Art Jones is a familiar figure in Gibsons Landing. As owner of the Waterfront Restaurant at 442 Marine Dr. along with his wife Narie, he has been serving up meals for over 20 years, and the diner has been noted for their breakfasts.
Last week Jones held a celebratory fundraising dinner and invited folks to sample a few new menu selections. As the full house munched on a hoisin chicken and noodle salad or enjoyed a bowl of seafood chowder with a prawn and salmon kabob, Jones made the announcement that he and Narie were withdrawing from the business, though they will still keep their home in Gibsons. They passed the torch to the enthusiastic Stephanie Clarke.
“I was just a neighbour who walked by here every day and got interested in the restaurant,” Clarke said. Her journey was nudged forward by Gibsons locals, she noted, who are looking to get out and be more social during the darker, longer, wetter days of winter. The space has so much potential, Clarke said, especially for dancing. The swing dancers who usually meet on Friday nights in Davis Bay were on hand to demonstrate their moves in the reception area.
The renamed restaurant, now the Waterfront Station Shore Kitchen, hosted the dinner sampling for free with the recommendation that diners would donate to one of three supported charities: Sunshine Coast Food Bank, Gibsons Wildlife Rehab Centre and the Mercy and Caring Children’s Home in Kenya. The restaurant has been supporting the Mercy Caring Home for some time and estimates it has raised almost $12,000 in donations over the years.
