Stage Small Plates Wine Bar
A conversation with George and Linda Szasz of Stage
George and Linda, you consistently provide the most amazing food. What's your secret, what do you love most about cooking for your guests?
George gets credit for this one! Growing up in the restaurant business at Szasz’s in Vancouver, cooking is innate within George. Without that love, you just don’t get the results. We have always maintained that when you are serving food with this much attention and quality of ingredients put into it, you are elevated to nurturers, not just owners of a business that sells food. When guests recognize that, therein lies the reward. If they feel restored from the experience, you have done your job.
When you started to cook, did you know you would open up your own restaurant? How did your ambitions change over time?
(George) I was under a certain amount of pressure from my father who was essentially grooming me to take over Szasz’s, and resisted when that time came, questioning if it was right for me.. eventually that became clear, and with Linda having the front end experience from 7 years with John Bishop, it was just natural that we would eventually open our own. Stage is a departure from our first Victoria location, Paprika Bistro in that we wanted to have more fun, with less formality, but still offer our quality and style of food. We still make duck confit, but serve it while wearing jeans!
What a great combination! What are your personal specialties in the restaurant?
(Linda) What gets us excited and is becoming a lost art, in the new world at least, is charcuterie. The whole kitchen and sometimes front staff as well get together and take apart a whole pig or lamb. New terrines and dishes are inspired from the process, and these are ever changing on the menu. That said, we do have quite a few dishes now that are too popular to remove from the menu without disappointed customers – the duck confit of course, George’s house-made sausages, Haloumi salad, crispy fried octopus, Sooke trout etc.
You seem to care a lot about serving local produce. What kind of standards do you set for yourselves when you buy produce for your kitchen?
(Linda) We do as much buying from the island as is possible and have nurtured relationships with farmers over time. We understand how important this is in securing our food choices for the future and restaurants are able to make a big impact due to the volume involved. We are Slow Food members and although we rarely have time for the events, we do agree with the concept of growing, preparing and sharing our food at the correct pace to ensure sustainability, nutritional value and community.
So when you buy your food, do you consider yourself a member of our local food activist community?
(George) Yes, absolutely, without our local farms we would be stuck with sad choices such as factory meats – for details on those scary processes involved just read ‘Diet for a New America’.
When you pair your wine with your foods, what is the first thing you look to?
(Linda) There are many considerations, but I first think about the origin of the dish ie: for lamb, Spanish and Australian reds are the first wines I think about. With a pork sausage,
German, Hungarian or Austrian Pinot Gris. Pasta – Italian wine, red or white depending on the ingredients of the dish/sauce and the region it is from.
Do Vancouver Island wines play any role on the Stage wine list?
(Linda) We have many island wines – the whites especially can be such great value. There are a few red grapes that can ripen here, and Alderlea Vinyards even tent their reds to get juicy ripe fruit. It’s very exciting what quality is being made within an hours’ drive from the restaurant!
What do you as individuals want to be most known for?
(Linda) All of the above: As Local restaurateurs with a highly conscientious team who put a lot of time and care into providing a dining (and wining!) experience that excites and is supporting our island producers in a casual & approachable environment.
What business or restaurant mishap have you learnt the most from?
(Linda) I guess that would have been trying to bring fine dining to Smithers. Even though there are a lot of cultured people there who loved us, in a small population, Stage (with larger portions) would have been more appropriate than linen clad tables and $ 28.00 dishes.
Thank you very much for this interview. Do you have any last words before saying goodbye?
(Linda) Vancouver Island has a lot of wonderful products and chefs, servers & sommeliers who are excited to work with them. We are honoured to be a part of the food & wine community and all of the truly dedicated individuals who keep it vibrant!
Published May 6, 2010
Claire Atkin writes from Victoria B.C.
