About Us

Evan Elman is a young chef hailing from Cambridge, Massachusetts, now based out of Vancouver, BC. Evan began working in professional kitchens at 14, and after graduating from The University of British Columbia (UBC) in 2013, he put academia on the back burner and reignited his passion for cooking.

Evan has traveled to exotic locations as a cruise ship chef in Antarctica and a Sous Chef on the remote island of Haidi Gwaii. Evan has also worked with the Hawksworth Group in Vancouver and orchestrated pop-up dinners in New York City, hosted by Samy Road, and attended by diners from the New York Times, Food & Wine, and Complex Magazine among others.

Evan also worked as the Chef de Partie at Relais & Châteaux’s Wedgewood Hotel & Spa, a 5-diamond hotel in downtown Vancouver. Most recently, Evan landed his first Executive Chef position at Dinner in the Sky Canada, which inspired him to create his private dining service, Vancouver Private Dining.

Donal is an Irish chef who has over 10 years professional cooking experience. His love of food and cooking began at a young age and stemmed from watching cooking shows with his mum. He took his first step into professional cooking 17 years ago working in a 4 star hotel in Ireland, while still in school. After graduating college, he spent a year working in San Francisco as a private chef and culinary instructor. He then moved to the bountiful south of England where he worked in a Michelin Bib restaurant, and then went on to help another local restaurant win their own Michelin Bib Gourmand after just 1 year as Head Chef. Donal moved to Vancouver 4 years ago and spent almost 2 years working front of house at a Vancouver institution, L'Abattoir, where he learned the art of world class service before making his way back to the kitchen. Donal's style of cooking is concise and focused. He likes to use the best products he can and find a way to make them sing on the plate. Expect big flavours, stylish service and plenty of Irish charm!

Noga was born and raised in a fishing family and grew up in Perth, Western Australia. Noga began cooking at 16 years old and was immediately hooked. They began traveling and working abroad in kitchens at 18, taking their career path seriously. At age 20, Noga moved to Japan to hone their craft and spent two years working in various high-end restaurants learning about Japanese cuisine. Noga spent the next part of their career traveling, cooking, and learning cultures throughout India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and South East Asia.

Noga moved to Vancouver and spent 36 months as the Sous Chef at Ancora. During the pandemic, Noga switched their focus to private dining and has become passionate about the alternatives to life on the kitchen line.

Three fun things about Noga: they have a twin, played Australian football nationally throughout their teens, and cook professionally because food is their vehicle for creating human connection.

Born and raised in Vancouver, Jasmine began her culinary journey at the age of 14. She worked in kitchens throughout her teenagehood until venturing into the world to learn more about her roots and global cuisine. She spent the next few years traveling to 30 countries and living in Japan. Upon her return to Canada, Jasmine moved into restaurant management where she accumulated experience in event coordination, fine wine and mixology. After several years of working in other departments of the hospitality industry, Jasmine graduated from the Professional Culinary program at the Northwest Culinary Academy of Vancouver, where afterwards she worked at a variety of kitchens including The Mackenzie Room, Langara Fishing Lodge in Haida Gwaii, the film industry, and private luxury fishing charters. She is also an avid forager and fisherman, and has a deep understanding of what British Columbia has to offer. Jasmine is a multi-faceted Chef with a wide breadth of knowledge in all aspects of the hospitality industry and her exposure to numerous cuisines and kitchens gives her the edge you are looking for.

Tiago de Souza Jensen was born and raised in Vancouver, where he soaked up the diversity and excellence of the food and beverage landscape. He has worked with wine in some of the city's finest rooms, including St Lawrence, Vij's, Nightingale, and Burdock & Co.

Tiago is a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers and is pursuing his Diploma with the London-based Wine and Spirit Education Trust. He also has French Wine Scholar and Champagne Master-level certifications with the Wine Scholars' Guild. In 2020, he was awarded the Premier Crew award from Vancouver Magazine for hospitality excellence.

As the Sommelier for Vancouver Private Dining, Tiago seeks to highlight the excellent care taken when designing a menu by focusing on unique and elegant terroir expressions.

Megan is a celebrated Pastry Chef who creates edible works of art. After graduating from the University of British Columbia, Megan studied Baking & Pastry Arts at the Culinary Institute of America. Upon returning to Vancouver, Megan has expanded her skills by working in prestigious kitchens such as Four Seasons Vancouver, Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar, part of the opening team at Honey Salt, and most recently the Pastry Chef at Tocador. In 2019, Megan opened Mooch Custom Confections to create one of a kind cakes for weddings and special events.

With a background in fine dining, the standards of kitchen cleanliness and "doing things right" are at the forefront of her mind. Megan's attention to detail and constant strive for perfection is what makes her desserts unique. Her elegant cakes have caught the eyes of people worldwide. Mooch was featured center-page as one of the "Top 6 Wedding Cake Designers in the World" for Destination Weddings & Honeymoons Abroad Magazine.

Megan is delighted to join the talented team at Vancouver Private Dining and share her passion for the sweeter things in life.