The Chef in Stead

Chef Martin catered our son’s wedding rehearsal at Big White. His tapas and desserts were impressive and delicious. There was a perfect balance in the various dishes and all the guests were impressed! A very talented chef whose food made the evening memorable and pleasurable. We highly recommend him!

Over the past 15+ years we have hired Chef Martin on at least 6 memorable occasions, for group sizes ranging from about 2O to as many as 85. We have also had the pleasure of enjoying Chef's fabulous dinners on numerous other occasions when friends and acquaintances have used his services. Chef has never disappointed us, is always entertaining, and his dinners are outstanding.Kristen helped us immensely in planning our largest and most recent outdoor celebration and dinner this summer. From her extensive pre-planning checklist through to her venue visit several weeks prior to the dinner, we had full confidence that all details were taken care. Kristen also headed up the efficient and professional team of 3 servers on the day of the dinner.Thank you Martin...and Kristen for the fabulous meal and your important role in making the day so very special. Your passion for good food and people are always evident and appreciated.

Absolutely incredible. We hired The Chef Instead for our outdoor wedding in July based on Google reviews. Chef Martin and his team did not disappoint. Everyone is still raving about the food months later. I would book them again in a heartbeat!

I would definitely recommend Chef Martin for any dinner party you are hosting. Twice now, he has blow us away with his food and service. If he’s available, book him!

Chef Martin and his wife/business partner Kristin provided an amazing meal at our wedding and were able to do so safely and professionally with the ongoing pandemic. They were very flexible and helpful in dealing with the changing requirements for public health orders. Also, they are very organized and experienced which was helpful on such a busy day for us. Our guests enjoyed the variety of BBQ meats, veggie chilli, and bright colourful salads. We especially LOVED the Mac and Cheese but everything was so tasty! We would 100% recommend The Chef in Stead for any event you need to be catered.

After tasting Chef's amazing creations at various events over the years we absolutely had to have him treat our wedding guests to an amazing BBQ dinner. This was definitely not another rubber chicken dinner. Chef is a master of his craft, and he and Kristin are professional, enjoyable to work with, and know how to impress a crowd.

Chef Martin and Kristin provided us with a night not to forget!! This was a truly elevated experience. Not only did we have a beautiful dinner but Chef Martin was generous with his knowledge, giving us a private cooking show all afternoon. Now we are just trying to think of an excuse to have them come again, would highly recommend booking The Chef Instead for an exceptional fine dining experience that is restaurant quality but in the comfort of your own home.

Chef and his team were absolutely amazing! They cooked for us at our outdoor wedding of 80+ people. They were very organized and clean. My kitchen sparkled when they left. And The food was out of this world! My guests are raving about the food saying things like “those were the best ribs I’ve ever had” “wow your caterer was amazing” thank you Martin and Kristin for making our night so memorable right down to the meal we shared with our friends and family!

Had a meal catered by chef and it was fantastic. All the food was amazing and he taught us so much. Chef answered all questions we had about techniques and told fun stories. It was great having him do a meal for a family of 4. He cleaned up so well after too! Chef is the best! Also brought by some fresh bread and other goodies!