Chef Welbert Choi is quietly driven. Everything he does is steeped in his innate creativity. As a Chef, he brings a humble, but generous spirit to everything he cooks. His main motivation as a Chef is to have his food be a part of memorable moments.

Welbert was born in Hong Kong. He and his family moved to North Burnaby during his teenage years. He trained at Dubrulle Culinary Institute. His resume includes catering at the Hilton Burnaby, working in the kitchen at Opus’s former restaurant Elixir, and he helped open Forage in 2012 as Pastry Chef. After 2 years, he was given the title of Forage’s Chef de Cuisine. He has run daily operations in the Forage kitchen since that time. Now he is the Executive Chef of Forage, Timber, and Forage Catering.

Fostering the menu at Forage has deepened his relationships with local producers. He believes that it is the responsibility of all Vancouver chefs to help build long term farming, fishing and foraging legacies in BC for generations to come by working closely with local producers.

Food for him should bring people and families together, build communities, and be a flavourful part of gatherings and celebrations. He chooses his ingredients with respect, considers the environmental impact of what he brings into the kitchen, and approaches food in a way that celebrates the whole ingredient.