Death of well-known chef, Ste. Anne volunteer firefighter investigated as homicide

A renowned chef and community volunteer has been identified as the victim in a weekend slaying in the Rural Municipality of Ste. Anne.

Officers were sent to investigate an aggravated assault in the community, located about 50 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg, Steinbach RCMP said Tuesday.

A man suffered life-threatening injuries and was rushed to hospital, but died a few hours later.  His death is being investigated as a homicide, RCMP said. They declined to provide further details.

Friends and former colleagues identified the victim as 49-year-old Cameron Huley. Huley was a restaurant industry consultant for Food Service Solutions Canada and a volunteer firefighter with the Town of Ste. Anne fire department. He formerly worked with the Ste. Anne Police Department as an auxiliary police officer.

“It’s a huge loss. Cameron was an absolutely wonderful, kind, gentle person, and it’s a huge loss, not just to our police department, but to the community,” said Ste. Anne Police Chief Marc Robichaud.

Huley worked with the force for five years before switching to the fire department.

Jami Laurencelle, friend and neighbour, said Huley’s death will be felt in the tight-knit community. Huley catered Laurencelle’s wedding in 2021 and would always invite friends and neighbours over to cook for them.

“He can make friends with anybody,” she said. “It’s just absolutely tragic that this could happen.”

Huley, who was an avid outdoorsman, had one son, Laurencelle said.

“(His son) was his whole world.”

Huley had worked in the restaurant industry for more than 20 years, his website says. He competed in several world culinary competitions, worked at several country clubs and had a brief stint running the kitchen for a Celebrity Cruises cruise ship.

He was also a board member for the Canadian chapter of la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, the longest-standing culinary society in the world. The guild hosts international competitions and culinary events, and Huley served as a judge for several of them over his career.

Norm Pastorin worked with Huley at the St. Charles Country Club for five years starting in 2000, while apprenticing under Takashi Murakami, a distinguished Canadian chef. Huley and Pastorin remained close friends throughout the years.

“Those are some of the best memories of my career,” said Pastorin, who owns and operates BASTA! Filipino Kitchen at The Forks.

Pastorin said Huley was often ahead of food trends, but never failed to share what he learned with other chefs in the city. Despite working at country clubs and on cruise ships, Huley was hailed by many in Winnipeg’s food scene as a top chef.

“You’re never really in the spotlight because of that, but his talent and hard work speaks for itself,” Pastorin said.

In a statement, Food Service Solutions Canada chief executive officer Chris Koehler called Huley a “remarkable and talented individual whose kindness and caring spirit touched everyone around him.”

“Cam was someone everyone admired. This was not just for his many professional talents, but for the compassion he brought into every aspect of life. His presence was a source of inspiration, and his ability to make a difference, at work and beyond, will never be forgotten,” the statement said.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca