Latest news with #ConnorSperling
The Province
02-07-2025
- Sport
- The Province
June on Cambie serves up synergy of good food, a svelte room and an award-winning bar team
June on Cambie serves French brasserie style food with West Coast ingredients. The chef cooked at the one-Michelin star Published on Main. Chef Connor Sperling of June on Cambie. Photo by MARK YUEN Mark Yuen Visuals Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Where: 3305 Cambie Street, Vancouver This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors When: Dinner daily Info: 236-521-1620; 'A brasserie made sense. Everyone likes them,' says Connor Sperling of the sceney June on Cambie restaurant. 'I call it a Vancouver brasserie. It's more West Coast.' Sperling keeps describing June's offerings as simple food, but in my experience, it can also be a sleight of hand. It just looks simple. Take the picture-perfect chocolate mousse ($14). A brasserie chocolate mousse is usually a chocolate mousse. In a bowl. With maybe a hillock of chantilly cream. Sperling's chocolate mousse took months to painstakingly perfect. 'I didn't figure it out until the day before opening. I was losing so much sleep to get it right,' he says. In a shape-shift, he formed it in a silicon mould that he designed — a rectangle with scrolled edges and 'June' embossed on top. Layered with a crisp hazelnut base, light chocolate mousse and hazelnut caramel ganache, it's frozen, and upon unmoulding, he sprays the bar with chocolate. Finally, it's served in a pool of creme anglaise shot through with Frangelico, adding to the hazelnutty glory. Even with 30 moulds, it's not enough to keep up with the kitchen's circadian rhythm. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We sell so many, we have trouble keeping up,' Sperling says. 'But it's a good problem to have.' For a new soft-serve ice cream machine, he created a mad scientist 'math Excel spreadsheet' to achieve different flavours with exacting texture. 'Most machines use a pre-mix vacuum pack. We did trial after trial for the proportions of ingredients to get the flavours we want.' He even called on his pal and celebrated Boulevard pastry chef, Kenta Takahashi, for advice. 'I called everybody,' he adds. The soft serve ($14) was rhubarb and toasted hay when I visited. Sperling's culinary origin story didn't start as a lad at home. His parents were athletes with strict food regimes. 'A lot of white rice, bananas, smoothies. I kind of hated it, to be honest,' he laughs. Which might explain why, at 15, he started working in restaurants. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He's okay with simplicity in the kitchen when appropriate. Instead of making his own paté en croute ($26), he buys from a master — Colin Johnson, formerly of St. Lawrence restaurant, now purveyor of patés, terrines and paté en croute at Le Petit Chapeau. And when spot prawn season was upon us, he did not violate its delicate nature. He cut them in half and lightly broiled them after a light brushing with a garlic and lemon mix. Pasta for Rachel ($36) is a tribute to his wife Rachel and to another love — Beurre d'Isigny, a buttercup yellow, luscious French butter. It, and a bit of pinot gris, is the sauce. 'It's so special to me. When I was a kid I took a couple of buses and the ferry to Granville Island to get some of this butter,' he says. The pasta is an uncut sheet of 16 small ravioli, filled with baked German butter potatoes and Comté cheese. This pasta hails from the Dauphiné region in France where it's called ravioles du Dauphiné, a legally protected appellation since 1989. Sperling splurges on five-kilo buckets of Beurre d'Isigny for $700 and dedicated to the sauce. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'So simple,' he says of his fresh-shucked crab dip ($28). Yes, but tweaked. He serves them, encircled with about a dozen madeleines with tomato powder, star anise, coriander, cayenne, paprika, marjoram, fennel seeds, and black peppercorns. Herbed creme fraiche adds acid and mouth feel. 'It takes a lot of work to shuck all the crab,' he admits. Truffle eggs ($12) are poached for precisely seven minutes and 30 seconds and topped with truffle mayo and a crispy brown butter crumble. That one didn't require any tricks up a sleeve for a delicious umami experience. A few new dishes will be introduced weekly, Sperling says. It's his first rodeo as head chef but his alluring food isn't surprising considering his journey. Previously, he was chef de cuisine at the one-Michelin star Published on Main, cooking beside Midas-touched Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson. Before that, he cooked under two other greats, Alex Chen at Boulevard and Bruno Marti at the late La Belle Auberge, absorbing the intense work ethic through osmosis. 'They all kicked my ass, too,' he says. During a stage at a three-Michelin star Maaemo in Oslo, Norway, he learned to be super organized and to use flavours intentionally, he says. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. June on Cambie doesn't stop at kitchen savvy. Add the sexy, svelte room and an award-winning bar team and you've got a fantastic synergy. The space was designed by Mexican architect Héctor Esrawe, who also designed co-owner Cam Watt's Acre Resort in San José del Cabo, Mexico. The room is all gentle curves, soft edges, warm colour palette and lighting and anchored with copperwork by a craftswoman in Mexico. Even the windows and banquettes join the waltzing curves. June is named after Watt's mother and Lala, a downstairs cocktail lounge and vinyl listening bar, is named after co-owner Keenan Hood's daughter. Watt, Hood and general manager Leticia Castro, were raised by single moms. 'The idea was to honour them,' Castro says. 