Something for everyone at Woodfire

Where can you get gourmet food prepared by a chef trained in French classical cooking, who’s created meals for the likes of Boris Yeltsin, Bill Clinton, and Sarah McLachlan? On Gabriola, of course, at Woodfire Pizza & Grill Chris Hooton has thirty years of experience under his chef’s hat and if you’ve tasted his pizzas, pastas or delectable specials, you’ll be thankful he’s brought that experience to Gabriola.

Left photo: The pomegranete martini, served up with lemon zest, has proven to be one of the popular drinks at Woodfire.(Derek Kilbourn photo)
He and his wife Sharon, who skillfully manages the front-of-house-operations, own and operate Woodfire and their goal is to create a cozy, welcoming environment where they can serve fresh, seasonal dishes, using the best quality ingredients.
If the flavours that melt in your mouth when you taste a Woodfire meal are anything to go by, it’s obvious Chris has learned a lot during his 30 years in the preparing-unforgettable-meals biz. I ordered the Sandwell pizza with ingredients you wouldn’t find in just any ol’ pizza joint: prawns, spinach, smoked bacon, baby mozzarella, and herb lemon butter atop a crispy crust cooked to perfection in the woodfired oven. My dinner companion opted for one of the main entrees – a mouth-watering meal of slow-roasted ribs with a homemade Bourbon barbecue sauce, woodfired vegetables and seriously chunky fries.
The best Woodfire meal I’ve had though, wasn’t actually at the restaurant.
I was fortunate enough to attend a birthday party catered by Woodfire. The guest of honour had requested Chinese food and after digging into stir-fried strip sirloin in a soy and ginger glaze, a sumptuous sweet and sour pork dish, flavourful chow mein noodles and a spicy prawn dish, everyone agreed it was the best Chinese food they’d ever had.
The Hootons can cater for any occasion and at reasonable prices. They’ll fix sandwiches for fishing trips, cook pasta for an easy mid-week dinner, whip up pizzas for a party, or design a four-course menu for a wedding. They simply want to support islanders in whatever way they can as they love working in their community. Judging from the steady stream of hungry guests coming in to the restaurant, the community is lovin’ them, too. Right photo: White chocolate and vanilla pannacotta. (Derek Kilbourn photo)

Did you know...
…Woodfire now has an Early Bird menu between 4pm-5pm: $16 for two courses including tea or coffee.

…there are gluten-free versions of most of the pizzas and pastas.

…on Thursday dinner is accompanied by live music courtesy of Amber Handley and Brad Shipley.