Chef Jesse's Package Jesse Vergen is the Executive Chef of the Saint John Ale House and an organic farmer in one of Quispamsis’s, New Brunswick’s last standing farms. Jesse is a loud voice for New Brunswick cuisine and with his classic French training, eye on international trends; he is fast becoming one of New Brunswick’s culinary leaders. His training at the Dubrulle French culinary school in British Columbia pushed him to stage in some of Vancouver’s best kitchens, leading to a journey to work in a small bistro in Paris, France. When he got back to Canada, he spent time working in kitchens in Quebec, Nova Scotia, and his home province of New Brunswick. Jesse is not just into cooking food but the process of planting and working the land to have total control of the quality of the food. Known for cooking with local products, he picks fish up right off the boat, whole animals from small farms, slaughtering his own animals on his farm, or hunting though the local markets for the freshest products. Jesse is also the manager of Culinary Team New Brunswick and with the team won the senior ACE compition in Newfoundland, bringing the trophy back to the province for the first time in 23 years. In his spare time you can catch him on Rogers TV doing cooking demos, Cooking at fundraisers like chefs for UNICEF, OCIA’s organic banquet, or at the farm with his wife Kim raising their three kids and weeding their organic garden. |
