Greg Hays, the affable restaurateur behind some of Victoria’s most successful dining establishments over the past half century, is calling it a career.
“I’m looking forward to waking up in the morning and saying: ‘I think I’m going to sleep some more,’ ” says the co-owner of Cafe Brio.
Hays set up and operated the Oak Bay Marina Restaurant when it underwent a complete redesign, and later opened the highly successful Herald Street Cafe when nobody wanted the derelict buildings on that street.
He and long-time partner Silvia Marcolini built Cafe Brio on Fort Street, widely considered one of the best dining experiences on the Island.
After 27 years, however, Hays, 74, and Marcolini, 72, are selling the business to chef Sam Harris and bartender Vincent Vanderheide in a deal expected to be complete in January.
Harris and Vanderheide have decades of experience in their fields and last worked together opening Boom + Batten on the Inner Harbour.
“For us, we’ve always operated Cafe Brio like it’s friends coming to our house for dinner … we’re here to greet you, feed you and you know, have some fun,” said Hays.
“But now we’re looking at how many years we have left and what we want to do with those years.
“We’ve found two great people to take over and carry it on. They have fresh ideas and the energy to follow through.”
Hays and Marcolini will retain ownership of the property and the building at 944 Fort St.
Almost three decades ago, they went out on a limb to buy a plumbing company’s parking lot and build the 100-seat Cafe Brio from the ground up, adding some personal and history-linked touches, including a bar made from the fir flooring of Sir James Douglas School and old-growth timbers from Viking Air’s hangar that collapsed during the blizzard of 1996.
They were initially doubtful of getting a loan from the banks to build a new restaurant, but Hays’ reputation and ability to forge fast friendships from Herald Street and Oak Bay Marina made the difference.
“Many times I had to talk the kitten down from the tree for the first four years,” said Marcolini with a laugh. “Greg had many sleepless nights because it was a lot of money.”
Both Hays and Marcolini were inducted into the B.C. Restaurant Hall of Fame for lifetime achievement in 2014 for making a significant impact in British Columbia’s food and hospitality industry. A few years earlier, they were honoured as Restaurateurs of the Year for their farm-to-table reputation.
For Cafe Brio, that’s meant getting almost all their food from local farmers, having a different menu printed each week and having creative chefs and hiring experienced staff, many of whom have served for decades.
Their goal was always to gain faithful local customers and to not rely on the boom-and-bust cycle of tourists, said Hays.
Marcolini said they always drew inspiration from her Italian roots, though the menu isn’t always Italian — it was driven by local meat, seafood and produce.
“Growing up, food is something you revered,” she said. “It’s something you enjoy making and preparing and serving.”
The name Cafe Brio came from her son Liam, who had been playing with the Swedish wooden toys while the couple was brainstorming about what to call their new restaurant.
It was a lightbulb moment.
“In Italian, it means vibrant and ever-changing,” said Marcolini. “And that’s what we wanted Cafe Brio to be. ”
One of the owners is in the restaurant every night, ensuring a personal touch, Hays said.
Harris said the tradition of “rustic fine dining” will continue under new ownership.
“We work with local farmers and really just let the ingredients shine,” said Harris, who was hired early last year.
Menus are determined by what’s coming in fresh, such as lamb from Parry Bay Sheep farm in Metchosin and seafood from boats on the coast, he said.
He’s bullish on the future of Cafe Brio as condominium towers sprout all around the downtown neighbourhood where he works and lives.
Harris has worked in several luxury hotels and resorts during his career, including the Laurel Point and Bishop’s in Vancouver, and most recently helped to open Agrius, the Courtenay Room and Boom + Batten.
Added Vanderheide, who tended bar at the Empress Hotel for five years and earlier Canoe: “We want to keep the same familiar, friendly vibe that’s so important to the success of the business. It’s why people love to come here.”
Hays’ career in the industry dates to 1971, when he started as a dishwasher and moved up to busboy and waiter at the Keg and Cleaver. He went on to Little Denmark in Bastion Square, the old Oak Bay Beach Hotel and Chateau Victoria before the Oak Bay Marina and Herald Street Cafe.
He’s currently working with local galleries to curate more pieces of art for Cafe Brio and there are trips to Dublin and Eastern Canada in the near future.
“Far and away, I’ll miss the interaction with people the most,” said Hays. “I’ve gotten to know so many people, their kids, and their kids’ kids over the years.
“It’s like throwing a party every night,” he said with a laugh. “But you’ve got to stay to clean up.”
