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In a town—and hospitality scene—built for tourists, Karen Roland has built a reputation for taking care of locals.
But she doesn’t take all the credit.
She attributes it to the legacy Ron “Hoz” Hosner started when the pub owner opened up shop in 1988 in the Creekside space where Roland’s and Red Door Bistro now operate.
Nestled between Nita Lake Lodge and the Co-op gas station on the west side of Highway 99, “You’re nowhere near the mountains, you’re nowhere near the Village Stroll, so you don’t have [pedestrian] traffic walking by you constantly,” Roland explained. “You have to get the loyalty of the locals.”
Roland started working for Hoz as a host in 1993, eventually working her way up to serving, supervising and bookkeeping before taking over the entire operation in 2008. Her brother, Mike, took charge of Roland’s Beer and Wine Store, and is still responsible for everything from staffing and inventory to orders and accounting.
“It was a once-in-a lifetime opportunity, and I’d been working there for 14-and-a-half years, so I knew the good, the bad, and the ugly of the place,” she recalled. “I thought I could take it over and improve on it.”
That reputation is now being recognized by her peers across the province. Roland and her brother are among the 2023 BC Restaurant Hall of Fame inductees in the “Local Champion” category, the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association (BCRFA) announced on June 27.
It might seem like an obvious accolade for a business owner known for baking hundreds of shortbread cookies and butter tarts for her regulars every Christmas, but the honour “was completely unexpected,” Roland said. “[We’re] pretty happy, a little blown away, because there’s a lot of great restaurants in Whistler that could take that title. It’s very, very humbling, and we’re all very excited—very proud.”
While Roland’s is generally regarded as a welcoming place south of the village to grab a beer, some pub food, watch the game and throw a few darts—or, pick up a bottle of wine or a six-pack long after BC Liquor shuts for the day—the fine-dining eatery next door has maintained its status as the hottest reservation in town since it opened nearly a decade ago.
The quaint-but-bustling, 36-seat Red Door Bistro routinely fills up promptly after opening its reservation books three months ahead of time. That’s how long Roland recommends diners book in advance in order to snag their preferred date and time, though she encourages any locals looking to experience celebrated chef RD Stewart’s West Coast-take on French cuisine to seek out a midweek reservation during shoulder season.
The eatery will celebrate a milestone anniversary in December, 10 years after opening its kitchen with Stewart at its helm and restaurant manager Sarah Chapple running front-of-house operations.
“When I initially met with RD, he asked me, ‘What kind of concept, what kind of menu are you thinking?’ and I said, ‘Whatever you want. You are the chef and one of the best,’” Roland recalled.
“I feel very, very fortunate that he agreed to create a new concept in that space,” she added. “He deserves just as much of the credit for creating the Red Door as I do, if not more.”
In speaking with Roland, it’s obvious the pub, liquor store and bistro is a family business in every sense of the word. Not only because Roland “won the family lottery,” she said—she, her mom, dad and brother make up a close-knit family unit that “always gets through [any challenges] because we have each other to support each other,” she explained—but because that support extends to the atmosphere Roland and Stewart aim to cultivate within their team.
“You can’t do it by yourself,” Roland acknowledged. “You can’t just work for yourself and not have help from others, so I absolutely encourage that whole team and family vibe. If you’re willing to support your family, then things will go really well—if I’m not willing to do it, I shouldn’t expect my staff to be willing to do it.”
Roland, her brother and their 23 fellow inductees this year join other esteemed Whistler restaurateurs already listed among B.C.’s Hall of Fame ranks, including Bearfoot Bistro’s Andre St. Jacques; Jack Evrensel of Araxi and Top Table Restaurant Group, and Il Caminetto founder Umberto Menghi. The Rolands will officially receive the honour at the 19th Annual BC Restaurant Hall of Fame’s induction ceremony, set to take place in October at the Italian Cultural Centre in Vancouver. The event marks the ceremony’s return after a pandemic-induced hiatus.
