Current EVENTS

Deane House hosts
Vancouver Island Collective

Wednesday, March 4, 2026
6:00pm

Welcome Cocktail
Canapés
Five Course Dinner
Optional Wine Pairings
Optional Non-Alcoholic Beverage Pairings by Pluvio

Island Stories from Pluvio Restaurant, Fox and Monocle, Wild Mountain, Ugly Duckling

Deane House is proud to host the Island Restaurant Collective, an initiative rooted in collaboration, mutual respect, and a shared belief in the exceptional culinary landscape of Vancouver Island. Built on the idea that hospitality thrives through community, this collective brings chefs and restaurateurs together to exchange ideas, celebrate regional ingredients, and honour the farmers, fishers, and creatives behind them. Through collaboration, we aim to help shape and share a culinary story that reflects the land, the people, and the craft that make Vancouver Island cuisine truly distinctive.

About Pluvio Restaurant + Rooms and Co-owners Warren Barr and Lily Verney-Downey
Pluvio restaurant + rooms, owned and operated by Warren Barr and Lily Verney-Downey, opened in April 2019 in Ucluelet after the couple found the perfect opportunity to purchase Norwoods restaurant and its land. Shortly after opening, it was named the 4th Best New Restaurant in Canada by enRoute Magazine, and by 2022, it was recognized as Canada’s Best Destination Restaurant and 37th Best Restaurant by Canada’s 100 Best. Warren, a BC native, began his culinary career at Doc Morgans Pub on Bowen Island, apprenticed at Vancouver’s Le Crocodile, and held his first Chef position at The Inn at Bay Fortune in PEI, where he embraced local cuisine. After years of seasonal work in PEI and Montreal, he returned to the West Coast as Executive Chef at the Wickaninnish Inn for six years before settling in Ucluelet. Pluvio is dedicated to offering a seasonally inspired menu featuring the finest ingredients from local farmers, fishers, foragers, and producers.

About Wild Mountain and Executive Chef Oliver Kienast
Opened in the spring of 2015 by Chef Oliver Kienast and Sommelier Brooke Fader with the guiding principles of Slow Food, Wild Mountain has become a catalyst for a local food economy, supporting farmers, foragers and fishers year-round for over a decade. Our menus are edited daily to reflect the harvest of our abundant food and beverage region which is also flourishing with wild ingredients from our forests, ocean and coastline. We are fortunate to be in the seaside town of Sooke, in a converted fisherman’s house, overlooking the Olympic Mountains and the Sooke harbour. Brooke and Oliver are founding members of the Slow Food Chef’s Alliance in Canada and Slow Fish Canada, actively campaigning for our small-scale fisheries in BC. As founding members of the Island Restaurant Collective, we hope to bring awareness and appreciation to an incredibly diverse food region of wild and cultivated ingredients which is steeped in genuine hospitality and anchored by creative chefs who are celebrating the unique seasonal cuisine of the Canadian West Coast.

About Fox & Monocle and Co-owners Tracie Zahavich and Ross Bowles
Fox & Monocle is a bakery by day and a restaurant by night, tucked away in Canoe Cove Marina in North Saanich on Vancouver Island. Rooted in a love for casual European dining, Fox & Monocle serves European-inspired comfort food that feels both familiar and thoughtfully crafted. Created by owners Tracie Zahavich and Ross Bowles, the café is inspired by flavours and dishes that spark a sense of nostalgia. Food that’s classic, beautifully executed and meant to be enjoyed without pretense. The result is an inviting, relaxed space where guests feel at home, whether stopping in for a pastry or settling in for an evening meal. 

About Ugly Ducking and Chef Corbin
Situated in a thoughtfully-restored heritage building at the heart of Canada’s oldest Chinatown; Ugly Duckling bills itself as “an edible celebration of Vancouver Island, and a love letter to its Chinatown home”.  Opened by Chef Corbin Mathany and his partner, Amy Tsai in 2023, the restaurant serves an individualistic and ever-changing tasting menu that aims to reflect Mathany’s love of the island’s terroir, culture, and wild landscapes; while also providing an homage to the neighbourhood where it has put down roots. 

About Deane House and Chef de Cuisine Jessica Stapley
Award-winning Deane House Restaurant and Garden in Calgary’s historic Inglewood is where past and present come together in a beautifully reimagined heritage home. Surrounded by lush gardens and thoughtfully designed dining rooms, Deane House offers a refined, yet welcoming experience rooted in place. Led by Chef Jessica Stapley, the culinary team works closely with local farmers, ranchers and growers to create seasonally driven menus that celebrate a contemporary Canadian cuisine.

About River Café and Executive Chef Kristen Livingston
River Café, one of Calgary’s most celebrated restaurants, is renowned for its stunning Prince’s Island Park location and commitment to regional, seasonal ingredients that embody a true ‘taste of place.’ Led by Executive Chef Kristen Livingston, the kitchen follows a thoughtful approach to sourcing, preparation, and service. A leader in sustainability, River Café continually innovates to reduce its footprint and support a thriving community. Consistently recognized among Canada’s top dining destinations, it currently ranks 47th Best Restaurant on Canada’s 100 Best and was awarded Canada’s Most Eco-Friendly Restaurant in 2022.

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