Vancouver Magazine’s 2017 Sommelier of the Year Promoted to Key Front-of-House Position
L’Abattoir proprietor Paul Grunberg, along with co-owners Chef Lee Cooper and Nin Rai, is pleased to announce that Assistant General Manager and Wine Director Lisa Haley has been promoted to the role of Restaurant Director at the popular Gastown establishment.
Singled out as Sommelier of the Year at the 2017 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards, Haley is known for her keen eye and palate for curating a wide-ranging list of notable Old World wines that spotlights obscure varietals and lesser-known regions while maintaining a special focus on the best boutique wines from B.C. She plays a key role in mentoring up-and-coming professionals and budding sommeliers both in the restaurant and the industry at large and has been working in recent months to develop the wine program for No. 1 Gaoler’s Mews, an exclusive once-a-month dining experience from the L’Abattoir team.
In 2013, Haley relocated west from Montreal to take on the role of General Manager at Burdock & Co. She later moved on to open Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar as Wine Director and Assistant GM, where her wine list earned the restaurant a Gold Medal for ‘Best New Entry’ at the 2015 Vancouver International Wine Festival, before joining the team at L’Abattoir later that same year.
At L’Abattoir, she now takes over the front-of-house reins from industry veteran Ricardo Ferreira, who stepped into the role of General Manager at the Gastown restaurant in 2015 following management stints at OPUS Hotel’s La Pentola, CinCin Ristorante + Bar and Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar.
Haley and Ferreira were instrumental in L’Abattoir being honoured as Best Gastown/Railtown Restaurant at the 2017 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards ceremony in April as well as being ranked as the third-best restaurant in B.C. and 24th nationally on the 2017 list of Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants.
“Ricardo and Lisa have built a first-rate front-of-house team and together have worked to set the standard for the type of uncompromising service and understated elegance for which L’Abattoir has become known,” says Grunberg. “We wish Ricardo all the best in his future endeavours in the industry and know that the restaurant is in good hands with Lisa stepping into her new role.”
ABOUT L’ABATTOIR | Located in the heart of historic Gastown since 2010, L’Abattoir is situated in a refurbished 19th-Century heritage brick-and-beam building that pays homage to its history as the site of Vancouver’s first jail in the city’s main meat-packing district. Today, L’Abattoir has staked its claim as one of Canada’s best restaurants with a diverse array of French-inspired West Coast fare focusing on locally sourced, seasonal ingredients along with an ever-changing selection of classic and signature cocktails and a broad list of BC and imported wines. Whether in its front-of-house bar and lounge, elevated dining room or private, glass-and-steel-accented atrium, L’Abattoir offers dinner from Sunday to Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., weekend brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Happy Hour daily from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and bar service until midnight seven days a week.
217 Carrall Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 2J2 | 604-568-1701 | labattoir.ca
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