David Hawksworth
Executive Chef – West Restaurant  

A native Vancouverite David got his first taste of cooking apprenticing in some of the city’s top kitchens. Barely out of his teens, he left Vancouver for London, England to join the brigade of Marco Pierre White’s new restaurant The Canteen, in Chelsea Harbor. Inspired by White, he followed in his footsteps when he joined the internationally acclaimed, Le Manior aux Quait’ Saisons, in Oxford, where White himself had trained. At Le Manior, Hawksworth was under the direction of renowned chef Raymond Blanc for almost four years, rising through the ranks to become Blanc’s sous chef and then his head chef at a new location; Le Petit Blanc, also in Oxford.

 

‘Local boy David Hawksworth is Vancouver’s best European trained chef and arguably it’s best chef period’
- Food & Wine, January 2003

  

 



Lured back to London by White in 1996, he joined L’Escargot in Soho, assuming the position of head chef. During his eighteen months at the helm he successfully retained the restaurant’s one Michelin star rating. Before leaving London, David also worked with Philip Howard at The Square, and with acclaimed chef Bruno Loubet opening Isola in Knightsbridge. He has travelled extensively and is always observing and learning about new techniques and products. He has completed stages at La Belle Otero (Michelin two star) and Le Crocodile (Michelin three star) in France, at Tribeca and Alain Ducasse in New York.

Ten years later David retuned to Vancouver to open Ouest, a 70-seat dining room in the city’s South Granville area. Recently renamed West the new menus bring together a deep respect for the traditional techniques he learned in Europe with an emphasis on local and seasonal ingredients. He maintains a relentless drive for perfection and displays flair for innovative combinations.In May 2002, David joined chefs from sibling restaurants to cook a hugely successful BC themed dinner at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City. He is a keen golfer and fisherman, an avid skier and a huge advocate of the life style Vancouver offers.

  
 
 
 

Rhonda Viani
Pastry Chef - West Restaurant  

Born and raised in Vancouver, talented Pastry Chef Rhonda Viani holds over a decade of professional cooking experience. It was an inspiring teacher in high school, who first sparked her enthusiasm for the kitchen and encouraged her to go on to complete apprenticeships in cooking, baking and pastry.

Rhonda Viani and Executive Chef David Hawksworth were reunited at West in December 2001 after having trained together as apprentices at Michel Jacob’s Le Crocodile some eleven years previously. Viani’s career has progressed to include time spent in many prestigious kitchens including notably, four years at Chocolate Arts, under chocolatier-patissier Gregg Hook, two years as Pastry Chef at Lumiere and most recently stints as Pastry Chef at both Marque Restaurnt in Sydney, Australia and at Sooke Harbour House on Vancouver Island.

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Viani has developed a style she describes as ‘simple and fun, dishes are not overloaded with ingredients, but focused on allowing natural flavours to stand out and speak for themselves’

It is this approach, combined with her creative talent, that ensured she was delivered first place in the 2000 Quady Essencia Dessert Competition. No stranger to competing, Viani was also the Patissier for Team BC who placed gold at the International Apprentice Competition in Toronto in 1993.

At West her dessert menu will change with the seasons, tropical and local fruits as well as chocolate desserts will be featured and combined with local herbs for regional flavour. You can expect to see interesting accompaniments such as raspberry tarragon sorbet and fennel root panna cotta on her menus. Five types of cheeses, from Canada and Europe are selected and served with house baked walnut and raisin bread. All breads are made n house daily, so too are a selection of sorbets and ice creams, chocolates and petits fours.

When she has any free time, Rhonda enjoys cooking at home, painting and biking.