About

Born and raised in Vancouver, Chef Dan Olson sparked an abiding passion for food and wine during stints at the Century Grill Restaurant and Bacchus Restaurant at The Wedgewood Hotel, where he earned the coveted role of Apprentice under Chef Robert Sulatycky for the Bocuse d’Or, helping Canada record a best-ever fourth-place finish at the prestigious world chef championship in 1999 before embarking on an extensive culinary walkabout and honing his craft in top-tier kitchens throughout the world.

Dan comes by his classical French techniques honestly, having worked under Chef Guy Lassausaie at his eponymous Michelin-starred restaurant in Lyon and Chef Yannick Alleno at the Michelin-starred restaurant Les Muses at the Hotel Scribe in Paris. Olson returned from his overseas sojourn in 2002 and cheffed for Four Seasons Resorts and Hotels in Chicago, Whistler, Dallas, Cairo, Bahamas, Washington, D.C., Toronto and Jackson Hole before settling in California in 2006, where he worked as Senior Sous Chef and Executive Sous Chef at the Mobil Five-Star- and AAA Five-Diamond-award winning Beverly Hills Hotel before taking on the role of Executive Chef at the iconic Hotel Bel Air in Los Angeles in 2009.

Dan returned to both his Vancouver and Bocuse d’Or roots in 2012, founding Railtown Catering and Café with Chef Tyler Day and using the Downtown Eastside facility as a test kitchen to help coach the Canadian team to a top-ten finish among a field of 24 countries at the 2013 edition of the Bocuse d’Or competition in Lyon, France.

Chef Tyler Day’s interest in the culinary world was cultivated at an early age. From time spent picking wild blackberries to make pie with his grandmother, foraging for mushrooms or embarking on weekend fishing trips with his dad, Day quickly learned to appreciate fine food in all its freshest forms.

After graduating from the prestigious Dubrulle Culinary Arts School in Vancouver, Tyler travelled to Oxfordshire, England, where he studied under renowned Chef Raymond Blanc at the Michelin star hotel-restaurant Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. Tyler then ventured to the Big Apple, working at Michelin star seafood restaurant Oceana in Manhattan before returning to Vancouver and serving as sous chef in such acclaimed, award-winning kitchens as Bistro Pastis, Diva at the Met and CinCin Ristorante + Bar as well as Restaurant Chef at Pearl Bistro & Oyster Bar in White Rock.

In 2012, with 15 years of experience in the kitchen already under his belt, Tyler embarked on a new challenge by partnering with Chef Dan Olson in Railtown Catering and Café and has since focused his career on the company’s continued success.

“I’ve dedicated my life to working and playing in the kitchen,” says Tyler. “It’s a window into ancient traditions, modern culture and a perfect way to spend time with family and friends. It’s always been my dream to start a business that offers food that is both healthy and delectable with an environmentally conscious approach, and at Railtown that dream has taken shape.”

A seasoned veteran of the hospitality industry, Stefanie Aitken knows that no detail is too small and no request too impossible when it comes to planning and pulling off the perfect party, wedding or special event.

Born and raised in Ontario, Stefanie came to Vancouver in 2007 to pursue a degree in art history at the University of British Columbia and quickly fell in love with the mountains, ocean and relaxed atmosphere of the West Coast. After working at Granville Island’s Edible Canada, she dove headlong into the catering and events world, working at Vancouver’s top catering companies, before joining the Railtown Catering team in early 2019.

At Railtown Catering, Stefanie utilizes her extensive knowledge and talents to provide superior customer service from first point of contact through implementation to help her clients custom-design a wide range of truly memorable events.

“As someone who likes to keep busy and try new things, I really appreciate that this job affords me the opportunity to create unique event experiences again and again,” she says. “At Railtown, there are so many different avenues we can use to approach food, beverage, display and décor. We realize that when it comes to events, things are constantly changing and evolving, and being able to surpass the expectations of each client is of vital importance to all of us and something we take great pride in.”

Working one-on-one with clients to help them organize the sort of celebrations that not only turn heads but create lasting memories is just one aspect of her job in which Christy takes great pleasure.

Born and raised on Vancouver’s North Shore, Christy began her career in the hospitality industry by enrolling in culinary school in Orange County, California. After working as a concierge at a luxury oceanside resort in Laguna Beach and realizing a skill set for liaising for a variety of clients, she made her way overseas and spent two years in London. As an event operations manager for one of London’s most prestigious collection of historic venues, she gained an invaluable amount of experience managing numerous weddings, corporate receptions, product launches and celebrations.

In her new role as Event Sales Manager at Railtown, Christy is able to fully indulge her ability and drive to provide superior customer service from first point of contact through event completion, helping clients with wildly creative requests achieve their unique vision and pull off one-of-a-kind events.

“I love the fact that things are always changing and evolving in this industry and that there is no end to the opportunities to use our creativity when it comes to both the culinary and event management aspects of this job,” she says. “Everyone at Railtown is incredibly driven and passionate about what they do, and our ability to adapt to any request is truly what sets us apart.”

Miyu has held various critical behind-the-scenes roles at Railtown Catering since she started at the company in 2016 and proven herself to be one of the company’s most integral members.

Born in Japan, Miyu followed the lead of two older siblings who pursued their education abroad in Eastern Europe, but instead opted to study overseas in Alberta, Canada. After falling in love with the wild nature and culture she experienced while residing in her temporary home away from home, she decided to settle on the West Coast for college and planted her roots.

Accredited in Event Décor and Event & Wedding Planning at QC Event School, Miyu first joined the Railtown Catering family as an operations supervisor and was promoted to the role of operations assistant manager one year later. Since March of 2019, she has held the title of Event Operations Assistant Manager, helping to coordinate and execute logistics for a variety of events, liaising between the sales, corporate and culinary teams and providing leadership and support to the entire team.

“Since I have joined Railtown I have experienced so much and been challenged every day and it is truly an honour to be a part of such a hardworking and talented team,” she says. “It just feels like home here — I’m so lucky to be able to work alongside them as we work to help our clients achieve their goals and deliver above and beyond their vision.”