by Claudia Kwan
FoodConnect Vancouver
claudia@foodconnect.com

As first reported by CityFood and Urban Diner, Vancouver's Aurora Bistro has closed its doors after five years in operation.

You'll find a number of people raving online about chef/owner Jeff Van Geest's innovative cuisine, commitment to organic and sustainable food sources, and his daring in setting up shop on a then-not particularly travelled stretch of Main Street, so I don't need to repeat much here, except to say it's all true.

Others may point to a ripple effect emanating from the current world financial crisis as the reason for the closure, but without an indepth look at the financial underpinnings of Aurora's structure, it's impossible to say if that's the case.

It got great press from day one. The food and service were consistently good (hence the positive reviews), and I always liked the funky vibe in the 'hood. So what went wrong? Do Vancouver diners prefer the tried tested and true aspects of casual fine dining chains like Earls, Milestone's, and Cactus Club, rather than spending an extra $5-10 per entree on local sustainable creative food in an off the beaten path location?

If that's true, Aurora's failure is more a reflection of the dining public in Vancouver's lack of capacity to appreciate good food than anything to do with the restaurant itself. If you want to be successful, you have to give the people what they want. For whatever reason, Aurora wasn't it.

I have no doubt a chef of Jeff's caliber will end up on his feet somewhere. I just hope the next location is in Vancouver. It would be easy for another more cosmopolitan city to snag some of our talent and show the regard that's truly deserved.