Ресторан Violeté на Коммершл-драйве открылся после пяти месяцев ремонта и стал новым проектом Рубена Мейора

Reuben Major is doubling down on Commercial Drive with Violeté Get the best of Vancouver in your inbox, every Tuesday and Thursday. Sign up for our free newsletter. Five months ago, Violeté was still something of a construction site. When I spoke with restaurateur Reuben Major in late March, ahead of the European-inspired bistro's spring opening, he described the space as an "absolute war zone." The finishing touches were underway, friends-and-family service was still weeks away and, as with every other restaurant opening, there were not an insignifcant number of problems left to solve. "It's always chaos coming down to the wire," Major told me. "There's so many things that you didn't think of that you have to solve on the fly." Today, Violeté is decidedly more put together. The 2,700-square-foot restaurant, designed by Lemon Lane Interiors, has settled into its corner of Commercial Drive with rounded archways, greenery, Tuscan-style tiles and Roman clay finishes. A large forno oven commands attention from the kitchen, while the menu pulls largely from Spain and Italy. But to understand why Violeté exists at all, it helps to start with the neighbourhood rather than the food. Major's Van Urban Hospitality already operates Havana and The Flamingo Room just down the street, along with Vancouver Urban Winery and Belgard Kitchen in Railtown. Major himself also lives in the Commercial Drive neighbourhood. When the former Famoso space became available, he saw an opportunity. "Sometimes it's about choosing a location that's based on a brand, and sometimes it's about creating a brand that's based on a location," Major said. He considered whether an existing concept such as Havana could simply be replicated. Instead, the corner space inspired something new. "We've been there for eight years since we purchased Havana, know the neighbourhood, love the neighbourhood," he said. "I happen to live in the neighbourhood." There was another motivation, too. Major has spent some 30 years in hospitality and describes his team as "an incredibly loyal crew of people." Opening another restaurant meant creating somewhere for those people to grow. "One of my main drivers is creating opportunity for my people," he said. "The only way to really do that is to grow." Violeté consequently carries pieces of Major's professional and personal life. A chef by trade, Major initially conceptualized the restaurant himself, developing a mock menu that became a jumping-off point for executive chef and business partner Andrew Hounslow and chef Andrew Kelly. The resulting menu blends Spanish and Italian influences, with dishes intended to be passed around a table rather than eaten in isolation. The forno oven inherited from the previous restaurant—gas-fired, Major is quick to clarify, not wood-burning—became both a visual centrepiece and an anchor for the cooking, producing pizzas, roasted meats, olives and other dishes. "Everything's designed to share," Major explained. "It's designed to have people gather around a table, spend a little longer than they intended." That philosophy carries into the drinks. The wine list looks to Spain and Italy while maintaining a strong B.B. presence, and cocktails similarly play between the regions. Major pointed to a Negroni made with Spanish vermouth and an Italian Amalfi gin as one example. (A tip from the author: Order the Oliver Twist.) For Major, keeping B.C. represented isn't simply about geography. "With the state of the world and the economic pressures that we face, I think it's really important that we support our local suppliers and producers as much as we can," he said, noting the same philosophy extends to the food. And then there's the restaurant's name. Violeté draws partly from the violet flower, which Major associates with warmth, love and simplicity. But there's a considerably more personal connection: his daughter's middle name is Violet. "It's sort of a European play on her name," he said. For a restaurant inspired by places thousands of kilometres away, that detail brings Violeté back to what Major kept returning to throughout our conversation: family, community and Commercial Drive. It's a European bistro, certainly. But five months in, perhaps the more interesting thing about Violeté is just how close to home its roots actually are. Violeté is located at 1380 Commercial Drive.