Chef Margaux Herder has a confidence and sense of playfulness that’s infused into her food.
There’s a confidence to chef Margaux Herder.
I detected it almost immediately in her wry, playful smile as we sat at a picnic table beside Chez Céline in the heart of the Fraserhood (4298 Fraser St.).
Herder is the chef and one of the owners of Chez Céline, one of Vancouver’s most acclaimed restaurants. Since opening, the restaurant has earned recognition in the Michelin Guide, was named Best French Restaurant by Vancouver Magazine, landed on Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list and was also recognized among Canada’s Best New Restaurants.
Cooking career began in the family kitchen and Vancouver culinary school
Born in California, Herder moved to B.C. as a child when her family relocated to Keremeos to start a small family winery in the South Okanagan. Winemakers and chefs regularly passed through the family home, and food quickly became part of everyday life.
“My parents were like, ‘Hey Margaux, we’re running a business, just us, so you can cook dinner every day,'” she recalls with a laugh. “And I was really into it.”
That passion eventually led her to Vancouver and the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. While attending culinary school, she worked nights at Cactus Club, a restaurant she had grown up visiting whenever her family came into the city.
By 21, she was already a sous chef. The position offered stability, responsibility and a clear path forward. For many young cooks, it would have been enough.
For Herder, it wasn’t.
“I always wanted to do fine dining,” she says. “I wanted to grow as a chef.”
St. Lawrence offered an opportunity to learn at the highest level
That decision eventually led her to St. Lawrence.
At the time, the restaurant was already establishing itself as one of Canada’s premier dining destinations, and Herder had her eye on it. For her, it represented an opportunity to learn at the highest level.
Working alongside Jean-Christophe Poirier, Herder spent years refining her technique, developing her palate and learning what great cooking actually looked like.
She also speaks about Poirier with enormous respect, not only as a chef, but as a mentor.
The lessons weren’t always about recipes or technique. Often, they came through conversations about restaurants, dishes and why certain food resonated while other dishes fell flat. Through those conversations, Herder began developing her own understanding of flavour, balance and what separates good cooking from great cooking.
French cuisine may be the foundation of Chez Céline, but the restaurant’s identity owes as much to Montreal as it does to France.
While Herder had always been drawn to French culture and cuisine, it wasn’t until her years at St. Lawrence and subsequent trips to Montreal that she truly discovered the kind of food she wanted to cook.
Restaurants like Joe Beef, Mon Lapin and L’Express left a lasting impression.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing. This is what I want to eat and how I want to cook,'” she says.
‘Simple is usually better’
What resonated wasn’t elaborate technique or culinary theatre. It was the confidence of classic dishes executed exceptionally well. Food that felt both refined and approachable.
“Simple is usually better,” she says. “If the classic is better than the reinterpretation, then keep it classic.”
That philosophy can be felt throughout Chez Céline. There is a warmth and approachability to both the food and the room, something that feels every bit as inspired by Montreal’s great neighbourhood restaurants as it does by the bistros of France.
If one dish has become synonymous with the restaurant, it’s the pork chop.
Brined for 12 hours, sliced from the bone and presented alongside it, the dish embodies the restaurant’s philosophy. Confidence. Excellent ingredients. Careful technique. Bold flavour.
“You can’t hide with a dish like that,” she says. “If the seasoning is off, people will know.”
The escargot flatbread has developed an equally loyal following. Built on a sourdough recipe years in the making, it layers garlic butter, escargot and savoury depth over blistered dough. It’s unmistakably French while remaining approachable enough to win over diners who may have never considered ordering escargot before.
Try the foie gras sandwich for a taste of playfulness at Chez Céline
The foie gras sandwich may be the best example of Chez Céline’s playfulness.
Herder admits she loves the richness often associated with French cooking.
“I love pâté. I love foie gras. I love rich food,” she says with a laugh.
Inspired by a version served at St. Lawrence, the sandwich layers foie gras on toasted brioche with a raspberry and habanero preserve. It is rich, indulgent and completely unapologetic. Like much of the menu, it balances French tradition with a relaxed, contemporary sensibility.
Sitting outside Chez Céline, it became clear that Herder’s journey is really a story about growth.
It’s the story of a young chef who left comfort behind to pursue a dream and challenged herself relentlessly to find her own voice.
After years spent refining her craft and discovering the kind of food she wanted to cook, Herder seems to have arrived at a place many chefs spend their entire careers searching for.
She has a deep understanding of the kind of food she wants to cook and the type of chef she wants to be.
Christian Alvarez is the founder of Vancouver Chefs and the ICON Dinner Series, platforms that bring together celebrated chefs for immersive, culture driven dining experiences. A graduate of the Northwest Culinary Academy in Vancouver, he blends culinary training with a passion for storytelling, photography and community building. Through curated collaborations, he explores the intersection of food, film, music and art, creating intimate events that celebrate both craft and creativity. When he is not curating dinners, he runs the Vancouver seawall, spends long hours on the road as an avid cyclist, and explores the world through its food and culture.