Harry Kambolis

Expertly guided by executive chef Robert Clark and proprietor Harry Kambolis, Vancouver's celebrated C Restaurant was known for its innovative approach to seafood. 

Robert Clark began cooking at a young age in his grandmother's kitchen. As a child he was an avid angler and forager along the York River near his home on the Gaspe Peninsula, which he credits for his later interest in fresh seafood, and searching out the best ingredients. At 18, he began his formal culinary training at Toronto's George Brown College, which led him to apprentice and work with some of Canada's best known chefs including Jamie Kennedy, Nigel Shute and Michael Bonaccini.

Returning from a trip to Asia, Robert and his wife stopped in Vancouver and fell in love with the city.  They helped to open the celebrated Star Anise Restaurant and decided to make Vancouver their home.

Meanwhile, Harry Kambolis was making his name in the Vancouver restaurant world. At the age of 22, he abandoned his studies in biology to pursue his dream of opening a restaurant.  His first venture was The Raincity Grill, one of the first restaurants in Vancouver to focus on using local ingredients.  Often credited with helping to define Pacific Northwest Cuisine, The Raincity Grill has received local, national and international praise. 

In 1997 Harry decided to turn his attention to seafood. Drawing on the success of The Raincity Grill, Harry wanted his new restaurant to focus on local ingredients, but also to consider the sustainability of its resources.  He called his concept "21st Century Responsible" and went about shaping his business to be a flagship for other restaurants in the industry to follow. 

The partnership between Harry and Robert pushed C restaurant to the forefront of Canada's restaurant scene. It has been featured in the book 1000 Places to See Before You Die and was named one of the 100 Best Seafood Restaurants in the World by the Tampa Travel Examiner.  Remaining true to its founding principles, C restaurant was the founding partner in the Ocean Wise Program and only used sustainable, ocean-friendly seafood.