| Duncan Ly, Executive Chef with the Hotel Arts Group, is one of a growing list of talented young chefs in Western Canada making some great advances in Calgary’s culinary scene. Duncan has some solid Alberta roots with a childhood spent in Lethbridge, AB but he embarked on his culinary career after he make the trek to the West Coast in search of new adventures. Duncan picked a notable venue to kick off his career by joining the team at the Wickaninnish Inn, a Relais Chateau property located in Tofino. After a three year stint at the Wickaninnish Inn morphing from a Prairie boy into a West Coast Chef, Duncan moved to Vancouver to continue his craft at the highly acclaimed restaurant Diva. While at Diva, Duncan honed his skills under the mentorship of Chef Michael Noble, completing a three-year apprenticeship while pursuing his culinary studies at Vancouver College where he finished with top honors. The opening of Catch Restaurant in Calgary in May of 2002 provided Duncan with the perfect opportunity to rejoin his family in Alberta and continue working with Chef Noble. Duncan worked as a senior line cook for a year in Catch’s Dining Room before being promoted to Restaurant Chef, which he held for over two years. During the time at Catch, he helped Chef Noble’s team earn the praises of enRoute Magazine which heralded Catch as Canada’s Best New Restaurant. Feeling the need to round out his skills to handle larger banquet operations, Duncan accepted the Executive Chef position for the opening of the new Elbow River Casino. Duncan was directly involved with the concept and the design of the kitchen operations and successfully led a brigade of 25 cooks. With hard work and determination Duncan took the cuisine to new levels. With the wisdom of another successful opening under his belt, Duncan took on the role of Executive Chef of Hotel Arts, spearheading its transformation into Calgary’s first boutique property and a notable venue in Calgary’s emerging culinary scene. He overhauled the banquet kitchen and built a state-of-the-art facility to accommodate large groups in the new 9,500 sq ft Spectrum Ballroom. He also opened Raw Bar at Hotel Arts, a contemporary restaurant with Pacific-Rim influenced cuisine, an award-winning cocktail program and the only poolside patio dining in Calgary during the summer months. Raw Bar showcases Chef Ly’s dynamism with weekend four-course tasting menus with wine pairings which change weekly. In 2008, Duncan Ly opened Chef’s Table at Kensington Riverside Inn and Olives Restaurant in the arriVa Tower near the Stampede. Chef’s Table is an intimate 40-seat restaurant specializing in multi-course tasting menus and fine dining. Olives is a large 200 seat restaurant, lounge and deli showcasing innovative Italian Cuisine in a bustling contemporary environment. With his recruits, Theo Yeaman and Johnathan Canning running the kitchens at these venues, Chef’s Table and Olives quickly won their share of accolades and admirers….Chef’s Table was named “Canada’s Fourth Best New Restaurant for 2008” by enRoute Magazine and Olives Restaurant was named “Calgary’s Best New Restaurant for 2008” by the editorial team of Where Magazine. During his career, Duncan has competed in many competitions always finishing on top. The most notable for winning the prestigious Karl Shier award for being the top apprentice of 2000 in Vancouver. Duncan’s next accomplishment was competing with the highly talented Chef Andrew Springett as an apprentice, where they won the Canadian national selection earning them the right to represent Canada at the Bocuse d’Or, a prestigious culinary competition with the globe’s top chefs held in France. Duncan has also competed with Team Alberta at the World Culinary Championships where the team medaled. Clean, uncomplicated and flavourful food encompasses Duncan’s philosophy, which he carries out each day with the Hotel Arts Group. |