Top Table Toast of the Town with 15 Accolades – Blue Water Cafe, West, CinCin and Araxi Honoured at Annual Restaurant Awards

Vancouver, BC – Top Table restaurants were recognized an unprecedented 15 times at the 20th annual Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards held Tuesday at the Sheraton Wall Centre. A panel of 19 expert judges acknowledged Blue Water Cafe, West, CinCin and Araxi before an audience of British Columbia’s leading restaurateurs, chefs, and service professionals.

Top Table proprietor Jack Evrensel said, “Never has Vancouver seen such a diverse and vibrant dining landscape. I want to salute the excellence of all of the winners that represent our province so well, and particularly our team at Top Table for their remarkable achievements over the past year.”

Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar
•    Best Seafood, Gold
•    Restaurant of the Year, Silver
•    Best Formal Japanese, Silver
•    Best Service, Bronze
•    Sommelier of the Year, Andrea Vescovi
•    Platinum Wine List Award, Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival

Blue Water Cafe cemented its standing as one of the city’s finest restaurants with a host of awards, including a second consecutive Gold for Best Seafood and elevated standings of Silver for Restaurant of the Year and Bronze for Best Service. These awards cap a remarkable year for the front-of-house team led by Stephan Cachard, along with executive chef Frank Pabst, who recently won Gold at Vancouver’s Gold Medal Plates and Silver at the Canadian Culinary Championships.

Receiving Silver for Best Formal Japanese, judges remarked “Yoshi Tabo’s offerings at the Raw Bar ‘fit seamlessly into Blue Water Cafe’s menu in a way that makes you forget that the raw fish here is some of the best in the city.”

Wine director Andrea Vescovi was honoured with the Sommelier of the Year award, presented by the International Sommelier Guild of Canada. Since 2001, Andrea has worked to build the restaurant’s diverse cellar, one of only four recipients of the elite Platinum Wine List Award.

West
•    Best Service, Gold
•    Restaurant of the Year, Bronze
•    Best Last Course, Bronze
•    Platinum Wine List Award, Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival

The inaugural winner and only Gold medalist in this category, West repeated with its third consecutive Gold for Best Service. The editors of Vancouver wrote: “Value may bring diners in, but it’s service that brings them back. West holds Gold for its concentration on the little things”.

With Bronze for Restaurant of the Year, awards judge said: “Retaining all aspects of West’s superb service and ambiance, Warren Geraghty has not only carried the mantle, but has done so under close scrutiny and with great regional flair.”

Pastry chef Rhonda Viani whose “chocolate-filled Charlottes are irresistible” received Bronze for Best Last Course, while wine director Owen Knowlton also garnered top standing with a Platinum Wine List Award, among only three other restaurants.

CinCin
•    Best Last Course, Silver
•    Best Formal Italian, Honourable Mention
•    Gold Wine List Award, Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival

A legend in his native France, Vancouver has once again taken note of CinCin’s chef patissier, Thierry Busset, with Silver for Best Last Course. The judges said: “Thierry Busset at CinCin impresses with treats like roasted cherries served with kirsch, raspberry coulis, and ice cream.”

Prior to arriving at CinCin in 2004, Thierry was the opening chef patissier of West, where he was instrumental in establishing the restaurant’s acclaimed reputation. In London, Thierry worked alongside super-star chef Marco Pierre White for nine years, including his role as pastry chef of The Restaurant in the Hyde Park Hotel, which was awarded its third Michelin Star during his tenure.

Attributing the collaborative strength between executive chef François Gagnon and restaurant director Ricardo Ferreira, CinCin also received an Honourable Mention for Best Formal Italian.

Wine director Michael Mameli’s commitment was also recognized during the ceremony with a Gold Wine List Award.

Araxi
•    Best Whistler, Silver
•    Gold Wine List Award, Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival

Araxi’s Silver for Best Whistler restaurant repeats its podium standing since this category’s inception in 1999. Established in 1981, Araxi continues to raise the bar for dining in Whistler, creating compelling regional cuisine based on local, sustainable ingredients.

Chef James Walt’s farm-to-table menus have proven popular with Araxi’s international clientele. According to Vancouver magazine: “James Walt of Araxi makes simplicity appear simple with rigorously conceived fresh meats and fish; try seared red tuna with caponata or wild salmon with herb and Pemberton arugula crust.”

Araxi’s acclaimed wine collection, directed by Samantha Rahn, was among a distinguished group of nine restaurants that won the Gold Wine List Award.

Blue Water Cafe, Yaletown
Executive Chef, Frank Pabst
Restaurant Director, Stephan Cachard
www.bluewatercafe.net

West, Granville Rise
Executive Chef, Warren Geraghty
Restaurant Director, Brian Hopkins
www.westrestaurant.com

CinCin, Robson Street
Executive Chef, François Gagnon
Restaurant Director, Ricardo Ferreira
www.cincin.net

Araxi, Whistler
Executive Chef, James Walt
Restaurant Director, Steve Edwards
www.araxi.com

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Full library of high resolution images available upon request.

Media contact:
Shelley McArthur
Communications Director
Top Table Restaurant Group
Araxi | Blue Water Cafe | CinCin | West
604 836 8005 | shelley@toptable.ca
www.toptable.ca