Inn at Laurel Point hires new pastry chef

Oct. 20, 2011, Victoria, BC – In late-August, April Iverson joined the staff at AURA, the Inn’s on-site waterfront restaurant and patio, as pastry chef. Iverson, an experienced pastry artist and honours graduate from the SAIT baking and pastry program (one of Canada’s leading culinary schools), reports to executive chef Takashi Ito – a world-renowned chef and ice carver who joined the Inn just last spring.

April Iverson joined the staff at AURA, the Inn’s on-site waterfront restaurant and patio, as pastry chef.

“We’re thrilled to welcome April to the AURA team,” said Ian Powell, managing director of the Inn at Laurel Point. “2011 has cooked up a lot of great things for us here at the Inn and the arrival of April is truly the icing on the cake. I think we are all excited to see some of the delicious creations she’s going to bring to the table.”

Previously, Iverson worked at Le Macaron, Crave Kitchen Wine + Bar, the Radisson Plaza Hotel Saskatchewan and KOKO Patisserie. Iverson was also one of a culinary team of eight who prepared desserts for Prince William and Kate Middleton’s post-wedding visit to Calgary earlier this summer (the royals requested that the reception food was prepared by SAIT students – and although Iverson had already graduated, her instructors, chef Victoria German and chef Ian Bergoli, asked that she return for this occasion).

True to the Inn at Laurel Point motto of “staying different,” having an in-house pastry chef is unusual in these days of trimmed down kitchens and hotel industry outsourcing. The culinary philosophy at AURA is to feature dishes using fresh, local ingredients, as opposed to food from afar. Examples of AURA’s homegrown philosophy include using Vancouver Island-raised beef; river and stream-caught wild salmon; locally-tended produce; and fresh herbs grown in the hotel’s gardens.

AURA also sources vintage wines from just around the block and aged ciders and stellar beers from local microbreweries. Adding Iverson’s expertise allows the diners to celebrate Vancouver Island’s local bounty, all the way from appetizers through dessert – completing the Inn at Laurel Point’s dining experience.

And when it comes to other sweet delights (and sweet beginnings), the Inn at Laurel Point hand bakes all of their delicious, customized wedding cakes for the many unions that take place on the hotel grounds each year. And from extravagant, five-tied cakes to modest cupcakes, every wedding cake that comes out of the Inn at Laurel Point kitchen is hand decorated to perfection.

“Having spent much of my life out on the prairies, mostly in Regina, I’m excited to work with some of the West Coast’s fresh and delicious ingredients,” said Iverson. “It’s an honour to join the top-notch culinary team at AURA – I know we’re going to create some amazing dishes while, at the same time, having a whole lot of fun.”

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