Dean began his career in foodservice in 1972 working in at burger joint in Richmond B.C. In 1980 he completed his restaurant Bachelor of Operations in Oakbrook, Illinois. He’s had restaurants in both Mission and Gastown and ran a successful catering company in Vancouver for 22 years serving groups of up to 1200.

During his tenure on the board of the B.C. Chefs Association he was awarded Chef of the Year. Dean is a Red Seal journeyman cook, earned his Certified Chef de Cuisine designation in 2009 and was a Culinary Instructor at Vancouver Community College until 2016.

Dean has done many guest appearances on City Cooks with Simi Sara and was host chef to the Food Network for EAT! Vancouver for 12 years. He is currently completing his first cook book and is developing instructional videos for YouTube.