Chef David Hawksworth gave culinary students the inside-the-rope tour of his prestigious dining spot in Vancouver
It was just a normal Monday for most students at Matthew McNair secondary, but not for my culinary arts program peers and myself.
We showed up to school in formal attire, in preparation for our highly anticipated student luncheon at Hawksworth Restaurant at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia in Downtown Vancouver.
From the outside, the restaurant appeared quite small. Once we entered, however, we could see it had many rooms and that the interior design is lavish, definitely something out of the ordinary.
We were led up to the the York Room, a private dining room with fanciful decorations. Several 1920s-styled chandeliers made the face of the ceiling vibrant and the paintings on the walls were simple but powerful.
There was a true sense of soul in the room and how special that it was reserved, just for us.
We were greeted with friendly service from the experienced crew. They made us feel like we belonged. We learned about the history of the exquisite York Room and about the awards the Hawksworth Restaurant has received over the years.
Eventually, we were greeted by chef David Hawksworth himself, who took some time out of his day to talk to us about his history as a culinary enthusiast and his new restaurant “Nightingale,” located on West Hastings St.
I asked when he realized that culinary was “his thing.”
We were treated to an engaging story about how he started working in a beach house after school, and, after around six months to a year, he recognized that cooking was his passion. When asked what was the worst dish he’d ever made, he told a comical beach house tale about how, one time, he had accidentally left a pan of six ducks roasting in the oven for six to seven hours.
We then talked about employment opportunities, as the advice he gave for young employees was primarily focused around having a great attitude.
He detailed how in the kitchen, a “can do” attitude is a must, and that being happy and motivated is the best trait a chef can have.
Chef Hawksworth noted that his motivation in becoming a chef was that desire to be the best that he could be, and that he wanted to excel in what he did, and not just be a number.
When it came to the coolest opportunities chef Hawksworth has had through his cooking success, he said that it definitely had to be the association with Air Canada’s Business Class.
It was phenomenal that he took some time to talk to us, as he’s a busy man.
Our time to take a tour came and we were very excited. Initially learning about the Art Room, one of the dining areas in the restaurant, we were very surprised to learn that one of the beautiful paintings was worth about $5 million.
We were shown the Wine Room, and the huge collection of wine, with some of the wine being from the 1930s. Next up was the kitchen. Each of the workers in the kitchen had personal screens with orders.
The lighting and equipment in the kitchen was excellent. It was interesting being in another kitchen, after being in our kitchen for our culinary arts program for so long.
Our last room on the tour was the bar, where there was a very slick-looking piece of art. This piece had real, dead butterflies and a hint of diamond as well.
This piece was worth around $90,000. Also in the bar room, a certain bottle of alcohol was valued at $90,000. By the time we finished our tour, we realized just how valuable all the things in this restaurant were, and I don’t think any of us would’ve expected anything less.
After the tour, it was time to eat. Things started out with a set of olive baguettes, which had a sweet, tangy taste and were overall pretty good.
Our first course came, and it was the pickled watermelon salad, which included burrata cheese, arugula leaves, lemon, and pistachios. It was a very unique dish. I’m not a salad eater myself, but I was very surprised when I took a bite.
The aromatic leaves tasted fresh, and overall the dish felt light, but filling. The taste of the watermelons was not as strong as a usual watermelon, which just amplified the senses of the other components of the salad. The burrata cheese was very good and it provided that calming sense to the salad. It was a fairly enjoyable dish.
Next up was the chicken roulade, which came with aerated grits, roasted mushrooms and sherry. The chicken itself was brilliant.
It had a defined texture and a delicate taste. The onions that came with the dish were portioned out perfectly, and the aerated grits were very creamy and had a light taste, which added to the dish.
The roasted mushrooms were wonderful as well, as they provided a stern sensation to the dish. Overall, the chicken roulade was an unbelievable dish.
For our dessert, we were served a meyer lemon tart, with yogurt sorbet and macerated strawberry. The plate that the dish was served on was particularly large compared to the contents on the plate, but I understand the reasoning behind the amount of dessert served.
Although the dish was fairly small, it was very strong. All of the components of the dish created a very nice blend of sweet and sour, with strong elements.
The lemon tart had its own tanginess, but piled with the sorbet and strawberries, it created a sensation that would be hard to replicate — definitely a highlight of the whole dining experience.
The combination of the engaging time spent with chef Hawksworth, the informative tour of the restaurant and the kitchen, the amazing food and decor, the politeness and overall professionalism of the servers made the entire visit to Hawksworth a noteworthy one.
It was a trip that taught us about being a professional in the culinary field, what it means to make great food, how to improve our cooking and that, someday, if one of us wants to become a chef and restaurateur, we, too, can strive to own a world-renowned restaurant such as chef Hawksworth.
Hawksworth Restaurant pastry chef Wayne Kozinko’s meyer lemon tart recipe:
Pastry:
500g sugar
750g pastry flour
750g bread flour
5g salt
1,000g butter, unsalted, cold, half-inch diced
2 eggs, lightly whisked
Combine dry items and sift. In electric mixer with paddle attachment, add cold butter and work to a crumble. Switch to dough hook, add eggs and knead to combine. Chill overnight.
Press pastry into shell shape in a mold or tart pan. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 315F until starting to turn golden.
Lemon curd:
Yield: 1,650 Gm
500g lemon juice
5 lemons, zested
310g egg yolk
310g eggs
275g sugar
300g butter, soft
1 gelatin sheet, bloomed
Combine sugar and zest; rub to draw oil from zest. Combine eggs, yolks, sugar and juice, cook to 85C using a candy thermometer over baine marie or over very low heat. Remove from heat and cool to 45 C, then add bloomed gelatin. Using stick blender, add butter; strain and chill until set.
Fill tart shells with lemon curd. Decorate with a cross of lemon zest, if you like.
