The Private World of Chef Sheridan McLaren
Some culinary careers begin in professional kitchens. Sheridan McLaren’s began somewhere far more formative — beside his grandmother Evelyn, a master chef who owned her own restaurant and catering business in Tofield, Alberta. It was there, as a curious child sneaking bacon off the grill and peeling what felt like an endless supply of onions, that McLaren first understood what food could do. Not just nourish, but transform.
That early sense of wonder never left him. Sheridan went on to graduate from NAIT’s culinary program, working across Edmonton’s fine dining scene at establishments including Ruth’s Chris, Jack’s Grill, and the Northern Bear Golf Course. Still driven to deepen his understanding of what ends up on the plate, he returned to school — this time to SAIT — to study nutrition and food science. The combination of professional culinary training and nutritional expertise would become the foundation of everything that followed.
His credentials extend beyond the kitchen. A published author in partnership with Company’s Coming and Lone Pine Publishing, Sheridan co-wrote “Healthy Family Recipes” and “400 Calorie Mains,” both distributed across Canada. The books reflect a belief he has carried throughout his career: that healthy food does not require compromise, in flavour or in joy.
“Food is what drives us,” Sheridan says. “It provides us with energy, health, satiety, enjoyment, and for people like me, excitement. What and how we eat has a direct influence on our day to day life — so let’s make it fun, healthy, attainable, and taste damn good.”
Now coming on two decades as a private chef serving Edmonton and the surrounding area, Chef Sheridan and his team bring the experience directly to you. If you are imagining a long table of close friends, a milestone birthday surrounded by family, or an evening that calls for something genuinely memorable, his dinner party service was built for exactly that. A multi-course menu is designed around your tastes, your dietary needs, and the mood of the occasion. You are consulted, considered, and catered to — in the most literal sense. The team arrives fully equipped, cooks in your kitchen, plates each course with care, and leaves without a trace. You simply sit down and let the evening unfold.
When the occasion calls for something more relaxed, Chef Sheridan’s appetizer party service offers that same quality in a format that moves with your guests. A thoughtfully curated spread of hot and cold hors d’oeuvres and canapés arrives fresh and continuous throughout the event, allowing your gathering to breathe — people mingling, glasses raised, no one anchored to a seat. The informality is deliberate, but the craftsmanship behind every bite is anything but.
Beyond private dining, Sheridan extends his nutritional expertise to a select handful of Edmonton’s most demanding professionals and athletes. His meal preparation service is built around performance and precision — wholesome, carefully considered food designed to fuel at the highest level. Among those he counts as clients is NHL star Connor McDavid, a detail that speaks not only to the calibre of Sheridan’s cooking, but to the trust placed in him by those for whom what they eat is inseparable from how they perform.
What anchors every experience — whether a celebratory dinner, a casual gathering, or a week of performance meals — is an unwavering standard when it comes to ingredients. “I let my ingredients do the work,” Sheridan has said. “I’m all about fresh and vibrant with a special respect from my ingredients. I am against the cheap shortcuts, powders, and concentrates. The food we eat speaks for itself. Give it the chance to shine and with a little bit of love it will.” Sourced from local shops, trusted markets, and his own garden when the season permits, what lands on your plate carries a story he is proud to tell.
That same care and connection to the land carries into The Barrel, Sheridan’s newest venture in Ardrossan, Alberta. A barn and loft-style retreat set among mature spruce trees and moments from Elk Island National Park and Blackfoot hiking trails, it is the kind of place you arrive at and immediately exhale. Available for weekend escapes, private retreats, and bespoke culinary events, The Barrel is an extension of everything Sheridan values — the Northern Albertan landscape, genuine hospitality, and the belief that the best experiences happen when good food and good surroundings come together.
It is, in every sense, an invitation. One worth accepting.