Wickaninnish Inn Chef Clayton Fontaine Finds Serenity on the Coast

Few hotels in Canada have garnered the international acclaim of the Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino. For 30 years, The Wick (as the locals and repeat visitors call the acclaimed Relais & Château property) has captivated guests with luxurious comfort, genuine hospitality, and locally inspired cuisine amidst the rugged beauty of the surrounding Pacific Rim National Park and the landscape of Clayoquot Sound. In 2025, Condé Nast Traveller’s Readers’ Choice Awards recognized the inn as the No. 3 Best Resort in the United Sates and Canada and No. 1 within the Canadian category.

Dining at the flagship restaurant, The Pointe, is a memorable for more than just the food. The restaurant offers a sweeping coastal view in a space dominated by a soaring shiplap ceiling and ornate circular fireplace. Its sophisticated West Coast cuisine highlights local seafood, seasonal ingredients, and regional flavours. Clayton Fontaine, who  brings a decade of professional experience to his role as executive chef, is credited with elevating The Pointe’s fine-dining experience to new culinary heights.

Special events are scheduled every month this year in celebration of the 30th anniversary. A special collaborative dinner with Timothy Charles, executive chef at the Fogo Island Inn of Newfoundland, is scheduled for November.

Vacay.ca: What for you is the appeal of Vancouver Island in general and Tofino in particular?

CF: I grew up in Abbotsford, British Columbia, about 45 minutes from Vancouver. When I was young, the island seemed really cool. I moved to Victoria when I was 21. I was drawn to Tofino because so many people here have hospitality and restaurant backgrounds. Like them, I wanted to be out of the city and live in nature.

MORE CHEFS: Timothy Charles Stars on Fogo Island

Vacay.ca: Tofino is recognized for its “remarkable” food culture. What do you attribute that reputation to?

CF: There is a stronger concentration of like-minded restaurant people here than anywhere else I have worked. They are knowledgeable and enjoy what Tofino being so close to the ocean has to offer. They settle and grow the restaurant business in general. It’s a tight-knit community where we get to know the suppliers and work closely with them.

Vacay.ca: Where did your interest  in food come from?

CF: I cooked with my dad when I was young. As a teen, school wasn’t doing it for me. I couldn’t sit still. I dropped out of university to go to Northwest Culinary Academy in Vancouver, which I really enjoyed.

Vacay.ca: What was your journey from culinary school to The Wick?

CF: After culinary school, I moved about a lot – a year here, a year and a half there. In Vancouver, Victoria, and the Rockies. I helped open a new restaurant, worked in small, established places, and ended up in Toronto at Canoe. It was a huge team where I learned how to bring together a lot  of different personality styles. And I learned calmness and grace under pressure.

Vacay.ca: Have you had a mentor along the way?

CF: Not one specific mentor. Because I moved so much, I didn’t spend five years with one person. I learned something from everyone I worked under. I have good things to say about all of them.

Vacay.ca: The Wickaninnish Inn has a commitment to sustainability. How does that protocol influence your job and your cuisine?

CF: I have always worked in places that are conscious of environmental  impacts and waste and everything that goes into sustainability. Coming here was not a huge shift. It means we are more mindful. We source locally and sustainably. We practice nose-to-tail cooking and using all parts of vegetables, for example. It has always been top of mind for me.

Vacay.ca: Do you forage?

CF: We do, here and there, mostly for personal use. I love foraging and will do it if I am cooking at home. But restaurant-wise, it is not realistic for me to regularly go out personally, given all of my other responsibilities.

Vacay.ca: The Wick has been a Relais & Chateau property since 1997. How does belonging to such a prestigious hotel group  influence the food you serve?

CF: My background is with the style of food we do here. I have always been comfortable with it. Having guests who are willing to pay for a sense of luxury allows us, as a team, to work with premium products and gives us more freedom to grow. The people who come here generally know what they are getting into.

Vacay.ca: How would you describe the culture in your kitchen?

CF: It’s a place I want people to be themselves — to take some risks, to make mistakes and learn from them. As far as ideas for a dish or service or organization, it’s quite collaborative. I love brainstorming and working through ideas. I have seen the culture shift over the years. In a good way.

Vacay.ca: How would you describe The Pointe?

CF: It’s a unique room with tall ceilings, exposed timber beams, warm cedar finishes, and natural stone accents. But thanks to 240 degrees of floor-to-ceiling windows, the first thing you see is the ocean. You feel you are dining over the rocks and the waves. It’s beautiful.

Vacay.ca: Thinking about your time here, what are you most proud of accomplishing?

CF: I think being able to showcase this small corner of the west coast of Canada and hone in on what we have around us. And to push that ethos forward for new cooks coming into the kitchen, whether they are young cooks or cooks coming from different countries.

Vacay.ca: Your bio says wellness is a passion. What do you most like to do to maintain good health?

CF: I go to the gym most mornings. I like to spend a lot of  time outside, being active. I used to play football and rugby, but I have kept up weight training. I try to be conscious of what I am doing and making healthy food choices.

Vacay.ca: Is food an important consideration when you travel?

CF: Yes. Always. In the past two-and-a-half years, I have been to England, Scotland, and Ecuador, and I spent a lot of time in Quebec, where food is such an attraction.

Vacay.ca: What other parts of Canada would you most like to visit?

CF: I would really like to visit the east coast — Newfoundland and the Maritimes.