GOODS: Chef Jeff Van Geest Plating Special Mother’s Day Brunch At Okanagan’s Miradoro

Miradoro is located at 32830 Tinhorn Creek Road in Oliver, BC | 250.498.3742 | www.miradoro.ca

The GOODS from Miradoro

Oliver, BC | Celebrate Mother’s Day at Tinhorn Creek Vineyards destination restaurant, Miradoro, located amongst stunning views of the South Okanagan Valley wine country. This Mother’s Day guests will enjoy a 2-course brunch tasting menu, with options for each course for $30. For the special occasion, Miradoro will be donating $5 from each tasting menu to the BC Children’s Hospital’s Caring a la Carte Mother’s Day campaign. Details after the jump… Read more

GOODS: Oliver’s “Miradoro” At Tinhorn Creek Vineyards Re-Opens For The Spring Season

Miradoro is located at 32830 Tinhorn Creek Road in Oliver, BC | 250.498.3742 | www.miradoro.ca

The GOODS from Miradoro

Oliver, BC | Miradoro Restaurant, British Columbia’s premiere winery restaurant, is pleased to announce it’s reopening on March 1st, 2012 after closing for the January / February winter months. The destination restaurant at Tinhorn Creek Vineyards offers stunning panoramic views of the South Okanagan Valley wine country and features Mediterranean-influenced cuisine that showcases the region’s finest ingredients. Get all the details after the jump… Read more

GOODS: Chef Jeff Van Geest Readies For Holidays With Special Menus At “Miradoro”

Miradoro is located at 32830 Tinhorn Creek Road in Oliver, BC | 250.498.3742 | www.miradoro.ca

The GOODS from Miradoro

Oliver, BC | Embrace the seasonal spirit this December with a special Christmas Eve Dinner and New Year’s Eve feature menu at Tinhorn Creek Vineyards destination restaurant, Miradoro. Located amongst the stunning views of the South Okanagan Valley wine country, Miradoro offers a welcoming reprieve this holiday season. For those looking for a little holiday cheer, Miradoro Restaurant is serving a three-course Christmas Eve Dinner crafted by talented Executive Chef Jeff Van Geest. For $30 guests will enjoy a local and seasonally inspired set menu with your choice of Roast Beef or Turkey. And New Year’s Eve at Miradoro is sure to be a night to remember with Chef Jeff Van Geest and his talented team serving a spectacular last meal of the year. Combined with award-winning wines of Tinhorn Creek Vineyards, the New Year’s Eve feature menu highlights include fresh oysters on the half shell, porcini crusted venison loin, wild mushroom risotto and spiced pumpkin pannacotta. Guests have the option to order this feature set menu or order a la carte, and will enjoy a glass of sparkling wine and party favours at midnight. The New Years Eve menu is priced at $75 not including applicable taxes and gratuity. Menu after the jump… Read more

GOODS: Chef Jeff Van Geest Plating Fall & Winter Menu At The Okanagan’s “Miradoro”

Miradoro is located at 32830 Tinhorn Creek Road in Oliver, BC | 250.498.3742 | www.miradoro.ca

The GOODS from Miradoro

Oliver, BC | Miradoro Restaurant, British Columbia’s premiere winery restaurant, is delighted to announce its new fall and winter menus. The destination restaurant at Tinhorn Creek Vineyards offers stunning panoramic views of the South Okanagan Valley wine country and features Mediterranean-influenced cuisine that showcases the region’s finest ingredients. In the kitchen, Executive Chef Jeff Van Geest is guided by the belief that there’s nothing better than simply, well-prepared ingredients from our local fields, forests and ocean. Drawing inspiration from Spain, Portugal and Italy – cuisines designed to pair perfectly with wine — Van Geest works closely with local farmers and producers to pay homage to the bounty of the Okanagan. Locally and ethically produced, greens from Sesen Farm & Seeds and beef from Okanagan’s Finest Angus Beef feature prominently on Miradoro’s menus. Read more

