Mark Brand
Born in Dundee Scotland, Mark’s enthusiasm for travel and
new cultures came at an early age while following his family to Tunisia,
Alberta, London, and Arizona, before finally settling in Nova Scotia.
As a picky eater Mark would insist on preparing his own food and
a life long passion for refining his palate began.
In 1993 Mark moved
to Melbourne Australia and turned his love of flavors into a career,
bartending in some of the most celebrated venues in the country.
Drawing on his years of travel Mark experimented with a wide variety
of methods and flavor combinations, blending a solid background of
classic cocktail knowledge with a willingness to create unexpected
pairings.
Moving
to Vancouver in 2004 Mark met his Low Pressure Records family one of whom he opened the locally driven Sharks And Hammers with Alex Usow. Mark continued his love of bartending in Vancouver at the widely acclaimed Chambar belgian restaurant under the tutelage of Karri Scheurmans. Continuing to elevate his
craft, the bar became known as the place where the city’s
other barmen could be found on their days off. This good-natured
competition created a network of industry friends who continue to
constantly support each other in raising Vancouver’s
cocktail culture to world-class status. In 2006 Vancouver Magazine
created it’s first ever Bartender of the Year award to specifically
honor Brand’s work.
One year later, Mark, together with partners
Neil Ingram and Jeremie Bastien began to plan a project of their
own and on July 3rd 2007 Boneta Restaurant was opened at 1 West Cordova.
Mark
Brand currently owns the widely acclaimed Boneta Restaurant in Gastown as well as The Diamond at maple tree square and Sharks and Hammers.
He appears regularly on local and national television and continues
to consult for private events and fundraisers such as BC Fashion
Week and Holt Renfrew’s Gala Vancouver opening.
Mark and his partners have been featured in numerous publications
such as The Vancouver Sun, The Province, The New York Times, the
Independent, EAT Magazine, Vancouver Magazine and The Globe and
Mail.
Neil Ingram
As a born and bred Vancouverite, Neil has always had a deep affection
for Gastown. Yes, he was raised on the West Side but things were
different then and he ran with a fast crowd.
As an actor in his younger
days Neil also had a great appreciation for the solace and inspiration
that a bottle of wine could bring to the timely hour. What began
as a hobby, then passion and ultimately an obsession had now turned
into a full-fledged career and after a brief struggle, wine won out
over the boards.
Neil returned from parts east in 1996 to join Andrey
Durbach’s
Etoile restaurant where he proceeded to learn a great deal more about
wine from legendary Barb Philip and of course the man himself.
Following this, a tour at Cin Cin restaurant followed with Neil taking
his education in the grape extremely seriously.
Neil’s next move brought him to Lumiere where he constructed
a miniature empire building the wine program and the room into its
Relais & Gourmand splendor. The Tasting Bar followed, then Feenie’s
and after a long ride with some amazing people, Neil took a few well
deserved months off.
Much plotting and late night planning followed
with the remarkable duo of Mark Brand and Jeremie Bastien; the
result being Boneta.Neil couldn’t be happier: a Vancouverite
reunited with Gastown; and yes, he still runs with a fast crowd.
Jeremie Bastien
As one of Canada's youngest executive chefs, Jeremie Bastien
has the restaurant industry in his blood. His father, Chef Richard
Bastien, is the chef/ owner of three of Quebec's most popular
restaurants; Café des Beaux Arts in Montreal's Museum
of Fine Arts, Lemeac in Montreal and Le Mityoen in Laval.
Jeremie began to help around the kitchen of Le Mitoyen at just 8
years old and by the time he was 16 had worked his way through almost
every job available. His next project was to help his father open
Le Café des Beaux Arts and after high school graduation Jeremie
attended IT HQ in Montreal to study culinary arts for the next two
years. During this time Jeremie went to work for his mentor, Ian
Perreault at Area Restaurant, where he fondly recalls learning to
fillet his first fish under the watchful eye of Chef Perreault.
After graduation Jeremie traveled to France to work for David Zuddas
at the Michelin starred L'Auberge de la Charme. Another stint
at Area in Montreal came next followed by a move to San Francisco
to cook with Nancy Oaks at Boulevard. A call from Lumiere Restaurant
in Vancouver inspired Jeremie's move northward where he met
his future partners Mark Brand and Neil Ingram.
After three years working at the Relais Gourmands property Jeremie
took a much needed two-week vacation and signed on as Executive Chef
at Boneta Restaurant.
Jeremie's influences in the kitchen stem from a life time of
learning respect for each ingredient in the kitchen. "Foie Gras
is no more important than any vegetable I serve in my dishes" Jeremie
explains. "Each ingredient must be carefully chosen and properly
treated. At Boneta our menu is constantly evolving based on the availability
of the freshest product and how we feel the dishes will work together
as a whole."
