A half-hearted or profit-driven approach to cooking may produce palatable meals. But it takes a kind of fanaticism to create food that delights – delicate blendings of flavour, texture and colour that linger in the memory.

Chris Squire has had that passion ever since he started working in a London, Ontario restaurant in 1971.  At the renowned Auberge du Petit Prince, he worked his way up to prep cook and assistant while completing degrees in Anthropology and Education at the University of Western Ontario. In 1976, he bought the restaurant and quickly established a reputation for innovative French cooking with fresh regional ingredients. Auberge received a coveted two-star rating from Anne Hardy in Where to Eat in Canada. Hardy described Chris as “young, effervescent, brilliant,” and commented that “...the more complex the dish, the better his cooking.”

By 1997, Chris was ready for new experiences. He closed Auberge and began writing a column on the joys of food for a local newspaper. Today, Chris is Chef-in-Residence at London’s hottest new kitchen shop, Kiss the Cook, and runs his own catering company. His newest venture is European villa holidays hosted and catered by “Chris the Cook.”