THE NOMAD DINNER CLUB
Celebrity chefs to host pop-up dinners
With new restaurants struggling to stay afloat in the downturned economy, an Alberta-based chef has come up with a novel way to appeal to this province’s knowledgeable foodies.
The Nomad Dinner Club is an exclusive four-part, pop-up dinner series featuring celebrity chefs that will run in both Calgary and Edmonton.
“(This) is a province that is very unique to the rest of the country when it comes to food. It has a dedicated, educated foodie population that loves and cherishes the moments around a table, eating good food, with the people you love and care about,” said Travis Petersen. “(They) love their pop-up dinners and are a dedicated bunch to the chefs they watch on TV.”
He would know. Petersen made it to the top 40 on MasterChef Canada Season 3, and works as a private chef through his business The Nomadcook. He’s hosted five pop-up dinners in five cities across Canada and more than 48 private dinner parties. Of the 98 events he did in 2017, more than 60 per cent were in Alberta.
Wanting to put down roots somewhere where food is appreciated and celebrated, Petersen was drawn back to Alberta.
“The winters are long and cold here and don’t offer the same opportunities that Vancouver and Toronto and Montreal do. This only helps build the value of sitting around a table sharing laughs and great food. If you look at other cultures in Europe or Asia, large family dinners spent together are an important building block of their society. Alberta is the closest I’ve seen of any place in Canada that shares that same value. I host a family dinner every Sunday and because my family doesn’t live here, I have an open-door policy with all my friends. Anyone is welcome to come join; just bring some good stories and bottle of wine.”
Petersen and his partner David Rojek are launching the dinner series in March with club members sitting down to four dinners over the year, headed up by a TV star chef. The $1,200 member- ship gives access to the chef, and features a one-of-a-kind menu, new Okanagan wines, local craft beers, as well as a personalized recipe from each chef. Members will also have chances to win prizes throughout the four dinners.
The location of the four dinners is a carefully guarded secret and Petersen is working with a design company to revamp each location to reflect that night’s featured chef.
Marketing it as an exclusive club, Petersen said only 40 memberships will be sold in each city, but members can split their four nights with family or friends.
In Calgary, the first dinner is March 4 with chef Silvia Barban (Top Chef USA Season 14). Born and raised in northern Italy, Barban now lives in New York where she creates Italian dishes at LaRina Pastificio & Vino, which she co-owns. After Calgary, she’ll head up the highway for a second popup dinner for club members in Edmonton on March 6.
Petersen says diners really started to become interested in the creation of food, especially that of other cultures, when cooking shows and reality TV competitions burst onto the small screen.
“Before The Food Network came along, the everyday person had very little knowledge of other cultures’ food, fancy cooking ter--
minology and who the best chefs are.... These cooking shows allow people to feel a connection with the chef. We feel we know them even though we’ve never met.”
Now, Petersen says, his dinner club takes that a step further.
“(It) offers diners a chance to meet these chefs and interact with themin ways not possible before.... We are not just about the chef coming to cook, but the entire experience.”