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Hows the food scene in Canada? Vancouver?

2K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  summer57 
#1 ·
Considering looking into working in Vancouver, have some family friends there who said Indian restaurants are growing and there's demand for chefs (i specialise in high end indian cuisine)

wondering if any canadian chefs here might know more about lucrativeness and trends in the market?

i have worked in restaurants with 200-250 cover
 
#2 ·
Well Vancouver--especially Surrey, has one of the highest proportions of Indians in N. America.  Lots of Indian restaurants, lots of banqueting facilities specializing in Indian weddings. 

O.T.O.H. Getting a work visa is a hassle, more so for the employer than the employee.   
 
#3 ·
Well Vancouver--especially Surrey, has one of the highest proportions of Indians in N. America. Lots of Indian restaurants, lots of banqueting facilities specializing in Indian weddings.

O.T.O.H. Getting a work visa is a hassle, more so for the employer than the employee.
thats strange ...all my friends i ask say getting a visa in canada is very easy.

do you feel its highly saturated if one specialises in indian cuisine with french approach?
 
#4 ·
Chef Brah........It won't be easy for you to get a visa to Canada unless you have a special skill or close family in Canada.Unfortunately because of reciprocal agreements it's very difficult for citizens of the US or Canada to work in each others countries whereas Austrailians and Kiwis can easily cross over and most Europeans can freely work anywhere in Europe.I have seen some of your posts and you seem eager to gather experience in other places.I assume you are an American citizen which means you have a lot of options.If you want to work in the Carribean you can go to Puerto Rico or the American Virgin Islands.....if you want to work in Asia then try and get a job in Guam.With your experience the best way to work internationally would be to get a job with an international hotel chain and transfer after a couple of years.Hotel work can be mind numbingly boring and will not always allow much creativity but it can open some doors for you.If you want to spend a bit of time in Vancouver you might be able to get a stage at Vig's which is probably the best non traditional Indian restaurant company in North America but because of the large Indian population there getting a permanent work visa is pretty unlikely.Hope this helps.
 
#5 ·
Chef Brah........It won't be easy for you to get a visa to Canada unless you have a special skill or close family in Canada.Unfortunately because of reciprocal agreements it's very difficult for citizens of the US or Canada to work in each others countries whereas Austrailians and Kiwis can easily cross over and most Europeans can freely work anywhere in Europe.I have seen some of your posts and you seem eager to gather experience in other places.I assume you are an American citizen which means you have a lot of options.If you want to work in the Carribean you can go to Puerto Rico or the American Virgin Islands.....if you want to work in Asia then try and get a job in Guam.With your experience the best way to work internationally would be to get a job with an international hotel chain and transfer after a couple of years.Hotel work can be mind numbingly boring and will not always allow much creativity but it can open some doors for you.If you want to spend a bit of time in Vancouver you might be able to get a stage at Vig's which is probably the best non traditional Indian restaurant company in North America but because of the large Indian population there getting a permanent work visa is pretty unlikely.Hope this helps.
thanks..but i am not holding an american passport but i do have family friends in VA and some distant relatives (i am of indian origin)

And you are right that i have been trying to gain experience about cooking from other cultures but i do plan to establish myself in North america..mainly in northern region and develop my asian regional style cuisine.

I have some experience working in south east asia and very comfortable with asian cooking . (thai, sichuan chinese, nepalese, indian, malaysian, indonesian, singaporean)

past few years i have dedicated to learning french techniques and prepping meats and want to combine my asian experience with modern techniques and style of cooking. (i want to spend next 4 years in high end restaurant environment)

Indian cuisine is my core skill and according to everyone i spoke to VA seemed best option to build my skillset and reputation.

Will look into Vigs.

Would you know some other high end india restaurants to look for in VA?
 
#6 ·
I am Canadian and have lived in Vancouver. While I didn't work in a kitchen there I am told the wages do not, for the most part, make up for the cost of living. The cost of living is very, nay, extremely high. Yes it's a beautiful place but to live there you have to make an very decent wage if you want to have any kind of life. There are so many places in Canada, and even BC where I bet you can use your expertise without spending 60 percent of your income on rent or mortgage (may be bit of an exaggeration, it's really about 45 percent and that's taking you about an hour away from metro Van). I'd say find a solid venture outside of a big city. You can find somewhere away from Van that has a great lifestyle that isn't going to cost you an arm and a leg.
Seriously all my friends but maybe 2 lucky ones who are in Vancouver live in pretty small condos and don't make comparable wages to cost of living. Most get a lot of help from their Vancouver residing parents.
 
#7 ·
Well.... a typical wage for a line cook at say, Earls, is maybe $18/hr. A one bdrm basement suite would go for 650-700 in Vancouver, maybe a bit cheaper in Burnaby, and maybe a hundred cheaper in Surrey, but you would need a car or factor in at least an hour travel time each way if you live in Surrey.
 
#8 ·
Well.... a typical wage for a line cook at say, Earls, is maybe $18/hr. A one bdrm basement suite would go for 650-700 in Vancouver, maybe a bit cheaper in Burnaby, and maybe a hundred cheaper in Surrey, but you would need a car or factor in at least an hour travel time each way if you live in Surrey.
May be true years ago, but now it's quite different.

Almost all one bedrooms in Vancouver and even the surrounding municipalities are at least $1000/mo. You may find a studio or a micro suite in the $800-$900 range, but anything below that is very much overcrowded, shared accommodation.

I worked at two Earl's locations up until fairly recently and was making $13/hr. I fortunately have a primary job and just work in kitchens on the side, but I couldn't live off that wage plus the tip out living on my own if that was my primary job.
 
#9 ·
Mmmm.... just raised the rent from 650 to 700 for the downrstairs suite: private entrance, full bath, and wifi/hydro inclusive, east van, Rupert park. Maybe I should jack it up more...

My kid is washing dishes and plating salads @ Biercraft on Commercial drive, $13.75/hr and at least another $100 every paycheck with the tip sharing. According to him line cooks are $19/hr there, and his buddies at Earls are about the same.
 
#10 ·
Mmmm.... just raised the rent from 650 to 700 for the downrstairs suite: private entrance, full bath, and wifi/hydro inclusive, east van, Rupert park. Maybe I should jack it up more...

My kid is washing dishes and plating salads @ Biercraft on Commercial drive, $13.75/hr and at least another $100 every paycheck with the tip sharing. According to him line cooks are $19/hr there, and his buddies at Earls are about the same.
Interesting! I'll move in tomorrow.

I live just on Commercial in a studio apartment and I pay $1000 a month. Take a peek on Craigslist, you could probably get quite a bit more for yours.

Though my primary job is outside of the kitchen, I left Earls fairly recently where I was making $13/hr even after around two years of working as a line cook. That being said, I didn't recently jump ship to work at a very upscale Italian restaurant part time and making $19/hr as a line cook plus tips.
 
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