Championing tasty, honest food
L’Abattoir’s Lee Cooper uses complementary components with delicious results
One of the more creative culinary minds in Vancouver, chef Lee Cooper helms the L’Abattoir kitchen with consistently great food.
After doing stages at some Michelin-starred restaurants in the U.S. and Europe, he cooked at The Pear Tree, and Market by Jean-Georges before taking the lead at L’Abattoir. There, he creates relatable, modern food.
Q What motivates and inspires you as a chef? A
Our staff. We have a fantastic brigade of young cooks at L’Abattoir who are eager to learn and to cook exciting, delicious food. Each of these team members needs to be motivated and to be given a reason to continue working with us, so it’s important that they see a commitment from me in order to feel like they’re moving forward in their own careers.
How would you describe the type of food you like to cook?
Tasty, satisfying and honest.
What might diners not know about you?
I am a member of the Hupacasath First Nation, which is one of the bands that make up the Nuu-chahnulth people of Vancouver Island.
Describe a couple of your most recent creations.
I try to cook food with logical, complementary components. I think it’s important for our guests to be able to recognize what they’re eating, and to enjoy it without being challenged to like the food in front of them.
I recently worked on a frozen cheese custard dish that’s served with some stone fruit we canned in jars last summer, as well as thyme and candied pumpkin seeds (I’m super allergic to nuts so I often use pumpkin seeds in their place). I used Brillat-Savarin, which is a soft cow’s milk cheese from France. The custard portion is made with an unsweetened ice cream base and frozen in an ice cream maker.
What’s your favourite local product and how do you use it?
Dungeness crab. I like to eat it at home prepared simply — steamed and eaten from the shells, with garlic butter and lemon.
If there’s one important piece of advice you have for cooks, what might that be?
Go all in. Swing for the fences. Eat out late. Go to all the parties and have all the fun. Immerse yourself in the life of a cook, and remember that you get out what you put in to this profession. If you truly commit to being the best you can be, it’ll be a rewarding career where you can find success in many different ways. Surround yourself with people who are exceptional and emulate the qualities they have that you desire for yourself.
The early years as a chef can be a struggle, but when you look back they’ll be some of the best ones you’ve ever had.