The Pattison Food Group has opened its first restaurant venture – the Wildlight Kitchen + Bar, a new premium-casual concept in West Point Grey in Vancouver.
It features Chef Warren Chow.
“Wildlight Kitchen + Bar is an approachable, premium-casual concept serving modern, regional dishes that celebrate the diversity of the West Coast,” said Justin McGregor, General Manager, Restaurants.
“Thoughtfully constructed and deeply satisfying, the menus at Wildlight focus on sustainable regional and seasonal ingredients, including produce from nearby UBC Farms, fresh Pacific seafood and ethically raised meat.
“Wildlight is inspired by our love of the ocean, forests and the shoreline of beautiful B.C. One of the most unique things about Wildlight is our people. We have an incredible team with such diverse culinary backgrounds and experiences.”
McGregor said the company has been keen on opening a restaurant for many years, but the right opportunity hadn’t presented itself.
“We were fortunate to secure an amazing location in the UBC area and simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity. We are passionate about great food and supporting local growers and producers from the West Coast. For over 100 years we have been supporting local farmers, wineries and other producers through our grocery banners. Moving into the restaurant space seemed like a natural fit to continue this experience from farm to fork,” said McGregor.
“We are committed to providing our guests with the best food experience. Entering the full service, premium restaurant space allows us to increase the talent of the culinary teams across the Pattison Food Group.”
Mario Negris and Martin Moriarty of Marcus & Millichap Canada worked with Pattison Food Group for this concept.
He said the vibrant Point Grey community and growing leləm̓ Village was the perfect location to bring Wildlight Kitchen & Bar to life.
“We feel what we have created at Wildlight is truly unique, and is a beautiful addition to the community in UBC and West Point Grey. Right now our focus is on sharing our story about Wildlight with the people in these communities, but we are always looking for opportunities to grow our business,” added McGregor.
Established in 2021, the Pattison Food Group is a Jim Pattison business and Western Canada’s leading provider of food and drugs. The Pattison Food Group includes Save-On-Foods, Buy-Low Foods, Quality Foods, Everything Wine, Pure Integrative Pharmacy, Imperial Distributors Canada Inc., and other Jim Pattison Group specialty and wholesale operations. Its businesses employ more than 30,000 team members in its nearly 300 food and drug retail locations and share a passion for giving back to the communities where they do business.
French-trained Chef Chow, who is fresh off a gold medal win with Community Catering Team Canada at the ExpoGast 2022 Culinary World Cup, has crafted dishes for the University Boulevard location that reflect the bounty of beautiful British Columbia.
“Diners can expect to see stunning West Coast seafood, like juicy gin-steamed mussels from Salt Spring Island and Sheringham’s Seaside gin with njuda butter and cherry tomato, or Wildlight’s signature pescatarian charcuterie board, perfect for sharing, featuring housemade salmon pastrami, beet cured ling cod, marinated mussels, smoked albacore tataki, cod rillette, pickled sea asparagus, warm olives, rye, poppadom and nori crackers. Other offerings include Wildlight chicken wings with shishito, garlic, charred lime, and nuoc cham caramel; seasonal risotto with farmer’s choice vegetables; steak frites; pan-roasted Rossdown Farms chicken; and West Coast seafood chowder,” says Wildlight.
“Wildlight’s all-day menu is paired with a beverage program that features B.C. craft beer and cider, an extensive selection of top B.C. wines by the glass or bottle, and creative cocktails. The drinks program showcases regional spirits and ingredients, and includes a pair of cocktails on tap, handcrafted libations like the Almond Joy (with Odd Society Wallflower Gin, house-made orgeat, and The Woods Amaro), and thoughtful zero-proof creations. The restaurant also offers daily happy hours, and will soon be introducing weekend brunch, all with an aim of becoming a staple go-to no matter the day or time. “
