Blair Lebsack

Coming Up

Training at Red Deer College gave Lebsack a formal base before he moved into the pace and pressure of kitchen work. From there, the sequence of roles sharpened the same fundamentals in different settings: chef at The Living Room in Calgary, chef at Rocky Mountain Resorts in Banff, and Executive Chef at CHIP Hospitality in Saskatoon. Each post expanded the range of the work without changing its center—service, standards, and the discipline required to keep both intact. In 2006, Lebsack became chef at Union Bank Inn and Madison's Grill in Edmonton, and that move tied his name more firmly to the city where his work would become best known. From 2010–2013, he served as a Culinary Instructor at NAIT, carrying kitchen standards into the classroom. That shift from production to instruction matters in craft terms: it shows the same expectation of precision applied to how technique is taught, not only how it is plated. Today, Blair is co-owner and chef of RGE RD and The Butchery by RGE RD, where those years of service, leadership, and instruction converge in one operating philosophy.

Where They Are Now

At RGE RD, the work is grounded in Alberta’s culinary landscape. The cooking is terroir-driven and prairie-based, with place treated as the starting point rather than a finish. Blair Lebsack’s role in that approach is clear: the menu is shaped by Alberta, not simply themed around it, and the province’s ingredients set the terms of the kitchen. "For us, cooking with fresh local products is a priority," Lebsack says. It is a direct statement, and it frames the restaurant’s method without embellishment. Freshness and locality are not presented as decoration; they are the working rules. The ingredients arrive with context attached. They point to farms, seasons, and the surrounding prairie, giving the cooking a clear sense of source. That keeps the food specific. It also keeps the restaurant’s identity tied to the land it draws from.

In Their Words “I'm Blair Lebsack. I'm the chef and owner of Range Road Restaurant.” “For us, cooking with fresh local products is a priority.”

Honors

Blair's honors include Best New Restaurants in Canada (ranked 4th of 10), Fifty Most Influential People, Top Forty Foodie under Forty, and Top Forty under Forty. Taken together, those recognitions point to a career with reach in multiple settings: service, leadership, teaching, and the ongoing development of Alberta-focused cooking.