Wilf Seymour started at Canada’s Wonderland in 2007 as their Executive Chef, and moved up to their Director Food and Beverage.

Mr. Seymour has now transferred to California’s Great America as their new Director of Food and Beverage. So we virtually sat down with him to get some information on the direction he plans to take with California’s Great America food.

1) You started at CW as their Executive Chef and moved up as their Director, correct?

I started as Executive Chef in 2007 at Canada’s Wonderland and worked with Russ Knibbs, until he left for Knott’s Berry Farm. Then I took over as Director of Food and Beverage at the end of the season in 2010.

2) What were your top three culinary improvements you made while at Canada’s Wonderland?

The top improvements we made at Canada’s Wonderland were huge. There was no culinary culture when I arrived, and Russ wanted to build a department similar to what we had at Whistler/Blackcomb when we worked together there. We needed to build a team of culinary professionals that could do more than flip burgers and make funnel cakes. My first event at the park was a disaster, there was no one there that could make anything that did not come out of a box so I had to step back and realize that we needed to train the basics and find the people to build the department.

We were lucky to find a few people in the first year that could cook and wanted to learn; from there we continually built on their knowledge and built a culture that let us hire Sous Chefs and promote within as well. As the culinary culture grew so did our adventurous food ideas. I brought in recipes that were simple, but tasted great and built up the skill level to be able to think outside the box and try new ideas.

Fun food was what we wanted and we had a lot: new funnel cakes each season, fresh corn dogs, great buffet items, fresh burgers, fresh fries and always the staples like our strawberry sauce and foot long hot dogs.

3) What are your three goals to bring to California’s Great America?

At Great America we need to build a culinary culture as well. There needs to be the chef or cook making the food in the kitchen and they need to be in a chefs uniform. We need to bring in the bountiful foods of California and show case them to our visitors and we need to have fresh at all times. You know I love food and I have started to explore the food culture of San Jose and San Francisco, looking for some of these great items coming to the park.

4) Who are the key players in the California’s Great America culinary team?

The key Players in the park are Ronnie Gillispie, Assistant F&B Director; he has worked at King’s Dominion, King’s Island and trained with Russ down at Knott’s Berry Farm. He has a lot of passion to grow the business here and has worked hard to bring new ideas into the park as well. Marja McCune, F&B Manager; she brings a lot of catering background to the park and is a trained chef capable of doing anything with food and will help bring the culture to the park the I am looking to achieve.

5) Will we see any of the food from Canada’s Wonderland brought over to California’s Great America?

The food for this area is very unique and will be the highlight of the changes to come in the park. Already the work we are doing with the 49ers Red Zone Rally have gotten rave reviews and some of the items we have been serving were staples at the Market Buffet. I want to change a few items in the park, and I am slowly working them into the mix as I get time, but again to change anything at the end of the season is tough. When we open next year look for some big impact changes in the Food Feast Area, with our Funnel Cake restaurant at the back of the park and hopefully something new near the front gate.

6) What is the number one food you can not wait to try at California’s Great America?

Cookiewiches are something Canada’s Wonderland has been known for as well, but how will they compete against fresh churros, we will see.

7) What food offering will you miss from Canada’s Wonderland?

I miss the burritos we do in Backlot Café. I miss the great foot long hot dogs. I miss the fresh burgers we have at Coasters. I miss poutine, and I miss having the fresh cookies just as they have come out of the oven…

…so this could be some hints for what is to come?

Thank you Mr. Seymour for taking time out of your busy schedule to sit down with us. We look forward for what is to come at California’s Great America dining options.

* If you liked this post, join other readers who have signed up to for our free Newsletter…because then you will never miss another update!