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authority records
Chef

Bush, Michelle

  • CA-BC-BM029
  • Person
  • fl. 1987-2018

Michelle Bush is a longtime figure in the Whistler arts scene, having worked as a stand-up comedian, actress, writer, columnist, filmmaker, producer, retailer, playwright, performance artist, chef, decorator, event organizer, impresario, bartender, village host, and food van driver. She is also known for founding the Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment (AWARE) in 1988.

Her performances include "By The Time Cupid Got To Whistler He Was Drunk," "Scrooge Was Right!" and "Maxine and Blair's High School Reunion."

Walt, James

  • CA-BC-WJ002
  • Person
  • fl. 1989-present

James Walt is a renowned Whistler chef and the current head of Il Caminetto Restaurant. He has been cooking since the age of 12, when he got his first job at a family friend's restaurant in Kanata, Ontario. Walt graduated from the Stratford Chefs School in 1991 and worked at restaurants in various places including Switzerland and Los Angeles. He arrived in Whistler in 1997, at which point he became Executive Chef at Araxi. Walt would hold this position for the next two decades, taking brief interludes to work at other locations such as Sooke Harbour House and Blue Water Cafe in Vancouver, the Canadian embassy in Rome, and the James Beard House in New York City. He is the only Whistlerite ever to cook at the latter restaurant, and has done so on three occasions. In 2017, Walt became the Executive Chef at Il Caminetto, though he also oversees Araxi, The Cellar by Araxi, and Bar Oso.

Walt has been voted best chef in Whistler by Pique Newsmagazine, inducted into the BC Restaurant Hall of Fame (2011), and been the Celebrity Chef in Residence at Stratford Chefs School (2017). He is a great supporter of local produce, working closely with Sea-to-Sky farmers to select the finest ingredients for his restaurants. He has authored several cookbooks. Walt currently lives in Squamish.

Young, Jeffery

  • CA-BC-YJ001
  • Person
  • fl. 1987-present

Jeffery Young was the executive chef of the Westin Resort and Spa from 2008 to 2011. Before coming to Whistler, he had graduated with top marks from the Vancouver Community College in 1990, completed an apprentice program at the Pan Pacific Hotel, and worked for ten years as a hotel chef in Halifax, Winnipeg, Toronto, Vancouver, and Tofino. A Red Seal Certified chef, he had received 19 culinary medals, been named British Columbia's Chef of the Year, and participated in competitions such as the 1987 World Culinary Arts Festival and the 2008 Culinary Olympics, by the time of his appointment to the Westin. Although classically trained in French cuisine, he has been influenced by his colleagues from around the world to create his own unique West Coast style of cooking. He prefers to use local B.C. produce whenever possible. Young has since moved on to work in the Vancouver area.