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Meet our 2024 Hall of Fame inductees: The Cactus Club Cafe, Bradner Farms and chef Robert Clark.
To celebrate the idea of legacy, Vanmag and Cactus have collaboratively created our new Restaurant Awards Hall of Fame. This Hall of Fame celebrates individuals and organizations that have demonstrated consistent leadership and excellence in the culinary industry, and have made a long-lasting impact on the way we eat in Vancouver. Read more about the creation of the Hall of Fame here.
Casual-fine restaurant chain, cactusclubcafe.com
We get it: it’s a little odd to see the presenting sponsor of our new Hall of Fame inducted into said Hall of Fame, but Cactus is undeniably the stuff of legends around here. And as the Cactus team is bowing out of the Chains category after years and years of golds, it seems only right to honour a class-act move with a spot on the inaugural HOF list. It’s a beloved crowd-pleaser, a dependable happy hour spot and a go-to for both long-adored classics (we see you, butternut squash ravioli) and fresh, bold dishes (truffle parmesan chicken with gnocchi, please). And despite having 23 locations in Vancouver alone and sweeping our Best Chain Restaurant award countless times, Cactus Club Cafe continuously challenges what a chain can be—through partnerships with charities, mentorship programs and, of course, supporting your friendly neighbourhood city magazine. We’re pleased to induct this 36-year-old local icon into our Restaurant Awards Hall of Fame: join the club, Cactus.
Regenerative and organic farm, bradnerfarms.com
Old MacDonald’s got nothing on Bradner Farms: this fourth-generation, Abbotsford-based family business has been working the land and raising livestock since 1912, when they carted their fresh milk jugs around town via horse. That said, Bradner’s farming practices have decidedly modern values when it comes to prioritizing environmentalism: they began the first certified organic feed mill in the province, ensuring that their animals are raised without antibiotics or added hormones, and they supply feed to other local farms, too. Bradner is approved by the Global Animal Partnership and practices regenerative farming, meaning they’re focused on nurturing the environment instead of depleting it. It’s an operation that Vancouver restaurants are proud to align themselves with: you can find Bradner Farms beef and poultry on menus at Burdock and Co, Collective Goods, Say Mercy and Hawksworth.
Chief culinary officer, Organic Ocean, and co-founder, Aramé Culinary Consulting, organicocean.com, arameculinary.com
To say Rob Clark has made a splash in the sustainable seafood industry would be a massive understatement (but a pretty good pun). Beyond his executive chef-ing at the beloved C Restaurant, Raincity Grill and Nu, his resumé includes co-founding the Ocean Wise sustainable seafood program, co-owning the Fish Counter and, currently, serving as chief culinary officer of Organic Ocean. He’s been walking the walk when it comes to earth-conscious culinary practices for over two decades, bringing responsible aquaculture to the table long before it was cool. For this work, he’s been inducted into the BC Restaurant Hall of Fame, named a SeaWeb Sustainable Seafood Champion and even received the Order of Canada. Time to reel it in, right? Wrong. Earlier this year, Clark and chef Julian Bond launched Aramé, a new sustainable culinary consultancy aiming to help growing hospitality businesses in menu development, brand strategy and other essential bits of the biz.
