Michelle LeBlanc was born and raised in Arichat, NS, a small community in Cape Breton. She had no early aspirations of becoming a chef. “It wasn’t as glamorous a career as it is made out to be now with all the TV shows,” she says.

“I always had a passion for cooking; I can remember as a child, standing on a chair helping my grandmother and my mother make cookies and cakes. As I got older, I would love to prepare desserts and sweets—things like apple crisp, brownies, sticky buns and chocolate chip cookies.”

She worked in a bakery in nearby Dundee, NS, during the summer after high school, but still didn’t see cooking as a career.

“I just figured I would go to university, like all my friends,” she says.

It was while she was studying science at Mount Allison University in Sackville, NB, that her direction became clear. A friend of a friend was studying at the Culinary Institute of Canada, in Charlottetown. The more she heard about it, the more Michelle began to see becoming a chef as a career.

She enrolled in the Culinary Arts program in 2000, and hasn’t looked back since.

“My experience at Holland College was fantastic; it set my career in motion pretty quickly with the internship and training programs they offer.”

She opened Chinched Bistro in St. John’s, with partner Shaun Hussey, two years ago. The restaurant specializes in hand-crafted contemporary bistro cuisine. Dishes are created with locally sourced seasonal ingredients and regional flavours.

Shaun is the head chef. Michelle is the pastry chef and hostess; she does the daily baking, including the house specialty: Eric’s Cream Ale Sourdough Bread. Michelle says they combine forces on just about everything, from writing the menu to training the staff.

“This is our dream.”

And perhaps there is just a touch of glamour in her career choice: Michelle and a team of female chefs from Newfoundland have been invited to host a dinner at the famed James Beard House in New York at the end of May.

Q Who do you look up to?

A This is tricky. I look up to many accomplished chefs for different reasons. I think Alice Waters introduced us all to the “eat local” movement, and for that we should all be thankful. I also admire Thomas Keller for his amazing restaurants and cookbooks.

Q What accomplishment are you most proud of?

A The opening of Chinched Bistro. Opening a restaurant had been a dream for Shaun and I for many years. To see all our dreams and hard work come together has been an amazing experience.

Q What is your favourite ingredient?

A I have two favourites. When baking: vanilla, which I make at the restaurant; it adds a special touch to desserts. In all other aspects of cooking, butter is my favourite. Of course butter is important to baking, but it is also key to many other dishes.

Q What kitchen tool can you not live without?

A My knife. I use a seven-inch Masahiro chef’s knife when cooking. I would really miss it if it wasn’t within my reach. It’s an extension of me—a security blanket, you could say.

Q What is your favourite style of cooking?

A “Gourmet comfort food,” which, as far as I’m concerned, is just food and ingredients people are familiar with, reinterpreted in a creative way. It isn’t unfamiliar to anyone—fresh ingredients prepared with traditional methods, handmade from the heart.

Q What upcoming trends do you see?

A Farm to table, fork to plate, farmer to chef—you can call it what you like, but chefs and their guests want to have a connection to their food. People want to know what they are eating and where it comes from. The meal should tell the story of the restaurant, chef and producer. At Chinched, we have been fortunate to make connections with a few local producers, from vegetable farmers to meat producers to people who pick wild berries and mushrooms. It takes time to make these connections, but the hard work is worth the difference in flavour and how we feel about our food.

Q Are you a fan of the Food Network?

A I do like some of the shows on the Food Network, mainly the competition shows such as Iron Chef and Top Chef. However, the Food Network makes our profession seem very glamorous, giving it some sort of celebrity status. Cooking is about passion, hard work, long hours and high-intensity situations. I find it makes it difficult for new apprentice cooks coming up the ranks; they sometimes have the wrong idea.

Q What foods do you eat in secret?

A Potato chips. I don’t buy them, because I could sit and eat an entire bag alone. They are a treat.

Q If you could cook for any three people who would they be and why?

A My grandmother, Marie LeBlanc; unfortunately, she passed away before my career really got started. I would love for her to see how her influence has impacted my life and my career. Spending time with her in her kitchen taught me more about the love for food than any job could have.

Peter Wallace; he was the chef/owner of Òran Mór on Nantucket, US. He had a tremendous impact on my career. I worked for Peter for five years, starting as an apprentice and working my way up to chef de cuisine. It would be great to make him dinner and express through my food how much I learned from him.

Alice Waters; she is an amazing chef—incredibly accomplished, and one of the leading pioneers in the “eat local” movement. It is always wonderful to see a successful female chef doing what she is passionate about. I am very inspired by her.

Q What do you refuse to cook?

A Eggs. I don’t mind boiling an egg, but I don’t fry them or make omelettes. I’ve never been good at it. It helps that my partner can cook an absolutely perfect egg! I guess I’m spoiled.