Chef Fowke

I have spent the last hour reading all the links, philosophies and inputs to my great pleasure. It is truly satisfying to see so much passion in this industry outside of the plate by chefs, owners and consumers. I think it is important to remember that their are two types of restaurants (this is not black and white but scaled) where people dine. On one side there are restaurants that nurture and feed people. On the other side of the scale there are restaurants that purely entertain. Foie Gras tastes great with Sauterne, it is not necessarily nurturing to your internal systems and health. When I dine at my local diner I am very specific on how I want my food, toast dark, no butter, etc. But when I go out with my wife to be entertained I leave the experience up to the (hopefully) talented hands of the chef. At my restaurant we feed/entertain 400 - 600 customers a night and I need to juggle the nurture/entertainment factor. I am dead smack in the middle. Travelers/tourist eat at my restaurant and locals/vacationers come in to be entertained. I judge my flexibility on functionality. I will always fill every request but a time line is set out, in advance, with the customer. I had a customer who wanted a live King Crab presented to his table. I told him I could have it ready in 2 hours. He agreed, we purchased and prepare, and everyone was happy. Making something different then is on the menu is difficult for most fine dining restaurants and chefs need to be fair to their customers. Allergies are a fact of life. Dislikes are a fact of life. Be truthful and sincerely explain limitations rather then present a guest with a flat out negative. As for food critics and chefs it will always be a love-hate relationship. We all want good reviews and we are all scared of the bad ones. But the reality is if you have a problem on a table (which does happen even in the best restaurants) most reputable critics will compliment on a successful recovery. Ultimately it is not what the critics write in the papers.... it is the line up at your door and number of covers you do in a night that keeps the clientele coming back to your restaurant. Take care of the customers (including the critics) and you don't have to worry about the critics. Food writers like restaurants that are full! Chef Fowke.

Thanks Fat Guy, I appreciate the words. I also appreciate that not all the meals served at Joe Fortes over the last 18 years have been perfect. We are really working on it. As the food and reputation improves so does the level of cooks, chefs and servers who want to work at Joes. It is definitely a cultural thing. My number one priority is to build the culture of food and wine in the restaurant. I really enjoy the food we are serving at Joes. I enjoy my days (14-16 hours) and I know that all my cooks/chefs are striving to improve and develop the best seafood recipes on the West Coast. I am also aware that at 400 - 600 customers a night that there are going to be mistakes. We guarantee satisfaction at Joe Fortes. We will go everything we possible can to make every customer happy. If something goes wrong ask for the General Manager; Darren Gates, the Maitre'd; Frenchy, or me. One of us is always in the building and we will fix all problem to your satisfaction. And if you want to live like a movie star for a night give me a call at the restaurant and I will arrange (if available) the fireplace table and a meal that will be the best seafood you ever had. Really, not only movie stars phone ahead and talk to the chef. I talk to dozens of customers a day getting ready for that special night out. Otherwise, Fat Guy is right, come to Joes and order oysters and fresh fish. We do it really, really well. And I have never had a complaint on the seafood tower on ice. Because of our volume no one in Vancouver purchases fresher or as many types (145 types of fish/shellfish and 46 types of oysters) of seafood as us. Enjoy and I look forward to personally talking and touring my kitchen with everyone at eGullet! Chef Fowke