GOODS: The Okanagan’s “Miradoro” Named One Of The World’s Best Winery Restaurants

Miradoro is located at 32830 Tinhorn Creek Road in Oliver, BC | 250.498.3742 | www.miradoro.ca

The GOODS from Miradoro

Oliver, BC | Miradoro has just been recognized in the latest issue of Wine Access as one of “The World’s Best Winery Restaurants.” The article is not available online, but Wine Access writes:

“The ‘miradoro’ or ‘golden view’ here is the breathtaking panorama of the South Okanagan Valley, perfectly captured by floor-to-ceiling windows in this sleek modern restaurant. Restaurateur Manuel Ferreira, of Vancouver’s much loved Le Gavroche, and chef Jeff Van Geest have created irresistible Mediterranean-Okanagan fusion cuisine here. Local ingredients bring fresh life to Spanish chorizo, Neapolitan-style pizza and Moroccan tagine, and dishes pair gorgeously with winemaker Sandra Oldfield’s crisp chardonnays and smooth merlots. The patio overlooking the winery’s amphitheatre is the place to be on sunny afternoons for tapas and a glass of Oldfield Series Rose.” Miradoro was one of two BC winery restaurants listed – the other being Hester Creek’s new Terrafina. Learn more about Miradoro after the jump… Read more

Industry Reflections: Poor, Poor, Lucky Bastard

I had a beer with former Aurora Bistro owner/chef Jeff Van Geest the other night. We discussed bigger things than food and wine in a cramped corner of a bustling bar filled with industry off-shifters getting their drink on. We talked about happiness, family, the big picture and new directions. We reminisced about our naiveté and blind idealism when we opened our first restaurants, and laughed at how we thought we’d change the world, or at least the little neighbourhoods surrounding our little dreams and money pits. We compared scars of battles won and lost, with city hall, drug addicted ex-employees, food writers and even the odd customer. We even looked ahead, and asked each other, “what’s next for you?”.

There we were, two men facing divorce from the life we love. Looking back we knew that restaurants had shaped us, made us who we are. They had also beat on us, challenged us, forced us to break the mould of who we thought we were, and drove us to dig down and find more strength, a more obstinate stubbornness, and a deeper passion for a craft that seemed to reward us only with stress and insecurity. The passion that had allowed us to overlook the flaws and rough times had faded, and we were both staring at starting all over again.

But despite it all, we both were smiling. Not wistful smiles of remembrance, but Cheshire cat grins. Shit eating grins like a teenager having sex grin, a prison break convict digging under the wall grin, the kind of grin that you can’t hide the true meaning of. The best years so far we’d seen, and we were running fast and hard from them, fast like we stole something.

I left that great conversation with more questions than answers. With so many of us looking for our passion, our calling, our life’s purpose, and so many of us finding it in this great craft, why does it chase so many great people away? Why are the Jeff Van Geest’s of the world happy to leave the life of the restaurateur, even when they know it’s their passion and that the world appreciates their talent? How many other great people do we lose, from aspiring cooks with Michelin star dreams to the hundreds of servers drinking their way to their sommelier’s designation, when the real kick in the junk reality kicks in on how hard the industry really is?

I remember asking one local restaurateur about his staffing and management headaches, and he said it best. “It’s like herding cats. Most of these people have no sense of professionalism, leave on a whim, have the highest ideals on what a work environment should be, and then promptly ask for a 2 week vacation, bang a hostess and miss a shift because they were so high on coke the night before”. Contrast that with an employee’s rant of another well known operation. “He pays minimum wage, no benefits, no stats, no overtime. He asks us to work doubles, Valentines day, New Years Eve, and I’m not allowed to date the staff. Besides all this I’m pretty sure he’s banging the hostess. What does he expect from me?”

It begs the question, what’s this monster we’ve created? Is it such a bad thing? I mean, it’s just like sex, drugs and rock n’ roll right? And they do fine, so why can’t we?

