Carl Hamilton - Restaurant Manager
Carl Hamilton, Restaurant Manager at ROAR Tofino made his home in the food and beverage industry because of the wonderful chaos that defines it. He loves the spontaneity, the on-the-fly, real-world problem solving, and the people. Misfits are drawn to bars and restaurants and Carl loves the sense of family and intimacy this environment creates.
Originally from Australia, Carl got his start behind the bar in Toronto on a working holiday, and fell in love with the craft. He spent several years learning as much as he could in the bars of Toronto, before moving to Melbourne and heading up the bar program at the Adelphi Hotel.
On a vacation to Vietnam, Carl and his wife decided to seize the day—and the bounty of fresh tropical fruits—by opening a 50-seat tiki bar in Hanoi. The Tay Ho Tiki Company was a huge success, and it taught him a lot about how western restaurant culture falls short. In Vietnam, family trumps every other type of responsibility. Carl was inspired by the flexibility this value created in his workplace, and determined to bring this culture with him when he left Vietnam. A reckoning is happening in the food and beverage industry and Carl sees himself as a vanguard of revitalizing how people treat each other and themselves within the restaurant scene.
He joined ROAR as Bar Manager and developed a beautiful beverage menu that incorporates locally-sourced and foraged ingredients that help our guests find a sense of place on Vancouver Island. In 2024, he continued his ROAR journey by becoming our Restaurant Manager, but he considers himself a tour guide, creating experiences within the restaurant that connect folks to the unique eco-system of Vancouver Island’s incredible west coast.
Jamie Robb - Sous Chef
Saskatchewan-born Sous Chef Jamie Robb knew he wanted to be a Chef since his first job: the salad station of a truck stop in Moose Jaw at fifteen years old. A few years—and a few kitchen jobs—later, Jamie graduated with honours from the Culinary Arts and the Pastry Arts programs at the Culinary Institute of Canada in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
Jamie’s skills have taken him across Canada: cooking in competitions as part of Team PEI, and cooking in restaurants around the Maritimes and the Prairies. After a visit to Tofino in 2021, Jamie knew he’d found his next home. He joined ROAR as a combination Sous Chef and Pastry Chef in 2022, where he’s made meaningful contributions to the menu, the culture and the bakery case.
Outside of the kitchen, you’ll find Jamie surfing, hiking, camping, snowboard or curling. It should also come as no surprise that this Saskatchewan boy is a diehard Roughriders fan.
Kenton Gretzinger - Sous Chef
Kenton Gretzinger is an exceptional chef because he pays attention to every detail of the culinary experience. It’s Kenton’s keen eye for detail, along with his efficient kitchen skills, undeniable passion for delicious food and natural inclination for leading with love that took him from an expo line cook in Lethbridge, Alberta to a Sous Chef in ROAR in just under a decade in the industry.
He learned this meticulous, detail-oriented approach from his love for chess and his lifelong passion for music. Kenton plays bass and guitar, and taught himself the cello during the pandemic!
Kenton arrived in ROAR as our Chef de partie in March 2023 after holding the same position at a local Tofino favourite: 1909 Kitchen. At ROAR, he quickly progressed through every station while living our values. Working a line and leading with love can be tricky to accomplish at the same time, but Kenton’s calm, diligent and kind demeanor makes him a natural leader in our kitchen. Kenton moved into the Sous Chef position after just six months of dazzling us with his positivity and always-popular feature meals!
Matt Brear - Resort Manager
Matt Brear, Resort Manager at Hotel Zed Tofino and ROAR, is a relentless optimist. With over 20 years of management experience in hotels, restaurants, pubs, and resorts across the world, Matt is still head-over-heels in love with the hospitality business and he’s got the show-stopping smile to prove it.
After conquering luxury hotels and the food and beverage industry in BC, Matt took his talents abroad with the Oak Bay Marine Group, settling in the Cape Santa Maria Beach Resort & Villas in the Bahamas for almost seven years. Here, he oversaw 70 staff members, 40 luxury rooms (including a renovation!) and 120 seats of food and beverage. Before landing in the Bahamas, Matt’s career with the Oak Bay Marine Group took him to the Canadian Princess Fishing Lodge and Marine Activities in Ucluelet and the Marina Restaurant in Victoria. He’s really a Vancouver Island guy at heart.
Matt is the youngest of eight kids and the very proud uncle to seventeen amazing humans! He is excited to be back on Vancouver Island, especially in Tofino where he can jog Chesterman’s Beach. During the rainiest season (which he insists he loves!), he does daydream of conch chowder in the Bahamas, but his home and his heart is with his team of rebels at Hotel Zed and ROAR.
