Team

ROBBIE KANE | Owner

It’s been Robbie Kane’s deft touch and dedication to extending “enlightened hospitality” to each and every guest that comes through his doors that has helped make Café Medina a beloved Vancouver brunch institution since it first opened in 2008.

Originally a photographer and location manager/producer in the film industry in Toronto, Robbie travelled extensively before settling in Vancouver in 2003 and joining the front-of-house team at Chambar. It was Robbie’s single-minded commitment to being a consummate host that held him in good stead when he launched Café Medina and quickly established the quaint café as a hotspot for Vancouverites and visitors alike due to its eclectic, Mediterranean-inspired cuisine and inviting, bistro-style atmosphere. In a serendipitous, full-circle twist of fate, it was here where Kane met his future wife, Medina, who was drawn to the eponymous café.

Robbie isn’t just interested in serving a meal at Café Medina. He and his staff pride themselves on “feeding the soul of each one of his guests by providing them with sustenance in every way, shape and form” — through exemplary service, old-world charm and Kane’s pioneering attitude towards café culture.

DENIZ TARAKCIOGLU | Chef  

Chef Deniz Tarakcioglu is both an old hand and familiar face when it comes to the Café Medina kitchen.  

Deniz served two separate stints at the original Café Medina on Beatty Street, both as a first cook in 2009 and then a sous chef in 2012, before rejoining the fold as chef de cuisine at the restaurant’s new home at 780 Richards Street in 2015.  

Born and raised in Northern Turkey, Deniz grew up in the warm embrace of a family of cooks and spent most of his childhood in the kitchen and around the table, where he quickly learned to appreciate and master the same hearty, rustic and Mediterranean-inspired cuisine that Café Medina has become famous for, as well as the subtle art of simplicity — both in life and on the line.

 JENNA BRISCOE | Manager

Since joining Café Medina in the spring of 2013, Jenna has been a warm and familiar face to the restaurant’s many visitors and returning clientele. Due to her hard work, team-first attitude and steadfast commitment to customer satisfaction, her initial tenure as a serving assistant at didn’t last long — in just two months she began handling a variety of management responsibilities and became an indispensible second-in-command to owner Robbie Kane.

Originally from Alberta, Jenna gained her front-of-house experience while studying political science and communication at post-secondary schools in Edmonton and Ottawa before moving west to attend Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. Jenna’s background as a performer in improvisational comedy provides her with a unique edge and allows her to roll with the punches when managing Café Medina’s front-of-house crew and responding to guest requests, all while espousing Robbie’s philosophy of enlightened hospitality.

TRIXIE BLÜMEL | Bar Manager

Armed with a keen knowledge of classic cocktail culture and a talent for stirring up truly distinctive drinks, Trixie Blümel oversees Café Medina’s inspired new cocktail menu and bar program.  

Originally from Victoria, Trixie developed a thirst for crafting Prohibition-era cocktails at Solomon’s in her hometown before coming to Vancouver in 2010 to take on the exciting roles of Assistant Bar Manager at UVA Wine & Cocktail Bar and Bar Manager at Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie.  

With an array of handmade syrups and infusions, unique garnishes and fresh-squeezed juices, Trixie has created a cocktail menu that not only offers refreshing new twists on old brunch favourites such as the Mimosa, Bloody Mary and Shandy but also pays homage to the same Moroccan and Spanish flavours that have inspired Café Medina’s trademark eclectic cuisine.