Under the pioneering farm-to-table ethos of its previous owners, Sinclair and Frederique Philip, Sooke Harbour House became the stomping grounds for A-list celebs and chefs alike. Now, after a four-year renovation, the legendary 28-room inn and its 64-seat dining room have been reimagined, with chef Melissa Craig and André Saint-Jacques as operating partners.

For Craig, the reopening marks a return to her roots: At 18, the island-born chef started her first apprenticeship here, and 10 years later was named the country’s top chef at the prestigious Canadian Culinary Championships. As she readies the kitchen for its new era, she fondly recalls the restaurant’s golden years. “Everyone came here to train: chefs Michael Stadtländer, James Walt, David McMillan, Peter Zambri, Edward Tuson. So, I want to make this a training ground again,” she says.

West Coast ingredients have pride of place on Craig’s Chef’s Tasting Menu, which features seaweed that she forages by the beach, along with fresh Dungeness crab, spot prawns, wild salmon and farm produce she has delivered to her kitchen door from local providers. Breakfast and casual fare will be served in the cozy Harbour House Lounge, while a new sprawling seaside terrace and massive wine cellar (with space for 20,000 bottles and 45 diners) accommodates Saint-Jacques’ penchant for sabering champagne and hosting lavish events.

It’s a new chapter for this accomplished chef and her partner – one that promises to revitalize a delicious destination.