become a chef?
MR: My Ma was inspiration. She is
still the best chef in the family.
JN: First thing you cooked?
MR: A nice fluffy chorizo omelette.
JN: If you weren’t a chef, what
would you be?
MR: I was always interested in fine
art. I think I would have explored that.
For now, I get to use my inspiration on
a plate instead of a canvas.
JN: Most exciting ingredient or
cooking trend?
MR: Flavored vinegar. Flash pickling
is fun.
JN: Is there an ingredient or food
trend that you hate?
MR: I stay away from any ingredient
that is not sustainable or produced/
processed with ethical practices.
For example, force-fed geese or foie
gras or shark fin.
JN: What is your proudest
culinary moment?
MR: Winning the Bronze medal at
the Canadian Culinary championship,
2013, in Kelowna. Being the first
chef from Saskatchewan to ever
place in the top three of Canada.
Note: Chef Rebello’s winning dish
was Lamb and Goat Cheese Duo:
Mustard and Pistachio Crusted
Oven Roast Lamb, Green Pea and
Mint Puree, Corn and Golden
Heritage Potato Hash Cooked in
Lamb Jus, Cherry Port Wine and
Ginger Reduction; Goat Cheese
Dusted with Beet Powder and
Encased in Indian Inspired Vegetable
and Spices, Paired with Pear
Chutney and Lentil Tuile.
JN: Famous people you’ve
cooked for?
MR: I have had the privilege to cook
for His Highness Prince Charles and
Camilla, Prime Minister Steven
Harper, Governor General of Canada
My Ma was inspiration. She is still
the best chef in the family
A
couple of weeks ago, I was
invited to join a handful of
other journalists to train
with the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police at the
RCMP Academy in Regina. A once in
a lifetime opportunity, this was one
of the hardest 24 hours of my life.
However, the pain quickly faded,
since our valiant efforts were
rewarded with a stay at the
historic Hotel Saskatchewan
Radisson Plaza, one of Canada’s
grand railway hotels.
My corner suite was bigger (and
certainly more lavish) than my
apartment at home, but the
highpoint of my stay was meeting
their remarkable Executive Chef,
Milton Rebello, a Gold Medal Plate
winner at the Canadian Culinary
Championship.
I had so enjoyed every morsel of
his imaginative six-course brunch
(which started with an apple and
bacon cinnamon bun and ended
with a stunning dish of rhubarb
ale braised short ribs topped by
a perfectly fried quail egg) that
I wanted to meet the man under
the toque.
Once I began interviewing this
extremely talented yet humble
chef, I quickly realized he
exemplifies the hotel’s motto,
“Life’s too short for ordinary!”
Janice Nieder: Where were
you born?
Milton Rebello: I grew up
in Mangalore, India, which
is a Southern coastal town.
JN: How would you describe
your cooking style?
MR: I love to cook with local
ingredients, many which I find
in Regina’s Farmers’ Market.
I then bring the flavors to life
with respect, passion and some
of my ma’s secret spices.
Note: If the Farmers’ Market
doesn’t have something he wants,
Chef Milton will simply plant it in
his family’s garden, where he, his
wife Louise (also a gifted chef) and
two small daughters, Skye and Livia,
grow fruits, vegetables, edible
flowers and herbs. A large portion
of the space is devoted to a variety
of mustard plants, one of his
favorite ingredients.
JN: Who or What inspired you to