Janice Lotzkar was recently mentioned in a recent post on Aaron Chapman’s popular and widely read Vancouver Restaurant History Facebook group. My good friend Kurtis Kolt was asking for people’s memories of the pioneering Lotzkar. In 2020 I had written a brief piece about Lotzkar’s achievements and her contribution to the BC scene.
Lotzkar was among the first to ‘make a go of’ both BC food and wine. It was a daring commitment that endured, at least for a few years. In short, the Raintree was well ahead of its time, in an era when people scoffed at the very idea of ‘Canadian’ cuisine and when BC wines were rarely yet to be taken seriously.
The article was supposed to be included in WHERE Vancouver’s annual WHERE to Dine Awards in spring of 2020, which I had just filed when Covid hit. Both the awards and the issue were cancelled. Subsequently, with the collapse of the visitor market and resulting empty hotels, the 50-year old magazine (originally Guideline, then Key to Vancouver, before WHERE) ceased publication.
There were other pioneers, of course, including John Bishop, Harry Kambolis (Raintree, C), Mark Potovsky (Cherrystone Cove), Sinclair Philip (Sooke Harbour House)… and more. However, Janice Lotzkar is rarely mentioned. I’m a firm believer we need to give our early BC food and wine trailblazers their due. So, here’s the copy that never made it into the now vanished magazine.
Janice Lotzkar: Original Local Hero
BC’s flourishing cuisine is a relatively recent phenomenon. When Janice Lotzkar opened her Raintree restaurant in 1990, the term ‘West Coast’ usually denoted California. Lotzkar says she struggled to convince magazines (including this one) to adopt the more accurate ‘Pacific Northwest’ label.
“They were exhaustive discussions. I remember them really, really well,” she says. Raintree was one of the first to credit local farmers and fishers right on the menu. Ultimately it proved the foundation for the modern locavore movement.
“It took a lot of explaining and talking … but we were informing people what this new type of regional food was all about,” recalls the former restaurateur. A case in point? Oysters were referred to as just that. No distinction was made between east coast and west coast. But today you’ll find over 30 BC kinds, from Kusshi to Pacific Kiss. (Detailed here.)
From razor clams to Salt Spring lamb, Lotzkar sought out the best in local ingredients. She did the same for local wines, then few and far between. Undeterred, she’d track down small ‘farmgate’ producers (“I went into a lot of garages”) in the Okanagan and on Vancouver Island for her ground-breaking list.
“There weren’t enough to have only BC, so I included Washington, Oregon and Northern California. I also had to implement a taster program—so people would be able to taste; and then they’d buy a glass,” she says.
Equally important, “to smash the glass ceiling” she partnered with a woman chef, Rebecca Dawson. Born and raised in Vancouver, Lotzkar wanted to recognize the area—and ”shout out to the world, so that people would know we could compare ourselves to any other region.”
Thanks to Lotzkar, we can. And do.
Meanwhile, back in the day
And here’s what we did print—in April 1990! (It was the very first edition of the newly branded WHERE Vancouver.)
“Northwest Coast
The commitment to freshness at Raintree is demonstrated by the fresh sheet, published daily, which usually runs to several dozen items. That philosophy has won Raintree a loyal following since opening just over a year ago. Here you’ll find starters such as hot smoked wild Chinook salmon, or organic beef carpaccio served with capers and mustard mayonnaise.
For entrees, choose from Galiano Island scallops, Chilliwack veal, Agassiz lamb, Queen Charlotte Dungeness crab, and a host of Pacific Northwest Coast specialties. Regional choices highlight a comprehensive wine list that emphasizes the best of a state wines from Okanagan to Napa, and some in between.
Presentation makes for an added treat, along with a view of Coal Harbour and the north shore mountains.”
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