The upcoming relaunch of Sooke Harbour House—this summer, with executive chef and partner Melissa Craig at its helm—has been big news on Vancouver Island. But I would argue that this is a much larger, national story. I would even go so far as to say that this is the most significant restaurant opening of the decade (if not the century, thus far) for the entire country.
Sooke Harbour House revolutionized Canadian cuisine. It was the birthplace of Slow Food in Canada. It helped cut the apron strings that tied us to Europe, inspired a slew of influential chefs and changed the culinary landscape irrevocably.
Sinclair and Frederique Philip, who assumed ownership of the inn in 1979, were pioneers in the farm-to-table movement. Theirs was the first restaurant north of the 49th parallel that really promoted the ethos of eating seasonally, locally and organically.
The entire menu was sourced from Sooke’s own gardens, nearby farms or the ocean outside its doors. These restrictions forced the kitchen to be extremely innovative. The first and (sadly) only time I ate there, I had wild stinging nettle soup thickened with laminara (a local seaweed) and lemony Mabel Grey geranium, folded into butternut squash agnolotti as a substitute for citrus.
It was the Chez Panisse of Canada. And it attracted a similar calibre of likeminded chefs, who then spread across the country, planting those slow-food seeds, establishing relationship with local farmers and changing how we eat.
The alumni roster reads like a Canadian culinary who’s who: Michael Stadtlander (Eigensinn Farm); James Walt (Araxi); David McMillan (formerly Joe Beef); Andrea Carlson (Burdock & Co.), Peter Zambri (Zambri’s); Nathan Guggenheimer (Ayden, until recently); and, not least of all, Melissa Craig, who went there straight out of culinary school and spent four years working with the late Edward Tuson (Sooke’s executive chef for 12 years).
This is not an exhaustive list and doesn’t include the many chefs and restaurateurs who were influenced by association. For instance, I don’t believe Jamie Kennedy ever worked at Sooke, but he could be considered an honorary alumnus because he and Stadtlander worked so closely.
Sal Howell, owner of Calgary’s River Café and Deane House, told me she considers Sinclair a mentor and credits Sooke Harbour House as a key source of inspiration.
Tragically, the inn went bankrupt after a decade-long dispute with a fraudulent investor. But that is a story unto itself, for another time.
This is a joyful homecoming for Craig, who hails from Vancouver Island. She is joined by her life partner, Andre Saint-Jacques, as managing partner. Saint-Jacques, the irrepressible host with the most, was the founder of Whistler’s Bearfoot Bistro, where Craig spent nearly 20 years as executive chef.
I’ve been following Craig all these years and love, love, love her cooking, which, no matter how boldly luxurious the ingredients or modern the techniques, is always elegantly refined and exquisitely balanced in flavour and texture. This is a perfect fit for an extraordinarily talented chef who is ready to shine in a bigger spotlight. I couldn’t be happier for her.
