Claire May, who has been catering for six years, sells frozen meals as well as daily selections
Mia Stainsby
Sun
Claire May at her shop, Chef Claire’s, where she sells frozen meals as well as fresh daily selections. Photograph by : Bill Keay, Vancouver Sun
For most of us, at the end of the work day, up pops that pesky question: What’s for dinner?
Sometimes, when you’re sick of cooking but want something better than a limp and pale pizza, let Chef Claire take that question.
She’s a relative newcomer to Main Street and she’s got meals like osso bucco, pulled pork, Thai chicken curry, braised lamb shanks, Moroccan braised chicken, chicken marbella, chipotle beef chili, as well as soups, desserts all ready to go. Single portion entrees are $7 or $8 and doubles are $15 to $17. If appetites are within reason, the meals for two can feed three.
She sells frozen meals as well as daily selections. A beef bourguignon I tried from the freezer section was very good — gently stewed for hours, tender and intensely flavoured. And the same goes for the braised lamb shanks.
Chef Claire is Claire May, who had been catering for six years when she added this retail store in September. She took over the spot from Anona, renovating the space so the kitchen is in full view. “I wanted people to see the chefs at work and see that everything’s made fresh on site.”
She says selections in the freezer section change every couple of weeks, especially as she’s feeling out the neighbourhood. The fresh section changes daily.
Her food, she says, is eclectic as she has lived in different parts of the world. “My parents were foodies so we ate in restaurants all the time,” she says.
Chef Claire’s is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
CHEF CLAIRE’S
3610 Main St. 604-875-6400.
Restaurant visits are conducted anonymously and interviews are done by phone.
© The Vancouver Sun 2006