Stefan Pimenta Is The New Top Chef at Le Gavroche

NEW TOP CHEF AT LE GAVROCHE IS STEFAN PIMENTA
October 26, 2007

A couple of newsworthy items came out of last night’s sold out dinner for Tinhorn Creek Winery at Le Gavroche restaurant.

The first is that Tinhorn Creek has started plans for a restaurant at the winery. The blueprints (once given the green light by the building authorities) will have room for approximately 65 seats inside the restaurant and 65 on a patio outside. It will be located near the area that now houses the winery's outdoor amphitheatre.

Tinhorn Creek will own only the property and the facilities. The restaurant operation itself will be run by Le Gavroche owner, Manuel Ferreira, making this Ferreira’s third BC restaurant after Le Gavroche (Vancouver’s West End) and Sonova (in Kerrisdale).

There is no word yet on whether Ferreira plans to do a Portuguese-style menu for the winery restaurant or if he has something else in mind. Perhaps he is still reeling from the collision he experienced only a few days ago with a large stag on the road outside of Osoyoos. An accident which totaled both his truck and the deer, but fortunately left his own person unharmed.

Now that he will be overseeing three restaurants, Ferreira is definitely going to need more help back at Le Gavroche, and he seems to have found this in the form of an all new kitchen team and front of house staff.

Former chef at Le Gav for the past 8 years, Roger LeBlanc, has left for New Brunswick and plans to open his own restaurant.

“He used to work for 16 hours a day, now he will be working 24,� sympathizes Ferreira.

New in the top spot is Chef Stefan Pimenta. Born in New Delhi to parents of Portuguese decent, Pimenta has lived in the (previous) Portuguese colony of Goa. He has been employed at Le Gavroche for the past two years as Sous Chef and previously had worked at Circolo and Whistler’s Apres Restaurant. Before that he apprenticed for four years with Hervé Martin at L’Hermitage on Robson Street.

Starting tonight (October 26), Pimenta will feature a Wild Game tasting menu at Le Gavroche, all of it paired with wines from the restaurant's well stocked cellar, but thankfully, none of it the result of Ferreira’s frightening fender bender.

Reservations can be made at 604-685-3924.