PROFILES/BIOS - Guides

Judy Gifford

Judy Gifford, a popular figure on Vancouver's culinary scene for many years, brings her talents to Chef & Chauffeur. Judy hails from Canada's East Coast where "natural" farming and fishing was the rule rather than the exception and food, cooking and fun went hand in hand.

Judy is a graduate of the Cordon Bleu School of Cooking and a qualified Personal Chef. Her Life long interest in food has taken her to all corners of the business; from catering, teaching, restaurant owner and operator, product development and consulting. Her passion is for "pure" food, full of flavour, raised or grown in a sustainable and natural fashion with no chemicals, preservatives or additives.

She has traveled the world, forever engrossing herself in cultural gastronomy and diversity and bringing the best findings home to share.

Her gregarious, enthusiastic nature and her love and knowledge of all things food make her a welcome addition to the Chef & Chauffeur team.

Patsy Duggan

Long time Vancouverite Patsy Duggan has been involved in every facet of the B.C.'s tourism industry from re-invigorating existing business, and organizing and developing new initiatives, to co-coordinating events locally and internationally. Along the way, Duggan has travelled the world representing these varied tourism organizations and operators.

While her business and personal travels have taken her to every continent, she continues to be excited by the opportunities here at home, and the growth of agritourism. Detail-oriented, Duggan brings a wealth of experience, energy and dynamism to CHEF & CHAUFFEUR.

Duggan's on-going stints working closely with visiting journalists and film crews, guiding them around Vancouver and the province, coupled with her love of our exciting food and wine scene, are a natural fit for CHEF & CHAUFFEUR.

Jolene Palmer

A Summerland resident for almost thirty years now, Vancouver-raised Jolene spent her childhood summers visiting relatives in the Okanagan when "beaches and peaches" were the main attractions and the best wines had names like Schloss Laderheim and Baby Duck. Now that "vining and dining" is so popular, Jolene is delighted to be able to share her insider knowledge with Chef and Chauffeur clients. A former journalist, Jolene graduated as a certified sommelier in 2001 from Algonquin College in Ottawa and has worked for Andrew Peller wine shops in Ontario, Sumac Ridge Estate Winery in Summerland and the British Columbia Wine Information Centre in Penticton. Two years writing for British Columbia Wine Trails magazine introduced her to many of the Valley’s wine "characters", not to mention their cellars. If you are traveling through the interior, you might catch her educational but lighthearted "Okanagan Wine Minute" on Giant FM 100.7 which is based on the firm belief that "wine should be fun, not intimidating!"

Judith Lane

Vancouverite Judith Lane is a busy wine, food and travel writer who'll go anywhere for a good story as long as food and wine are involved. Lane, who has lived in the Fraser Valley, the Okanagan and on Vancouver Island, has managed restaurants, worked in private business clubs and developed and launched North America's first Corporate Concierge service that naturally had a strong wine, food and travel focus. To say that she's well connected is an understatement.

Lane is an in-demand judge and critic for wine awards, restaurant awards, wine list competitions, wine and food-pairing events, black-box competitions and the like. Currently she writes for the Georgia Straight, Vancouver's most widely read entertainment weekly, CityFood Magazine and a host of local, national and U.S. magazines.

Robin Mines

If her face looks familiar, it's no coincidence. A popular television personality, wine expert and contributing editor for Tidings, Canada's favourite food and wine magazine, Robin Mines brings 18 years of professional experience and a lifetime of enthusiasm to CHEF & CHAUFFEUR. Love to cook? Mines, an award-winning cook with an abiding respect for seasonal, regional ingredients and a flair for cross-cultural creativity is happy to share her culinary secrets.

She'll also help you develop your confidence and tasting abilities when it comes to B.C.'s justifiably world-famous wines. If you've ever wondered which wines go with which foods - and why - this Vancouver-born professional wine critic is an invaluable resource. And if you want the scoop on Vancouver's best restaurants, look no further: Robin, an inveterate foodie, knows them all.

Jane Mundy

A prolific Vancouver-based writer, Jane Mundy has a colourful, entrepreneurial past. She started Vancouver Island's first fresh pasta shop; cooked at a luxury fishing resort where her culinary abilities were lauded by the New York Times which landed her a job cooking at Reel Appetites, a Vancouver film industry catering operation. She bought the company in 1991. By 1999, she had built it into the largest film catering organization in Canada and bolstered it with a busy private catering division.

In 2001, Mundy switched gears and began writing professionally. Like everything else she's tackled to date, Mundy invests the same concentration and zeal. Today she contributes regularly to local and national publications like Vancouver Magazine and The Globe & Mail, and does guest appearances on radio and television.

Stephen Wong

A Vancouver-based free-lance journalist and chef, Stephen Wong writes about food, wine, travel and culture for various local and national magazines and newspapers and has authored four cookbooks (HeartSmart Chinese Cooking, New World Noodles, New World Chinese Cooking, and Chefs In The Market).

Wong is an in-demand food and beverage consultant, providing services to local food producers and seafood harvesters in developing and promoting specialty products. These range from recipe development, promotions, market research, seminars, on-site chef services, exhibitions, and agri-food trade missions across Canada and in Asia.

Wong also organizes and hosts food-related events for Granville Island Public Market, guests on local radio and television, is a judge and critic for restaurant and wine award competitions and hosts media groups on behalf of Tourism Vancouver and Tourism B.C.