Chef Craig Vieria
By Betty Carpick
At home, Craig Vieria cooks basic comfort food—roast chicken, a simple pasta dish, grilled steak. Add a salad, some wine, a five-year old and a toddler. With his whites off, he’s just a regular guy putting food on the table with his wife, Tina.
Vieria’s been at the Caribou Restaurant & Wine Bar since the beginning. A hometown boy, he worked the grill at The Keg, took a brief spin studying kinesiology and then completed the chef program at Algonquin College. 14 years later, as Caribou’s Executive Chef, he’s passionate about his work, the camaraderie with friends in the trade, the relationships with customers, and the abundance of the gastronomical world.
Caribou’s focus on good quality food served with a kick-ass wine selection in a casual, inviting atmosphere isn’t contrived; it’s a genuine reflection of a team who care deeply about food, farmers, artisans, and what goes into people’s mouths. As the man in charge of the kitchen, Vieria’s inquisitive nature and attention to detail serve him well. He knows that every inglorious step—from sourcing suppliers, to chopping, to prep, to cleaning up at the end of the night—shapes the Caribou experience and makes eating well in our city all the more closer to home and interesting.
From the February 2013 issue:
