am disappointed to say that nearly two weeks of overindulging has left me back at the starting point. I would be lying if I told you I was surprised with my current state.
Chef Paul: Facing the new year
Here we go again! The clock has struck twelve on the final day of 2016 and we have started another new calendar. Many of us use this time to reset our lives, be it in our personal life, or our professional. Perhaps it’s the skeptic or cynic in me but I have always found the idea of waiting for the first day of the year to change our bad habits a bit laughable. Why does it take the changing of the calendar to do so?
Fondest memories of Christmas
Having spent my entire adult life in the restaurant I would be the first to tell you that it has sullied my love for the holidays and the traditions that come with it. While colleagues, friends and family are getting together to share in the festive spirit, I, along with so many like me, are in the kitchen preparing the meals for those out celebrating.
This Holiday Season Give a Culinary Experience
A few weeks ago I shared my list of cookbooks for the wannabe chef on your holiday shopping list, but what if another cookbook just isn’t going to cut it for the foodie on your list? Maybe your partner might take insult to being given a cookbook. For some it might the equivalent of giving your wife a vacuum or worse, a treadmill for Christmas. Apparently those gifts aren’t quite as well-received as one with good intentions would believe them to be.
Remembering mom’s cooking
As we turned to the last page of the calendar things always got a little hairy in the Shufelt kitchen. Aside from decorating the house, wrapping all of the presents, and stuffing all of the stockings, mom always seemed to be feverishly working away in the kitchen. From preparing her holiday eggnog, to baking cookies, cakes and pies, it seemed like she spent the entire month of December at the stove. In the twenty years since I spent a holiday season at home things certainly have changed.
My Annual Holiday Cookbook List
Tomorrow the calendar turns to the final page of 2016, and if that doesn’t get you a little stressed out about the prospect of getting your holiday shopping list done in time, well, you’re in better shape than I. For some reason it never really seems like Christmas is imminent for me until we reach December, but when it does, it feels like the days fly by, leaving me in a panic to squeeze in all of the shopping and wrapping before the big day.
A Tragic Loss for Edmonton’s Food Community
Last Wednesday morning, as I scurried around the city, trying to catch up and run errands before a busy lunch, I received a phone call that truly shook me. It was a local TV station asking me to comment on the tragic loss of Gail Hall to Edmonton’s food community, after succumbing to an eight-year ordeal with breast cancer. Hearing that question stopped me in my tracks. As I sat in the parking lot of the grocery store I tried to find my words, something that doesn’t often happen to me.
One year since Workshop Eatery opened is reason to celebrate
This Saturday marks a very important milestone for me. A fter what can only be described as a whirlwind we are celebrating the restaurant’s one-year anniversary. While the past 12 months since opening day have flown by I can also tell you they have been some of the most challenging days of my life.
The Christmas in November Experience
Thanks in large part to the help of a good friend I was approached last spring about potentially taking part in the one of a kind experience that is Christmas in November, held every year at the breathtaking Jasper Park Lodge. Having been involved in the Edmonton food community for over a decade now I had obviously heard all about the wonderful ten day long event held each year, but had never had the opportunity to experience it for myself.
Cure your Halloween sugar hangover
There is no denying it, I was a weird kid growing up, at least when it came to Halloween. While other kids were spending hours making up fancy costumes, painting their faces, and going all out, I was content to go as a ghost, with a sheet over my head, or a hobo, something that didn’t require much thought. I didn’t really see much point in roaming around the neighbourhood asking relative strangers for candy. It was seldom that my mom even had to ask me if I was ready to go home.
Chef Paul: Drop the pumpkin spice latte!
I’m not quite sure who is to blame for the pumpkin spice phenomenon that has seemed to sweep through North America over the past few fall seasons, but you can’t go anywhere without running into some new gimmick taking advantage of the flavour. I’ve seen coffees, lattes, instant pudding, dog treats and even air fresheners. Seriously, who’s buying this junk?
Bringing your best to win Gold Medal Plates
As you read this column ten men and women are preparing their teams for an epic battle taking place at the Shaw Conference Centre tomorrow night to another instalment of Gold Medal Plates, a culinary competition and fundraiser in support of our Olympic athletes. What started out months ago as an exclusive invitation to compete and led to weeks, if not months of planning, creating, failing, and trying again, will culminate in tomorrow night’s showdown.
Edmonton critics, time put your money where your mouth is
It’s happened to all of us at some point in our career. We have rolled over in the morning, still in a fog of exhaustion from the previous night’s work, to find our phone ablaze with incoming messages, offering praise or condolences, depending on the scenario. Every chef has at some point, been caught off guard by a food review. While we know we are always subject to criticism and reviews, we never really know when it’s going to come.
Chef Paul: Giving thanks
Article Report an error Another long weekend is upon us and this one’s all about giving thanks. While the original intent of the day was to give thanks for the bounty of the harvest it has evolved as a reason to give thanks for all that we have, oh and to eat too much, watch some football and get a three day weekend. This year I am very thankful for all that I have been blessed with.
Chef Paul: It’s the most wonderful time to cook
If I didn’t make it clear last week, I really like this time of year. There is just something fantastic about the flavours found in fall vegetables that get me excited about cooking. That’s why it’s also hands down my favourite season to create a menu.
Chef Paul: Reach for the root vegetables this fall
There are no two ways about it. The leaves are turning, the days are getting shorter and there is that crisp feeling in the air. Fall is just about here and with that comes my favourite time of year for cooking. While I absolutely enjoy all of the fresh summer vegetables there is just something I have come to enjoy about cooking with root vegetables and gourds. Maybe it’s because they pair so nicely with game meats and braised items, another reason I love fall cooking.
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