sous-chef
darren upshaw, joined the emelle's team in october 2003 as one of our catering chefs. he later took over our urban diner deli, showcasing his fresh flair. we were happy to promote darren to sous-chef in 2005 where he quickly gained a loyal following for his smashing soups and delicious entrees. now, as chef, darren continues to WOW.
darren had a rural upbringing, tending to a 10 acre farm in nova scotia where he gained his appreciation for “farm to fork” dining. he quickly realized that for him, life was in the city and after high school found himself in a local pizza parlour. back then, times were different, when from scratch, was the only option. his love for food, cooking with only the freshest ingredients and creating signature sauces started here. his travels then took him to downtown halifax to work along side corado & flavia who flew in from Milan to open café san marco, an upscale restaurant catering to professionals. two years later he moved to an even bigger city. he found himself working with executive chef peter george at 360 revolving restaurant at the cn tower.
after three years, the beckoning of the better weather of the west had him arriving in victoria. for the the next seven years his career was as kitchen manager at rebar, a funky well known vegetarian restaurant. he was a contributor to the very popular cook book inspired from the recipes at rebar – rebar modern cooking.
