Our Chefs
| Executive Chef | Frank Pabst | |
| Raw Bar Chef | Yoshihiro Tabo | |
| Pastry Chef | Jean-Pierre Sanchez |
Frank Pabst
Executive Chef
One of Canada's most accomplished chefs, Frank Pabst's disciplined technique—learned in some of Europe’s finest kitchens—is matched to the West Coast's extraordinary catch of seafood.
Widely recognized for his creative impetus and leadership in responsible seafood practices, today Pabst leads Blue Water Cafe's brigade of expert chefs in what has been called "one of North America’s finest seafood restaurants."
With tenures in Michelin-starred restaurants throughout Germany and France, including La Becasse (Aachen), the Hotel Negresco (Cannes) and Restaurant de Bacon (Antibes), Pabst was schooled in the rigorous classical technique that provides the foundation for his diverse cooking style today.
Directing the kitchens at Blue Water Cafe since 2003, Pabst has consistently demonstrated excellence, both in the procurement of impeccably fresh, sustainable seafood—Blue Water Cafe is a founding member of the Vancouver Aquarium's Ocean Wise program—and in the execution of its cookery, showcasing his trademark "complexity without complication."
Chef of the Year, Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards, 2010
Silver Medalist, Canadian Culinary Championships, 2009
Vancouver Culinary Champion, Olympic Gold Medal Plates, 2008
Chef of the Year, Georgia Straight Golden Plate Awards, 2008
Yoshihiro Tabo
Raw Bar Chef
Yoshihiro Tabo was born in Tsuruga City Fukui Prefecture and began his strict six-year training and apprenticeship more than 40 years ago. Receiving his certification and valued knives, he was also granted his license for the preparation of fugu, the legendary poisonous blowfish.
Yoshi immigrated to Canada in 1972 to work at two of Vancouver's original Japanese restaurants, Kaede, and later at the original Koji. In 1986, he opened his first restaurant, Shijo, in Kitsilano Village, which soon became a destination. Ultimately, Yoshi opened his eponymous restaurant Yoshi in 1998, Vancouver's most progressive Japanese dining room of it's time.
"Purity and simplicity," says the soft-spoken Tabo, in summarizing the trifecta of the quality of his fresh fish, the addition of nuanced sauces, or the Kyoto-style technique that can see a 10-kilo block of big eye tuna deconstructed into domino-sized sashimi in minutes. That purity is also seen in Tabo's presentation: "His plates are uncluttered haikus, where the fish and the ocean resonate," one food critic proclaimed.
Resident at the attractive horseshoe-shaped raw bar at Blue Water Cafe since the summer of 2002, regulars and city visitors come to watch Tabo's legendary knife skills and colourful presentations, "full", as another food writer put it, "of both innuendo and inflection."
Jean-Pierre Sanchez
Pastry Chef
Since attaining his Professional Apprentice Certificate as pastry cook, confectioner and ice cream maker in his native France in July 1979, Jean-Pierre has built up an impressive career in France, England, the US and Canada.
After qualifying, Jean-Pierre held the position of Patissier for eleven years in Le Cours Mazan and Bornes les Mimosas in France. From 1986 to 1998 he worked with Gerard Moyne Bressand (MOF), Patissier & Chocolatier in Nimes, France during which time he also earned his Masters Degree in Pastry encompassing management, technological and practical skills. Since 1988 he has held the title of Executive Pastry Chef in a number of world-class restaurants and hotels. These include the Michelin-rated Chewton Glen Hotel in Hampshire (England) and the Grosvenor House Hotel in London; in Canada he was appointed Executive Pastry Chef at the Founders' Club, a private fine dining club in Toronto, followed by the Anaheim Hilton Towers in California.
He has been a teacher of his craft as Chef Instructor at Vancouver's Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts from 1998-99 and most recently held the Pastry Chef position at the four diamond Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Hotel.
Jean-Pierre's culinary competition wins include Honours Diploma Charles Proust in March 1988, one of the most prestigious competitions in France; Gold Medal at the Professional Culinary Salon, Toronto, 1992; and Silver Award at the Quaddy Dessert Competition in Vancouver 2000.
Add to Jean-Pierre's international success in pastry competitions the fact that his wife is also a pastry chef, and you can see that he lives and breathes 'la patisserie'. His inspiration at Blue Water Cafe is to bring diners exceptional desserts, breads, chocolates and petits fours, made from the finest quality ingredients to create long lasting impressions.
