“We are very proud to have once again received this national honour,” says President and Founder, Richard Jaffray.  “This recognition is a reflection of our team’s ongoing dedication to grow our business, develop our people and sustain our community.”

Cactus Restaurants Ltd. is Western Canada’s premiere casual fine dining restaurant concept, and focuses on quality in every aspect of its business, from the globally inspired menu with fresh, local ingredients, to superb service and unique design and décor.  Cactus Club is committed to environmental conservatorship through their partnership with Ocean Wise and the Green Table Network, and is equally committed to community service, working with and supporting over 600 local charity and community groups.

Applicants to Canada’s 50 Best Managed companies undergo a rigorous evaluation process by a panel of independent judges and also receive valuable coaching from Deloitte or CIBC Commercial Banking advisors during the application process.  The program is sponsored by Deloitte, CIBC, National Post and Queen’s School of Business.

Since 1993, hundreds of entrepreneurial companies have competed for this prestigious national designation, which celebrates the best in Canadian business. Moving beyond simply measuring financial performance, the award recognizes overall business performance and sustained growth, while also evaluating the efforts of the entire organization against its core values.

For more information about the 50 Best Managed Companies Program, please visit www.canadas50best.com.

Just over a week ago, alongside Chef Feenie and Chef Matt Stowe, I represented Cactus Club Cafe in the Canadian Culinary Championships. We took home the Silver Medal and made a huge statement in the Canadian culinary scene. The competition is the culmination of months of regional events taking place in 9 cities across Canada with over 90 restaurants competing, with Cactus Club being the only multi-unit restaurant competing in the country. The finals pit the 9 regional winners against each other in 3 separate events, all designed to push them to the limits of their culinary abilities.

Event 1 was the Blind Wine Pairing. The night before each team was handed the same unmarked bottle of wine, $500 for food, $50 for cab fare and instructions to have 350 tasting plates ready for service at 6:00pm that perfectly matched the unknown wine…no problem right?  The rest of the night was spent huddled around a table, joined by Sebastien Le Goff, tasting the wine and planning our dish. We identified the wine as a Riesling (Later unveiled as a 2008 Chateau des Charmes Riesling), and decided to pair it with Roasted Butternut Squash Gnocchi, Bacon and Pumpkinseed Crumble, Brussels Sprouts and Parmesan Foam.

The next morning we jumped into a cab and headed out with our shopping list and $500 cash. After 2 hours running around Kelowna we had our food and $80 to spare. The rest of morning and afternoon was spent in our prep kitchen; 9 teams sharing 5 ovens, 18 burners and very limited prep space. Fortunately we were given 2 student sous chefs from the culinary program at Okanagan College, the extra hands were welcomed and made the weekend much smoother. At 3:00pm we transported our food over to the event space and even found time for some a quick burger.  We were joined by 2 more students for service that night, which made plating 350 dishes in 90 minutes much more feasible. The team worked very well together, the judges plates looked great and we were very pleased with how the dish matched with the wine. It was a good start to the competition.

The next morning was Event 2, a 60 minute Black Box which challenged teams to prepare 24 plates (2 dishes, 12 plates each) using only the black box and a limited pantry. This year the secret ingredients were hand selected from across the country and were: bakeapples (also known as cloudberries), goose breast, Le Rassembleu bleu cheese, Shoal Lake Oh Canada wild rice, Lake Diefenbaker steelhead trout and two pounds of parsley roots. The teams were kept in isolation, and staggered in 15 minute intervals into the competition kitchen. Once the team opened the box they had a maximum 10 minutes to announce their dishes, and the remainder of the 60 minutes to finish cooking and plating. It was an intense couple of hours, and many of the Chefs struggled to identify all of the ingredients properly. The bakeapples proved to be the most difficult, with only the Chefs from Toronto and the Maritimes correctly identifying them. Chef Feenie and Chef Stowe put together two amazing dishes, and provided lots of drama using up 59:56 of their 60 minutes. The first dish was a Citrus Cured Steelhead with Puffed Rice, Fondant Potato and Bakeapple Beurre Blanc, the second dish was a Pan Seared Goose Breast with Jus served over a Parsley Root and Bleu Cheese Puree, Spinach Puree and Brown Butter Panko.

The final event of the competition was later that evening, and was a chance for the Chefs to show off themselves and their restaurants to the best of their abilities. We had paired ourselves with Haywire Wines, and their Pinot Noir. Our dish was a Duo of Rabbit served with 3 Preparations of Carrots. We had a Rabbit Presse, Boudin of Rabbit and Foie Gras, Brown Butter Carrot Puree, Carrot Pearls, Carrot Paper, sauced with a Truffle Infused Jus. The set up was similar to the Blind Wine Pairing night, and we would have 90 minutes to serve our dishes to the guests and also plate for the judges at a predetermined time. However, unlike the Blind Wine Pairing, we would have to plate a total of 585 plates in that 90 minute time frame. To accomplish this we were given a total of 6 students from the local culinary program, and we would not have done as well as we did were it not for them. Our team executed perfectly, and the feedback we got from our guests was overwhelmingly positive. We successfully finished our service without any issues, congratulated and thanked our students, and eagerly awaited the results from the judges.

