Located at the entrance to Granville Island, Blue Hat Bakery Café at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts (PICAchef) is situated at the perfect location to enjoy a serene marina-view while enjoying scrumptious pastries.

For those unfamiliar with PICAchef, it is Vancouver’s leading culinary center offering cooking classes, cake decorating classes, and diplomas in baking and pastry art.

The café is nestled right under the bridge and next to PICAchef had recently undergone sleek and elegant updates to modernize the look and feel of the seating area, opening up more room for guests to comfortably sit by the window to overlook the boats moored at the dock. Locals and tourists alike are part of this bustling scene, heading to and from Granville Island for the local marketplace filled with artisanal goods and fresh groceries.

Guests can expect to be treated to a delightful classic French Viennoiserie and baked goods items expertly prepared by talented chef-instructors and alumni of PICAchef. Some of the staples on the menu includes classics like butter croissants, Gruyére croissants, Double Baked Almond croissants, and fruity or sweet danishes. For those who opt to enjoy gluten-free sweets, the Carrot Cake is moist and delicious. With so many tasty choices, you would be hard-pressed to indulge in just one. While waiting to pay at the counter, you will also notice a collection of local jams from East Van Jam, packaged chocolates, and caramels handpicked by PICAchef co-owner Sylvia Potvin.

The café interiors are designed to offer distinct spaces to cater to the differing moods of its guests. Choose from the elegant dining space featuring a beautiful floral centrepiece with dark teal walls and a view of the marina, or settle in at one of the tables in the brightly-lit, sunny interiors with a view of the pastry chefs hard at work. Outside, there is a licensed patio where guests can enjoy food and drink while taking in the bustling vibe of Granville Island under the twinkle of string lights overhead.

With Blue Hat Bakery Café’s re-opening in late June, the café has unveiled a revamped menu of house-made baked goods and café fare by its award-winning culinary team.

French-trained and long-time faculty member, Christian Lai Chun - Lead Pastry Chef, honed his skills in respected pâtisseries in Paris and Lyons, and in luxury hotel and resorts like the Taj and Ritz Carlton in Mauritius and Toronto respectively. Chef Christian most recently represented PICAchef as one of two Canadian pastry chefs to participate in the Final Six in the North American Valhrona C3 Chocolate Competition in New York.

Johannesburg raised and trained, Chef Natasha Norton, was a veteran pastry chef with Four Seasons resorts in her native South Africa and in Whistler before joining PICAchef. In February 2020, Chef Natasha was key member of Culinary Team BC that captured the Silver medal for Best Community Catering at the IKA Culinary Olympics in Stuttgart, Germany.

Parisian native and educated, Chef Julien Salomoni, who joined the PICAchef team in 2019, was previously the pastry chef at Au Comptoir, where he helped the Kitsilano French bistro win the Silver Award in the coveted 'Best Dessert' category at the 2019 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards. Chef Julien's previous experience includes being a key member of the launch team for the luxury tea emporium TWG in Singapore and Vancouver as well as in pâtisserie-cafés and restaurants in his hometown of Paris, France.

With such a wealth of experience supporting upcoming students and alumni, one can expect only the best from both the classic and innovative items at Blue Hat Bakery Café. Each of the many seasonal and staple artisanal pastries and baked goods serves up a medley of delightful flavours. From the creamy Ella raspberry and white chocolate mousse to the satisfying layers of sweetness in the Mille Feuille, every cake highlights the talent of PICAchef’s team and alumni.

In addition to the expansive sweets selection, Blue Hat Bakery-Café will also offer a convenient selection of fresh and frozen 'Grab & Go' prepared meals to make meal prep at the end of a work day quick and easy. To make your grocery run as efficient as possible, the team has also curated a selection of must-have groceries and pantry items. The on-site shop stocks an array of basics and epicurean provisions including milk, butter, eggs, fruit and vegetables, pasta, sauces, oils, dry goods and more.

With the newly-revamped space and enticing new menus for its pastries, bistro meals, and grab-and-go options, now is the perfect time to rediscover this Granville Island mainstay.

Visit

Blue Hat Bakery Café

(604) 734-4488

1505 W 2nd Ave #101, Vancouver, BC