“It’s all about fish and chips,” said Executive Chef/Part Owner of Captain Hardy’s restaurant Gregory Smith. “We’re doing business as Captain Hardy’s, but we are the Fire Chefs.”
Smith and his three business partners, Brent Borg, Lynea Borg and Noriko Niida-Smith, spent four months, from January 14 to May 1, renovating the legendary Port Hardy restaurant with all the work being done by local contractors.
“Everything has been touched in here — we’ve attacked every aspect of this restaurant, as it needed a good clean after 40 years,” laughed Smith.
Smith said he and his staff will be bringing together an eclectic menu that will be offering food for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
“We will be offering the usuals like fish and chips and hamburgers, but also takeout sushi,” said Smith, adding Captain Hardy’s will be aiming for a wide variety of food to fit many tastes.
When asked how the deal to takeover Captain Hardy’s came to be, part owner Brent Borg said it was “offered to me and I wanted to bring my friends (Smith and his wife Noriko) back to town.”
“Brent called me on Dec. 28 of this year and said lets open up Captain Hardy’s, so I resigned from my job and came back,” said Smith.
Smith had previously been a parole officer in Port Hardy before moving to Nelson to continue in that line of work.
He arrived back in Port Hardy four months ago. “I’ve returned to Hardy to cook,” he said, adding he worked as a chef 17 years ago in Whistler and Montreal.
Smith’s favourite thing about finally returning to the profession? “I get to make one edible artwork every plate that I serve.”
“I think the most important thing for the community to know, is the old ways are the good ways,” added Smith. “People definitely are looking forward to fish and chips and they want that old Captain Hardy’s fish and chips back.”