The Chef
Meet Chef Mike Licharson
Head Chef at Gather. A flavour-first, globally inspired perspective shaped by his Greek, Ukrainian, and Irish heritage, his Manitoba upbringing, and a thoughtful connection to The Leaf.
Biography
A globally inspired, flavour-first chef
Chef Mike Licharson leads the kitchen at Gather Craft Kitchen & Bar inside The Leaf at Assiniboine Park with a distinctly personal perspective on cooking.
His cooking is shaped by his Greek, Ukrainian, and Irish heritage and his Manitoba upbringing. He trained in culinary arts and built his career in Winnipeg restaurants, developing a flavour-first approach that values technique, creativity, seasonality, and the people he cooks with.
At Gather, he brings together globally inspired cooking and Manitoba and Canadian ingredients, with select produce and herbs grown at The Leaf appearing in dishes when available. His collaborative style extends to the bar team, syrups, infusions, and garnishes are built across the kitchen and bar together.
He is also drawn to thoughtful use of every ingredient, pickling, fermenting, and dehydrating to extend the season and make more of what the kitchen and the region provide, as a supporting part of how he cooks, not the whole story.
“I’ve always been of the opinion that you should get the best from as close to you as you can and do it justice.”
Signature Dishes
Dishes that tell the story
Roasted heritage carrots
Charred carrots, harissa, garden herbs, cultured yogurt, dukkah.
Charred swiss chard
Chard, garlic confit, lemon, aged parmesan.
Garden broth
Vegetable dashi, garden herbs, fermented leek, mushroom.