For Gina, every plate begins with flavour. While presentation matters, it is never at the expense of taste. Her approach is rooted in balance, where creativity, technique, and the natural beauty of ingredients come together to create an experience that feels both thoughtful and deeply satisfying. It’s this harmony between artistry and flavour that defines her cooking and leaves a lasting impression on guests.

Working on the West Coast has opened up an exciting world of ingredients for Gina. Tofino’s coastal landscape offers endless inspiration, from local produce to ocean-grown elements that reflect the region itself. Through close relationships with small island farms and producers, she finds joy in experimenting with combinations that celebrate place, season, and sustainability.

A key part of this connection comes through the Tofino Ucluelet Culinary Guild, a non-profit organization that brings chefs together with local harvesters and producers. Through the Guild, Gina works with unique ingredients such as kelp, sea beans, and sea asparagus — while also giving back to the community by supporting the people and industries behind them. It’s a full-circle approach to cooking that honours both land and sea.

What Gina loves most, however, is her team. Collaboration, shared creativity, and watching others grow in their craft are at the heart of what makes her work meaningful. The kitchen, for her, is as much about connection as it is about cuisine.

Her love of food began at home. Gina credits her mother as her earliest and most influential teacher; someone who showed her how to balance creativity with tradition, and how following a recipe can be just as powerful as reinventing one. The dishes her mother cooked remain the most memorable flavours of her life, especially Cochinita Pibil, a traditional dish rooted in pre-Hispanic gastronomy. Simple in composition but rich in meaning, it embodies the care, patience, and love that continue to inspire Gina’s cooking today.

Despite her talent for desserts, Gina is unapologetically a savoury person at heart. Given the choice, she’ll always gravitate toward bold, comforting dishes, whether that’s a beautifully executed burger, crispy chicken wings, or something as indulgent as foie gras. Desserts are reserved for moments of true curiosity or admiration… though she admits that after a long day, even a chef can appreciate the simple joy of store-bought ice cream.

Through flavour, collaboration, and a deep respect for place, Gina brings her story and her passion to every dish she creates.