Rod Butters named NAIT's 10th chef in residence

Published on January 09, 2018

The acclaimed Kelowna chef and restaurateur will spend five days with Culinary Arts students in March

Chef Rod Butters, a renowned promoter of local and regional cuisine, will share his expertise with NAIT culinary students as Hokanson Chef in Residence from March 12-16, 2018.

Butters, who owns three restaurants in B.C.’s Okanagan Valley and is opening a fourth, has worked at hotels and restaurants in Vancouver, Whistler, Toronto and Hong Kong. He has earned numerous honours for his commitment to his community and its producers.

NAIT’s Hokanson Chef in Residence program, now in its 10th year, provides students with a rare opportunity to learn firsthand from the best chefs in North America. The program was made possible by a generous donation from John and Susan Hokanson.

Past chefs in residence have included Rob Feenie in 2009, David Adjey in 2010, Susur Lee in 2011, Massimo Capra in 2012, Chris Cosentino in 2013, Lynn Crawford in 2014, Michael Stadtländer in 2015, Vikram Vij in 2016 and Amanda Cohen in 2017.

QUICK FACTS

  • Butters owns two restaurants in Kelowna – RauDZ Regional Table and micro bar and bites, as well as Terrafina at Hester Creek by RauDZ in Oliver, B.C. He plans to open Sunny’s modern diner in Kelowna this spring.
  • He was the first Chef de Cuisine at the renowned Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino, when it became part of the prestigious Relais and Chateau group, an association of luxury, independent hotels and restaurants.
  • His cookbook, The Okanagan Table: the art of Everyday Home Cooking, was recently named the Canadian winner for best local cookbook by the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.
  • Butters was named an Honorary Okanagan Fellow in 2015 by Okanagan College for his work with students and the community.
  • He was inducted into the B.C. Restaurant Hall of Fame by his peers in 2007 and to the Canadian Culinary Federation Honour Society in 2013.

QUOTES

Rod Butters, 2018 Chef in Residence
“I’m incredibly proud and excited to be the next NAIT Chef in Residence. It’s an amazing lineup of previous chefs who have been involved. Many of them are friends and I’m humbled to be included. I can already tell this will be another career highlight for me.”

Perry Michetti, NAIT School of Skilled Trades
“This is a great way for us to celebrate Canada 150 and the 10th year of the Hokanson program. Chef Butters is a Canadian-born, Canadian-trained, Canadian entrepreneur, supporting Canadian cuisine and Canadian chefs. We’re thrilled to have him at NAIT.”

LEARN MORE

Hokanson Chef in Residence program

About NAIT

The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) is a leading Canadian polytechnic, delivering education in science, technology and the environment; business; health and trades. With nearly 60,000 credit and non-credit students and a 95 per cent employer satisfaction rate, NAIT grads are essential to Alberta’s prosperity. Known for hands-on, technology-based learning, NAIT engages with business and industry in applied research and innovation and provides corporate training around the world. Recognized as one of Alberta’s top employers, NAIT provides outstanding returns on investment for its graduates, partners, the provincial government and the people of Alberta.

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