Three chefs who have cooked together across North America are bringing their reunion to Vancouver.
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On Tuesday, October 13, Published on Main chef-partner Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson will welcome Stuart Brioza of San Francisco’s State Bird Provisions and Mandel Hitzer of Winnipeg’s Deer + Almond into the Main Street kitchen. Together, they’ll serve a multi-course tasting menu shaped by the places they cook and the years they’ve spent sharing kitchens.
It’s called Three Chefs, Three Cities, but the story behind the dinner is as much about friendship as it is about geography.
A collaboration years in the making
Stieffenhofer-Brandson and Brioza first met when Brioza visited Published on Main in its early days. They later cooked together at State Bird Provisions and at RAW in Winnipeg. Hitzer, a longtime friend of Stieffenhofer-Brandson’s, joined them for another collaboration in San Francisco.
Now, all three will work side by side in Vancouver for the first time as a trio.
“This dinner is really a story about friendship and our shared culinary connection,” Stieffenhofer-Brandson said in the event announcement. “Getting all three of us together in Vancouver for one night is going to be such an experience for our guests.”
That history gives diners something more personal than a typical guest-chef appearance. Each chef has spent time in another’s kitchen, learning how they approach ingredients, service and the experience of a meal. On October 13, they’ll bring those perspectives to the same table.
What to expect from the menu
The chefs will each contribute dishes to a collaborative tasting menu. Published on Main says the evening will draw on local ingredients and ideas gathered through their travels, with bright acidity, heat and spice running through the experience. The restaurant has not released a dish-by-dish menu, so the specific courses will be a surprise.
Vancouver diners will know Published on Main for its approach to British Columbia ingredients. The Michelin-starred restaurant has become a fixture on Main Street, building menus around the farms, foragers and producers that help shape the region’s food scene. It was ranked No. 17 on North America’s 50 Best Restaurants list for 2026.
Brioza brings a different dining tradition from State Bird Provisions. The San Francisco restaurant, which he founded with Nicole Krasinski, is known for inventive small plates and an interactive approach to service.
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Hitzer brings the perspective of Deer + Almond, a restaurant that has helped define Winnipeg’s contemporary dining scene. It placed No. 50 on Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list for 2026.
How those approaches meet on the plate is the reason to go. The chefs share an interest in local ingredients, but each works in a distinct city with its own producers, influences and dining culture. For one night, Vancouver gets to see what happens when those conversations move into the same kitchen.
“Gus and Stuart are two of my favourite people to cook beside, and I always enjoy bringing a little bit of Winnipeg to Vancouver,” Hitzer said in the announcement. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
How to book the dinner
Three Chefs, Three Cities takes place on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at Published on Main, located at 3593 Main Street in Vancouver. The multi-course dinner is $300 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations are available through Published on Main’s event page.
It’s another chance to see how Published on Main’s kitchen connects with chefs beyond Vancouver. For more on the restaurant’s place in the local dining scene, read about its North America’s 50 Best recognition.
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