Dale MacKay

Dale MacKay
MacKay in 2014
Born
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Culinary career
Current restaurant(s)
  • Little Grouse on the Prairie, Saskatoon
    Avenue, Regina
Previous restaurant(s)
  • ensemble, Vancouver (2011-2012)
    ensembleTap, Vancouver (2011-2012)
    Home Slice Pizza Shoppe, Saskatoon (2015-2016)
    Ayden Kitchen and Bar, Saskatoon (2013-2023)
    Sticks and Stones, Saskatoon (2017-2023)
    F&B Restaurant, Saskatoon (2023-2024)
Television show(s)

Dale MacKay is a Canadian chef and the winner of the first season of Top Chef Canada in 2011.[1]

MacKay first entered the food industry as a fry cook in Vancouver, British Columbia. In the early 2000s, he moved to London, England, where he got a job at Gordon Ramsay's Claridge's, later moving to other Ramsay restaurants in London, Tokyo and New York City.[1] He later became executive chef at Daniel Boulud's Lumière restaurant in Vancouver, following the departure of Rob Feenie from the establishment in 2007, until its closure in 2011.[2]

He opened his own pair of restaurants, ensemble and ensembleTap, in 2011. He won the Top Chef Canada title soon afterward, investing his prize money in the venues, but closed them in 2012 after determining that rental costs in downtown Vancouver were too expensive for them to become profitable.[3]

He made a return appearance on Top Chef Canada in 2013, acting as sous chef to third season finalist Danny Francis.

In early 2013, MacKay announced that he was returning to his hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to open a new restaurant.[4] The restaurant, named Ayden Kitchen & Bar, opened on November 15, 2013 and operated until July 8, 2023.[5][6][7] He is currently the owner of two restaurants: Little Grouse on the Prairie (Italian) in Saskatoon,[8] and Avenue Restaurant in Regina.[9] He also owned three other restaurants in Saskatoon: Sticks and Stones (Korean),[10][7] F&B Restaurant,[11][12] and Home Slice Pizza Shoppe.[8]

MacKay competed on the second season of Iron Chef Gauntlet, where he was eliminated in the second round.[13]

In 2019 he began appearing as a rotating judge on the BBQ competition series Fire Masters, which airs in Canada on Food Network and in the US on Cooking Channel.

In 2020 he appeared as a judge on the Food Network competition series Wall of Chefs.

In early 2023 it was announced that MacKay will compete against 15 other chefs from around the world in a Top Chef series titled “The Best In the Globe,” with episodes set in London and a finale in Paris.

  1. ^ a b "Former Vancouver fry cook wins Top Chef Canada". CBC News. July 5, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  2. ^ Smith, Charlie (February 27, 2011). "Lumiere and db Bistro Moderne restaurants will close on March 13". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  3. ^ Da Silva, Michelle (August 27, 2012). "Chef Dale MacKay closes ensemble and ensembleTap restaurants". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  4. ^ Da Silva, Michelle (February 15, 2013). "Vancouver chef Dale MacKay to open new restaurant in Saskatoon". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  5. ^ "Top Chef opening local spot". The StarPhoenix. Postmedia Network. May 21, 2013. Archived from the original on January 25, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  6. ^ Stainsby, Mia (November 15, 2013). "Dale MacKay opens Ayden Kitchen and Bar". The Vancouver Sun. Postmedia Network. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Sticks and Stones, Ayden Kitchen and Bar serving their last meals". CBC News. May 21, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  8. ^ a b MacPherson, Alex (February 18, 2016). "Dale MacKay is changing the way Saskatoon eats". The StarPhoenix. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
  9. ^ "Top Chef winner opens 1st Regina restaurant". CBC News. June 6, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  10. ^ MacPherson, Alex (February 2, 2017). "Dale MacKay group to make third Saskatoon restaurant a family affair". The StarPhoenix. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
  11. ^ Rice, Don (September 26, 2023). "Top Chef Dale MacKay opens F&B Restaurant with constantly changing Saskatchewan fare". The StarPhoenix. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  12. ^ "Join us tonight for our last service!". F&B Restaurant - Instagram. September 28, 2024. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  13. ^ "Saskatoon's Dale MacKay to compete on 'Iron Chef Gauntlet' cooking show". CBC News. March 4, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2018.