The Oak Bay Beach Hotel, scheduled to open in October, has added what it calls a "key ingredient" to its senior staff - executive chef Brock Bowes. He's held culinary leadership positions at the Hotel Grand Pacific, Victoria Marriott Inner Harbour and Dock 503. A graduate of the Vancouver Island University Culinary Arts Program, he started his career at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler in 1998 under executive chef Bernard Casavant. Attaining his Red Seal Certification, Bowes followed his mentor to Casavant's Chef Bernard's Café. In 2007, Bowes joined Casavant in the Sonora Room at the Burrowing Owl Vineyard in the Okanagan Valley. Bowes also moved to Kelowna's Manteo Resort, where they overhauled the Wild Apple Restaurant & Lounge, putting it on the "must visit" list for the Okanagan.
