In the Haus with Chef Michael Hauschild

You may not have heard of In Haus Cooking but like most young chefs, owner Michael Hauschild brings all his talent and acquired knowledge to this year-long passion project.

In Haus is located at 430 Hazeldean Rd. in a shared workspace building named Office Hub. He and his team of five produce corporate menus that change every few days. 

From Monday to Thursday, they also offer a lunch bistro service for locals, and I will be featuring their deli sandwich in an upcoming and final Sandwich Safari. 

Hauschild received his formal training at the prestigious Culinary Institute of Canada in PEI and completed a three-month internship at Ottawa’s Supply and Demand.

Later he would work in the celebrated kitchens of the Mission Hill and Cedar Creek wineries in B.C. 

At the age of 21 he launched In Haus Cooking and made a name for himself in private dinner circles, eventually landing summer gigs for a wealthy developer couple in the 1000 Islands.

While adhering to proscribed protocols, the private dinner side of his business exploded during COVID and years later he opened In Haus Cooking Bistro at Office Hub in Kanata.

Michael and I talked about our shared love of Japanese knives and I discovered that his culinary awakening story was similar to my own which involved shrimp in black bean sauce when I was ten. At the time my father mused aloud about how his son could “enjoy eating bugs.”

As a kid he would go on cruises with his parents, and one time at dinner he ordered escargot. He fell in love with the things, much to the curiosity of his parents.

When asked what he would like for his 16th birthday, his answer could not have been a surprise to his parents and they bought him the white plates for which he’d asked.

From my perspective, Hauschild was born to chefdom but it was nurtured by exposure to his grandmother's cooking.

After WWII, his grandparents left Germany and started a farm just outside of Ottawa. There, Hauschild was exposed to fresh fruit and vegetables and he expressed his deep appreciation of the food his grandmother cooked.

For a chef this young, he struck me as an old soul as he’s given a lot of thought to not just his craft but also his role as a leader. I was impressed by his apparent lack of strident ego or faux diffidence. Instead, I found a man entirely comfortable in sharing his success with his team and often credits them outright for dishes they’ve created.

While his foundation is in French cooking, he has a particular love of working with seafood, and he twice entered the Garland Canada International Chef Challenge. This competition is a key component of the PEI International Shellfish Festival which is attended by chefs from across North America.

In 2023 he emerged victorious, beating out one of Canada’s best-known chefs. Here, Hauschild’s modesty was on full display to the point of embarrassment, and he asked that I not name the other chef.

After speaking with him, I was treated to a bowl of exceptional lobster bisque, which happened to be the soup of the day. Sensuously silky, it was a symphony of flavours in such balance that not even the lobster dominated, and I was grateful. Too often this dish is characterized by excessive fishiness and here I enjoyed the harmony accented only by a hint of white wine.

On September 22nd, Hauschild takes on a new challenge, testing himself against four other top chefs from the region. This year, the regional championships of Canada’s Great Kitchen Party will be held at Raphaël Peruvian Cuisine on Elgin Street.

He confided that he feels confident going into this and even hinted at the dish he’s creating. Although he revealed nothing of the ingredients, he did state that it’s a dish that takes more than one day to compose. I’m intrigued.

Capital Eats wishes Michael and all the other chefs every success.