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Local Restaurant Owner Wins Province-Wide Recognition
Smoken Bones Cookshack Chef Named BC’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Langford, May 7, 2008 – The BC Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that Ken Hueston, owner and chef of Smoken Bones Cookshack in Langford, is 2008’s BC Chamber Young Entrepreneur of the Year. From a stiff competition of truly excellent entrepreneurs under 40, judged on business excellence, leadership and entrepreneurial skills, and the vision that leads to their success, Hueston was a standout nominee.
“We are delighted to be recognizing Mr. Hueston’s success with this award,” says John Winter, President and CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce. “It is rare to see an entrepreneurial spirit taken to this level.”
Ken Hueston’s level of commitment to his vision reaches the heights of education, support of local businesses, and environmental sustainability. In his kitchen are apprentice chefs, training for their Red Seal. On his tables are dishes made from all natural ingredients, which travel from no further than the mainland. His patrons are there for the exceptional fare and the reasonable prices. They are repeat customers.These aren’t just business practices for Hueston, they’re philosophies.
“If you’re not educating people, you’re not offering them anything. Education is motivation – for the staff and for the customers,” he says. “The food is from our own backyard, and the people preparing it love what they’re doing. It all shows. That’s when it becomes more than a restaurant. It becomes an example and a role model as a business.”
A role model is something that Hueston strives to be, even beyond his own establishment. As the President of the Island Chef’s Collaborative, he leads the food sustainability movement on Vancouver Island.
“When I heard that I was going to be receiving this award, my first thought was ‘Good,’” he says. “Good for the restaurant, good for the community, good for the environment, and good for what I’m trying to stand for. The real benefit in my getting recognition like this is that the sustainability message is getting attention.”
Hueston will travel to Whistler at the end of May to accept his award at the BC Chamber of Commerce 56th Annual General Meeting and Conference.
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For more information contact:
Alexis Hoy
Communications Coordinator
BC Chamber of Commerce
D 604.638.8114
E ahoy@bcchamber.org