Dancing with Fire
Victoria’s fine dining scene has a fresh new addition with the opening of Janevca Kitchen and Lounge in Esquimalt. Housed in the historic Rosemead House, a 1906 landmark formerly known as the Old English Inn, Janevca promises to bring a unique culinary experience to the Island. At the helm is Vancouver chef Andrea Alridge, whose passion for open-fire cooking and wealth of experience—including nearly a decade at CinCin Ristorante, a head chef position at Osteria Savio Volpe and a "Top Chef Canada" finalist spot—makes her a perfect fit for this new venture.
Alridge's culinary journey started in Richmond where she was raised in a vibrant home with a Filipino mother and a Jamaican father. “Growing up in a very mixed culture household was a blessing in disguise,” she says. “Family meals were very much at the heart of everything we did.” She recalls fond memories of her Filipino grandmother picking up her siblings and cousins from school. If they wanted a snack, they all had to help out. “She could be ruthless, but in the best way,” Alridge laughs. “She was very big on spices and the perfection of cuts. There were some hard days, but she taught us so much and I’m very grateful for everything that she brought to the table.”
During elementary school, a family move to Jamaica profoundly impacted Alridge’s culinary path. Supermarkets were scarce, so sourcing ingredients from local farms and neighbors was essential. This experience mirrors her current culinary philosophy of using fresh, local ingredients. She fondly remembers visiting a nearby farm to pick out a goat, learning to slaughter it from her father and uncle, and preparing it with her grandmother for a curry over an open fire. “Her curried goat was still the best thing I’ve ever had in my life,” she says. “I still talk about it endlessly. I dream about it. I’m forever trying to replicate it, but I can’t nail it."
After two years in Jamaica, Alridge returned to Vancouver and started her professional cooking journey at the Cactus Club. Hating the experience at first, her sister encouraged her to push through, and she eventually enrolled at Vancouver Community College's culinary program. While studying, she began working full-time at Rain City Grill, the home of the hundred-mile menu. “That really broadened my horizons,” she says. “Working with Jennifer Peters as my head chef, she taught me what it means to work with local suppliers and farmers throughout the city. She really pushed me for the better.”
Alridge then moved on to CinCin Ristorante, where she discovered her passion for open-fire cooking and spent nearly a decade honing her skills. “Cooking with fire really taught me a lot really quickly. It was a trial by fire,” she says. “The first few months of learning to cook with fire are really enthralling. When the lightbulb goes off, it’s such a beautiful moment. There are so many dynamics to cooking with fire. It takes a lot of energy, focus and attention just to feed the fire. Let alone cook with it. Once you can balance that act of dancing with the fire, you can really hone in on all the heat temperatures and applications for cooking proteins or vegetables, or even baking and doing dessert applications. That’s what drew me in more than anything – seeing how much can be done with such an archaic form of cooking.”
After leaving CinCin, Alridge competed in "Top Chef Canada" (Season 9), finishing in the top four before becoming the head chef at Osteria Savio Volpe. Now, at Janevca Kitchen and Lounge, she’s ready to bring her unique culinary style to Victoria. Although Janevca hadn’t officially opened at the time of this interview, the space promises to be something special. The dining room exudes warmth, blending modern touches with the charm of the 1906 building. The original post-and-beam architecture, leaded-glass windows and restored brickwork are complemented by a stunning replica Japanese maple tree, its vibrant foliage stretching across the ceiling. The open kitchen and wood-fired pizza oven in the lounge put Alridge’s signature cooking style on display.
The menu at Janevca will change with the seasons and draw from Alridge’s Filipino and Jamaican heritage, as well as her professional experience in Italian cuisine, and her signature wood fire technique. “For most of my culinary career I’ve cooked Italian food, but every ounce of me has tried to trickle in bits of Filipino and Jamaican elements,” says Alridge. “My style is very eclectic. It’s a bit of a melting pot. It’s a culmination of my culture, my heritage, and a little bit of my experience cooking Italian.” Alridge is particularly excited about a pork chop dish featuring fresh lima beans and finished with Pickapeppa sauce, a Jamaican favorite from her childhood. Dessert will be crafted by Brian Bradley, formerly of Tombo Eats and Fol Epi, with a signature dish paying homage to the Garry oak trees surrounding the property.
As Janevca Kitchen and Lounge celebrates their first few months open, Alridge’s journey comes full circle. Blending her Filipino and Jamaican roots with the skills honed over years of open-fire and Italian cooking, she credits much of her success to the lessons learned from her grandmothers. “A lot of the influence from both my grandmothers played a huge role in my becoming a chef,” she says. With Janevca’s fires burning bright, Victoria’s dining scene can look forward to the distinct warmth, energy and authenticity that Andrea Alridge brings to the table.
