If beets ever need an ambassador, Executive Chef Jeff Park, of Salted Vine, could be it. This versatile veggie deserves a lot more love, he insists.

Beets are a Favourite

“It’s one of my favourite vegetables to cook with. You can roast them up and eat them with steak or fresh cheese, or you can puree them up as a complement for fish,” he offers as examples.

Listening to his passion for produce, you’d never know that Park wasn’t always a chef.

Designer Turned Chef

“After high school, I lived in LA for about nine years and went to design school, where I graduated with an advertising design degree and worked as an art director for four years,” he said, “but I never really felt like it was the job I’d be doing for the rest of my life.”

So, at 29 years old, he left LA for Vancouver where he followed his foodie heart to culinary school and never looked back, he explained.

From Araxi to the Salted Vine

He began working at Araxi immediately after graduation, where he stayed until recently opening his own (already highly praised) restaurant, the Salted Vine.

“I love being in the kitchen, surrounded by food. This is the life that I’ve been wanting and waiting for.”

Pretty Pickled Beets

His recipe for pickled beets with Italian Burrata cheese (“Once you taste the true Italian Burrata you can never go back”), is one of the most popular dishes on the Salted Vine menu and has been gracing the sharing plates since opening day.

“It’s a very shareable dish among dinner parties,” he said. “The colour is just beautiful…and every bite is different.”

Luckily for us, Chef Park has shared the recipe for this Salted Vine favourite. So, grab your top chef fancy pants because you’ll be entertaining like a pro tonight!

Can get enough beets? Here’s another sweet recipe.

[recipe id=”70232″]