Baked flatbreads with chorizo sausage, gourmet soups and signature burgers served with roasted potatoes and mixed greens might be something one would expect to find on the menu of a restaurant in Whistler Village.
But, thanks to the Internet and the adventurous spirit of Edible Coast Bistro owner and chef Mike Sonier, patrons of the Mt. Timothy Ski Area can enjoy Sonier’s refreshingly healthy take on local ski fare all this winter.
“I’ve never been to this part of B.C. before. It’s a new experience for me,” said Sonier, who leased the kitchen space in the lodge after coming across an ad for a kitchen manager online.
After deciding to make the move, Sonier and his girlfriend, Sierra Wright, quickly packed their things and arrived at the hill just four days before opening for the season.
“There are lots of opportunities here. I like the change of pace and the property, it’s hidden away and remote. It’s really nice to be in a more relaxed atmosphere.”
An avid snowboarder and mountain biker himself, Sonier admits he is a bit of a gypsy, and has allowed his hobbies and passion for food to take him from the east coast to the west, and many points off the beaten path in between.
“I like to travel a lot.”
Sonier has owned his own catering company for years and has also worked as a consultant to open restaurants in Golden and Whistler.
After the 2015/16 ski season Sonier has plans to return to the East Coast and the tourist town of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia to open another Edible Coast Bistro restaurant with the same organic feel and gourmet flare of the one at Mt. Timothy.
Sonier was raised in Moncton, New Brunswick and was working in a family diner by the time he was a teenager.
He names well-known East Coast Chef Gastón as his longtime mentor and credits his parents with instilling in him a love for good food at a young age.
“Both my parents were great cooks at home,” he says.
“My mom is a really healthy eater — I was eating spinach salad by the time I was eight.”
Knowing his background, it’s no surprise then how Sonier runs his own restaurant.
Fresh, local and organic as much as possible, just about everything Sonier serves he makes himself fresh daily — from his own sauces, to hamburger patties and salad dressing — and the difference is incomparable.
“It’s a lot more work. But I do it because it’s a good product — it’s healthy.”
Gone from the menu are such junk food staples as pop, chocolate bars, chips and even the deep fryer, which was the first thing Sonier removed from the kitchen.
“I’ve never had a deep fryer in any of my kitchens and I’ve been cooking for 20 years.”
Sonier has had his share of setbacks since opening the restaurant, such as having all his food, including an expensive meat order and computers, stolen out of his vehicle while he stayed in a hotel in 100 Mile House overnight to resupply the kitchen for New Year’s Eve.
He’s also taken some complaints for removing the junk food and for taking a little longer to prepare orders but he’s taking it all in stride.
“There have been a lot more good comments than bad,” says Sonier, who has fine-tuned his menu to have some quicker food options for customers.
As a gift for working so hard at the beginning of the move and through the holidays, Sonier and his girlfriend, Wright, who works alongside him, just returned from a heli-skiing trip to the Selkirk mountains.
“That’s a little present to ourselves after working so hard.”
Sonier’s own favourite food dishes include curry rice bowls, handmade pasta and “a really good salad.”
He has many goals for his restaurant at Mt. Timothy, including offering gourmet long table fine dining at the lodge after ski hours and a local catering service as well.
He will also continue to make everything from scratch at the lodge, and hopes to set up a smoker out back where he plans to smoke his own meats and seafoods, including bison smokies, to serve up at the ski hill.
“The healthy version of a hot dog,” he says.
