Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Get Stuffed

Bavarians at the gate

After 16 years of managing Whistler restaurants, Joel Thibault is back in business for himself

While it’s true that you can’t go home again, you can always visit. And in the meantime, you can make your new home feel as much like your old home as possible – if you’re from the alps, for example, you can pour yourself a pint of lager and cook up some schnitzel.

Joel Thibault has been in Canada for 35 years now, landing in Vancouver after spending his previous life in legendary mountain resorts like Chamonix and Le Relais in France.

He first came to Whistler in 1979, when developers were just starting to build Whistler Village. He was initially involved with the group that was breaking ground for the Fitzsimmons building – he wanted to open a restaurant in it – but was forced to pull out due to rising costs and a delay of one year.

Not that he didn’t have anything to fall back on – Chez Joel in Gastown was doing just fine at the time. Still, his heart was in the mountains, and as a veteran of European ski resorts, he saw the potential that Whistler offered.

"With my experience in the Alps, I could see what was going on in Whistler as it was becoming a super resort, and of course, loving the mountain life, I wanted to be involved with that," says Thibault.

Before he moved to Whistler in 1985, Thibault had a go at growing grapes and making wine in the Okanagan from 1983 to 1985. "It didn’t go as I expected. I decided to go back to Whistler to do what I do best, and that’s manage restaurants."

The owners of Stoney’s restaurant, where La Bocca is now, invited Thibault to Whistler to run the place and he jumped at the idea. Because of his success in one of Vancouver’s trendiest dining areas – and out of respect for his reputation – Stoney’s was renamed Chez Joel.

The second Chez Joel served French, German, Austrian, Swiss and Bavarian Alp style food for "ten good years." He then moved to Anasazi (now Las Margaritas) for a little while. Next he got involved with the developers of the Nicklaus North Golf Club, and secured the right to run the restaurant, which is still called Joel’s Restaurant at Nicklaus North.

He stayed there for more than five years – "I had a really great time for five years in a really great spot" – until a little over two months ago when an opportunity presented itself that he could not pass up.

Kevin Lu, the owner of Fogata, was leaving the country to return to his home in Thailand. Knowing that Joel was looking for a space to call his own, he gave Thibault dibs.

"The whole thing didn’t take that long really," says Thibault. "It was a beautiful space to begin with, and I didn’t want to change a thing. All there was to do was put the menu together and train the staff, and some paperwork of course, but the whole thing took place in only a few weeks."

Not only did Thibault and his wife, Angela Ruffer, get the restaurant, they also inherited a qualified staff. He brought chef Georg Troeber of Innsbruck, Austria, into the picture as well as floor manager Walter Lambertus of Bavaria – "I’ve worked with them for years, and we know each other well and work well together."

Fogata became the Bavaria Restaurant almost overnight. It took even less time to become popular.

After two busy months in business and a crazy Easter, the wine racks are nearing empty. There are other details that Joel would like to take care of, but he hasn’t had the time. "We’ve been very well received, even though we’ve done very little advertising. It’s been great."

Part of the reason for this success is a solid customer base he’s built up over the last 35 years. "There are a lot of old guys who have followed me around for a number of years who keep coming back," says Thibault. "Now their kids are starting to come in – the next generation are some of my clients now."

(At this point in the interview, an elderly gentleman who hasn’t seen Joel for a few years came into the restaurant to look around and booked a table for two for Friday.)

Another reason for his success is business sense – Thibault says he has been in Whistler long enough to know how things work. "There’s a busy season, and you have to be ready for that, then there is a slow season, and you have to be ready, for that too," he says. "The competition is hard, but that keeps everyone on their toes, and makes life interesting."

The other reason is the food.

"There was a restaurant called the Black Forest Restaurant in town that used to serve alpine food, and me and my wife used to eat there all the time," says Thibault. "When it closed there was nowhere like it in Whistler. I think there is a market for this kind of food. It’s simple, it’s hardy, it’s delicious. This type of food is a natural for a ski resort."

Thibault is French, not Bavarian, although his wife is from the southern German region. The food at the restaurant is not Bavarian, either, but inspired by the Alpine countries of Europe – France, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

Some of the classics on the starter and appetizer menu include Bavarian Lentil Soup with root vegetables and smoked ham, Homemade Bratwurst with sauerkraut and Dijon mustard, with boiled potatoes, pickles and cold cuts, Prawns Savoyarde with garlic herbs and butter, and Zillertaler Kasspaetzle, Tiroler Jaegerspaetzle and Reiberdatschi – food that’s far easier to eat than it is to pronounce.

Three different fondues are offered, including a Swiss Cheese Fondue of Guyere and Emmenthal cheeses, baguettes and crisp vegetables; Fondue Chinoise with seasoned chicken stock, beef, pork, prawns, crisp vegetables and exotic sauces; and Bourguignonne – an oil fondue to fry cubed beef tenderloin and vegetables.

There is also a wide selection of Schnitzel’s to choose from and a list of entrees that have been with Thibault for decades. This includes the Classic Beef Filet au poivre with Cognac peppercorn sauce, potato croquette and vegetables and the Whole Roasted Rack of Lamb with fresh herbs, honey-mustard, pan-fries, and vegetables.

Other entrees include the Tiroler Zwiebel Rostbraten (broiled beef striploin with sauteed onion sauce, spaetzle and vegetables), Grill Teller (Grilled morsels of pork, lamb, beef, turkey and bacon with pan fries and vegetables, Mountain Rainbow Trout pan-fried in citrus almond butter with spaetzle and vegetables, and Kassler (smoked pork rack in onion jus with steamed potatoes and sauerkraut).

The wine list is international, and will get even more-so when Thibault has a chance to place orders and refill the empty racks. "Alsation and Rhine wines will be big, because they are most complementary to this type of cuisine."

The beers on tap are also imported – Beck’s, Warsteiner, and Isenbeck. In the future he plans to offer Wietzen, a famous German wheat beer that is one of Thibault’s favourites.

While the Bavaria Restaurant is fine dining, don’t be surprised if Thibault greets you at the door dressed in lederhosen and a Tyrolian hat – "I got back into the restaurant business because it’s fun. It’s great to work with people all the time, to talk to the customers and smell the kitchen."

He promises that Oktoberfest will be a big deal next year, and will do his best to observe Alpine traditions – this month it’s the White Asparagus Festival.

If you don’t know where Fogata was, the Bavaria Restaurant is located on Main Street, just up the road from the 7-11. For reservations, call 932-7518.