Chef Ray Bear, an award winning, nationally known chef, is a prophet of local and creative cuisine. From his home base in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Chef Bear has been a major force in shifting the food culture from one of cosmetic appeal to a true cuisine based on fresh, sustainable, flavorful food. Pushing beyond tradition, Chef Bear has made a career of bringing new flavours and techniques to the local food scene, influencing cuisine.

Ray Bear has had an illustrious career, but he is not content to sit and look over his shoulder. As an indigenous person, he is grounded in a culture that is earthbound and heaven gazing, and that same balance is what he encourages modern Canadian cuisine to embrace. To dream of imaginative cuisine that inspires, but to care for the earth from which the gift of nourishment comes. With the support of the Nova Scotian community, this dream and this caring have come to life.