ABOUT CHEF JOEYHow Chef Joey Came to Be
Joseph Bagnerise — better known as Chef Joey — grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana, where food isn’t just something you eat, it’s something you live. The sights, sounds, and smells of one of the world’s most celebrated food cultures shaped everything about how he cooks and how he teaches. Raised by his Aunty “Ma” and his father, a librarian, he became a lifelong learner — and that’s exactly how he built his career. By doing. His brother Charles carries the family calling a a chef with Amtrak, cooking his way across the country on the rails.
His career took him across North America, managing and cooking at restaurants and bistros in the U.S. and Canada, until a pivotal meeting changed everything. In 2005, he was hand-picked by Peter Boyd, CEO of Arcis, off a salmon seeker in the Queen Charlotte Islands. Boyd wanted to build a Google-like culture at his company and believed food was the way to do it. Joseph came to Calgary and built exactly that — a café woven into the fabric of the company. They won Calgary Inc.’s Best Place to Work award. Peter became a mentor and a friend, and Joseph feels his influence to this day.
In 2015, Joseph moved to Matrix Environmental Solutions, cooking daily for 150 employees. When COVID sent everyone home and closed the bistro, he didn’t sit still. He set up a studio in his own kitchen, got the word out with help from family and friends, and Chef Joey was born.
The response was immediate. Five-star reviews. A write-up in Avenue Magazine. A feature by Food Network Canada. Named one of the best culinary experiences in Calgary by The Best Calgary.
Joseph currently lives in Calgary with his pn — in Amsterdam, California, and Calgary — and is now a proud grandpa. He’s a practicing Buddhist, a lifelong reader and picks up his guitar whenever the day allows.
