Frank Pabst

One of Canada’s most accomplished chefs, Frank Pabst’s disciplined technique—learned in some of Europe’s finest kitchens—is matched to the West Coast’s extraordinary catch of seafood. Widely recognized for his creative impetus and leadership in responsible seafood practices, today Pabst leads Blue Water Cafe’s brigade of expert chefs in what has been called “one of North America’s finest seafood restaurants.

With tenures in Michelin-starred restaurants throughout Germany and France, including La Becasse (Aachen), the historic Hotel Negresco (Cannes) and Restaurant de Bacon (Antibes), Pabst was amply schooled in the rigorous classical technique that provides the foundation for his far-ranging cooking style today.

Soon after settling in Vancouver in 1993, Pabst joined Lumière as chef de cuisine, and later opened at Pastis, securing a Gold Award for Best New Restaurant in the prestigious Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards.

Directing the kitchens at Blue Water Cafe since 2003, Pabst has consistently demonstrated excellence, both in the procurement of impeccably fresh, sustainable seafood—Blue Water Cafe is a founding member of the Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise program—and in the execution of its cookery, showcasing his trademark “complexity without complication."

In November 2008, Chef Pabst won the Vancouver Gold Medal Plates competition in support of our Olympic athletes. This year, Pabst and his brigade were the recipients of the Gold Award at the Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards for Best Seafood Restaurant.