Quickfire With Nicole Gomes
Get to know the chef behind Calgary’s tasty chicken staple, Cluck & Cleaver.
1. What was your first job in the culinary industry?
First good job was KFC at 14 years old, if that counts. Then after culinary school my first job was at GM Place Stadium in Vancouver in the Air Canada suites as a salad buffet cook.
2. What is your flavour philosophy?
A balance of hot, sour , salty, sweet and bold. I like simple flavours and tend to gravitate to a variety of global tastes.
3. One ingredient you can’t live without?
Salt or some form of salt. Fish sauce is one of my favourite forms of salting a dish.
4. A cooking utensil that’s always in your kitchen?
A knife and a wooden spoon.
5. What’s your signature dish and why?
That's a hard question! For a casual dish, any preparation of chicken. Because I LOVE chicken. For a fancier restaurant dish, fresh homemade goat ricotta and preserved lemon filled tortellini with sage butter.
6. Go-to cooking technique and why?
A good pan sear. I love the robust flavour of a caramelized crust of a protein or vegetable.
7. Best memory as a chef thus far?
Opening my own business. Becoming my own boss has been the hardest thing due to all the hats you have to wear but also the most gratifying!
8. Worst memory as a chef thus far?
Not writing down recipes and taking notes. As a young cook, I worked at so many amazing places, volunteered and staged at so many events and restaurants. Back then I thought I had an amazing memory and wouldn’t forget a thing. Then you get older and you lose your memory…hence forgetting!
9. Go-to place for sourcing ingredients?
Farms and local suppliers. As well as referrals from other industry professionals and colleagues. I’m naturally curious, so I am often asking lot of questions and seeking out new places to source new things.
10. Where do you go to eat on your day off?
Somewhere I haven’t eaten before so I can discover something new! I tend to gravitate to any type of Asian food.
11. A restaurant you always wanted to work at?
Any European Michelin Star restaurant, similar to one like Clare Smyth’s Core in London , UK. I always felt I needed to work in a demanding environment to push myself.
12. Your chef hero?
Suzanne Goin from LA. I’ve always appreciated her simple and elegant style of food. She also seems like a lovely person with a great demeanour.
13. How did you transition from running a catering company to running your own restaurant?
Running Nicole Gourmet Catering was a fantastic experience but also one that wasn’t scaleable. Independently starting a company at 28, I did not yet acquire the skill set to write a proper business plan. After enduring many challenges and working my ass off for 12 years in the catering company, I partnered with my sister to write a proper business plan for Cluck n Cleaver, a take out concept with scalability. It’s intention is to build ourselves a retirement plan, essentially.
14. What did you learn from your experience on Top Chef Canada?
How to do things very quickly. Not only doing things quickly and thinking quickly but also, forgiving yourself quickly and others quickly. It was an amazing experience for me because I got two tries on Top Chef Canada. Seeing yourself on a TV screen can teach you a lot about yourself. For example, how you carry yourself and how you react to certain situations. Specially with the viewpoint of looking from the outside in. It’s not always pretty but it sure teaches you that you are human and not perfect. What I learned most from it was to always move forward and learn from your mistakes.
15. What’s next for you as a chef?
Developing restaurants in airports. Stay tuned!
Head to Nicole’s Instagram to see what this chef has been up to with all her cooking ventures!