Volume 16 Issue 1 » 25
The Magic Mushroom dessert is an
artwork of white chocolate cherry mousse,
matcha shortbread, chocolate pot de
cream and honey meringue mushroom.
it’s because they are compelled to do so by something they tasted,
experienced, or saw, and it is paying it forward for the brand.
What kinds of wood do you use in the grill?
E: Apricot, apple, pear, alder and white oak.
How many kinds of steaks do you serve?
J: We have three primary categories – prime natural wet-aged, prime
dry-aged, and wagyu from Australia and Japan. Each of the woods
that we just mentioned contribute differently. The fruitier wood
we use on our lighter meat and fish, and harder-burning wood and
more flavourful wood like the white oak and apple are for our bigger
steaks, so there is a specific application of wood to be used.
What does a typical day look like for you?
E: I wake up at 6 am. I take my dog out to have coffee with my
neighbour. I come back, get ready and take the kids to school. Then
throughout the day, I take restaurant meetings, meet with business
partners, do some restaurant research, and meet with the community
I serve on the board for. Then work out and hang out with the
family and go to bed at 9 pm.
J: I do a lot of travelling, but I do have a routine. 6 o’clock is my
wake-up time. I’ve focused on myself in the last few years and I
do work out every day, or at least go for a jog every day. But for
me in particular, we have a nightly recap that our team does every
day. I don’t comment on it all the time, but I read. Each of our
GMs, Chefs, or each shift lead has a responsibility to provide those
recaps: the vitals of the restaurant that day, how the employees
impacted positively or negatively to the day of business, what was
the experience of the guests, etc. I read it every day and it gives me
an idea of the mindset of my employees and where my team is
mentally. At the end of the day, I need work-life balance, so by 8 or
9 o’clock, I am tuning out and that is my family time and my wife's
time. Sunday is my sacred day in which I don’t respond to emails
unless it is urgent.
I want to touch a bit on the 31 Lives Project, your
program funding scholarships and internships for
aspiring culinarians through proceeds from certain
menu items at Ascend Prime Steak & Sushi.
E: 31 Lives is a good thing for the community and it puts us on
the map as a community maker. I just want whatever we do to
not just be about our legacy but to be fundamentally changing
something for the better. It is a translation into community action,
a community foundational change. I talked to Jeffrey about it, and
he committed. He came up with an idea of what it looks like and
truly how 31 Lives was born. We are serious about the industry
and in order to do it, we have to help formalize some of that for
someone who wants to be serious about it to be in the path of their
future career.
What is next for Ascend Hospitality Group?
E: We just came out of our freshman year and we have a number
of things that we’d still like to do between Ascend Prime Steak &
Sushi and Lincoln South Food Hall.
J: We are trying to build an institution and to continue to invest
in our people, to do the right thing, to pay attention to what’s
around us and make sure our team is ahead of it and not reacting
to it. What’s down the line is deciding how we expand and create
growth opportunities for the group. For me personally, it’s doing
what I enjoy and seeing our people progress.