So can a professional like Jeff thrive in this environment? He has a beautiful wife and son, a sense of purpose, a set of ideals and a staunch refusal to compromise on his principles. I’d like to say yes, but I started to realize what his grin was about. All that he loved and cherished was being put to the test, facing compromise, for an industry which doesn’t. Finally, there was no question, only answers. He’d picked his team, and he’d picked the right one.

The beer tasted great that night. Served by a former cook, tending bar at his own establishment now, that same shit eating grin on his face. I imagined the road ahead for him, hoping it was slightly less rocky, slightly more profitable and only a tad less liquid, and I imagined the day he sat in my chair looking at some young punk with a shit eating grin and thought the same. Poor poor lucky bastard.

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Sean Sherwood, an accomplished classical, jazz and blues pianist, worked in all aspects of the restaurant industry over two decades and spent 3 years as an operational consultant. He owned three dynamic restaurants in Vancouver: Fiction, Lucy Mae Brown, and Century. After 9 years, he sold his businesses to pursue other ventures.

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Confirmed: Jeff Van Geest To Diva At The Met

We had this up as hearsay last week but it’s now confirmed. Former Aurora Bistro owner/chef Jeff Van Geest signed on the dotted line with Diva at the Met today to become Dino Renaerts’ executive sous/restaurant chef. His first day is tomorrow.

Congratulations to all involved. Win-win, et cetera.

Chef Jeff Van Geest Hired?

Word on the snowy streets is that former Aurora Bistro owner/chef Jeff Van Geest has been picked up by Diva at the Met as the restaurant chef under exec Dino Renaerts. Not sure if it’s a done deal yet, but when (and if) this becomes public I’d see it as a small coup for hotel.

Wallflower To Replace Aurora

Just to stop the rumour mill from continuing to churn out some real doozies, a veteran FOH’er named Lisa Hewlett (ex-Boathouse, Jimmy’s Taphouse) has struck a deal with Aurora owner Jeff Van Geest to take over his former Main St. location (he handed over the keys this morning). The most interesting gossip saw the space landing in the lap of Andrey Durbach and Chris Stewart of Parkside, La Buca, and Pied-a-Terre, but though there was some truth to this (there were talks) it has come to naught. The deal is done.

The new restaurant, dubbed The Wallflower Modern Diner, will focus on accessible, health-conscious diner fare with some of the recipes coming from Hewlett’s own grandmother. Renos sound like they’ll be light to moderate, with very little in the way of structural modifications (if any at all). Opening day is slated for some time in January.

“We’re trying to bring something to the community that will be a good fit” Hewlett told me over the phone this afternoon. Diner food sounds about right these days.

We wish both Lisa and Jeff the best of luck.

Aurora Bistro Has Closed

Saddest. News. Ever. It’s been bottled up (and leaking) for the last few days, but now it’s official.

After more than five years of operation in Vancouver’s emergent Main Street neighbourhood, Aurora Bistro has closed its doors. Aurora Bistro opened in June 2003 to rave reviews and has remained a popular regional restaurant winning numerous awards.

Despite the restaurant’s broad following and significant acclaim, it recently became evident that the business could no longer remain profitable and continue to operate.

To close the restaurant was a difficult decision to make, but after committing five years to Aurora as a hard-working chef and active restaurant owner, Jeff Van Geest is ready for a fresh start and welcomes more time to spend with his family.

“I want to thank my incredible staff for their hard work and dedication to Aurora. I also want to sincerely thank our suppliers, customers, our dear industry friends and the food and wine media for their amazing support over the years” says Van Geest.

When an award-winning, eco-conscious, local-friendly, and all around awesome restaurant can’t find enough customers to fill 30 seats a night, I wonder at the future of our restaurant scene. Too pissed at my own city to say much at the moment. Please comment, leave best wishes, and discuss in the forum.

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