Chef Daniel Crane grew up on Vancouver Island in the small town of Port Hardy, B.C. Surrounded by nature, along with the nearby ocean and its abundance of fresh seafood, the stage was set for Daniel to become a chef who was passionate about sourcing locally. He started his career from the ground up, first as a dishwasher at 16 years of age, where he began to learn the ins and outs of a commercial kitchen. Shortly after starting his career he was given the opportunity to cook “on the line” and progressed quickly to help run the kitchen 2 years later. Shortly afterwards, he relocated to Vancouver to give himself more opportunity to grow and expand his skill set. Within 3 years, he was promoted to Sous Chef at The Cactus Club, one of Vancouver’s most popular eateries. An opportunity to work on The Rocky Mountaineer under Chef Frederic Couton, a chef with Michelin-starred restaurant experience, soon followed. From there, Chef Daniel went on to work at the Arbutus Club in West Vancouver where he apprenticed under Chef Michael Couzelis for 5 years, and then was given the opportunity to work one-on-one with Chef Michael Couzelis and Chef de cuisine Serge L’Ecuyer. Working under these renowned chefs, and having input in menu development, really sparked his imagination and subsequently, his career. From Vancouver, it was time to move back to the island, and relocating to Tofino he took a position at Jamie’s Rainforest Inn. Daniel was able to get back to his roots, using wild edibles and fresh seafood which was delivered daily to the back of the restaurant. Of course, this is a Chef’s dream! During his 2 years at Jamie’s Rainforest Inn, he obtained his first Executive Chef Position while building a reputation in the community and helping the restaurant thrive. After working for four years in Tofino, a bigger challenge beckoned, and he looked to the mountains for inspiration. Landing at Tyax Lodge & Heliskiing, Chef Daniel worked closely with Executive Chef Marco Duarte during his first winter. Chef Marco was able to inspire him and pass on his knowledge of European cookery. Chef Daniel now finds himself in a unique position to take over as Executive Chef at Tyax and has been given the opportunity to display his personal vision of cuisine in an inspired and beautiful setting.
Chef Daniel strongly believes in working with farmers and sourcing locally as much as possible. He believes ingredients should be respected and incorporates a no-waste mentality which he passes along to his kitchen team.
