When it comes to offering a unique dining experience, the MLSE team scores big

It’s been almost 45 years since the Maple Leafs iced a winning hockey team, a fact not easily lost on Torontonians. Ironically, however, in a matter of a few short years, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), the corporate behemoth that owns the Leafs, the Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC, the Air Canada Centre, and a host of other enterprises, has become a model of successful entrepreneurship. By assembling a dream team of culinary playmakers, and focusing on innovative offerings and leading­edge customer serv­ice, MLSE has created a winning recipe for success, while proving that foodservice — even within the usually staid stadium environment — need not be predictable or boring.

Paul Rogalski and Olivier Reynaud provide home-grown flavour at their red house on the river

Down along the Bow River in Calgary, chef Michael Dekker wanders through his sprawling kitchen garden. It’s been an odd summer in Calgary but good for radishes, greens, chard and other cool-weather crops. The nasturtiums are bushy and loaded with blooms; the mint and sage spill across the pathways. “It’s been my pet project since I’ve been here — making it a true showcase,” says the 28-year-old chef who has been in charge of the kitchen at the award-winning Rouge Restaurant for the past two years.

“My momma always said, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.’” — Forrest Gump

Those memorable words spoken by actor Tom Hanks in the movie Forrest Gump, apply to Robert Clark’s mandate. The Montreal-born chef, who cites Anthony Walsh and Marc Thuet among his friends, traces his love of food back to when he shared family cooking duties with his brothers. Not long after he turned professional, he grew tired of using fish that wasn’t locally sourced.

Vancouver’s White Spot Restaurants has a long history of successful hospitality