Having spent many a weekend foraging for food and helping his mom in the garden growing up, Chef Ken Nakano said itB次元官网网址檚 only natural he ended up with a culinary career and a passion for local ingredients and sustainability.

It is this childhood experience, along with his Japanese heritage and a 20-year culinary background that Nakano brings to the Inn at Laurel Point.

Nakano grew up in Vancouver, with an avid outdoorsman for a father and an incredible cook for a mother. On weekends, their extended family would gather and go hunting for blackberries, fiddle heads, mushrooms and clams. When Nakano and his cousins had gathered enough, he said they would be rewarded with a picnic and time to play.

At home, the focus on food continued.

B次元官网网址淢y mother had a fantastic garden,B次元官网网址� Nakano said. B次元官网网址淚 remember coming back from Jericho Beach with wheelbarrows of seaweed in the spring to put in the garden and my friends having no idea what was going on,B次元官网网址� he said chuckling. In the fall, it was the same but with fallen leaves.

NakanoB次元官网网址檚 parents immigrated from Japan and raised their children to both celebrate and respect food. Meal time was extremely important and Nakano said it taught him a love for structure and cooking B次元官网网址� two things he carries with him today.

NakanoB次元官网网址檚 mother cooked primarily Japanese dishes but, growing up in a culturally-rich neighbourhood, Nakano said he had the privilege of tasting all kinds of authentic dishes from all over the world.

When he graduated high school, Nakano gathered all those experiences and influences and headed to culinary school. From there he steadily climbed, taking on executive chef roles at multiple prestigious hotel restaurants, including the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Rosewood Hotels and Resorts and Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts.

Looking back now, Nakano said the key to his success has been mentorship.

B次元官网网址淗aving that level of personal communication, reassurance and encouragement was key,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚n the young days, that will make or break somebody.B次元官网网址�

Little mentorship exists for the challenge he faces now though B次元官网网址� taking over a hotel restaurant amidst a global pandemic.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e trying to think of ways that people can feel comfortable using our services and our products,B次元官网网址� Nakano said. The Inn launched a new curbside pickup on Nov. 26 for its made-in-house holiday sweets and Nakano said depending on how that goes they would like to extend the pickup to menu bundles like B次元官网网址榙inner for two.B次元官网网址�

Eggnog ganache stuffed ginger cookies and house-made chocolate bars, among other treats, can be pre-ordered at laurelpoint.com.

The Inn is also relaunching its weekend brunch menu from Dec. 5 to Jan. 3, where items such as Seafood Benny, Chicken and Pancakes and Veggie Flatbread can be enjoyed. The restaurant space, Aura, is one of several parts of the Inn that has undergone a complete makeover in the last couple of years. The transformation was the final stage in renowned Canadian architect Arthur EricksonB次元官网网址檚 1989 plan for the harbour-front property.

For now, Nakano said the focus is on getting the Inn through the pandemic with what he describes as an already excellent menu. But, in the future, heB次元官网网址檚 excited to develop relationships with more local producers and introduce new foods into the InnB次元官网网址檚 repertoire.

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