Haida chef treated like royalty by Italians

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The chef at Liliget Feast House and Catering found out what it was like to be wined and dined himself in Italy this year, and says the experience was so great he wants to go back.

Felix Parnell, a Haida from Massett, went overseas to demonstrate his cooking prowess to an international group of chefs in February.

"It was incredaible. They treated us like stars," said Parnell. "They [organizers of the BIT Exhibition in Milan] said it was unbelievable how we made it into the Italian magazine that we did; they said it was really hard for restaurants around the world to make it into that magazine."

The publication, whose name escapes the busy chef now, featured a photo of him along with a description of food he prepared and the classy establishment he works in. The cooking exhibition organizers saw the article and invited Parnell to Italy.

Parnell's contribution as a guest at the finals of the Gualtiero Marchesi Award held during the exhibition, was a speech and a practical demonstration of his approach to cooking, which took about 45 minutes. The event was televised and Parnell made himself available for interviews.

In exchange, the organizers covered all expenses for Parnell and his wife to go to Italy and they made sure he got everything he needed at every turn, both to assist him in putting on the demonstration and to enjoy his leisure hours. That included accommodation in the four-star Hotel Nasco, a translator and a private car at his disposal. Not to mention good meals.

"We ate in the most expensive restaurants in Italy. We drank the best champagne, the best wine. They treated us like royalty."

The royal treatment started the minute the Parnells got off the plane.

"It was really strange, the day that my wife and I arrived in Milan, they picked us up at the airport and we went to settle down in our hotel. They said we could rest for a while, but the people that invited us wanted to meet us right away. So we had to go to the competition and they stopped the competition just to film me going in.

"I was really nervous, especially when I was doing the demonstration. I was wearing some Native regalia, and there were so many cameras, there were flashes all over the place and people coming up and touching the robes and the hat. . . . people were just really friendly and they did anything, even the executive chef, they were bending over backwards helping us out (with) whatever we needed."

Parnell, 38, has been cooking since he was 19-half his lifetime. Almost five years of that he has been at the Liliget Feast House. He can cook anything, but despite his recent high profile he has no pretensions and he talks matter-of-factly about his career's humble beginnings.

Prior to Liliget, he cooked hamburgers and steaks.

"I just found out about this restaurant by accident."

A friend who used to work at Liliget told him they were looking for a part-time chef. In less than a year Parnell became their head chef.

The best thing about his job, he said, is "meeting people from all over the world and hearing all the feedback of how they enjoyed the food."

Years earlier, he got his training at Vancouver Community College, then started working at Brothers restaurant in Gastown. First bussing, then bartending and waiting tables. Finally he got a chance to try cooking.

Now Parnell cooks traditional Native recipes that include caribou, venison, duck, salmon, halibut, oysters, mussels, herring roe, and smoked and fresh oolicans, which are part of the smelt family.

"Like I was telling them in Milan, it's just the basics of culinary arts. Everything that I do down here is very simple."

For his debut abroad he cooked a Liliget pizza platter, a salmon entree and a salmon soup. "They finished everything."

It's a job with long hours standing. At home, Parnell's wife does the cooking. "When I get two days off and it's my turn to cook, my kids look forward to it because I just pick up the phone and order out."

In his professional doain, people sometimes have to wait a bit longer to try Parnell's food. "I've had people phone in from Scotland, from Egypt, just to make reservations months in advance. We had 10 people come in here from Egypt just to try the food."

Ten women came from Russia to try the caribou. "They enjoyed the entree so much . . . they ordered another entree each and they finished our caribou that night."

Parnell typically comes in at two or three o'clock in the afternoon and works until midnight or one o'clock in the morning. A European-trained sous chef named Roy helps him on the weekend by preparing the soups, sauces and bannock dough.

"At this restaurant everybody pitches in and helps out, and I wouldn't be able to do all of that if it wasn't for everybody in this restaurant," Parnell said.

The Parnells have been invited back to Italy, along with their three children. He has been asked to prepare a meal for all the chefs that were involved in the competition. They came from India, Egypt, Hawaii, Japan.

"I'd love to go back," he said.