Wildlight Kitchen + Bar

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Wildlight Kitchen + Bar describes itself as "a celebration of West Coast culture and cuisine," and that phrase carries real weight here. Situated within lelǝm — a master-planned community on Musqueam Nation lands, between the University Endowment Lands and Pacific Spirit Park — the restaurant occupies a warmly styled dining room anchored by an enclosed glass atrium that keeps the outdoors present year-round.

The Kitchen: Chef Tim Hui

Executive Chef Tim Hui grew up moving between worlds. His father worked as a chef in Nassau, Bahamas, where Sunday potlucks drew people from across the globe. After immigrating to Vancouver, Hui began working in kitchens at 15, eventually graduating from Vancouver Community College's Professional Culinary Program in 2011. He refined his craft at Baccano Osteria and Bistro Pastis under chef Spencer Watts — whom he credits as a pivotal mentor — and developed his leadership style during his time at Shangri-La Hotel Vancouver alongside chefs Ken Nakano, James Choi, and Alex Kim.

His cooking philosophy is direct: "I try to stay true to the flavours and foods I grew up with while exploring new approaches through classical techniques." The result is a modern, all-day menu rooted in ethically sourced, seasonal BC ingredients — the kind of Pacific Northwestern cuisine that feels both grounded and genuinely inventive.

The Wine Program

The beverage side of Wildlight is equally considered. Wine Director and Assistant General Manager Mike Cooke arrived in Vancouver from Sydney, where he built a cellar of over 600 wines at Café Sydney and trained with the Court of Master Sommeliers. At Wildlight, his focus is on British Columbia's top producers alongside carefully chosen international bottles. That commitment has earned the wine list recognition from the Vancouver International Wine Festival and, in 2024, a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence — a distinction that reflects both the depth of the list and the team's ongoing dedication to BC wine.

Bar Manager Aman Nijjar brings the same rigour to cocktails, drawing on a science background to build recipes with an emphasis on in-house components and Pacific coast-inspired flavours.

Events and Collaboration

Wildlight has built a track record of ambitious special events: winemaker's dinners with celebrated Okanagan estates like Clos du Soleil, La Stella, and Le Vieux Pin, and a World Chef Exchange dinner pairing Chef Hui's team with MICHELIN-recommended Elgin Saigon from Ho Chi Minh City. Former executive chef Warren Chow, recipient of the 2023 Vancouver MICHELIN Guide Young Chef Award, has been a key creative force in these collaborations.

The restaurant holds a MICHELIN Guide Recommended designation, and the team behind it — led by General Manager Margot Baloro, a 2016 inductee into the BCRFA Restaurant Hall of Fame — brings genuine depth to every aspect of the operation. For Pacific Northwestern dining that takes its ingredients, its wine, and its community seriously, Wildlight is a reliable address.