Chuck Hughes

Chuck is the co-owner and executive chef of Montreal hot-spots, Garde Manger and Le Bremner.  He is also the talented star of such Food Network Canada and Cooking Channel (U.S.) shows as Chuck’s Day Off, Chuck’s Week Off and Chuck’s Eat The Street. His unbridled passion for entertaining translates into both memorable food and captivating television.    

 

After going to culinary school and working in some of the hottest restaurants in Montreal he partnered with his two best friends and opened Garde Manger to rave reviews and packed seating.  In August 2011, he and his partners opened their second restaurant in Old Montreal – Le Bremner.  

 

Five years ago Chuck and the team at Crown Salts first catered to the VIP Artist World at Osheaga, Montreal’s renowned 3-day music and arts festival. Since then, every year Chuck and his team create an unforgettable dining experience for the more than the 100 appearing bands at the festival. 

 

Some of the other highlights of Chuck’s celebrity cooking career include; becoming the youngest Canadian chef to win on Iron Chef America; starring with nine other celebrity chefs on The Next Iron Chef: Super Chefs; joining an all-star panel of judges on Chopped Canada as well as publishing two best-selling books for Harpercollins Canada, “Garde Manger” and “Chuck’s Day Off.”

 

Recently he starred in two Quebec series À couteaux tirés and La Relève and launched a line of highly anticipated food products. My Kitchen Staples are delicious essential items such as olive oil, vinegar, maple syrup and antipasti that Chuck uses in both his restaurants and at home.  All the staples are made by people he knows, trusts and give credit for their quality. For example, My Greek Landlord’s Olive Oil is from his landlords’ olive groves in Crete, while My Apple Farmer’s Apple Cider Vinegar and My Woodsman’s Maple Syrup are crafted by small producers from where Chuck was born in the Montérégie region of Quebec.  My Kitchen Staples is currently available in 40 stores across Quebec at www.chuckhughes.ca and in fine food stores across Canada.

 

Recently Chuck starred in a new series alongside his best buddy, chef Danny Smiles.   Food Network Canada’s Chuck and Danny’s Road Trip follows these two chefs as they explore and eat their way across Canada.  Chuck also completed filming his new series Chuck’s World.

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Danny Smiles

2013, Danny joined 16 chefs from across Canada on season 3 of Food Network Canada’s Top Chef Canada. After battling it out over 13 episodes he was declared the first runner up.

Since his TV debut, Danny has traveled across Canada participating in food festivals from Charlottetown Oyster Festival, to Niagara Food Festival to the BC’s Spot Prawn Festival.
 

In 2015 he received the honour of being the only Canadian chef chosen to compete in the inaugural S.Pelligrino Young Chefs Competition. 20 young chefs from around the world were selected to travel to Italy and participate in an intense competition.
 

For years now, Danny has worked with chef Chuck Hughes to create an extraordinary dining experience for more than 100 appearing bands at Montreal’s acclaimed three-day music and arts festival - Osheaga. Danny and Chuck’s backstage catering has become so renowned that this year they held a very successful one-night event, where the general public could visit backstage and eat like the rock stars.

Danny’s cooking career began in the dish-pit at his parent’s small hotel in Montreal when he was 14. One night one of the cooks on the line, the garden-manger, lost his thumb and Danny was thrown in to take his place. After that one night on that line, he realized there was no turning back – he had discovered his passion.
 

Wanting to develop this new-found love for cooking Danny attended St Pius X culinary institute in Montreal. After graduating he headed to Italy, to which he owes part of his genealogical roots (the other part being Egyptian). There he interned for Michelin Star chefs in the cities of Brescia and Soverato, which further inspired him to follow his passion.

 

On his return to Montreal Danny started working under chef and co-owner Chuck Hughes at Le Bremner and soon rose to the position of chef.

Danny’s love of food and easy-going manner has gained him numerous appearances on such TV shows as Montreal’s Breakfast TV, Bonjour Salut, and Global’s Morning News as well as Canada AM. He starred in Giardino a three-part web series for Vice TV – where he visits Italian neighbourhoods in Montreal to learn the secrets of old-school Italian cooking, food prep and preservation. Most recently he starred with chef Chuck Hughes in Chuck & Danny’s Road Trip for Food Network Canada. This fun series followed the two best friends as they explored and ate their way across Canada.