Cart
Each month we feature a Chef of Chef Works®. If you’re a fan of Chef Works gear and are interested in being featured, email marketing@chefworks.ca. Pictured above is our Chef of Chef Works this month, Chef Erica Karbelnik, Chef & Co-Owner of Karbs Catering and Private Events, in her Hartford Chef Coat.
Chef Works: Give us your “a-ha” moment when you wanted to be a chef…
Erica Karbelnik: To be honest, this was a very long time ago. I have always loved cooking. Since I was about 4 years old and watching every Food Network show out there. I never knew that being a professional chef was a real job. I thought it was something you only did on TV.
When I started dating my boyfriend, who is now my husband, he had always wanted to be a chef. He was working in different apprenticeships and finally landed a co-op at Mark McEwan’s, North 44. I made him dinner one night, and he said to me…”you love to cook, why not try it in a professional kitchen.” So, I took his advice and got an apprenticeship through my high school. I started doing a co-op at ONE Restaurant.
This may have been my true “a-ha” moment. When I saw the beautiful plates, the unique ingredients, how the kitchen brigade worked and how they handled themselves, I knew this was where I was supposed to be. I fell in love with working on the line and making beautiful plates, tasting food I had never tasted before and watching these chefs come up with creations I didn’t think I could ever think of.
Chef Works: What’s the most rewarding part about your job?
Erica Karbelnik: When there is a table full of people talking and laughing, and the food comes, and they take their first bite, and everyone is silent. This means they are enjoying it. This means a job well done. This gives me satisfaction and feels rewarding.
I also love teaching. To have someone who wants to learn and grow, and you can show them the ways of the kitchen, the methods of making dishes and utilizing ingredients is so rewarding. The key to being a great chef is not just cooking but being able to teach while you do it. I will never stop learning and am truly grateful to those who have taught me.
Chef Works: Best anecdote from the kitchen?
Erica Karbelnik: I will never forget, when I was just starting in the kitchen, as a garde manger cook, I was terrified of what I had gotten myself into. The chef that was training me was pregnant and had to go home for the day. I was alone on this station that I had only been trained on a few times. It was the middle of summer, and it was busy! The chits started flowing in, and I got so overwhelmed. I was just learning how to read chits and make plates at the same time. It was so intimidating.
The executive chef saw me and my anxiety. Rather than coming over and yelling at me, he came over and helped. He showed me chit-by-chit, how to read them, and how to make multiple dishes at the same time. He took time with me and guided me through an insanely busy service. It was amazing to work side by side with him. He showed me firsthand what it was to be a chef, how to teach, be patient and direct. This really shaped me into how I teach to this day.
Art of plating by Chef Erica
Chef Works: If you could cook for one person – alive, dead, historical or fictional – who would it be, and what would you cook for them?
Erica Karbelnik: I’d love to cook for Anthony Bourdain. May he rest in peace. I would invite him into my home and cook a good home meal. My Moroccan flavours, tagine, couscous and some braised meat. Just good food. He loved simple meals. Also, having a conversation with him over some pita and dips with a beautiful mint tea. This would be who I’d want to cook for.
Chef Works: Your all-time favourite culinary tip…
Erica Karbelnik: KISS – Keep it simple stupid. Don’t overthink. Just do.
Chef Works: What’s something about you that would surprise people?
Erica Karbelnik: I am an open book. What you see is what you get. But I guess if I had to choose one, my guilty pleasure is McDonald’s. I love McDonald’s. My husband and I try to visit one wherever we travel to.
Chef Works: How does your culinary uniform make you feel?
Erica Karbelnik: My uniform is my badge. It’s my armour. When I put on my chef jacket, I feel strong, determined and powerful. It gives me the confidence to be unstoppable in the kitchen.
To learn more about Chef Erica Karbelnik and Karbs Catering & Private Events, visit her online profiles:
- Website: https://www.karbscatering.ca/
- Facebook: Karbs Catering & Private Events
- Instagram: @bringonthekarbs and @ChefEricaK
- LinkedIn: Chef Erica Karbelnik
*Chef Erica portrait by The Six Co, Josh Tenn-Yuk