Jorge Alberto Kim brings a firsthand knowledge of South American cuisine and an honest appreciation for seafood-focused fare to his new role as Chef de Cuisine at Ancora Waterfront Dining and Patio's Ambleside outpost in West Vancouver.

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Born in Argentina, Jorge spent his formative years in the kitchen with his Korean mother soaking up tips and techniques and learning how to prepare traditional Asian dishes with a decidedly South American flavour. Before embarking on his culinary career, Jorge developed a keen eye for the fresh catch by grading and packaging seafood for several local suppliers, filleting halibut at a cannery, and taking to the high seas to work as a deckhand on a spot prawn trawler and a skipper on a Dungeness crab boat.

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While Jorge initially started out in the restaurant industry as a server at Vancouver's Sushi Yama, the restaurant owner soon realized his talents were better put to use in the kitchen and trained him in the time-honoured art of sushi preparation. Three years later, Jorge was working under Yoshi Tabo - one of Western Canada's most renowned cut-men and sushi chefs - at Blue Water Café.

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Jorge continued his journey by joining Ancora False Creek's opening crew in 2015, where his culinary talent and flair was quickly recognized and he continued climbing the back-of-house ladder. Jorge's passion and dedication to craft earned him the role of Chef of Cuisine when Ancora opened its second location in Ambleside in 2018.

Sephora Jade Janz is Montreal born, now proud West-Coaster. She was initially motivated by family to make the move but since then developed a deep love for B.C. culture and culinary. Making her first moves in the industry at just 16 years old, Sephora was a hostess at Cravings Café in South Vancouver. Along with her experience as a Bartender and Restaurant Manager at Glowbal Restaurant Group and Hook Seabar experience as an Assistant General Manager.

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For 7 years, she worked at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel as a server, trainer, bar tender and supervisor. The Fairmont was the starting point into her journey as a Sommelier. She was on the opening crew for Botanist as a Champagne Bartender for a year. Sephora's passion for hospitality is strongly present each day she shows up for her team.

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With her Level 3 WSET Sommelier certification amongst other notable hospitality certified trainer and service excellence awards, Sephora is highly skilled and cut-out perfectly for her position with Ancora. The high quality of food and beverage service Ancora offers is one of Sephora’s top prides in the company.

Korean born; Simon Kim gained the opportunity to immigrate to Vancouver after graduating from University. He sought a better life and more inspiring life opportunities - such arised in 2017 when he started his career as a Line Cook at Pinnacle hotel in North Vancouver. In 2018, he became a Line Cook at Salmon House in West Vancouver to further his occupation. In 2019, he held positions at Haru Korean Restaurant as the Main Cook and was at Ancora Ambleside for some time as Chef de Partie. In 2020, he worked as Kitchen Head Cook at Yugo Japanese Restaurant and currently finds himself back at Ancora Ambleside since 2021 as Senior Sous Chef.

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He believes his gift in sense of taste and enjoying reviewing restaurant experiences for his friends helps him greatly in his career. He finds joy and drive for his career by discussing new menus and ingredients with his staff. He's inspired by maintaining hygiene standards by assisting the Executive Chef to keep a tidy and healthy working environment.

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Simon holds pride from achieving his 2016 VCC Asian Culinary Arts - Highest Performing Student Award and although he may have started his career later than some of his peers, he holds high passion which has proven to excel him quickly in life. One notable moment Simon Kim looks back on fondly is experiencing a group ordering the same dish three times during their meal after a new menu launch.

Katie grew up in scenic Montana for a majority of her life where she developed her passion for art and photography. She continued on to her first round of higher education in Wyoming, where she studied photography and communications. In her down time, she found her first ever restaurant job working at a small Wyoming breakfast diner, which would spark her on-going love of the hospitality industry. Fast forward three years and various bar and restaurant jobs later, she decided to move to Vancouver to continue her arts degree at Emily Carr University.

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Vancouver is where Katie fell in love with cocktails and learning more about all things bar and mixology. She worked in pubs mostly while finishing her degree and quickly realized she had so much more passion for hospitality than continuing on with photography, so she switched gears and got her hands on any cocktail book she could get her hands on. She worked as the head bartender of cocktail bar, Barra 41, for three years under an award winning bar manager, where she gained countless hours of experience and education. She continued on as the bar manager of Papi's Oyster Bar, before she found her home at Ancora Ambleside.

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Katie is most excited about creating a memorable and personalized experience for all her guests, and watching someone take the first sip out of a cocktail that she created is the highlight of every day. The creativity and passion that goes into the bar program at Ancora is fueled by her neverending desire to keep learning and growing. In her downtime, you can find Katie sipping on a daiquiri and watching stand up comedy.