Nextjen Gluten-Free began in the kitchen of Chef Jen Peters who honed her skills as a protégé of Chef Bruno Marti, the beloved godfather of fine dining cuisine in Canada. With Chef Marti’s guidance, Jen developed an uncompromising dedication to high-quality food ingredients. She then worked and trained in Michelin-starred restaurants in England. After returning home to Vancouver, BC and discovering she was gluten intolerant, she was determined to find a way to keep delicious breads, scones, and pastas in her life.
In her own home kitchen, she began research to create a gluten-free, hassle-free all-purpose baking blend that would allow her to enjoy life without giving up her favourite foods or settling for low-quality alternatives. In 2012, Jen finally perfected her recipe and founded Nextjen Gluten-Free with her partner, Chef Hamid Salimian.
The right ingredients mixed with uncompromising dedication.
Hamid Salimian has built a reputation as a “chef’s chef”, winning the respect of his peers for his eye for detail, insistence on quality, and his commitment to mentoring the next generation of chefs. He has held leadership positions in the kitchens of establishments such as Westin Bear Mountain in Victoria, Westin Wall Centre in Richmond, and Vancouver’s Diva at the Met, where he was recognized for his innovative approach to blending multicultural influences with traditional french fare and voted Georgia Straight newspaper Best Chef in the city by his restaurant peers. In the world of culinary competitions, he holds eight international gold medals and has also been a coach for Team BC and the Canadian team for Bocuse d’Or 2013.
Today, Hamid is the co-founder of Nextjen Gluten-Free as well as the company’s food photographer. He also acts as a culinary consultant for national brands such as Earls Kitchen + Bar, and shares his knowledge and expertise with a new generation of chiefs as an instructor in the VCC Culinary Arts program.
Developing baked goods and delicious food without any gluten requires
a bit of ingenuity.”
Chef Jen Peters
Chef Hamid Salimian
Gluten-Free
Xanthan-Free
GMO-Free
Hamid Salimian
CEO & Founder
Hamid Salimian has a 30-year career in the hospitality industry as a top executive chef in Vancouver’s fine dining restaurants and an international award-winning culinary competitor. He is the co-founder of NextJen Gluten Free and jointly manages this successful gluten-free food production company with his partner.
Dean Golbeck
CFO
Mr. Golbeck holds a Chartered Accountant designation (CPA, CA) with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Vancouver Island University. He started his career with a Big Four accounting firm where he worked on a mix of large public company audits and mid-market assurance and advisory services. In 2017,
Jen Peters
Founder/Creator
Chef Jen Peters honed her skills as a protégé of Chef Bruno Marti, the beloved godfather of fine dining cuisine in Canada. With Chef Marti’s guidance, Jen developed an uncompromising dedication to high-quality food ingredients. She then worked and trained in Michelin-starred restaurants in England. After returning home to
Molly Millar
Branding/Marketing
Molly brings several years of experience working with growth-stage companies, focusing on marketing, e-commerce, sales and operations. She is passionate about working with small teams to help them develop and execute their brand voice, as well as their sales & marketing strategy. She has spent segments of her professional life
Robert M. Langford
Advisory Board
Bob, an attorney and Tennessee Rule 21 listed mediator, has enjoyed a successful career as a congressional legal counsel, metro government lobbyist, a practising lawyer, entrepreneur, and multi-unit restaurant executive having owned and/or operated within 10 different concepts ranging from fine dining and
Kori Langford
Business Development Consultant
Kori Langford has extensive experience in the hospitality space with over twenty years in the industry. Langford has experience with multiple organizations ranging from independent restaurants, large suppliers supporting national brands, as well as large multi-unit restaurant chains, including franchised
Paul Sparkes
Director
Paul Sparkes is an accomplished business leader and entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in media, finance, capital markets and Canada's political arena. He spent a decade as a leader in the broadcast and media industry as CTVglobemedia's Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs. He also held senior positions in public service, including with the Government of Canada as Director of Operations to Prime Minister Jean Chretien, and as a senior aide to
Denis Silva
Director
Denis Silva is a partner at DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, an international law firm, advising clients on corporate finance and merger and acquisition transactions with a focus on the technology and mining sectors. Denis has been recognized by Lexpert and Chambers, and has acted for a wide variety of companies listed on Canadian and US exchanges. Denis holds a B.A. from the University of British Columbia, an M.P.A. from Queen’s University, and an LL.B
Olen Aasen
Director
Mr. Aasen is an executive and corporate and securities lawyer with more than 15 years of experience in corporate, securities, mining and regulatory matters. He has been the Corporate Secretary, General Counsel or Vice President, Legal at various Canadian and U.S.- listed companies in the mining, transportation and technology sectors. In the past ten years Mr. Aasen has advised on over $800 million in debt and equity financings and structured finance
Dr. Joey
Dr. Joey Schulman
Dr Joey's passion for natural healthcare and nutrition has been the focus of her career for over twenty years. Her
philosophy of "improve the quality of your food to improve the quality of your life" has enhanced the health of
thousands across North America. As a 3x national best selling author and well -known media personality, Dr. Joey is a
highly regarded authority on health and achieving optimal wellness.
Dr. Joey has run Ontario's #1 holistic clinics -Shulman Health - for nearly two decades. With her amazing team of
holistic nutritionists, she has helped thousands of clients re-claim their health and vitality. In her clinics, her
1 on 1 personal approach put emphasis on whole foods, hormonal balance and gut health. In addition, as a mother of a
celiac daughter (and being gluten sensitive herself), she is also passionate about helping her clients find healthy
alternatives.
As the media's "go-to" on natural healthcare, Dr. Shulman has been one of Cityline's top health experts for over 13
years. She has also been published in numerous publications such as Canadian Living, Flare, Chatelaine, The Post and
Oxygen.
After receiving her honours degree in psychology from Concordia University, Dr. Joey went on to become a doctor of
chiropractic at Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College and finished up her education by becoming a holistic
nutritionist.
