One of the Comox Valley鈥檚 favourite causal dining destinations is about to get even better 鈥� more creative, more local and a lot more diverse.

Chad鈥檚 West Coast Grill & Bar opened its doors Wednesday at the corner of 29th Street and Kilpatrick in Courtenay 鈥� the same spot local restaurateur Chad Huff has operated since 2010 under the banner of a major international casual dining franchise.

鈥淪erving the Comox Valley as a franchisee has been an overwhelmingly positive experience, and yet my wife Julie and I are incredibly excited to be launching a destination that鈥檚 truly reflective of our community,鈥� Huff said. 鈥淎s a franchisee, there were always restrictions on what we could do. We wanted to introduce more locally inspired fare to our menu, and more items that are in line with the healthy, West Coast lifestyle."

To help adapt a menu to reflect local tastes, Huff has brought in world-class executive chef Jamie McMath, formerly of the Chateau Jasper Hotel in Alberta. McMath has created a diverse menu that offers West Coast flavours like steaming mussels, Asian-inspired lettuce wraps and succulent striploin steaks while still honoring the favourites.

鈥淭hose who have gotten to know us through our old brand will still find a lot of the things that made them love us in the first place,鈥� says Huff. 鈥淏ut a whole new range of fresh, healthful items like salads, locally inspired pasta dishes and seafood are going to appeal to a new slice of the Comox Valley dining public.鈥�

The Huffs and their staff began training Monday behind closed doors with the new menu, re-invigorating the d茅cor and preparing for Wednesday鈥檚 launch. Berlyann Perrier will continue as general manager.