After four years of professional training, Rod held positions at some of Vancouver’s most prestigious restaurants, including: Umberto’s Restaurant Group, where he spent most of his time at Il Giardino; Bridges Seafood Restaurant on Granville Island, where his love of seafood started, and the (5 Diamond) awarded Five Sails, in the Pan Pacific Hotel, where his taste for fine dining was nurtured under the tutelage of Hervé Martin, the current chef/owner of the world famous Hermitage Restaurant also in Vancouver. In 1987 Rod was invited to represent Canada in the World Culinary Olympics where he won a Gold medal. In 1988 Rod was asked to join the prestigious team selected to cook for the world leaders attending the Commonwealth Summit in Vancouver. Since then Rod has had the pleasure of cooking exclusively for gourmet lovers the world over, including the Late Princess Diana and Prince Charles, Li Kai Shang, Kevin Costner, Robert Duval, Lee Iacocca, Mario Andretti, Annette Benning, Susan Dey, David Hassellhoff, Dirk Benedict, Donna Mills and Richard Dean Anderson, to name a few. The Firlands Ranch Resort is pleased to showcase Rod's cooking for our discriminating guests. » Click here to download a printable pdf document including Kitchen Wisdom from Rod |
Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Roderick Strike got his start and a taste for the Culinary Arts at an early age.