Gregory Reid

Chef de Cuisine

Chef Greg Reid joined our team last summer, and as January 1 he took over leadership of our kitchen and culiary program as our new Chef de Cuisine.

Greg was born in Newfoundland, and spent most of his young years in the Atlantic Region. In 2004 Greg pursued his passion for cooking by enrolling at The Culinary Institute of Canada in Charlottetown, beginning the Culinary Arts program.

After graduating, Greg began his quest west. He spent time at The Willow on Wascana in Regina, Saskatchewan, rated by En Route Magazine as one of the best New Restaurants in Canada. Shorly after taking the position at The Willow, Greg was featured on the Global television program Canada’s Next Great Chef.

After his tenure in Regina, Greg continued west to Vancouver, taking a position with one of Canada’s most celebrated Chefs, Bruno Marti at La Belle Auberge. During his time there he built upon the foundation of classic French Cuisine, Learning directly from the Master himself and from Chef de Cuisine Tobias MacDonald.

In winter 2008 Greg joined the team at West Restaurant and Bar, under chef Warren Geraghty, and soon became Warren’s Sous Chef. During his time at West, Greg learned the processes into running a successful business, from cost and inventory control, to staffing and menu design. Also during this time, he helped on the project West; The Cookbook. With Chef Geraghty leaving West and moving home to his native England, Greg felt it was a good time for him to move on as well – and he did, to Daniel Boulud’s db Bistro Moderne. Greg spent the summer of 2011 as Sous Chef at Old Vines Restaurant at Quails’ Gate, inspired by the Okanagan’s bounty. He returned to Vancouver that fall to take a position with The Ensemble Restaurant Group, Headed by Canada’s Top Chef Dale Mackay.

He has proven an invaluable member of Edible Canada’s management team, since joining the company, with his creative and experienced culinary skills, quick wit and sharp sense of humour. In his spare time Greg enjoys spending time with his wife Leah and their daughter Eve.

Courtney Buryta

Restaurant Manager

Now a happy relocated westcoaster, Courtney was born and raised in Brantford, ON. Her years in BC have been filled with amazing food and drink, and her resume reflects her passions for this field.

When she landed on the west coast, she took a position with the prestigious Sonora Resort, discovering the alluring world of fine food and wine. She went on to work in restaurants for the next six years, including Tapenade Bistro in Steveston Village, Il Giardino and Lumiere. She joined Edible Canada at the Market as Restaurant Manager in the winter of 2011, overseeing our service team.

When not gracing the floor, talking about food and wine, she’s at home – working with food and wine! In her spare time she enjoys tending to her gardens, cooking, preserving, entertaining, yoga and travelling (trips to France, throughout Europe and South East Asia). She plans to complete her WSET Diploma in the summer of 2012.

Courtney’s keen eye and highly detailed standards, stellar food and wine pairing prowess and welcoming smile has made her a very welcome addition to the bistro.

Christie Collins

Assistant Restaurant Manager

Born in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Christie grew up in a large extended family, with plenty of food-focused get togethers. Starting to work in restaurants at the young age of 15, she worked her way up from busser, to hostess, expeditor, server and supervisor learning as much along the way as she could about restaurants and customer service.

Her passion for the industry led her to enroll in the Food and Beverage Management program at Conestoga College in Waterloo. Her education continued through working at the award winning Hannah’s Bella Bistro and Hannah’s Tapas Lounge, where she worked with some of Waterloo’s finest food service professionals. Moving to BC was always a dream, and Christie made it happen in the spring of 2009. Working at Tapenade Bistro in Steveston provided a platform to further her wine knowledge and casual fine-dining service skills.

Christie has a passion for all things sustainable and food related, and her positive attitude and resourcefulness has made her a perfect addition to the Edible Canada management team.

Meghan St. Jean

Retail Marketing Manager

Since Meghan was a small child, she cared about what she put in her body.  Her parents used to often refer to her as the ‘fruit and veggie monster’ as she always preferred healthy homemade meals over grease.  Always on the hunt for ways to create delicious alternatives to robust, rich meals, she began cooking at a young age and has kept herself a recipe book that she started at age 12.

Along with food, Meghan shares another hunger for growth, development and constant challenge.  After growing up in a small town in central BC,  it was only natural that she set out to experience the world.  After travelling to over 5 different countries, she moved down to Vancouver to begin her journey in a career that would prove to be dynamic and exciting.  After completing BCIT’s Marketing Management Program, and setting a goal to stray from the corporate world and support LOCAL, Meghan moved directly into positions in the Natural cosmetics and Adventure Tourism industries.  Although these roles were deeply satisfying and close to home, there was a piece missing – Business Management.  From there, two years of Managing one of North America’s highest volume lululemon athletica stores pursued.

