Chef Craig Paulger of J. Dee's Market Grill in London, Ontario

Craig Paulger and his partners worked their way from the ground up to the ownership of three successful restaurants: first J. Dee's Summer House, then Bernie Greene's Pizza Pasta Pub, both in the summer beach resort community of Grand Bend, and, most recently, J. Dee's Market Grill in London, Ontario.

This interview is one of five I did with Ontario chefs for an article that was bumped from a print publication for lack of space. At the time, Paulger was owner/operator and chef at J. Dee's Market Grill. To the best of my knowledge, he's still there, but I have the impression he's closed Bernie Greene's. (I'll publish all five interviews as separate postings; they all share the same format.)

• Food style: Gourmet burger bar
• Oddest customer request? It's not unusual for customers to request menu items that have no garlic in them, and it's difficult for me to pinpoint something. The only thing I can guarantee has no garlic is the ice cream.
• Scariest moment in the kitchen? Occasions when we are ill prepared for level of business we're going to do. In Grand Bend, on the shores of Lake Huron, it's not unusual for the weather to change rapidly. My motto is: "Never underestimate a sunny day."
• Greatest triumph? I guess my greatest triumph is amassing three restaurants that are built on our own cooking skills. There are no pre-fab foods in our restaurants; we make everything from scratch.
• Wisdom for Other Chefs? You have to love it or you're probably in the wrong business.
• What's Cooking? We do a lamb burger that's grilled over mesquite charcoal, which casts a smoky backyard barbeque flavour over all the meat. We're finishing it in a minted red wine sauce with grilled portobello mushrooms.

Also check out:

• John Sinopoli, Table 17 (Toronto)
• Raymond Taylor, Ponte Vecchio (Niagara Falls)
• Stephen Vardy, Black Cat Bistro (Ottawa)