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>>People Cooking for cons >>
Prison chef helps keep inmates in line with hot tasty grub by CHRIS BARRY Photo by Jason Felker
Occupation: Kitchen manager/administrator
Age: 37
Salary:
Over $600 a week after taxes.
Bio: This
talented Laurentians resident and former Navy cadet saxophonist is responsible
for feeding the approximately 800 inmates who enjoy life inside the
penitentiary complex at Ste-Anne-des-Plaines. Having worked in his father’s
family restaurant while growing up in rural Quebec, Stéphane
knew the pitfalls of the restaurant biz and opted to follow a career
in industrial design while in CEGEP. Ultimately coming to the conclusion
that he “needed to work in a field with more social interaction,”
when the opportunity to work in food preparation for Corrections Canada
came up 10 years ago, he jumped at it and hasn’t looked back since.
Far more than a gifted short-order cook with a talent for working on
a tight budget, Stéphane is currently in his third year of a
law degree at the Université de Montréal.
How much money
he has to feed the inmates: A little over $4 a day per inmate.
In the age of
budget cuts, does the warden ever call down and tell him to forget the
steak dinners, it’s going to be bread and water for awhile?
No. Stéphane has to follow basic nutrition standards laid out
in the Canadian Food Guide when building his weekly menu.
One reason why
the administration likes to see a well-fed prison population: “Because
when an inmate has a full stomach he is quiet, and that’s the main
thing a warden wants in his institution. It’s better to spend a
few extra dollars on food than having to rebuild a wing of the penitentiary
after a riot.”
Have the inmates
ever decided en masse not to eat something he has prepared? “Yes,
a few times. The last time it was because they didn’t like my lasagna.
They felt the cheese on top was a little too brown.”
Is it heartbreaking
to have an entire prison population reject your lasagna? “No,
I don’t take it personally. Representatives of the inmate committee
come to my office, we close the door and speak honestly to try and work
things out.”
A few jailhouse
culinary hits: Pizza, BBQ chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs.
Can inmates
order in from the Ritz Carlton if they don’t like what’s on
the menu? No.
Is there a big
demand for soy products in jail? No. “Some inmates want healthy
food but they are definitely in the minority.”
Has he ever
made good friends with an inmate and started hanging out with them after
their release? No. “An inmate is always an inmate for me. I
treat them with respect but that’s the bottom line. I’ve met
a few good guys in there but you have to keep a professional distance.”
What he likes
to cook at home: Thai food, seafood.
Current ambition:
To finish law school.
Last book read:
The Bourne Identity, by Robert Ludlum.
Musical preferences:
Bon Jovi, Alannis, Garth Brooks.
A recent film
he liked: Dragonfly.
Favourite TV
show: Survivor.
Personal philosophy:
“Treat people with respect and you can expect the same.” :
Comments? dimwit@openface.ca |
Name:
Stéphane Jaillet