As the recently appointed executive chef for the North Shore’s new hotel, the Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier, Brian Fodor can not wait to get the doors open in January and kick up the North Shore dining scene a notch or two.

Moving from Granville Island, where he was executive chef at the Granville Island Hotel’s Dockside  Restaurant and Brewing Company, Fodor is no stranger to the abundance of local ingredients that have put Vancouver on the map as a top culinary tourism destination.

He cites being inspired by the use of regional ingredients with Spanish cooking techniques, something that seems a natural fit with BC’s abundance of fabulous seafood.

“It is easy to be inspired by the view, the working harbour and the natural environment that surrounds this hotel,” says Fodor. “I want our guests to be surprised and delighted with our food experience as we present dishes that are prepared in a vibrant and flavourful way.”

What Fodor is not inspired by? “I don’t understand the trend of deconstructing food so that it is a whisper of what it once was.  For me, the romance of creating a meal is working with basic ingredients like rice and potatoes, thinking about what it took to get them from the land to the kitchen and paying homage to this journey by ensuring they are presented with as much flavour as possible,” says Fodor.

Fodor was 26 years old when he decided cooking was to be his career.  His respect for ingredients comes from two of his mentors, Pierre Dubrulle, and his passion for what Fodor refers to as the “French treasures of the table” and Umberto Menghi, who taught Fodor the Italian reverence for good ingredients and the Italian methods of simplicity to maintain the integrity of those ingredients.

In building his team for the Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier, Fodor is looking for young cooks that are not only passionate about cooking but also have positive attitudes and adept at problem solving.  While working with Fodor they will also learn that running a kitchen is both a creative and business enterprise, following the sustainable practice of respecting people, the planet, the need for making a profit and honouring the sense of place.

About the Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier:
Developed by Pinnacle International (www.pinnacleinternational.ca), The Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier joins a collection of three other BC based  hotels, owned and operated by Michael De Cotiis.  With 105 rooms, it offers the largest amount of meetings and celebration space on the North Shore, with over 8,000 square feet.  Complete with a full service restaurant and lounge, swimming pool, health club and fitness facilities, the waterfront location will provide guests easy access to outdoor adventure, including one of the top mountain biking areas in the world, spectacular kayaking and the famous Grouse Grind (known as nature’s Stairmaster) while just a 12 minute seabus ride to downtown Vancouver.   Rising from a restored former shipyard and pier, the historic setting beside the Lonsdale Quay, offers spectacular city and mountain views.  People may visit www.pinnaclehotelatthepier.com or call 1-877-986-7437 for more information.

For more information people may visit www.pinnaclehotelatthepier.com or call 1-877-986-7437.