Oak Bay Beach Hotel owner Kevin Walker and Hotel Manager Michelle Le Sage have announced that Iain Rennie is joining the hotel as executive chef, and bringing with him his sous chef of more than seven years, Josh Houston, starting March 1, 2013.
Just three months after reopening on Nov. 15, 2012, the response to the new Oak Bay Beach Hotel was overwhelming. Starting with a celebration to officially open the hotel and welcome back the community that resulted in more than 4,000 visitors, to the more than 20,000 guests in The Snug pub in the 90 days since pulling the first (of 11,870!) pints, the hotel’s management team responded to the community’s feedback on areas for improvement, in particular food and beverage leading into spring and summer volumes.
“We underestimated the overwhelming demand on our food and beverage outlets and team, and had the opportunity to bring in an executive chef who had the experience to manage a hotel with so many food and beverage options for its guests, while managing a team that can deliver the best possible dining experience,” says Walker. “Guests come for the spectacular views and gorgeous surroundings, but they stay and return for the food and hospitality.”
Currently Kate’s Café, The Snug pub, The Dining Room, David Foster Foundation Theatre, and room and catering services are offered at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel. Following a review of all of the hotel’s menus and food preparation, the launch of the Oak Bay Beach Hotel’s afternoon tea service will be one of Chef Rennie’s first priorities. The sun decks for both Kate’s Café and The Snug pub, along with a rooftop bistro on the hotel’s widow’s walk, and Boathouse Spa patio (beside the seaside mineral pools) will open in time for what promises to be a busy summer season.
Raised on Vancouver Island, Chef Rennie is up for the task. He honed his culinary skills working in some of the best kitchens in the world, with the brigade at the world-famous Savoy Hotel in London, England, London’s Anton Mosimann as First Commis, then back to BC as sous chef at the Pan Pacific, executive sous chef at The Fairmont Empress, then landing the chef’s position with the Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel. He held this position for three years, until opportunity arose once more and Iain was to take on the executive chef position at the Fairmont Waterfront. During his most recent position as executive chef at The Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort & Spa, Rennie oversaw the successful rebranding of the main dining room from a lack-luster catch all dining room to an award-winning, Italian inspired venue.
Always busy and willing to challenge himself, he competed with Team BC at the World Competition in Basel, Switzerland and the 2044 World Culinary Olympics, where he was an integral part of that team winning gold. To date, Chef Rennie has garnered 16 gold medals and five silver medals in world culinary competitions and has often been called upon to judge various culinary competitions in Canada. He is also a well respected mentor, working with students at the Culinary Institute of Vancouver Island and Camosun College on a monthly basis, sharing his passion for cooking with aspiring chefs.
A snapshot of the first 90 days of food and beverage at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel, by the numbers:
- 38,221 guests overall
- 20,552 customers in The Snug
- 11,870 pints of beer pulled in The Snug
- 2,845 fish & chips ordered in The Snug
- 2,170 pints of Snug IPA served in the hotel
- 25,281 cups of coffee served in Kate’s Café
- 1,017 guests for dinner theatre in the David Foster Foundation Theatre
About the Oak Bay Beach Hotel
Reopened in the fall of 2012, the new Oak Bay Beach Hotel has been completely rebuilt on the same spectacular oceanfront lot where the previous hotel sat for more than 80 years. Oak Bay is a residential community with its own village centre, just six kilometres outside of British Columbia’s capital city, Victoria. Today, the Oak Bay Beach Hotel offers 100 hotel rooms and 20 luxury residences. Built to five-star standards, hotel and residential amenities include seaside mineral pools, a fitness studio, Boathouse Spa & Baths, The Snug pub, the David Foster Foundation Theatre, Kate’s Café and a fine-dining restaurant with a 1,600 bottle tasting room. Not only is this Victoria’s first combination full-service luxury hotel and private residence, it is also the only commercial waterfront development in Oak Bay, set across Beach Drive from the prestigious Victoria Golf Club. For more information, visit www.oakbaybeachhotel.com.
