‘Good food makes people happy’
Bred in Dijon’s culinary scene, Emmanuel Joinville finds joy in preparing B.C.’s seafood
Born and raised in Dijon, France, chef Emmanuel Joinville learned his first culinary lessons under the tutelage of his mother. His professional career began as an apprentice at Rene Villard’s restaurant Chateau Bourgogne in Dijon, where he would later open his first French bistro. Today, Vancouver’s Jules Bistro is the embodiment of Joinville’s seasoned career as a French chef. Q What motivates and inspires you as a chef?
A The look on my guests’ faces and reactions after experiencing my food. I love to make people happy and good food makes people happy. I am lucky to be able to provide that for my guests.
How would you describe the type of food you like to cook?
I enjoy cooking traditional food with a personal twist, using local, fresh ingredients and creating dishes around the ingredients.
What might diners not know about you?
Jules Bistro is celebrating our 11th anniversary this year and for the past 11 years I have been at the restaurant at 7 a.m. doing all the preps personally.
Describe a couple of your most recent creations.
I received beautiful local pink scallops from my supplier recently and I prepared the pink scallops with garlic butter and serrano ham. It was part of my daily features.
What’s your favourite local product and how do you use it?
Albacore tuna jig — caught from northern Pacific B.C. waters, purchased from Coastline Market. Because it’s so fresh, I don’t like to get too complicated, so I have been featuring it on our happy-hour menu as tuna tartare or sashimi style.
If there’s one important piece of advice you might have for cooks, what might that be?
Never forget salt and pepper. Always taste while cooking.