Who: Jo Zambri
Lives: Victoria
Why she's here: Co-owner of the award-winning Zambri's restaurant; dedication to fine service; will-succeed attitude; expert knowledge of food and wine.
Quote: "I really do demand the best from everyone (our staff) and give them the tools to be the best. I care about the people I work with; I care about my customers. It's our name above the door, and we're Italian; everything is emotional."
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Jo Zambri grew up in a family where daily routines ensured everyone ate well. Those habits still exist and are on display at Zambri's restaurant, which has kept Victorians well fed for almost 10 years.
The busy Italian restaurant, at 110-911 Yates St., is co-owned by Zambri, who directs the service, her brother Peter, who runs the kitchen, and Zambri's husband, Calen McNeil who, among other things, handles the finances.
Jo, short for Josephine, and Peter started cooking when they were kids growing up in Toronto.
"We were the supper starters," Zambri said.
After school, she, Peter and their sister Lisa would begin preparing the family dinner, which often included two different vegetables, pasta, soup, meat and salad.
"My mother planned the meals; she was an excellent cook, but we had freedom in the kitchen," Zambri said. "Mom would come home and finish things up. Every day the six of us sat down and had dinner together."
The other two diners were her dad, Larry, and her grandfather, Cesare, who tended the family garden and the Zambri children.
"He was a huge influence in our lives. He would make us breakfast every day; we could have whatever we wanted," Zambri said.
Despite living in a predominantly Jewish neighbourhood, she knew she was Italian when the school lunch bell rang.
"My grandfather made us sandwiches with salami and [stinky] provolone cheese. Not many kids wanted to trade lunch," Zambri said.
At age 13, she took her first restaurant job at Toronto's Eaton Centre and enjoyed it, but a food service career was not what she pursued after high school.
"I went to Ryerson [University] and took applied geography."
Two years later, she left that course on urban planning for a simple reason: "I hated it."
However, the skills she learned about systems and planning were useful when she moved on to work in management positions in retail and banking jobs in Toronto and Vancouver, where her brother had moved.
"I came to visit Peter one March; there was hip-deep snow back in Toronto. Out here I saw mountains and cherry blossoms," Zambri said. "I told my parents I'd be back in six months, that was 20 years ago."
She worked in Vancouver a while, moved to Quadra Island, then to Sooke, and finally to Victoria, where discussions about opening an eatery with her brother began.
"We were tossing the idea around about opening up a place and Peter didn't want to work on a [traditional restaurant] line."
In 1999, they decided to open a more casual, eat-in/take-out operation that had a few tables and offered simple but delicious Italian dishes, such as fresh-cooked pasta. Their clientele liked the food, but wanted more.
"Sometimes you have to grow organically. The customer will tell you what you need to do to survive," Zambri said.
They expanded the dining room and the menu and in the evening became the full-service restaurant their customers wanted. The restaurant not only survived, it thrived, and restaurant critics raved about the place.
"Nicest little Italian restaurant in B.C.; probably in Canada. Terrific food," James Barber wrote in the Vancouver Sun.
Despite the accolades, Zambri learned that operating a top-notch restaurant requires unwavering discipline and focus.
"You think you are in this groove. Instead of working 12 hours a day, you're only working 10, and then something goes sideways and you're working 12 again," Zambri said.
One thing the restaurant has always been able to rely on is the quality of its food.
"I'm in awe of my brother's talent. I know when he has cooked something it will be spectacular," Zambri said.
The restaurant has also been able to rely Jo Zambri's determination to ensure the ambience and service are as inviting as her brother's creations.
"I really do demand the best from everyone (our staff) and give them the tools to be the best. I care about the people I work with; I care about my customers. It's our name above the door, and we're Italian; everything is emotional," Zambri said.
As for working with her sibling, Zambri says they do argue like brother and sister. "We just have it out, and then we have dinner together," Zambri said.
Note: For more information about Zambri's, visit zambris.ca. Next summer, Zambri's will be expanding again and that will mean a move to a new location in the Atrium building, 800 Yates St.
Eric's A to Z column has reached the last letter of the alphabet, so it's time for a new series.
Beginning next week, his Sunday column will become Ask Eric. He will answer your questions about cooking. Everything from How do I fillet a salmon and not lose a finger? to How do I make pie dough that's flaky, not like cardboard? to How can I thicken a sauce with a roux that's lump-free?
If there is a cooking issue that has you scratching your head, send your question to Eric by e-mail at [email protected], by fax to Ask Eric at 250-380-5353 or by regular mail to Ask Eric, Times Colonist, 2621 Douglas St., V8T 4M2
