i. Biography
Since 2015, Stephen Smee has been Chef and Owner of Ten Foot Henry in Calgary, a title that pairs kitchen discipline with the obligations of ownership. The shape of the work is incremental: study, service, brigade, partnership, then responsibility for the room as a whole. Across that span, Smee’s career reads as a steady climb through the operational and creative demands of restaurant life.
The Path
Training at Mount Royal University gave Stephen Smee the formal base that led into his first senior kitchen role as Co Executive Chef at Mercato (2005–2008). That early period set the cadence for what followed: controlled service, high repetition, and the kind of precision expected in demanding kitchens. Each step after that added a different layer of responsibility, but the standard remained the same—deliver consistently, and do it under pressure. At UNA Pizza + Wine (2009–2014), Stephen Smee held the title of Executive Chef + co-owner, extending his work from the pass into the business structure behind the room. The move to co-ownership matters in trade terms: it shifts the job from execution alone to decisions about direction, staffing, and standards. That same overlap of kitchen craft and ownership continued at Ox & Angela Restaurant and Tapas Bar (2011–2014), where he served as Executive Chef and co-owner while building experience across more than one Calgary dining room. Since 2015, Stephen Smee has been Chef and Owner of Ten Foot Henry and Chef Consultant and Principal of Simply Restaurants (since 2015), holding two concurrent roles that widen the scope of his practice. One sits inside a single restaurant; the other extends across consulting and restaurant development. Taken together, they show a career built not just around cooking, but around maintaining standards, making decisions, and carrying responsibility across multiple fronts.
The Work Today
Ten Foot Henry remains the clearest expression of Stephen Smee’s current work, where the Chef and Owner title has been in place since 2015. In trade terms, the position links identity to operations: the chef is not separated from the business, but accountable for both. That combination places the day-to-day kitchen work inside a larger frame of ownership, with the restaurant’s direction shaped by the same hand that oversees service.
Signature
Colour is the clearest shorthand for Stephen Smee’s cooking. In practical terms, that suggests plates built to feel lively rather than flat, with enough contrast and energy to register at a glance. The word also points to a kitchen approach that values composition as much as output: food that is arranged with intent, and where brightness is part of the structure, not an afterthought.
Acclaim
The main markers of Stephen Smee’s career are the titles he has carried across Calgary kitchens: Co Executive Chef, Executive Chef and Co-Owner, and Chef and Owner. That sequence is straightforward and instructive. It charts a move from kitchen leadership into ownership, with each role adding authority and reach. For peers, it reads as a record of sustained responsibility, earned across successive rooms in the same market.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Stephen
What is Stephen Smee's current role?
As of 2026, Stephen Smee is Chef and Owner.
Where did Stephen Smee train or study?
Stephen Smee trained at Mount Royal University.
