Dale MacKay
Executive Chef
Dale MacKay has been the culinary tour de force in the Lumière kitchen since he arrived from New York City in the fall of 2007.
Under Dale's direction, Lumière built on its un-broken tradition of Relaise & Chateau class cuisine and service standards, as well as AAA's Five Diamond, Mobil's Four Stars and Traditions et Qualite's highest honours. Dale had earned the coveted 'Grand Chef Relais & Chateaux' status, and is the youngest of Just 160 Grand Chefs on five continents.
Chef MacKay was born in Saskatchewan, Canada, and, like most great chefs, knew at an early age that he was destined for the kitchen. Before being hand-picked by maverick Chef Gordon Ramsay (Hell's Kitchen), Dale spent time as a private chef in Rome, in BC's Queen Charlotte Islands as an Executive Chef with the elite Westcoast Fishing Club.
Dale's experience as Gordon Ramsay's protogé included time in his famed kitchens at Claridge's in London, the three Michelin starred Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London, and in the Conrad Tokyo Hotel. His final post before coming to Vancouver was as Executive Sous Chef at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay at The London NYC Hotel in New York City. There, Dale perfected his craft - overseeing a staff of 65, two restaurants, (Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and Maze), a private dining room and room service. At just 26 years of age, Dale was an exemplary Chef and kitchen manager and his talents contributed significantly to the two Michelin Star and 'Best New Restaurant' (Zagat) rating of the properties.
Today, the unassuming, over-achieving Chef MacKay and celebrated Chef Daniel Boulud collaborate beautifully in the Lumière kitchen. The young Chef thrives on consultation with the accomplished Boloud and together, they are creating a new Vancouver standard of fine French Cuisine - extraordinary yet approachable. In hindsight, MacKay believes that his culinary traning and experience were predestined for Lumière - that all roads led him straight to the abundance of fresh seafood, produce and artisnal ingredients that inspire him daily.
To learn more about what it takes to become a Grand Chef, visit our Grand Chef page.
To see Chefs Dale MacKay and Daniel Boulud in conversation and in the Lumière kitchen, view our No Detail Too Small webisode.
At Lumière Restaurant in Vancouver, superb service and sublime cuisine promise guests the culinary experience of a lifetime. Choices include a five-course Fixed Price Menu, seven-course Chef's Menu and five-course Vegetarian Menu - all with wine pairings carefully chosen from an impressive range of local and international labels to complement the cuisine and occasion. The restaurant's executive chef Dale McKay comes to Lumière from the kitchens of Gordon Ramsay restaurants in London, Tokyo and New York. Under Dale MacKay's direction, the cuisine at Lumière has earned AAA’s Five Diamond Award, Four Stars in the Mobil Guide, The Georgia Straights’ award for Best Fine Dining Restaurant and The Vancouver Sun award for Best Restaurant. Dale is Western Canada’s only Grand Chef Relais and Chateaux. Under the guidance of Daniel Boulud, Chef Dale MacKay works his magic on the finest ingredients British Columbia has to offer.