Alex Kemp
My Loup | Philadelphia
FEBRUARY 2024
At 14, Alex Kemp secured his first job as a dishwasher in his small hometown in Canada. He was instantly hooked on the adrenaline of the kitchen and transitioned to cooking. Kemp was sent to apprentice at the Rimrock Resort Hotel in Banff where he worked for two years. He left for Restaurant E18hteen in Ottawa when he was 19, but was turned away. He returned to the restaurant and knocked on the door every day for two weeks until the chef finally caved and invited him inside. Kemp immersed himself in the kitchen, learning everything he could until he was ready for his next challenge. After emailing Rising Stars alum Chris Cosentino for three weeks straight, Kemp staged at Incanto in San Francisco and left there more confident than ever.
Kemp went back to Canada to work at Cabane à Sucre Au Pied de Cochon. He then joined the team at Joe Beef before moving on to help open Vin Papillon in Montreal. Eager for the next step in his career, Kemp sent weekly emails to Eleven Madison Park, where he staged before accepting a full-time position. After a year, though, Kemp’s visa expired, so he moved to the U.K. to work at Moor Hall Restaurant before returning to New York to cook at Momofuku Ko, where he met his future wife and business partner, Chef Amanda Shulman of Her Place Supper Club. But, Kemp’s visa expired once more. Back in Montreal, he went to Mon Lapin, where he was mentored by Chefs Marc-Olivier Frappier and Jessica Noël. When the pandemic arrived a year later, Kemp and Shulman decided to move to Philadelphia. He opened My Loup in May 2023. There, he curates a frequently changing menu with dishes that draw on his French-Canadian roots, connections with local purveyors, vast culinary experiences, and persistent creativity.