'We put all the mom names in a hat and June was the one that made the most sense. She was much-loved, an artist, and she passed away last year.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Watt and Hood also operate The Keefer Bar, which stands at No. 28 on the North America's 50 Best Bars ranking, and now June has come out the gate strong. It's already been noticed by the World's 50 Best Bars as one of the 10 most new and exciting bars to open recently. Keefer's bar director Amber Bruce is also on board. 'Our goal was to create drinks that would capture the essence of recognizable classics as well as options that are entirely unexpected and playful,' says Bruce. The wine list isn't long but offers something for everyone with a variety of styles and regions from around the world, including a good selection of French Champagne. The team is working on extending hours to late night. 'Once we get going, it'll be open to one or 2 a.m.,' says Castro. 'Vancouver lacks late-night spots with good food.' And another project — to get the patio up and running in the back. 'Baby steps,' she says. miastainsby@ Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Canucks News News
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Here's the inside story behind June restaurant's buzzy Pasta for Rachel dish
There's a sweet story behind the viral Pasta for Rachel dish from the buzzy new Vancouver restaurant June. Two full sheets of fresh pasta that form pillowy pockets filled with smooth potato and topped with a generous (generous!) dollop of French butter, the glistening dish has become an early favourite on the restaurant's menu. According to Chef Connor Sperling, the viral fare was originally whipped up in honour of a special family member. 'Pasta for Rachel was inspired by my loving wife, who has been by my side for so long,' the chef explains. 'It's a fairly simple dish, it's just potatoes, butter and cheese, which are always great.' The scoop of butter that finishes the plate adds to the undeniable appeal. 'The butter has become a 'thing',' Sperling admits of the imported dairy product, sourced from Normandy, France, that is scooped from a large wooden basket. Pasta for Rachel is joined on the menu by other French classics such as mussels, steak frites and fish with herbs and truffle at the stylish brasserie, located at 3305 Cambie St. 'The cuisine here at June is inspired by French brasseries and traditional French dishes, but we're here in Vancouver, so we have a West Coast spin on it,' Sperling summarizes of the eatery's offering. The keep-it-simple approach to classic dishes is very much in line with the culinary talent's personal approach to cooking. 'I like to cook dishes that look effortless and simple, and just use the best ingredients that I can find,' Sperling says. The ability of a food to be simple yet impactful was what originally drew the chef into the culinary world. 'The first time I fell in love with food was when I was really young, washing dishes, and I had a roasted red pepper soup — something so simple — and it blew me away,' Sperling recalls. That soup led to a career, and love, for cooking. 'I love being in the kitchen. I love the sounds, the smells, the vibes,' says Sperling. 'I love everything about it.' Officially opened on April 10, the 4,500-square-foot restaurant comes from the award-winning team behind The Keefer Bar. With an emphasis on dinner and late-night bites, June is also set to become a hub for creative cocktails. 'We want people to settle in, stay a while, and enjoy great company in a space unlike any other in Vancouver thus far,' noted co-owners Cam Watt and Keenan Hood in a news release. Buzzy Vancouver restaurant Elem 'a dream' come true for chef Vish Mayekar Vancouver restaurant Saiko Sushi serves up traditional Japanese flavours with a West Coast twist
Vancouver Sun
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Vancouver Sun
Here's the inside story behind June restaurant's buzzy Pasta for Rachel dish
There's a sweet story behind the viral Pasta for Rachel dish from the buzzy new Vancouver restaurant June. Article content Article content Two full sheets of fresh pasta that form pillowy pockets filled with smooth potato and topped with a generous (generous!) dollop of French butter, the glistening dish has become an early favourite on the restaurant's menu. Article content According to Chef Connor Sperling, the viral fare was originally whipped up in honour of a special family member. Article content Article content 'Pasta for Rachel was inspired by my loving wife, who has been by my side for so long,' the chef explains. 'It's a fairly simple dish, it's just potatoes, butter and cheese, which are always great.' Article content Article content 'The cuisine here at June is inspired by French brasseries and traditional French dishes, but we're here in Vancouver, so we have a West Coast spin on it,' Sperling summarizes of the eatery's offering. Article content The keep-it-simple approach to classic dishes is very much in line with the culinary talent's personal approach to cooking. Article content 'I like to cook dishes that look effortless and simple, and just use the best ingredients that I can find,' Sperling says. Article content Article content The ability of a food to be simple yet impactful was what originally drew the chef into the culinary world. Article content Article content 'The first time I fell in love with food was when I was really young, washing dishes, and I had a roasted red pepper soup — something so simple — and it blew me away,' Sperling recalls. Article content 'I love being in the kitchen. I love the sounds, the smells, the vibes,' says Sperling. 'I love everything about it.' Article content Article content
