Hello!
I'm a chef with 25 years experience. I’m looking to secure $10,000CAD in funding to start up a restaurant in Haida Gwaii. With your contribution we will be able to purchase necessary equipment to start up, as well fund training programs for the staff, including food safe certification, WHMIS, and first aid.
For over 100 years, fishing and forestry have been pillars of the local economy. With recent regulatory changes to forestry and fishing, the economy of Haida Gwaii is now heavily dependant on tourism and hospitality. It’s my vision to use this restaurant as away to provide career opportunities, and as a training centre to develop the next generation of hospitality workers. With your help we will equip them with tools that can take anywhere in the world, and for the rest of their lives.
On a more personal level, my intention was to start up a resaturant in Vancouver towards the end of 2019. Just as I was about to start, the pandemic happened and I found myself out of work. I spent the following years as an Uber delivery driver to pay the bills. While it helped (and I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity), the capital I had initially saved up had dwindled down significantly. While I could wait and save up for another opportunity that comes by, I have a heart for Haida Gwaii and the people who call it home.
In 2021, my friend notified me of the opportunity, so I took opportunity to visit the island to scout the venue and fell in love. The island is a utopia of natural beauty. It’s surrounded by ocean, and filled with forest and rivers. The people are friendly and open to strangers they have never met. I’d get waves and hellos from people walking down the street, I’d never seen or met before then.
Many of the habitants work as hunters, fishers, foragers, and farmers. It’s every chefs dream to be able to work in a place where their ingredients come from down the road, and a chance to get people back to their roots with local ingredients that they can be proud to serve and eat. So while I truly believe that this business will not only be profitable and sustainable, It’s important to my values that I see this happend.
With the culmination of the business opportunity, the chance to help develop careers, and my love for Haida Gwaii, I feel compelled to launch this project and ask for your help
To any kind ness that comes my way, I would like to reciprocate with the following...
A 3 night stay in Masset BC as my guest.
Any funding of $1000 and above to be returned in one years time, plus an additional 20% as my way of reinforcing what we were able to accomplish together.
Haawa (Thank you in Haida)
