Restaurant – La Palma / Casa La Palma (two restaurants but is Chef de Cuisine at both)
Location – Toronto, ON
When it comes to food, Sam’s passion has always revolved around highlighting the simplicity of ingredients, while pairing them with fun and interesting techniques. Born and raised in the multicultural city of Toronto, Sam knew the moment she graduated from Culinary School, that she wanted to learn about different types of cuisines first hand. From her first stop helping open a small bistro in Grignan, France, to moving to Hong Kong, where she became a Tournant for a Restaurant Group which had 17 restaurants. All this travel sparked her interest in different cuisines, where Sam had the opportunity to work in a Vietnamese, Cantonese, Italian, and Indian restaurant in her one year abroad. From there, she travelled for three months across 29 cities throughout Asia and Europe, before landing back home in Toronto. Since returning, Sam has been working at La Palma Restaurant, where she became a Sous-Chef at 23, and has recently graduated to Chef de Cuisine at 26. Sam creates dishes using highlight ingredients and techniques from different cultures and cuisines. Sam has always preferred to be more versatile, sharing her personal experiences, and travel memories, through her food and lifestyle photos, making her the perfect candidate to partner for brands in the food, lifestyle and travel categories.