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Hans Gerstenecker
Background
Hans grew up in Owen Sound Ontario, on the shores of Georgian Bay. After High
School he worked in a variety of jobs before he discovered the joy of cooking.
"Those other jobs were OK, but when I woke up in the morning, I would think
"I
have to go to work." With cooking, I wake up and think "I get to go to work!""
Trained
Hans has taken some short courses in wedding cake making and working in
chocolate, but the vast majority of his craft has been learned
"on the job."
Time with large corporations gave him a solid grounding in standards and
procedures. "When you have to dice carrots for a thousand people, you learn how
to use a kitchen knife correctly!" Subsequent work with independent operations
allowed him to develop his creativity. His greatest influences were two chefs he
worked with here in Halifax, Rodney Cole and Busch Dubay. "I learned more in my
year and a half with Chef Dubay than I did in all the rest of my time up to that
point."
Worked
Started as a fryer cook at East Side Mario's and within a year was kitchen
manager. He then moved to Don Cherry's Grapevine where he was Assistant
Restaurant Manager as well as kitchen manager. This gave him valuable grounding
in front house operations as he has moved through the ranks in the restaurant
industry. Hans came to Halifax in 1993, and went to work for Edwards Fine Foods
where he first met Alan Johnston. Except for a short stint at the Chateau
Halifax, he continued to work for Edwards, and then directly for Alan at
MacAskill's, where he has been executive chef for close to four years.
How he got into cooking
"I always liked cooking, and at the time, someone said, why don't you try the
restaurant industry? Seemed like a good idea at the time, and it proved to be a
great one!"
First thing he ever cooked
"Kartoffel-Spatzle, a potato pasta soup I used to make with my mother."
Favorite Place to eat
"Jon Alan's Steak & Chop House. The service is always friendly and they cook
the steaks exactly how I like them!"
Recipe Tip
"Cheesecake should be cooked long and slow - 300°F for 15 minutes, then turn the
oven down to 200°F. To tell when they're done, tap the side of the pan. There
shouldn't be any wave motion!"
What he'd be if he weren't a chef
"I'm sure I'd be a farmer like my dad. That's what I'll do when I retire."
Favorite Kitchen Tool
"My spatzle maker! Its original purpose is to make German pasta, but it also
makes great whipped potatoes and vegetable puree for bisques."
Menu Bomb
"Cranberry chicken quiche - I still to this day don't know why it wasn't popular!"
Recipes
Cheesecake
Poached Atlantic Salmon with Flambé Shrimp & Scallops
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