“I had this vision of a very red room, almost like a theatre” remarks Sophia Lin, the Chinese-Canadian art curator-turned-restaurateur, “I never intended for it to be fussy, with tablecloths or tea.” If anything, Old Bird is luminous. A night-market turned inside-out. Reverent, yet a little surreptitious.
There is a fighting spirit inherent in anyone brave enough to open an independent restaurant, and this disposition is abundant in Chambar owners Karri and Nico Schuermans, who started the infamous Vancouver hotspot in 2004 on a shoestring and a dream.
As owners we are privileged and honoured to to work with really exceptional humans. The person who greets you at the door, serves you at your table, from behind the bar, or in the kitchen - might just be the next creative genius to grace our city.
A blissful bouquet of balmy butter, And piquant pastels of mauve, magnolia and mermaid blue.
“You opened the doors to Chambar and instantly felt its energy,” he says with fervid passion, “The staff was pumped, the food was bold, and no one had seen anything like it.”
The legacy of educating and empowering children through food, “We’re getting the next generation excited about food. The kids who attended our classes are now cooking dishes they learned here in their college dorms… Such a goosebump feeling.”