The driving culinary force behind Cactus Restaurants Ltd., the award-winning collection of twenty one casual fine dining restaurants in BC and Alberta, Rob Feenie is also one of Canada’s most recognized and celebrated chefs.

At Cactus Restaurants, Chef Feenie leads the culinary team, blending his talent for creating elegant, globally inspired cuisine with his passion for simple dishes using fresh, local ingredients. During Chef Feenie’s tenure, the restaurant group has been named “Best Casual Chain” for four straight years at the annual Vancouver Magazine Restaurant awards, a reflection of the influence he has had on the evolution of Cactus’ menu selections and its commitment to sourcing the best fresh, local and sustainable products wherever possible.

Growing up in Burnaby, BC, Chef Feenie first developed a curiosity for international cuisine over countless traditional family dinners at his Japanese neighbours’ home. This early experience was followed by a high school exchange program where he was first introduced to European chefs and techniques. At 20, Chef Feenie attended the Dubrulle Culinary Institute in Vancouver and upon graduating, became a Sous-chef in some of Western Canada’s top restaurants, notably Le Crocodile, Cherry Stone Cove in Vancouver, and The Rim Rock Café in Whistler.

While at Le Crocodile he began a series of work and educational trips, or stages, throughout Europe and North America, starting in Alsace with Chef Emile Jung at Au Crocodile and Chef Antoine Westermann at Le Buerehiesel, both Michelin three-star rated restaurants. In North America he worked with Chef Charlie Trotter, at Trotter's Restaurant in Chicago, and Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten at Jean-Georges in New York.

In 1995 Chef Feenie opened the internationally celebrated Lumière Restaurant in Vancouver, followed by Lumière Tasting Bar and then Feenie's, a more casual Canadian Bistro, next door to Lumière, in 2003. Throughout his career, Chef Feenie has secured international culinary recognition, including: the coveted Relais Gourmand and Traditions et Qualitè designations, in addition to the Mobil Travel Guide four-stars designation and the AAA Five Diamond Award. In 2009 and 2011, Chef Feenie also won the Vancouver Gold Medal Plates competition.

Chef Feenie has published three cookbooks: Rob Feenie Cooks at Lumière, Lumière Light, and Feenie’s and will be publishing a fourth cookbook in 2012. He also starred on New Classics with Chef Rob Feenie on Food Network Canada for five seasons. In 2005 Feenie became the first Canadian to win on the popular television show Iron Chef America by defeating Chef Masaharu Morimoto.

Graham Kerr
Formerly known as: The Galloping Gourmet

Graham Kerr is an internationally known culinary and television personality, award-winning author, and master of metaphorical speaking. His focus is on serving people who want to make healthy, creative, lifestyle changes and believes that the only lasting changes are the ones that we enjoy. His life goal is “to help to convert habits that harm into resources that heal both for ourselves and others in need.”

From January 1996 through April 2000, Graham was an Editor at Large for Cooking Light, the world’s most widely circulated Epicurean magazine with a readership of 5.7 million.

Graham Kerr has been an established television personality since 1960. He has aired over 1,800 programs including broadcasts in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Asia, Africa, United Kingdom, and Europe. Many of his programs are still airing on PBS, and other locations throughout the world through syndication.

Graham’s Current Goals:

Help to increase US consumption of fruit and vegetables by 300% to 9 servings per day.
Help to reduce portion sizes to safe “reasonable” levels.
Promote the idea of converting habits that harm into resources that heal.

>> Read more on Graham Kerr

Dale Mackay
Ensemble Restaurant - Top Chef Canada Contender

Chef Dale MacKay has been the culinary tour de force at Lumière since arriving in Vancouver from New York City in 2007. Dale earned the coveted Grand Chef Relais & Chateaux status – the youngest of just 160 Grand Chefs on five continents when the honour was bestowed. At an early age, Dale was hand-picked by Chef Gordon Ramsay to work at Claridge's in London, then at the three-Michelin-starr Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London and later at the Conrad Tokyo Hotel. He was also Executive Sous chef at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay at The London NYC Hotel where his talents contributed to their two-Michelin-star rating. In hindsight, Dale believes that his culinary experiences were predestined for Lumière - that all roads led him to the abundance of fresh seafood, produce and artisanal ingredients that inspire him daily.

Airs Monday nights at 10pm on Food Network Canada

Connie DeSousa
Charcut Roast House - Top Chef Canada Contender

Chef Connie DeSousa is Co-Executive Chef and Co-Owner of CHARCUT Roast House in Calgary, recently named by enRoute Magazine as one of Canada’s Best New Restaurants in 2010. Connie began her culinary career after earning a Le Cordon Bleu Paris certificate in Ottawa and graduating on the Dean's List with honours from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology Culinary program. She competed for Alberta in the 2004 World Culinary Olympics, worked at Taku Restaurant in Koln, Germany, helped open the Mobil 5-Star St. Regis Hotel in San Francisco, and trained and staged at restaurants including three-Michelin-Star restaurant Jean Georges and Chef Michael Tusk's Quince Restaurant. Prior to the CHARCUT Roast House debut last year, Connie worked at Alice Waters' Chez Panisse in Berkley, California. Connie credits her formal ballet training for the discipline, creativity and stamina it takes to be a chef.

Chef Poyan Danesh
Chef - Culinary Vision & Frobisher Int.

Chef Poyan has been heavily involved in the BC culinary scene since graduating top of his class at VCC. Culinary competitions and volunteering for charity organizations are Poyan’s passions. Poyan is currently chef of Culinary Vision and Culinary Development Chef for Frobisher Int.

He is one of 4 chefs that have been chosen to represent Canada in the World Culinary Olympics in Germany 2012. The Team just recently came home with two gold medals and 5th place overall at the World Culinary Cup in Luxembourg. He was also honored with the position of Captain of the Olympic Culinary Team of BC where he led them to a 4th place finish at the World Culinary Olympics in Germany October of 2008. Poyan was also a member of Culinary Team Canada competing in Basel 2005, Luxembourg 2006, and in Chicago 2007 with a second place finish. He currently sits on the Board of Directors as Vice President of the BC Chefs association.

Poyan was featured on the Global series “Canada’s Next Great Chef” as BC’s culinary representative where he placed 4th in the country. Poyan has also won the honor of being BC’s apprentice of the year and has won many Grand Gold championships at regional competitions around the city. He has also been awarded the Top in Trades award by the Province newspaper and was named one of Vancouver’s rising stars by the Vancouver Sun.

Chef Ryan Marquis
Executive Chef - Delta Bessborough, Saskatoon

Chef Ryan Marquis began his successful career in the culinary arts in 1993. I attended Canadore College and have successfully completed a culinary appentership at Chateau lake louise. Over the past 17 years he has worked at several of the most amazing operations to include Delta Beausejour, Fairmont Chateau Frontenace the Marriott Seaview Resort and Spa and for the past 4 years I am the Executive Chef at the Delta Bessborough

Over the years Chef Ryan has continues to invest time is his development as well as that of his teammates.

He was a gold medal recipient in Quebec Food Festival, a member for two years of
New Brunswick provincial Culinary Team and represented Canada at Oklahoma State University Chef Invitational Challenge.

Ryan believes that food should be humble, stunning and excellent in flavor. One-catch phrases he uses quit often “simple great tasting food”.

View the EAT! Vancouver 2011 Festival stage schedule, posted here. For your convenience, a complimentary festival guide is provided at the show with the stage schedule included.