Collaboration and innovation for Feast Tofino

Two leading chefs join forces to create a special menu to celebrate Tofino cuisine, produce and seafood.

Collaboration takes innovation and creativity to the next level. And nowhere will that be more evident than on May 24 in the Great Room when Long Beach Lodge Resort chef Ian Riddick and guest chef Dan Hayes of Victoria’s London Chef will be presenting their Feast Chef Table to mark Feast Tofino.

Their collaborative menu is sure to inspire:


Ian Riddick and Dan Hayes are accomplished chefs who have worked at leading restaurants around the world. Both jumped at the opportunity to work together and put together a special menu and a special sitting for Feast Tofino, the annual event that celebrates sustainable fish and seafood caught from Tofino-and-area waters and Vancouver Island produce and products.

“I like to tell the story behind the menu, behind each item,” explains Ian. “Each menu item has ingredients and has a supplier that takes pride and who cares about their products. This influences the menu. I try to include their story in each dish.”

Among the “influencers” in the Feast Chef Table menu are First Nations, sustainable fisheries, local growers and a forest-to-table experience with wild, foraged fare.



Dan Hayes has worked in numerous high-end and Michelin starred restaurants. He is currently head chef at Victoria’s London Chef where he creates memorable and outstanding dishes and events and offers cookery lessons. It is a skill he brought from the UK where he also taught cookery and food styled with one of Britain’s top food photography companies. He also consulted on the development and opening of restaurants in London and the Canary Isles. With classical French training, a love of rustic-Mediterranean cuisine and seafood cookery, combined with his fishing, hunting and gathering experience, Dan, like Ian, follows the story of the ingredients, from field, forest, water and farm, right through to final presentation.

Ask Ian about Tofino and Vancouver Island sustainable seafood and produce and his excitement is almost tangible:

“Crab from the Tofino-area fishery; the hardy winter greens from Nanoose Edibles; the sweet and briny Qualicum Bay scallops with their ivory and pinkish white meat, these are some of the best quality ingredients in the world.”

Chef Ian completed his formal culinary training in Toronto at George Brown College and counts the King Edward Hotel’s renowned chef John Higgins as an early mentor. Before moving to Tofino and Long Beach Lodge Resort, he worked at the Delta Hotels. He says Tofino, the ocean and the abundant forests have inspired and motivated him to extend himself and discover the region’s culinary potential:

“The ocean is such a focal point for the lodge, it has to factor into everything we do – from the energy it gives us, to the fresh seafood it provides. I remember hearing that First Nations say, ‘when the tide is out, dinner is served,’ and that immediately makes me think of seaweed and how we can use it in our dishes.”

For more information about the May 24 Feast Chef Table with Chef Dan and Ian, contact Long Beach Lodge Resort.

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