After spending the last couple of years in Edmonton helping to launch all of the culinary concepts inside the city's Grand Villa Casino, like Atlas Steak and Fish, veteran Canadian chef Shelley Robinson has recently made a move to Banff, where she is now the executive chef of Banff Hospitality Collective's Park Distillery, Restaurant and Bar. Robinson is a fairly recognizable face in the culinary scene as she is both a Top Chef Canada alumnus (season four) and Chopped Canada champion.
The chef has decades of experience in the Western Canadian food scene and has owned a number of restaurant concepts over the years, specifically in Alberta. Robinson, who relocated in early January, says she is excited to elevate the food program at Park's restaurant and bar to further complement the distillery's spirits that have received plenty of recognition since it opened on Banff's main street two and a half years ago.
The chef goes on to explain that she's spent the past few weeks getting up to speed with the kitchen operations and fine tuning how it handles its high volume (more than 800 covers on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday is typical) before she updates the menu with some of her own creations. Expect Robinson's revamped menu to launch sometime in the spring, which she reinforces will embody the smoky, campfire-style cooking that is synonymous with the Rocky Mountain lifestyle.
