I’ve heard a lot of local news over the last few days while up here in Tofino. Many of the restaurants were understandably abuzz about Mia Stainsby’s “Tough City” foodie feature in the Vancouver Sun, in particular what she’d written about the Pointe Restaurant here at the Wick:
After chef Andrew Springett left, I’d heard the food lost its lustre. It’s true. Although it stands the test of high quality ingredients, our lunch was disappointing. A grilled salmon atop a spinach salad, turned into a yucky mess; the salad with chunks of boiled egg, bacon, onions, and goat feta was a weighty mush.
Ouch. It turns out that executive chef Tim Cuff (Springett’s replacement) was either fired or he resigned the very next day (for what it’s worth, my food was excellent tonight).
But what’s really struck me has been the amount of local animosity that’s been brewing concerning the Cactus Club’s long rumoured involvement with Shelter…(read on MacDuff)
While it’s true that Richard Jaffray, the Head Cactus, is a “silent” investor at Shelter (which many locals now mockingly refer to as “The Shelter Club”), it’s never really been confirmed that he was doing anything other dropping some coin in a place he likes to frequent.
But for local optics here, being “silent” might be prudent. I never knew this until this weekend, but it seems a lot of Tofitians cling to an urban myth that tells of Tofino not allowing chains of any kind by law (er… but what about Best Western, Esso, Days Inn?), so they see the Cactus Club’s allegedly quiet and totally unpublicised swallow of Shelter as a shady nugget of poison bullshit (”It’s going to be hard to compete” being the standard pooh pooh). If Jaffray let his full involvement be known (if indeed he was actively involved), it wouldn’t go down so well with those here who believe that that would constitute a game misconduct.
On past trips, the pooh pooh-ers haven’t had any proof that the Cactus Club was pimping Shelter. It was just a rumour. On this trip, however, I got an earful of specifics, the most hilarious one being that Shelter employees were being paid with Cactus Club paychecks.
Regular readers might remember that UD first got wind of some of these early whisperings last year. We even posted about it:
The most persistent snatch has [The Cactus Club] taking Tofino’s Shelter brand for a ride across Vancouver, perhaps with a first stop around the central shore of Coal Harbour.
But I didn’t really believe it:
There may also be little room at the Inn by the time said hybrid hypothetically arrives (if it is to arrive at all, hypothetically or not). Unless you’re the Voya or your name starts with David or ends with Feenie, there isn’t room left in the pool for much of a splash.
It turns out I should have believed it, as it’s true. According to this Business in Vancouver interview with the company’s COO, Andrew Latchford, Shelter is indeed heading our way:
[Latchford] has been instrumental in rolling out Cactus Club’s latest concept, Shelter, originally based in Tofino. Latchford said development of new restaurant concepts, including a more premium, upscale dining experience, would play an ongoing role in the chain’s growth strategy. “If we are involved with it, we would like it to be seen in that light.”
Ah, hence the Food Concept Architect!
I think I get it now.
But why so hush hush about bringing the Shelter brand here and milking it dry expanding on it? Is it really so as not to piss off the Tofitians?
What do you think?
