inthekitchen
inthekitchen
trust
the chef
Chef Randy Reynolds’ surprise menus
excite the adventurous, and push
cautious diners out of their culinary
comfort zone.
by Carly Peters
Chef Randy Reynolds sets down a plate on which pink smoked
salmon is neatly stacked as a square tart, just warm enough to be offset
by a smear of cool, fresh sour cream, sprigs of dill, and cucumber. This
amuse bouche is typical of the sort Randy would serve to prime the
palate for what can be a three-hour dining experience at Beaujena’s
French Table.
In this case, though, it is a tasting with Ciao! He presents another
dish, again without any descriptors. The vibrant stalks of asparagus,
curls of yellow lemon zest, and orange fi sh roe which top the thick
housemade pasta are instantly identifi able. As the noodles begin to
unfurl off the fork, a new taste and texture emerges.
Randy smiles as the guesses come. Some kind of fi sh? Octopus?
“Close,” he says. It is sous vide calamari, a technique that he perfected
after tasting the perfect octopus in Baja, Mexico.
All of Randy’s culinary skills are self-taught. In fact, being a chef
and restaurateur isn’t actually his full time job; he’s a fi nancial planner
from 9 to 5, four days a week. But on Friday and Saturday nights, he is
head chef at one of the city’s most unique culinary gems.
For almost 10 years, this fervent chef has been dreaming up and
executing French and Mediterranean inspired seven-course, prix
fixe dinners as his passion project co-owned by and named after
his wife. Tucked in a quiet St. Boniface neighbourhood, Beaujena’s
8
ciao! / feb/mar / two thousand nineteen