Rosebud chef’s curiosity takes him to new career

Times Contributor

 

Chef Pat Murphy has fed patrons of Rosebud Centre of the Arts (RCA) for 17 years. Now he’s leaving the kitchen in new hands.

Murphy and his wife Shauna came to Rosebud when their children were preschoolers, so Shauna could be a stay-at-home mom.

In those days, Murphy prepared dinner for three theatre shows a year, and managed dining room staff. In off-seasons, he re-modeled the dining room and built a deck. He dreamed about expanding, and the Mercantile – conference and catering facilities, Wild Horse Jack’s restaurant, and additional dinner seating – was built in 2011.

Rosebud Theatre’s shows have grown to four, and, Murphy says, patrons increased from 16,000 to nearly 40,000. 

“More management, more staff and more things to do with the catering out, and the dinner theatre, then the restaurant,” said Murphy. “It just grew with me. I got to work with my kids all through their growing up years, from the time they turned 12.” 

Shauna also joined the team. It was a highlight to work with many youth. 

“To watch them go from 12 years old to 20, just watching the transformation,” and help apprentices earn their cooking credentials. He loved exciting times when “the food’s cooking and people are coming and going, and the smiling and the laughing.”

But the Murphy children – 19, 21 and 23 – have grown and left home. 

“Our big commitment was to … get our kids going through high school in the same place and the same house,” Murphy says. “And we did that.” 

That led him and Shauna to ask, “what do we want to do? Do we want to stay here? Do we want to keep doing what we’re doing?”

A local grain farmer heard Murphy was considering a change and approached him. 

“I’d never thought about farming,” Murphy says. “I’m in the middle of farm country, and I’ve gotten to know a number of farmers, but I’ve never done anything with (farming).” 

But he was curious and ready for something new.

This March, Murphy began as Mark Skibsted’s lead man. 

“Now I’m saying … what does this piece of equipment do and how do you operate it? It’s a big learning curve,” he says. “The biggest thing I’ve driven before is a pick-up truck … I’m going to learn to drive a combine and a tractor and a truck to haul grain … it’s a whole new world.”

He looks forward to the challenge – and the flexibility. 

“My wife and I were having a laugh, because we’ve never had weekends and evenings,” he says. “Now we’ll finish on Friday at 4 p.m. … we’re excited to see what that’s going to be like.”

Their loyalties haven’t changed. 

“We want to live in Rosebud,” he says, “so it’s important for us that the Centre of the Arts carries on strongly.”

Shauna still works in administration and plays piano. Murphy will help the new chef when needed, and sees himself possibly serving on the RCA board. He says he’ll always “be a spokesperson for the good (RCA) has done, and the successes we’ve had.”

Murphy is confident the new chef will do well. 

“He’s run his own catering company for a couple of years in Calgary, and he’s good at what he does. He’ll bring fresh ideas, and a new look … it’s almost like putting a new show on deck. Come out and enjoy the shows.”