Stampede Cellar Uncorked

Linda Garson

Linda Garson is the creator, Editor-in-Chief, and Publisher of Culinaire Magazine, Alberta's food and beverage magazine, and the creator of Vine & Dine, 8-12 public wine and food pairing dinners that she hosts in restaurants around the city, every month since 2005. 

She is a judge and host on all 24 episodes of "Mixology Masters", airing on Tubi, and was a regular contributor on CBC radio's afternoon show "The Homestretch" for five years talking about food and wines.

She appeared regularly on Global Television where she talked about new restaurants and other food and beverage-related topics, as well as on CHQR 770 radio. Linda is the food and beverage columnist on the new channel, "Wake Up Calgary",.

Linda has earned a reputation as one of Calgary's prime food and beverage experts, educators, and influencers.
 

Chef Christine Beard

Christine Beard's culinary career has taken her from Virginia and Washington, DC to Los Angeles, before bringing her back to Calgary to teach at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology-where she was once a student herself. Her travels across Canada and the U.S. sparked a lasting love of breads, viennoiserie, chocolate, and plated desserts, all of which she brings into the classroom. Outside of teaching, she can often be found collaborating with local chefs and contributing to Calgary's vibrant culinary community.

Chef Vincent Parkinson

Vincent has received numerous culinary honors, for example, his expertise in patisserie was evident when he won the 1980 Wiser's Deluxe Culinary Classic in the dessert category.  During his six and a half years as Executive Chef at the Delta Bow Valley Hotel, his high standards and the talented kitchen brigade under his direction were credited for earning the DiRoNa Award for the hotel's Conservatory Dining Room.  
He was a member of Culinary Team Alberta from 1990 and team captain from 1992.  In that capacity winning gold medals at the 1990 and 1994 Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg and silver and gold medals in the 1992 and 1996 Culinary Olympics in Berlin. In 1997 he was co-captain of Team Canada winning the World Championship at the Culinary Grand Prix in Glasgow.
Being a proud promoter of Canada's distinctive products made him a natural choice to be the featured chef in Canadian Food Festivals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Taipei, Taiwan and Nagoya, Japan.   
The success of his 'kitchen family' illustrates, perhaps more than anything else, his proudest accomplishment which was to provide an ethical and supportive workplace environment that enabled his protégés to develop their skills and cultivate their talents.   His role as mentor to many, many young culinarians was not limited to their daily work but also included assistance as they participated in culinary competitions, which continues to this day.

Chef Andrew Springett

14 years SAIT.

4 Years Chef de Cuisine at Wickaninnish Inn and 4 Years Black Rock Ocean Front Resort on Vancouver Island.

Canada Skills Representative and Member for SAIT, Alberta PTC and member of National Skills NTC. 

Chef Paul Rogalski

Chef Paul Rogalski is the Culinary Director and co-owner of the multi award-winning Rouge Restaurant in Calgary, where he has helped define a distinctly Canadian "Modern Farmhouse" cuisine rooted in the restaurant's garden and the surrounding prairie and foothills. Known for his deep connection to terroir, foraging, and storytelling through food, Paul brings a sense of place to every dish he creates. He is also the co-host of the internationally broadcast TV series Wild Harvest with Les Stroud, exploring ingredients from the land and the people behind them. Beyond the kitchen, Paul is an active collaborator, mentor, and advocate for Canada's culinary community, continually pushing the conversation around flavour, sustainability, and craft.