Long Beach Lodge Resort chef serious about sustainability, conservation
Inspired by Tofino's natural environment and remarkable local and wild bounty, chef is driven to preserve and protect.Talking about energy, water and resource conservation is great.
Putting those words into action is better.
Long Beach Lodge Resort chef Ian Riddick takes sustainability seriously and integrates innovative, common-sense conservation procedures and techniques into many areas of the Resort’s award-winning kitchen. Some of the inventive processes he has recently introduced to the Resort’s kitchen include:
- The kitchen saucier reuses crab pot water to blanch clams. “That's 20L saved for the good guys!” says Ian on his popular Twitter feed (https://twitter.com/Chef_IanRiddick).
- In the spirit of efficiency, all hand washing sinks have been fitted with hands free, on-demand systems that run only when hands are beneath and being washed.
- To reduce water and ice (a big challenge in the restaurant industry) the Resort kitchen is now using Foodsafe reusable freezer packs for shellfish storage. This saves water and ice while keeping shellfish remarkably fresh.
- Ian noticed that his cooks often ran kitchen taps for extended periods to capture water at the right temperature. To conserve the water that would otherwise run down the drain, a jug is kept under the faucet and the otherwise wasted water used when needed.
- All Resort coolers are now air cooled. This means potable water to cool machines is not required.
Riddick, who took 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, comes about his proactive and innovative approach to conservation honestly. Enthralled with Tofino and Pacific Rim National Park Reserve’s natural environment and remarkable local and wild bounty, he is driven to preserve and protect:
“I spent time in the outdoors learning how to forage for local foods, but as I continued my career in Vancouver and later in Sun Peaks, I learned that creating cuisine with flawless technique and the best ingredients is only part of the story,” explains Ian. Surrounding himself with talented, like-minded cooks and staff is also important.
Ian says his kitchen has completely bought into his conservation methods and through ongoing dialogue in his kitchen, through Long Beach Lodge Resort’s Sustainability Committee and by participating in Tofino’s 20% challenge which encourages everyone to reduce their water consumption by 20% compared to the previous summer, he is pleased with the Resort’s progress.
Active on Twitter, be sure to follow Ian’s feed for new conservation news and ideas you can implement at home and at work.
