Staff Spotlight
Matt Renaud - Executive Sous Chef at Long Beach Lodge Resort
| Are you hungry? Well, Matt Renaud’s the man you’re looking for. First off, he loves to feed people. More importantly, his culinary prowess will take your taste buds on a one-way ticket to Yum City. As the Executive Sous Chef at Long Beach Lodge, Matt’s skill set is employed at each one of our food outlets. “I run the day-to-day up in The Great Room in the winter and I run The Sandbar Bistro top-to-bottom in the summer,” explains Matt. “And I plan the menus for Surf Club and I also take care of the Events Catering. If that sounds like a lot of responsibility, it’s because it is. But Matt always brings a smile to the workplace. The man doesn’t subscribe to the Gordon Ramsay stereotype of the ego-driven, perpetually-shouting chef. |
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“I grew up in a very angry house and I never wanted to subject any of that to the kitchen,” says Matt. “All that yelling and shouting—that’s not me. I’m a happy person and I like to keep things happy.”
The trickle-down effect of that positive attitude works wonders in the kitchen, which translates to Front of House and, ultimately, to the customer. Yes indeed, the service goes smoothly when Matt—affectionately known as Li’l Tuna—is on the scene.
But it’s not all work and no play for Li’l Tuna. He likes to surf, snowboard, hike and watch football on his days off. And while he moved to Tofino for the job, the nature vibes are what’s keeping him here.
“The last few surfs I’ve been out, there’s been seals hanging out in the waves,” says Matt. “And just being able to walk down to the beach and see eagles overhead or going down to the more secluded beaches and seeing wolf tracks, that kinda stuff gets me really excited.”
Now that fall’s upon us, you’ll see Matt in The Great Room kitchen, bringing our Executive Chef Shaun Snelling’s culinary vision to life. But once the days get longer and Sandbar reopens, Matt creates a menu that’s inspired by his own worldly travels. He’s spent time in Latin America, Southeast Asia, Vietnam, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, The US and Canada. So The Sandbar Bistro has the most diverse menu in town. Not only that, it’s got the best burger in Tofino.
A lofty claim, to be sure. But when you have a wizard like Matt working in the kitchen, you know he’s gonna deliver.