Now, with a position that marries all of her strengths and passions together, Meghan is in her element.  “Not only am I doing what I love, but for a company I truly believe in. It can’t get any better!” – Meghan.

Erin Quinn

Director of Sales

With the expansion of the company came many new challenges, and our Operations Manager Erin has met and handled every one with a smile. Erin had been following the growth of Edible BC in the earlier stages as food and travel have always been her passions. After studying Tourism Management at Capilano University, she decided to take a trip around the world to learn about different cultures and (most importantly) eat the local food. It was no surprise to her friends and family that most of the photographs from her trip were of the meals she ate! Growing up in Vancouver exposed Erin to a wide-range of international cuisine and also made her appreciate the amazing local products BC has to offer. She is currently completing her WSET Advanced studies.

Amber Magnus

Tour & Events Manager

During 20 months of travel in Australia, South East Asia, and Indonesia, White Rock native Amber Magnus cultivated her strong passion for local cultured food and wine.

Amber’s event planning / obsession began years ago with organizing friends’ and families private weddings and socials and moved on to corporate events and catering. Her skills and attention to detail have now brought her to her favourite place in the world – Granville Island. Proud to be a part of a small, sustainable, 100% local company Amber is dedicated to customizing unique, top quality events for our worldwide clients, providing luxuries and truly memorable adventures. Her contagious energy and positive outlook on life will no doubt aid with Edible’s continued success.

On her downtime you can typically find Amber cruising the seawall with her chubby French Bulldog in tow. A lover of Vancouver’s endless outdoor activities and social events, Amber is always looking for a new opportunity to plan a party or attend a local festival.

Treve Ring

Director of Liquid Assets

A firm believer that wine needn’t be intimidating (hence her title), Treve oversees the beverage program for Edible Canada. She is a certified sommelier, wine consultant, judge, writer and editor. After completing her Art History degree from the University of Victoria and being exposed to the world of wine business at Christie’s in London, England, she switched gears, leaving the realm of art for the world of wine. She has received her Sommelier Diploma from the International Sommelier Guild and is a Diploma Graduate through the Wine & Spirits Education Trust, has become a French Wine Scholar through the French Wine Academy, a Certified Sherry Educator with the Sherry Academy of Jerez, and a Wine Location Specialist (Champagne & Port) with the Center of Wine Origins. She is currently finishing certification with the Society of Wine Educators. Treve is the recipient of a Les Dames d’Escoffier scholarship for wine writing and studies, and was a contributor to the award-winning “Island Wineries of British Columbia“, published in early 2011.

In addition to her work with Edible Canada, Treve is DRINK Editor of EAT Magazine, BC Regional Editor for SIP Northwest Magazine and a contributing writer and member of the National Tasting Panel for Wine Access Magazine.

Breanne Carter

Retail Supervisor

This past year has been full of great opportunities and changes for Breanne. After graduating with a degree in Psychology from Simon Fraser University in December of 2011, she took off for Southeast Asia to alleviate an ever-growing desire to travel.  After four months of unforgettable adventure, Breanne returned to Vancouver satisfied and set on landing a job she could consider a career. With a long history of track and field and a strong focus on exercise, diet and living a healthy lifestyle, she knew that food would be involved in some way.  Breanne also knew that her strengths involved building solid relationships, managing others and taking on challenges with utmost confidence and grit. After doing her research, it was not long after that she joined the retail team at Edible Canada. Breanne is now the beautiful, smiling face and warm welcome that greets you upon entering our retail store.

Jessica Blachut

Coordinator of Excellence

Jessica was born and raised in False Creek and was first introduced to Granville Island market in a stroller.  She was raised in an environmentally friendly family who instilled values for cooking with fresh local ingredients.

Her first foray into the hospitality industry was at Milestones Yaletown as a hostess. Through extensive training she learned every aspect of the restaurant business from expeditor, cocktail server, server and bartender all the way up to Manager. Looking for a new challenge, she moved to the smaller, independently run, Pair Bistro,  a 70 seat restaurant that was passionate about supporting local farmers and small lot BC wineries.  It was there that she formed lasting and meaningful relationships with regular guests and learnt the importance of nurturing these connections.

Deciding to further her wine knowledge, Jessica started a sommelier program through the International Sommelier Guild and finished the level one program at the top of her class.  Jessica’s travels though Portugal’s wine region, the Durro Valley, and California’s Nappa Valley, Sonoma Valley and Santa Ynez Valleys solidified her love for her chosen path.

Jessica feels as though she’s found the perfect match in Edible Canada to nurture her passions.  She can’t wait to grow, learn and see what the future holds.