A chef’s love for cooking lasts a lifetime, as they share their passion, build connections, and express their creativity – all while continuing to hone their craft. The special ability to blend old-world traditions with today’s trends, imparting their knowledge, diving into flavours, and passing on rich histories makes chefs such a valuable part of our community and culture. Chef Tasha Sawyer has always been at home in the kitchen, from the happy four-year-old helping her mom wash veggies and stir the pots, to quickly completing the first dish on her own – a grilled cheese sandwich at the age of seven.
Born and raised in Toronto, Chef Tasha has been cooking ever since she can remember, developing a passion for local ingredients and becoming an avid forager as a child. She sees food as fundamental to building and sustaining a meaningful connection to community and has gained valuable insight throughout her culinary journey.
From cooking on a sailboat travelling the British Columbia coast, to the kitchen of a fishing lodge in Haida Gwaii, in a backcountry lodge in the mountains of Yoho National Park, as the Star Trek Chef on startrek.com and appearing as a recurring guest on CBC Radio’s BC Today, Chef Tasha’s vast experience provides her with a unique perspective on all things culinary.
Today, Chef Tasha’s journey has led her to inspire the next generation of hospitality workers as a chef educator for Growing Chefs, where she teaches students about food literacy, culinary skills, and creating delicious meals.
We caught up with Chef Tasha, chatting with her about her culinary history, passion for local ingredients, and how sharing her knowledge with her class inspires and motivates her journey.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
CRFN: How did you get started in the kitchen?
Chef Tasha: I’ve been cooking professionally for the last 18 years, but I’ve been interested in cooking and food for most of my life. My mother was – and is – a great cook, and she was my first real teacher. She never used recipes and instead taught me to cook intuitively in the same way she does. Besides the usual restaurants and cafés, I’ve cooked in some unusual places, which has given me the opportunity to learn and grow along the way.
CRFN: How would you describe your approach in the kitchen?
Chef Tasha: I think about taste first, before anything else. No matter what I’m cooking, my first thought is, what is the best way to make this delicious? Over the years, I’ve found that simple is often better; good ingredients don’t need to be hidden, they should be featured. I also love to incorporate ingredients from different parts of the world into my food, and right now, in particular, I’m focused on flavours from the Caribbean, West Indies, and West Africa.
CRFN: How important is it that you use local ingredients, and what role does foraging play in your cooking practices?
Chef Tasha: Local ingredients are usually fresher, and fresher food retains more of its flavour and nutrition. Here in British Columbia, we’re incredibly blessed with local seafood, lots of fruits, and a wide array of vegetables. Every season, there’s something new and delicious to offer.
As much as possible, I love to include foraged foods in the kitchen and my cooking. Greens like dandelion and chickweed in the spring, berries in the summer, and mushrooms in the fall. I also love incorporating edible flowers whenever they’re available – they help make any dish look more inviting.
CRFN: What does your role as Chef in Residence in the LunchLAB at Growing Chefs entail, and what does it mean to you?
Chef Tasha: Being a chef educator is a real joy! Three days a week, student chefs join me in the school kitchen, and we start the day with a kitchen talk. This talk can include anything from covering food waste to exploring holiday dishes or delving into how food affects our moods – it’s a diverse and interesting process. Then we move on to cooking the day’s lunch together. There’s a prep list that the kids use to choose their tasks, while myself and the sous chef guide them through any new or unfamiliar jobs. When we’re done, as a team, we offer a hot lunch to approximately 40 students and teachers.
Food is fundamental to building and sustaining community and connection, and teaching cooking is infinitely satisfying to me because of that. It’s also an excellent medium in which to express different culturally important foods and working together teaches teamwork and cooperation. Besides teaching life skills, I’ve found that students grow more confident as the term goes on, and many of them really start to tap into their creativity.
CRFN: What do you see in your culinary future?
Chef Tasha: I love teaching! It’s the surprise career I didn’t even know I was headed towards when I first started cooking. My intention is to keep teaching. My favourite thing about it – besides the students, of course – is that teaching isn’t a one-way stream of information. I’m always learning from my students, other chefs, and whatever background research I conduct before sharing it in class. It’s such a rewarding experience!
This article was originally published in the Spring/Summer 2025 issue of CRFN magazine.
