Executive Chef Robert Clark
C Restaurant, Vancouver, BC

Chef Participant: Cooking for Solutions Conference 2006

"The integrity of a product is the foundation on which a chef will build his reputation."
Robert Clark's belief in food is pure and simple: "As chefs, our job is not only about serving great tasting food, but encouraging our staff and our guests to learn how to get sustainably produced food to the table."

Only quality, sustainable products from earth and sea are used as the building blocks of his cuisine. His philosophy has been embraced by the brigade at C Restaurant: from owner Harry Kambolis and general manager Leonard Nakonechny, to the cooks and servers who share it with their guests.

Clark began his career training at George Brown College in Toronto, Ontario. After graduating in 1982, Robert spent ten years training in some of Toronto's finest kitchens: the King Edward Hotel, The Founders Club at the SkyDome, and the legendary Three Small Rooms at The Windsor Arms Hotel. During his early career, he apprenticed under and worked with some of Canada's "top toques": Jamie Kennedy, John Higgins, and Michael Bonacini to name a few. In the early nineties, after an eighteen month working and tasting journey through Southeast Asia and Australia, Clark and his wife decided to relocate to Vancouver. In 1992, with owners Adam Busby and Sam Lalji, Clark helped open Star Anise to critical acclaim. It remains the only restaurant to ever win the Vancouver Magazine awards for "restaurant of the year" and "best new restaurant" in the same year.

Harry Kambolis opened C Restaurant in 1997, but not before luring Clark back from another restaurant in the United States to join his team as Chef de Cuisine. Within one year, Clark was promoted to the position of Executive Chef. Since then, Clark's leadership at the helm has propelled C to become one of the prime dining destinations in North America. C's distinctive cuisine and wine lists have garnered innumerable awards, and won raves from critics across the continent.

Ever cognizant of the delicate web of quality, sustainability and market demand that surrounds the seafood industry, Clark is a firm believer that, as a chef, he has to be conscience about the food choices he makes. More significantly, he embraces a responsibility to inspire change within the industry he has devoted his life to.
To that end, Clark was honoured at the 2006 Monterey Bay Aquarium's Cooking for Solutions weekend May 20th as the years Canadian Seafood ambassador and recognized for his outstanding dedication to working with sustainably harvested seafoods. He was also the first and only chef to have been honoured by the BC Seafood Sensations and the BC Salmon Marketing Board with the SUPPORTER OF INNOVATION AWARD (2002).He continues to dedicate his energy and curiosity to seeking out local ingredients that are the best in quality and sustainable in supply. He also regularly contributes his time, in tandem with Kambolis, to being a culinary ambassador: promoting British Columbia as a burgeoning seafood and agri-food producing region, and Vancouver as a world-class restaurant destination.

Clark also participates in exchange programs where he can promote local products and share his philosophies. He has traveled through Europe, China, and the United States, exchanging concepts, learning from others, and bringing back new ideas to enhance his ever-evolving menus at C.

Restaurant (s)
C Restaurant (Fresh regional, seafood)
- Chef Robert Clark
2-1600 Howe Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 2L9, Canada
(604) 681-1164
(604) 605-8263
www.crestaurant.com

Chef Recipe(s):
"Smoked C Salt" Crusted Baked Pacific Halibut with Preserved Sungold Tomatoes, Baby Watercress, Apple and Hazelnut Salad