The Wilde on 27’s new lunch menu is led by a world-travelled chef committed to local ingredients

A menu that is sure to tantalize your tastebuds, The Dorian, Autograph Collection, and The Wilde on 27 have launched their new Wilde Lunch available every Tuesday to Saturday from 11:30am till 2:00pm. The menu for Wilde Lunch is crafted by a team of expert chefs, providing customers with an elegant and memorable culinary experience. The Dorian’s executive chef since 2022, Joshua Dyer, is an accomplished chef that has travelled the world’s top restaurants. Dyer is committed to utilizing local ingredients that create dishes that are informed by great culinary traditions as well as uniquely Western Canadian. Chef Joshua Dyer’s culinary journey started in his youth on a bit of luck, when he found himself amidst the dynamic energy of a kitchen at a local breakfast eatery. Dyer learned to work with food as a craft of endless possibilities and saw its strength in connecting people every day from creation to an eager diner’s table.

We spoke with Chef Dyer to learn more about his culinary background as well as what Calgarians can expect from the new Wilde Lunch.

What is your approach to the new lunch menu?

Whenever I look to write new menus it all starts with a simple brainstorming process. I dig into the season and the landscape. All the menus here at The Dorian Hotel are grounded in seasonality and sustainability. This is not a food trend for me, it is the core value to all the decisions I make when writing a new menu. It begins with a blank page and over time I simply start jotting down ingredients, techniques, recipes, and concepts. From there I determine what from the current menu needs a change (whether it be seasonality or otherwise) and start building dishes from there. A lot of thought and planning goes into a well-executed menu. Other things like menu engineering, sales mix, and costing then come into play. At the Wilde specifically, we change the menu every six to eight weeks, so the creative process is never-ending.

What are some of the menu highlights guests can look forward to?

At the Wilde, honestly, everything is a highlight! Our menu is very focused and consists of six apps and around six entrees. All our dishes need to be a home run. Our current menu features some beautiful spring specialties including, morel mushrooms, wild ramps, fiddleheads, spring onions, B.C Halibut, Alberta spring lamb, and pheasant, just to name a few.

Where do you get some of your cuisine influences from?

My culinary influences are certainly pulled from different experiences along my journey, but my overall philosophy is to stay true to the season and landscape, highlight ingredients at the height of their season, and keep flavours focused and not overcomplicated. The thing I enjoy most about the culinary world is the never-ending journey. And along my journey, my cuisine is growing and is influenced differently every single day.