Interview with RInterview with Rob Pawley by Lizbeth Wall, CCA BC Director.ob Pawley by Lizbeth Wall, CCA BC Director.
Interview with Rob Pawley, Vice President and Operating Partner by Lizbeth Wall, CCA BC Director - June 2022.
Note from Lizbeth: Full disclosure, I was a fan of OEB before they ever opened their doors in Yaletown in May of 2019. I asked the question
that we all ask when we see a new restaurant opening in our neighbourhood: "Can you accommodate someone who has celiac disease?” The answer was a resounding yes from the very cheerful and delightful General Manager, Darren Keane. However, I had my doubts, did they really
understand what it meant to serve someone who has celiac disease?
My first experience was over the top perfection and it has continued to be so over three years. I have returned several times and invited many of my celiac and non-celiac friends to join me.
My favourite story is the waffle. Rob Pawley was serving (I did not realize he was an Operating Partner) and he told me I could order the waffle. I
began to ask the required questions, “What is it made of?” and “How is it prepared?” I was immediately assured it is made with rice flour and safely
cooked avoiding any cross contamination. The waffle is light and fluffy and yet has a crispy texture that melts in your mouth.
I hope that you enjoy reading about Rob’s passion for OEB as much I enjoyed talking to him.
What does OEB stand for?
It actually stands for Outstanding People, Embracing Evolution and Bold Food Integrity if you want to add to it.
How did OEB Breakfast Co get started?
Chef and Founder Mauro Martina wanted to bring his culinary talents of traditional fine dining to the world of breakfast using elevated ingredients you won’t find on your typical breakfast menu. Bringing ingredients like Beluga Caviar, Duck Confit, Sous Vide Short Rib, Digby Scallops or Maritime Lobster along with our signature eggs, from our free run flock of hens to the breakfast world at an accessible
price was key.
How did you get involved with OEB?
I first met Mauro back in Toronto at the beginning of our Canadian culinary careers working alongside each other in a very inspiring group of restaurants. A few years passed, I knew he had opened his first OEB and I had the opportunity to pay him a surprise visit while visiting Calgary at the Stampede. After I finished our first OEB Breakfast experience, my wife leaned over and said, that was the BEST breakfast she ever had. I had to agree, and said, if OEB ever came to BC I would definitely want to become a part of the OEB family.
In 2018, I saw Mauro was planning to bring OEB to Vancouver. I reached out to see if he needed a tour guide for the Vancouver hospitality scene. One thing led to another, after a few meetings and trips to Calgary, my now business partner Allan Cho asked if I wanted to join forces and become the Operating Partner for OEBs expansion in British Columbia, and so it began.
You have three currently in the Vancouver area (Yaletown, Burnaby and North Vancouver), any plans for more OEB’s?
YES! We are very excited to be opening up a new location in West Vancouver’s Ambleside neighbourhood in early summer 2022, with another OEB hatching in the fall in the new outdoor food pavilion in the Willowbrook Shopping Centre in Langley. We do have plans for more in the lower mainland over the upcoming few years as well.
Your GF program has a strong presence on your menu, why the focus?
It is important to create recipes with a variety of different ingredients, to be able to bring an elevated culinary experience; respecting people’s food allergies and sensitivities is a part of this process. It shouldn’t be an afterthought; it should be a focus. If we can create inspiring dishes by carefully selecting and preparing our ingredients, while accommodating our guests’ dietary needs and allergies as well as create a safe place for the celiac community to dine out, we have a great relationship. It is an emphasis in our kitchens but also an integral part of our front of house training, we aim to be able to guide our guests through their choices and help select the best drinks and dishes most suited for their cravings.
What do you attribute your success to?
The recipe starts with an OUTSTANDING culinary program in which a tonne of effort is placed on continuing to maintain and evolve our flavours. We are constantly testing new dishes to keep giving our guests the best possible choices we can create.
The next ingredient is the partnerships we build with our farmers and producers. We understand the great lengths it takes to grow the best possible ingredients, creating amazing products sourced with bold integrity to our program.
The next step in this recipe is selecting and developing amazing people to work with us, we have been very fortunate to be able to offer our team the fun and excitement of full and busy restaurants matched with the ability to work a “days only” schedule, allowing our team to spend time with friends and family in the evenings, creating a real work life harmony which is hard to come by in the restaurant industry.
The final step, tantamount to all the others, is to try to build relationships with our guests in every community we hatch an OEB. Whether it's the first time or the 100th, we are so lucky and grateful to have such wonderful patrons who choose us over our competitors, who appreciate the value and effort we put in to creating a welcoming space to spend time with friends, business colleagues and family.
