i. Biography
Our roots in cooking are the bigger, heavier flavours—not the pop-in-the-mouth kind of flavours, but the fattier meats, wild game, butter, and heavy cheeses. That line sits at the center of Adam Pegg’s cooking: grounded, deliberate, and built on warmth, weight, and restraint rather than theatre. At La Quercia in Vancouver, where Pegg has been chef and co-owner since 2008, Italian cooking is handled with precision and a steady hand, each plate landing with quiet authority.
The Climb
Training at Camosun College gave Adam Pegg a framework for a career shaped less by noise than by accumulation—of skill, discipline, and a more exact palate. The work has moved by degrees rather than leaps. Since 2008, Pegg has been chef owner / co-owner of La Quercia, and today he is also the owner of Secret Cove and the owner of La Bettolina. Those roles point to more than title; they mark stewardship over standards, rhythm, and the tone of a room as much as the food itself.
Today
Since 2008, Adam Pegg has led the kitchen as chef and co-owner of La Quercia in Vancouver, where the menu favors clarity over ornament. The named dishes make that plain: cacio e pepe, described as textbook-perfect, and a rotolo filled with stinging nettle and smoked ricotta, described as a springtime dish. These are plates that depend on fundamentals—the pull of pasta, the balance of cheese and pepper, the green lift of nettle against the depth of smoked ricotta. Ownership of Secret Cove extends that same approach beyond the pass. The work reaches into the larger structure of hospitality, where food, room, decisions, and daily standards have to hold together. Pegg’s sensibility leans toward continuity: trust earned over time, guests returning because the dining room has been considered end to end.
Signature
Adam's signature dishes include Agnolotti di Guido, cacio e pepe, rotolo filled with stinging nettle and smoked ricotta, Our cow, and three ways. Each one signals a cook working with structure and definition, making dishes that state their intent clearly and then deliver on it.
In Their Words “Our roots in cooking are the bigger, heavier flavours—not the pop-in-the-mouth kind of flavours, but the fattier meats, wild game, butter, and heavy cheeses.” “I’m a little more Italian trained and I won’t want to mess with anything most of the time.”
Recognition
The clearest recognition in Pegg’s work sits in the precision of specific dishes. Agnolotti di Guido is treated as an homage learned through close observation of Lidia Alciati, and that level of exactness matches the broader kitchen approach: respect for tradition, and a reluctance to interfere unless there is a reason. That same view shows up in the way he talks about flavour. His own description of roots in “bigger, heavier flavours” places fat, game, butter, and heavy cheeses at the center, with novelty kept in check. In Vancouver, La Quercia has held that line since 2008.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Adam
What is Adam Pegg's current role?
As of 2026, Adam Pegg is Chef and Co-owner.
Where did Adam Pegg train or study?
Adam Pegg trained at Camosun College.
