CHEF CHRIS HRYNYK
Catering Chef Manager – Sorrentino’s Restaurant Group
Chris Hrynyk started cooking at the age of seven, in part due the influence of his mother and grandmother. He says that although his mother is a lovely woman, she has never been a very good cook so he took an early stand in the kitchen as an act of self defence. By contrast, his Grandmother, who was an excellent cook and role model with much experience working in hotel dining rooms, suggested that he would “one day become a great chef.” Defying family pressure, Chris had other plans. He decided to take a year off to travel and had every intention of returning to school to study law. However, while in Europe he enjoyed and was impressed by many different types of cuisines. This experience changed his mind that cooking was perhaps a career worth exploring.
Returning to Edmonton, he started as a line cook at Café Select and eventually became Sous Chef. This experience was a springboard to further positions at many of Edmonton’s finest restaurants including The Red Ox Inn, Le Petite Marche, Nina’s Restaurant, Murrieta’s and upscale caterers such as Bridges and The Butler Did It! The skills and knowledge gained at these fine dining establishments were to be instrumental in an offer he received for the position of Catering Manager of the Sorrentino’s Restaurant Group by president Carmelo Rago.
As a graduate of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, School of Hospitality & Culinary Arts, Chris recognizes the importance of continuing professional education in his field, and the upgrading of his culinary skills and knowledge. He is a frequent student of classes at The Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone campus in St Helena, California.
Chef Hrynyk lives to impress. He considers food preparation as an art form or theatre. “The show always has to go on” he says. “Don’t be afraid to improvise if you have to.” To this end, creativity is an attribute which Chris proudly exhibits in his cooking and as he lives his life. It can be seen regularly in the cuisine output of Sorrentino’s Catering Kitchen, and in presentations made as a guest TV chef on CTV, Global, OMNI TV, CTSTV and others. His recipes have been published in several cookbooks put together by the Edmonton Journal. In his spare time, Chris travels extensively and paints bold and colourful artwork with a chaotic urban feel, loosely reminiscent of his unique cooking style.