Note from Lizbeth: Full disclosure, I was a fan of OEB before they ever opened their doors in Yaletown in May of 2019. I asked the question
that we all ask when we see a new restaurant opening in our neighbourhood: "Can you accommodate someone who has celiac disease?” The answer was a resounding yes from the very cheerful and delightful General Manager, Darren Keane. However, I had my doubts, did they really
understand what it meant to serve someone who has celiac disease?
My first experience was over the top perfection and it has continued to be so over three years. I have returned several times and invited many of my celiac and non-celiac friends to join me.
My favourite story is the waffle. Rob Pawley was serving (I did not realize he was an Operating Partner) and he told me I could order the waffle. I
began to ask the required questions, “What is it made of?” and “How is it prepared?” I was immediately assured it is made with rice flour and safely
cooked avoiding any cross contamination. The waffle is light and fluffy and yet has a crispy texture that melts in your mouth.
I hope that you enjoy reading about Rob’s passion for OEB as much I enjoyed talking to him.
What does OEB stand for?
It actually stands for Outstanding People, Embracing Evolution and Bold Food Integrity if you want to add to it.
How did OEB Breakfast Co get started?
Chef and Founder Mauro Martina wanted to bring his culinary talents of traditional fine dining to the world of breakfast using elevated ingredients you won’t find on your typical breakfast menu. Bringing ingredients like Beluga Caviar, Duck Confit, Sous Vide Short Rib, Digby Scallops or Maritime Lobster along with our signature eggs, from our free run flock of hens to the breakfast world at an accessible
price was key.
How did you get involved with OEB?
I first met Mauro back in Toronto at the beginning of our Canadian culinary careers working alongside each other in a very inspiring group of restaurants. A few years passed, I knew he had opened his first OEB and I had the opportunity to pay him a surprise visit while visiting Calgary at the Stampede. After I finished our first OEB Breakfast experience, my wife leaned over and said, that was the BEST breakfast she ever had. I had to agree, and said, if OEB ever came to BC I would definitely want to become a part of the OEB family.
In 2018, I saw Mauro was planning to bring OEB to Vancouver. I reached out to see if he needed a tour guide for the Vancouver hospitality scene. One thing led to another, after a few meetings and trips to Calgary, my now business partner Allan Cho asked if I wanted to join forces and become the Operating Partner for OEBs expansion in British Columbia, and so it began.
You have three currently in the Vancouver area (Yaletown, Burnaby and North Vancouver), any plans for more OEB’s?
YES! We are very excited to be opening up a new location in West Vancouver’s Ambleside neighbourhood in early summer 2022, with another OEB hatching in the fall in the new outdoor food pavilion in the Willowbrook Shopping Centre in Langley. We do have plans for more in the lower mainland over the upcoming few years as well.
Your GF program has a strong presence on your menu, why the focus?
It is important to create recipes with a variety of different ingredients, to be able to bring an elevated culinary experience; respecting people’s food allergies and sensitivities is a part of this process. It shouldn’t be an afterthought; it should be a focus. If we can create inspiring dishes by carefully selecting and preparing our ingredients, while accommodating our guests’ dietary needs and allergies as well as create a safe place for the celiac community to dine out, we have a great relationship. It is an emphasis in our kitchens but also an integral part of our front of house training, we aim to be able to guide our guests through their choices and help select the best drinks and dishes most suited for their cravings.
What do you attribute your success to?
The recipe starts with an OUTSTANDING culinary program in which a tonne of effort is placed on continuing to maintain and evolve our flavours. We are constantly testing new dishes to keep giving our guests the best possible choices we can create.
The next ingredient is the partnerships we build with our farmers and producers. We understand the great lengths it takes to grow the best possible ingredients, creating amazing products sourced with bold integrity to our program.
The next step in this recipe is selecting and developing amazing people to work with us, we have been very fortunate to be able to offer our team the fun and excitement of full and busy restaurants matched with the ability to work a “days only” schedule, allowing our team to spend time with friends and family in the evenings, creating a real work life harmony which is hard to come by in the restaurant industry.
The final step, tantamount to all the others, is to try to build relationships with our guests in every community we hatch an OEB. Whether it's the first time or the 100th, we are so lucky and grateful to have such wonderful patrons who choose us over our competitors, who appreciate the value and effort we put in to creating a welcoming space to spend time with friends, business colleagues and family.
