INSPIRED BY FAIRMONTS GLOBAL COCKTAIL PROGRAM - CLASSICS PERFECTED
TASTEMAKERS
When the Fairmont Chicago , Millennium Park decided to host a “ tastemakers ” event in December of 2016 to profile the cocktails of some of the hoteliers most skilled mixologists , it was no surprise Atticus Garant of the Columbus Tap was called upon to create a pairing menu
INSPIRED BY FAIRMONTS GLOBAL COCKTAIL PROGRAM - CLASSICS PERFECTED
AFTER ALL what is a tastemakers ’ event without delicious hors d ’ oeuvres , scrumptious sweets and savory mains .
But to understand the design behind the delicacies , it is important to understand the culinary journey of a master chef . And the trail to tastemaker for Atticus Garant is anything but ordinary . Chef Atticus was born and raised in Yukon Territory , often described as Canada ’ s “ wild northern playground ,” and attributes much of his love for fresh local fare to his upbringing . Atticus remembers being exposed to cooking at a very young age as both his parents loved to cook and his grandmother was a French Canadian culinary instructor — to whom he attributes his first foray into cooking . His first job was line cook and in his early twenties he put himself into culinary school which provided him a higher level of exposure to modern cuisine , fine dining and contemporary pairings to match the more traditional inspiration derived from his grandmother ’ s cooking . After graduating from Vancouver Island Universality , Chef Atticus worked at the famous five sails in Vancouver , but a trip to the Queen Charlotte Islands in British Columbia allowed him to work at private fishing resorts . He was then offered a job at a resort in the Bahamas where he ran the honeymooners suite program . “ I really think working in independent restaurants and certainly high end independent resorts and restaurants has shaped my food style and drive in the kitchen ,” says Garant of his varied experience before joining the Fairmont Chicago , Millennium Park . Coming back from the Bahamas , the Fairmont Pacific Rim was the newest hotel in Vancouver at the time and Chef Atticus was fortunate enough to work there for five years while moving his way up the food chain — so to speak . During his time at the Fairmont Pacific Rim he introduced a “ from scratch ” program where all condiments were made fresh in house and he started a charcuterie program revamping the restaurant as a resto-market . His skill and in-house vision saw him promoted to Executive Sous Chef and it wouldn ’ t be long before he would get the opportunity to help revamp the Chicago property ’ s signature restaurant by helping to open Columbus Tap .