This past weekend Ayden Kitchen & Bar in Saskatoon finally opened its doors. The build up to this debut was well orchestrated. This illustrates Chef Dale McKay is not only a master in the kitchen but adept at marketing.

We were teased with video clips of farm to table stories, lake to table, design of the space and the tale Dale's own story of success from elite personal chef to Top Chef Canada winner to Vancouver restauranteur and now to the golden boy returning to his prairie roots.

The local media are treating this as a local story but it is much more. This restaurant could put them on the culinary map. The minute Charcut Roast House from Calgary steps in to help a fellow chef with the grand opening, it steps outside local boundaries. It is a nod to the status of Chef McKay. Not only is Charcut among the top restaurants in Canada but they have competed internationally. They are well respected in the restaurant world.

The pièce de resistance of flawless marketing was to have the Charcut team support the grand opening of this unique dining experience in the province. Kudos to Chef McKay on a job well done from marketing to creating a perfect dining space to creating an intimate menu well executed to pulling it off with aplomb. From where I sit, it looks flawless.

PHOTO CREDITS: ALL PICTURES ARE FROM AYDEN WEBSITE AND FACEBOOK PAGES.