Recounting his early years of apprenticeship in France, Blue Water Café executive chef Frank Pabst remembered: Training in that intense, demanding environment, you were either in, or you were out. If you didnt cut it, no one would even tell you you just knew, and you left of your own accord.
He stayed for the long haul, embracing a passion that became his career. A self-effacing man in his mid-forties, Bavarian-born Pabst trained at some culinary temples on the Cote dAzur with luminaries such as Dominique Le Stanc at the Negresco in Nice, Jacques Chibois at the Gray dAlbion in Cannes, and a stretch at Le Diamand Rose, an Alain Ducasse restaurant near Saint-Paul de Vence.
In that exacting milieu, he learned to face the enormous expectations, and extreme competition, that exist at the narrow peaks of Michelinrated establishments the highest honor bestowed on a restaurant.
After completing his training and eager to experience new cultures, young Frank found his way to San Francisco, which reminded him of the south of France. Through a friends recommendation, he came to Canada and, finally, Vancouver.
In 1994, after landing a job and a visa through the Four Seasons, he worked at Rob Feenies fabled Lumière restaurant, then partnered with restaurateur John Blakely to open Pastis on West 4th. In October 2003, Jack Evrensel, the owner of Blue Water Café (as well as CinCin, West and Araxi), called him for a meeting. The very same week that Pabst got the Yaletown job, his wife Kelley gave birth to twin daughters.
On any given night, if you sit in view of Blue Waters open kitchen, you can watch chef Pabst in the line of cooks, hunched over a dish, totally focused. Looking more carefully, you realize that while his head is down, his eyes continually scan his surroundings. Few dishes that leave the line towards a diners table escape his gaze. And every table is given a glance, all while he touches up another plate.
Consistency is the key, he explains. Once you set the bar up there, it has to stay up there.
Sometimes he will leave his station to whisper something to another chef. A smile, a shared chuckle, and then everything goes back to intense focus along the line. We try to be professional while keeping things fun and light.
Refreshingly humble, Pabst does not try to impress with too many ingredients in one dish. Yet the delicious complexity and the layers of tastes whether fish, seafood (his specialty), soups or sauces keep surfacing as you explore every bite or spoonful. The subtle mastery of his art addresses the taste buds but also tickles the brain to search for adjectives and comparatives. Pabsts words bring everything into context: I love what I do. I couldnt see myself doing anything else.
Asked what valuable lessons he learned early on, he says, Always get the freshest. We were also taught respect for the food and to not waste. If a tomato doesnt have a perfect shape, you transform it into something that will taste beautiful.
Leading the front-of-house brigade, friendly, attentive and discreet, is restaurant director Stephan Cachard. Communication with the kitchen seems to happen telepathically and a quiet energy propels the ballet of wait staff around the room. Glasses are refreshed in a timely fashion but without urgency. Service is seamless.
We want to keep a casual atmosphere for our clientele; they can come in suits or jeans nice jeans and sweaters, Pabst says.
Looking at a table of animated dark-suited decision-makers next to a love-struck couple who cant seem to decide on anything other than each other, the mix appears to be successful. The restaurant is packed every night.
What makes the sum of its parts work at the Blue Water Café, long known as one of Vancouvers finest restaurants, is that every detail envelops you with a sense of hushed perfection. From the large Douglas Fir post and beams of this 240-seat converted warehouse, to the soft lighting and the vintage bottles dressing the walls, understated elegance is everywhere. Verses of Baudelaire linger: Là, tout nest quordre et beauté, luxe, calme et volupté. Here, all is order and beauty, luxury, calm and voluptuousness.
Frank Pabsts interpretation of those words comes close to that perfection.
In February, Pabst presents the annual Unsung Heroes menu featuring under appreciated seafood.