It was such an honor to have the chance to represent Cactus Club in this event, and I thank Chef Feenie and Chef Stowe for including me on their team. This weekend showed the rest of the country what an amazing company Cactus Club is, and we definitely earned our Silver Medal. It is hard to believe that 6 years ago I was hired as a dishwasher and last weekend I stood side by side with some of the best Chefs in the country. Truly this was something I will cherish for the rest of my career.

From BC? Click here to download the Seasonal Tasting Menu for British Columbia restaurants.

From Alberta? Click here to download the Seasonal Tasting Menu for Alberta restaurants.

Tickets to the event can be purchased here.

UPDATE: Please apply in person onsite on Sunday, February 12th, between 12-5. Please bring a resume.

We will be hiring on site at the restaurant, 1790 Beach Ave Vancouver BC,  everyday starting Thursday January, 26th. If you are interested in working with us please bring a resume by the new location for open interviewing between noon and 6.

We are still hiring for these positions: Servers, Hostesses & Expediters

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods. Here are a just a few of the things we are doing at English Bay while we aim for LEED Gold certification:

- 75% of the material waste used in construction were either salvaged or recycled.
- Over 50% of all wood used is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council of Canada)
- At least 20% of all materials were extracted or manufactured within 800 km of the restaurant site.
- Parking spots for hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles will be provided. (a staff carpooling spot will be reserved)
- Employees will be encouraged to travel to work by bicycle with the provision of bike storage and private change and shower areas.
- The creation of a green, “living” roof (by the same company contracted for the Vancouver Convention Centre and Vancouver’s Olympic Village) to reduce energy consumption
- One herb garden on the second floor.
- Landscaping for the restaurant, as well as the surrounding parks board greenery, will be irrigated with rainwater.  (it’s not just collected from the roof, the rainwater litre is underground)
- Preservation and protection of the original old maple trees in the immediate area was a priority.
- The restaurant team will be committed to composting as much organic material as possible, as well as recycling all materials (Parks Board will not pick up any of our recycling)
- Advanced exhaust and make-up air system reduces energy by at least 30%
- Energy efficiencies considered in all aspects of design from tripled glazed windows, to radiant heating and heat recovery systems
- 90% daylight and views for guests

“We are excited and proud to see our entire organization rally behind such an important cause,” said Christy Murphy, director of marketing for Cactus Club. “The contribution our employees have made in support of men’s health is just another great demonstration of their passion to engage with the communities in which they work, and the causes they feel strongly about.”

Each year, the Movember campaign brings together thousands of Canadian men to grow their moustaches in order to raise vital funds and awareness for prostate cancer research. Men are challenged to grow a moustache throughout the month of “Movember” in order to spark and inspire conversations about men’s health topics.

For more information and to learn more about Movember in Canada, please visit www.movember.com.

Our instant gift cards allow our guests to purchase a Cactus Club gift card at anytime and from anywhere on our website and our mobile website (e.g. Christmas eve or right before you meet someone for their birthday dinner). These gifts can be sent to anyone immediately or can be scheduled to be sent at a later date. The recipient can choose print the Tab (like a concert ticket) and bring it to any of our locations or just simply show one of our wait staff the Tab number from their phone.

Now more than ever people are finding that time is not on their side. With long work hours and extra curricular activities we find ourselves seeking out more convenient ways to do things. If you are looking to save time this holiday season, or are just tired of trying to wrap steaks as holiday gifts, then our Instant Gift Cards are the perfect solution for you.

Give your gift instantly

With over one hundred companies taking part, the BC Business Best Companies to Work For survey provides an extensive snapshot of best practices among B.C. employers, and offers a great benchmark for Cactus Club to strive to reach each year.

“We are proud and humbled to be recognized as one of the Top 5 Hospitality Industry employers and as one of Top 10 Best Companies to Work For in BC,” says President and Founder, Richard Jaffray. “This acknowledgment by BC Business Magazine is a validation of our commitment to our employees, and motivates us to continue to work hard at creating an engaging, positive and rewarding work environment for our employees. As a local B.C. company, we are always looking for ways to continue to demonstrate leadership in our industry.”

The ‘Best Companies’ survey are based on data measuring employee satisfaction in key areas of talent management systems including: talent systems, employee engagement, leadership dynamics, and organization culture. The information provided by each organization was ranked against all other participating companies.

For more information about the BC Business and Mindfield Group’s program, please visit www.bcbusinessmagazine.ca/2011/bestcompanies

We are hiring for these positions: Servers, Expos, Line Cooks, Prep Cooks & Dishwashers.

This restaurant has a world class location on the beach. :
1790 Beach Ave
Vancouver, BC

Please bring your resume, see you soon!

If you are unable to make any of these days for the hiring fair, you can apply online here or here.