People : Jefferson Alvarez

"Because then I can eat in a lot of different restaurants, try all the best places." He pauses, and smiles.  "We get paid to cook, so you need to keep learning."

 Jefferson is executive chef at Fraîche, in West Vancouver, after a fairly long sting at Divino Wine Bar. He had shown plenty of inclination to think outside the bento box, pursuing local purveyors of wild game, producers of eccentric herbs and vegetables, so that he could really execute a seasonal menu that kept both him and his clients interested. Training included stints at Morimoto in Philadelphia, various tiny local spots in Spain, and finally with Claudio Aprile, then top chef at Senses in Toronto. Mr. Aprile continues his unique pursuit of excellence at Colburn Lane, and Jefferson acknowledges that, "Claudio was never happy to stand still. Every day something new was happening. That's why I liked working for him, and it is what I try to do here."

Still, this is not an era for minimalism and eccentricity. "I love to experiment, try different things, but I don't want people to look at a plate and think 'where's the food?' No one leaves a restaurant hungry and happy at the same time."

Fraîche is perched on a mountainside, in a completely residential neighbourhood, high above the city of Vancouver. The panoramic views, the well-spaced tables, the demure setting, make for an intimate dining experience, where Jefferson and his tiny team, including restaurant manager and wine director Phil Reigh, can put on a dynamic culinary show that rivals the view. "We are still building our list of signature dishes," says Jefferson. "But, I actually like to think of the whole menu as consisting of signature dishes."

This evening, a late spring evening of dramatic  end of day sunlight,  some of the nice things to eat include braised octopus, almost an Escoffier definition of what octopus should taste like, accompanied by saffron sauce; smoked sturgeon served under glass with a spicy, cold relish; a kind of deconstruction of foie gras, almost a crème brûlée, in a glass with nitro-treated crumbles; and a sensational chocolate-crusted ostrich loin, with chanterelles, tiny white and green asparagus, and a deep-fried potato and cheese fritter that could build a chain restaurant or street cart empire all on its own.

Jefferson notes that "The ostrich, I honestly can't take off the menu, it is so popular. And to think, when I first put it on, we were concerned that anyone would order it. We put it on as part of a special tasting menu, and soon, people were asking for it a la carte." As the seasons roll out, it seems chef Alvarez is finding that balance, between intrepid exploration and menu favourites that keep clients coming back for more. It's worth the trip to the North Shore, to find out what all the fuss is about.