Jason attended Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute in Ottawa acquiring a cuisine certificate and holds an inter-provincial “Red Seal” in cooking. With over 12 years in the industry, he has been involved in the opening of a number of restaurants, redesigning kitchens, and planning menus. Jason recently held the position of Executive Chef for a luxury resort company in British Columbia where he oversaw the creation and implementation of a standardized menu as well as publishing a cookbook. He’s gained considerable experience as a Chef and Sous Chef in fine dining, and began his varied career in many roles such as: cook, server, bartender, busboy, barista and yes, even the lowly dishwasher in numerous restaurants and cafes over the years.

Currently, Jason runs a consulting company that specializes in restaurant optimization, planning and design – implementing the latest in consumer trends to create incredible guest experiences in dining and catering. His complete set of skills ranges from developing the language around menus to food costing, equipment sourcing, supplier and vendor negotiations, wine education and staff training. This holistic approach to all aspects of the food and beverage industry is attributed to Jason’s wide and varied experience. Jason has an inherent ability to recognize the potential for improvement – valuing a common sense approach and insisting on doing it right as opposed to doing it right now.

Jason is particularly inspired by the West Coast's heavy Asian influence on cuisine and is interested in locally produced ingredients, especially the wide variety of seafood available here. He has ambition to develop a style of food that is tasty, innovative and, most importantly, healthy. The emphasis on organic, non-GMO foods is going to be stressed a lot in the next generation of Chefs and Jason is very much a part of that movement.

Check out Jason's website here.

John Gerum, local BC Wine Expert, has been creating custom consumer and trade wine classes for over ten years. He has developed and taught hour-long introductory wine classes and advanced wine seminars several months in duration to groups ranging from three to three hundred. He has a keen interest in wine education and enjoys helping consumers make more informed choices.

For twenty years John has worked in fine dining and luxury hotel management across Canada and the United States. His focus on wine education led him to obtain an Advanced Wine Certificate from the European based Luxury Forte Hotels in Toronto more than a decade ago. He was instructed by renowned Sommelier Andrew Laliberte, and has since been granted membership and certification from the International Sommelier Guild.

Son of a European chef, grandson of a Maitre'd, John grew up with an insider's appreciation of fine foods and wine. His natural curiosity led him to discover the pleasures and principles of pairing food and beverages for the most satisfying results. John has created wine lists and wine education programs for restaurants, hotels and trade centers across Canada, and has traveled and tasted extensively through the wine regions of Ontario, British Columbia and California.

We are excite to partner with his company West Coast Wine Education to bring some amazing events to the Well Seasoned kitchen.

Eventually, Jean returned to the work force full-time, pursuing her passion for textiles by working in the retail trade and becoming a seriously addicted quilter! After fifteen years, she was restless and looking for a change when the great opportunity to join the staff at Well Seasoned became available.  Her passion for cooking was rekindled!  There are so many more ingredients readily available now than when she first studied cooking. 

Jean loves experimenting by using the best ingredients to enhance the flavors of the freshest of local foods, and her husband loves the fact that they are eating better (and healthier) than ever.  She looks forward to learning and sharing with customers, cooks and the staff at Well Seasoned.

Brian created a competition barbeque team called House of Q and since the first contest they attended in 2005, they have accumulated a number of bbq awards both in Canada and the USA. The team has also been invited to attend some of the top competitions in the “home-land” of bbq, the deep south of USA.

Brian’s culinary work includes the BBQ Tip of the Week on Global TV BC, newspaper articles and has been published in cookbooks as well. At Well Seasoned Brian teaches during the summer the grilling and bbq classes while his indoor classes cover a number of topics including Cajun, beef or fish.

His philosophy on food is simple and that is to create tasty dishes but more importantly to share it with other people. There is nothing better than having a great time with good conversations and enjoying other peoples company while eating a tasty meal.

It was Corinne’s love for travel that initially lead her to start her working life in the travel industry. After moving to the Vancouver area she progressed into an at home sales career while raising her daughter Kassandra along with hubby, BBQ Brian. She loves to encourage Brian’s passion for cooking and highly enjoys playing the food critic when he is creating something new.

Now by putting her skills and past experience together, Corinne is excited to have joined the Well Seasoned team and working with Angie to bring Culinary Tourism to the Fraser Valley. “We live in such an amazing place with so much to offer. From the fantastic local farms to the award winning wineries. Even I am blown away by the variety we have right here in our own backyard. I look forward to helping create a new culinary experience that both locals and tourists will love.”

My mom taught me and my brothers and sisters to cook at a young age, and the rest I taught myself. Out of all the things mom taught me, cooking was the bomb. At the time I thought that it was just another chore, it wasn't until I married and aged that I realized how important it was, and how many friends you can make by simply cooking a good meal! My husband was not a foodie person when I met him, but now is totally conformed, and my son was a foodie from birth.

I love anything food related - recipes, blogs, cookware, gadgets, appliances and most of all cookbooks. My collection of books is into the hundreds, and magazines aren't far behind. Food excites me - looking at pictures of food, talking about food, cooking and reading about it. A major passion that I tried to suppress, but it just kept rearing its wonderful delicious head.

I love cooking for my friends, and mentally know every meal I have ever cooked. I never repeat a meal twice for company. I don't usually create my own recipes, although for two years I worked at a poultry/delicatessen shop where I created soups and pot pies, and salads for them. I just find there are so many amazing recipes out there I don't need to spend the added effort trying to create my own.

I feel like I have landed the perfect job in being able to work at Well Seasoned. Angie is an amazing boss, and the staff is so wonderful, helpful and giving, they feel like old friends!

Jaclyn Carmichael(Well Seasoned Foodie)
Jaclyn's passion for cooking began at a young age when her mother gave her bowls of random ingredients and let her learn about what went well together and what didn't through trial and error. The flame was quickly ignited and she soon graduated from her Easy Bake oven to becoming a personal chef and wedding cake artist during her teenage years. Jaclyn decided to study business at University, much to the chagrin of those who had placed bets that she’d attend culinary school. However, even while in the midst of an intense course load, Jaclyn looked for every opportunity she could find to play in the kitchen and entertain friends...even if it meant roasting a chicken at 3am!

Jaclyn is thrilled to be part of the Well Seasoned team and united with her first love – cooking! She is looking forward to learning from all of the amazing chefs and swapping tips with other foodies. When she isn’t at Well Seasoned Jaclyn can be found teaching people about money, while sneaking in a few cooking conversations along the way if given the opportunity!