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01Private chef · Canmore

An hourfrom town.A whole world off.Private chef in Canmore & the Bow Valley

Close enough that a Tuesday dinner is a real option, far enough that it still feels like you went somewhere.

Check a dateWhat works in the valley
A plated course at a private dinner in Canmore
Chef Marina preparing a course in a Bow Valley kitchen
02The Bow Valley

Canmore isn'ta resort.

It is a town people actually live in, which changes what these evenings are for. Less of the once-a-year blowout, more of the reasons real life produces — a fiftieth, a reunion where the family has flown in from three provinces, the last dinner before someone moves away.

It also means condo kitchens, and that is fine. One oven and four burners is plenty when the prep is already done. The menus here are built for the rooms that exist rather than the ones a brochure imagines.

Being an hour out matters more than it sounds. Ingredients get shopped in Calgary the same afternoon and driven straight up, so nothing on the plate was chosen because it was the only thing left on a mountain shelf at five o'clock.

From Calgary
About 1 hr by road
Also covered
Dead Man's Flats, Harvie Heights, Exshaw
Notice
4–6 weeks; longer for summer Saturdays
03Who books this

The evenings thatcome up most.

Different from Banff, and worth saying so — these are mostly people with a reason rather than people on holiday.

  • 01

    Family reunions

    Everyone has travelled, nobody wants to cook, and the one big table is the entire point of renting the place. Dinner shouldn't be the stressful part.

  • 02

    Milestones, quietly

    Birthdays, anniversaries, the occasional proposal. Small numbers, high stakes, and a menu built around what the night is actually for.

  • 03

    Showers & small weddings

    Bridal showers and rehearsal dinners plan months out and are worth booking early — summer Saturdays here go a long way in advance.

  • 04

    Lodge retreats

    Corporate offsites at the mountain lodges, cooked for the team or by it. The hands-on version does more for a retreat than another catered meal.

06Questions

Things peoplealways ask.

The ones that arrive in my inbox most weeks. If yours isn't here, send it over.

01Do you cover Canmore and the Bow Valley?
Regularly. Canmore is about an hour from Calgary, which makes it one of the easier mountain bookings to arrange — and it means a weeknight dinner is realistic here in a way it isn't further out. Dead Man's Flats, Harvie Heights and Exshaw are all within the same run.
02Our place is a condo with a small kitchen. Is that a problem?
No. Most of Canmore is condos, and the menus are built for them. A single oven and four burners is plenty for a multi-course dinner when the prep is done before I arrive — which it is.
03Can you cook for a milestone — a birthday, an anniversary, a proposal?
Those are a good share of the Canmore calendar. Tell me what the evening is actually for and the menu bends around it — a course that means something, the timing of a toast, or simply getting out of the room at the right moment. The quiet ones are often the best.
04Do you do bridal showers and small weddings?
Yes — small weddings, bridal showers and rehearsal dinners all work well here, and they tend to plan months ahead. If the date is fixed, book early: summer Saturdays in Canmore are spoken for a long way out.
05Can you cater a corporate retreat at a lodge?
Yes, and it is worth deciding early whether you want dinner cooked for the team or cooked by the team — the hands-on format does more for a retreat than another catered meal. Both are on the table; they are priced differently.
06What does it cost, and what's the travel charge?
From $100 per guest, with travel quoted as its own line. Canmore is closer than Banff and the travel line reflects that. Everything else — pairings, staffing, rentals — is itemised before you commit.
07How much notice do you need?
Four to six weeks for most dates. Long weekends, the Canada Day week and the stretch around Christmas need longer. I do keep room for the occasional short-notice weeknight — ask, the worst answer is no.
08Can you cook more than one meal while we're up here?
Yes. Multi-day stays sometimes want a big dinner on the first night and something easy on the second, or a breakfast for the whole house. It is quoted per service, so you only pay for the meals you actually want.
09Where do the ingredients come from?
Shopped in Calgary the same day and driven up, with Alberta producers wherever the menu allows. It is one reason the food does not taste like resort-town catering — nothing is bought in a hurry on the way past.

Also available

05Let's cook

Tell me what you'rein the mood for.

Booking from this summer onward.

Emailmmellino@yahoo.comReplies within the day
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Chef Marina
Chef Marina.