(Yellow arrow indicates location of Waterfront restaurant.)
PAINTED BOAT RESORT The newest buzz magnet on the Sunshine Coast these days is the
Painted Boat Resort Spa and Marina, newly constructed on the former site of the old
Lowe’s Resort, and due to open for business early this summer.
At
CF central it seems like birth announcements for new luxury time share resorts lands on our desk every day, but this one has a couple of features that make it stand out from the pack: 1) ownership by a developer with a long history for accommodating demanding eco-sensitive building standards, and 2) serious intentions to make the resort restaurant a central focus and resource for the surrounding community.
Located in the heart of Pender Harbour, Painted Boat is the newest project of
Canadian Rocky Mtn Resorts (
CRMR), a Calgary-based, real estate development company founded by
Patrick and
Constance O’Connor (a couple who can boast fourth-generation ties to the Canadian West). As the builder of three major lodges located within
Canadian National Parks lands (
Buffalo Mtn Lodge in Banff,
Deer Lodge in Lake Louise and
Emerald Lake Lodge in BC), the CRMR team are accustomed to adhering to strict ecological standards. The O’Connors themselves are as hands on with the fine details of their projects as if they were building their own dream vacation cottage. (Constance even stipulating that the outdoor hot tubs be constructed from kitchen-grade stainless steel to maximize their hygienic properties.)
Architecture by
Peter Treuheit aims to evoke the west coast look of exposed timber wharfs. It’s an impression successfully evident in the 31 villas tucked back into the treeline, but even more so in the showpiece, 70-seat restaurant that will sit looking directly onto the wharf through its ground-to-ceiling picture windows.
Chef for the new “
Waterfront” restaurant will be Calgary-born
David Cox, whose bio reads:
…
"Chef Cox has travelled the world developing and perfecting his technique. From being the private chef for a minister of parliament in Moscow to working as Head Chef at Muse Restaurant when it was named one of the 'Best New Restaurants in Canada' by Enroute Magazine
in 2002, the classically trained chef has developed a light yet nourishing style that remains true to his love of French technique, while always exploring the best ways to bring out the flavours of the foods he is working with. Chef Cox has spent the last several years as Sous-Chef at Calgary's sophisticated Divino Wine & Cheese Bistro."
Divino Wine and Cheese Bistro is perhaps the best known of the four Calgary restaurants in the CRMR portfolio, which also includes:
Cilantro,
The Ranche, and
Velvet Restaurant and Lounge.
In fact, Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts are so proud of their city and resort restaurants, they have recently published a glossy hard cover
cookbook to exhibit their serious culinary side. The book will be available through online book sellers as well as for sale at all CRMR resorts and restaurants.
