Elijah Borrelli, General  Manager at ROAR Tofino, doesn’t consider himself a former social worker; he is still working every day to enrich lives and create safe spaces for under-represented members of society. He just happens to be doing it by managing a restaurant now.

Elijah was working as a social worker in Vancouver, working with families facing multiple barriers in the downtown east side. During the pandemic, Elijah and his wife decided to move away from the ever-increasing chaos of the city, be closer to family, and reflect on their priorities and needs as they raise their young daughter.

Once in Tofino, Eli focused his attention on learning about the local indigenous community to understand the land he calls home.  In the process of learning, Elijah attended an Annual General Meeting hosted by about the Tla-o-qui-aht Nation – on whose unceded, traditional territory Tofino is located.  There he heard a representative from Accent Inns Inc. speak about their involvement with Tribal Park Allies and immediately knew he wanted to be connected to their mission. With extensive activism AND restaurant experience, Elijah has the passion and the skills to make major changes in the community and the industry at large—and he’d found the organization to do it with.

Elijah revels in ROAR’s devotion to disrupting, dismantling and rebelling against the status quo. His feminist, anti-racist, queer-friendly and anti-capitalist leadership ideals that brought him to social work are encouraged and thriving in an organization that truly puts their people—all of their people—first. Everybody is welcome under Elijah’s leadership and he amplifies marginalized voices in ensuring our restaurant is accessible and welcoming to all folx, locals or visitors. By creating a safe, environment for his team and his guests Elijah is truly doing social “work” at ROAR Tofino.

Carl Hamilton, Bar 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 the bar—either sitting at it or working behind it—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.

At ROAR, his cocktails incorporate locally-sourced and foraged ingredients that help our guests find a sense of place on Vancouver Island. His menu serves as a guide book to Tofino and Carl is your trusty tour guide. He makes local shine by connecting folks to the unique eco-system of Vancouver Island’s incredible west coast.