It’s an ambitious project in the middle of a recession. But two chefs and their spouses are set to open a new restaurant in downtown Calgary, AB that could turn out to be the local gem of the core.
At a recent “hard-hat” tour of their new space at the corner of Centre St. and 9th Ave., chefs John Jackson and Connie DeSousa served up their own fluffy mini-brioche buns topped with tender slabs of Heritage Berkshire pork, a free-range suckling pig from local Broek Pork Acres that was cured, deboned, stuffed with foie gras and baked to crispy perfection, with skewers of house-pickled beets and fresh cheese, and individual desserts in tiny jam jars.
It’s the kind of locally-sourced and scratch-made food they plan to serve when their new restaurant, CHARCUT Roast House, opens here in December.
DeSousa, a Calgary native, and Vancouver, BC-born, Regina, SK-raised Jackson met while cooking at Calgary’s The Owl’s Nest Restaurant in the Westin Hotel, then left the city to break into the high-end restaurant business stateside: Jackson ventured to San Francisco by way of New York, becoming executive chef at Vitrine Restaurant in the St. Regis Hotel San Francisco and obtaining the Mobil 5-Star Award each year since opening. DeSousa, after competing at the World Culinary Olympics in Germany and becoming a notable chef in New York and California, started cooking at Alice Waters’ famed Chez Panisse.
Their spouses, Carrie Jackson and Jean François Beeroo, will staff the front of the house. And while this is the team’s first independent project, their collective resume, which also includes stints at Jean Georges in New York, Michelin-Star AME Restaurant in San Francisco and Lagoon in Bora Bora, promises good things. The chefs say they will offer Calgarians a contemporary and affordable downtown dining spot to enjoy their style of creative cooking, featuring ingredients sourced from local farms, house-cured meats, condiments and preserves, and even cheese made in-house.
Groupe Germain, a Quebec-based boutique hotel group, is the landlord; its new development, across from the Calgary Tower, is now under construction and includes a green office tower and a hotel tower, bridged by 40 luxurious penthouse condos, with a geothermal heating system and rooftop gardens.
CHARCUT (“CHAR” for their custom-built rotisserie and charbroiler and “CUT” for their featured vintage-style slicer and handcrafted charcuterie) promises quality artisan cuisine and value-driven prices, with no plates over $30. We can’t wait to dig in.
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