David Hawksworth to Open New Restaurant (Chefs)

DAVID HAWKSWORTH TO OPEN NEW RESTAURANT AT REVITALIZED HOTEL GEORGIA
Hawksworth leaves winning streak at West for his first solo venture
(Directly from the press release.)


Vancouver, B.C., Dec 7th 2007 – David Hawksworth, one of Canada’s foremost chefs, has announced plans to open his first restaurant at the revitalized Hotel Georgia, a landmark property in the heart of downtown Vancouver. Positioned on the corner of West Georgia and Howe Streets, it is under renovation and scheduled to re-open late in 2009.

The heritage hotel first opened its doors in 1927. During its heyday in the 50’s and 60’s, the hotel’s Cavalier Grill, under chef Xavier Hetzman, was known as the restaurant in town. It was a social hub hosting Howe Street brokers, lawyers and judges from the nearby law courts, along with Hollywood legends and visiting royalty. Some fifty years later, David Hawksworth announces his plans to restore the restaurant to its former glory and recapture some of the era’s glamour.

The name of the new restaurant remains unknown at this time as Hawksworth fine-tunes the concept. He confirms that “quality, excellence and innovation� will be tantamount. The space will accommodate a state-of-the-art kitchen, 120 dining seats with patio, bar and two private rooms. Alessandro Munge of the trendsetting Munge & Leung design firm (creators of Jean-Georges’ newest restaurant) will marry history and contemporary aesthetics, to create the hottest table in town and promises to serve up something truly unique and distinctive to Vancouver.

Born and raised in Vancouver, Hawksworth left Canada as a young apprentice to spend a decade honing his talents in some of Europe’s most respected Michelin-starred kitchens including Le Manior Quait’ Saisons, L’Escargot, Isola and The Square. He returned in 2000 to open West (for the Top Table group) and won critical acclaim from the onset. In 2003, food critics bestowed West with the industry’s most coveted title — Restaurant of the Year — a title it has held for the past three consecutive years. Hawksworth, named ‘Chef of the Year’, has received significant international media attention. Currently completing work on a West cookbook, due to publish in fall 2008, Hawksworth will relinquish his duties as Executive Chef at the end of this year to focus on his new project.