In Focus | Gerry Jobe of The Revival Group

In Focus is our gift to the community. A way for us to help show our recognition for the people, businesses and organizations that help make our city great. The team at KelownaNow.com is passionate about this community and the people that make it amazing. We want to show our friends, neighbours, family and colleagues that we notice them and the fabulous things that they do.

What is your name?
Gerry Jobe

What do you always find yourself saying?
“Perfect”

If you could spend one whole day with anyone in the world who is currently alive, who would you select and why?
I spend each day with the people I am meant to spend each day with. From family, to strangers, the lessons I am meant to learn are from within this sphere. Outside of my sphere? On a creative level, Joe Quesada, Creative Director of Marvel, because he has made his own career from sticking to his creative journey and not compromising his art.

If you were to receive any existing public award, what award would you like to win?
I have no idea. I like to compete and I like to create, but it is more about the journey and the lesson in it all that matters. Awards are secondary to the process.

If you could spend a day with any historical figure, who would you choose and why?
Muhammad Ali. I don’t think I need to explain why.

Who inspires you?
Fearless creators. People who live their passion. Self-Starters who create their own careers and make a living being themselves.

What are three things on your bucket list?
Write an issue of any comic for a major publisher.
Host an evening and tend bar behind the Giger Bar at the H.R. Giger Museum in Switzerland.
Revive the Kelowna Regatta. Return the festival to its roots as a family event, a community celebration of the City and its relationship with the lake.

If you had an enormous yacht, what would you name it?
The #OkanaganYachttailMovement

If you could foresee a single day of your future in its entirety, what date would you select?
Tomorrow.

What are you passionate about?
Cocktail Culture. Crafting memorable experiences for others to enjoy.

What has been your favourite day of your life, up to this point?
The birth of my two sons.

What has been your proudest accomplishment?
Not giving up on myself when it would have been so easy to, and instead finding a way to make a living doing what I love without compromising my spirit.

Where is your favourite place to dine in Kelowna? What do you like about it?
Too hard to pick, there are so many places for so many reasons. Salted Brick and Bean Scene are my most frequented. Ricardo’s is my getaway for a perfect evening, Dunn Enzies stole my heart. I am really loving the new restaurants I am involved with, Fleetwood Public House for a killer Burger, and Italian Table for Buratta and prosciutto.

What is your favourite activity or event in Kelowna? Why?
I love getting up early and hitting the farmers market. I love talking to all the farmers and artisans and connecting to the strong sense of community there.

What is the name of your business/organization?
The Revival Group

What does your business/organization do?
We make evenings! We are a small group of Service industry veterans who have come together to create new unique restaurants and bars for the community to experience and enjoy. We have 5 venues currently either open or in the midst of construction: Fleetwood Public House, The Italian Table, Pilgrim & Pearl Oyster Bar, 27, and Twisted Tomato…with more to come as well.

Where can people find you or your business online?
Business: www.therevivalgroupkelowna.com
Personal Site: www.nichecocktails.com

Where can people find your business on Facebook?
The Revival Group Homepage

What is your Twitter account?
@gerryjobe

What is your mission?
To help create new dining and cocktail experiences for the community to enjoy.

If you could achieve one thing within your field, what would it be?
It’s already happening. Opening “Pilgrim and Pearl”, the Okanagan’s first Oyster Bar, and “27” The Okanagan’s first Craft Cocktail Lounge.

Where do you want your business/organization to be in five years?
I would love to see us become a career home for service industry veterans and a great training ground for young adults looking to advance their passion for all things food and beverage. I would to see the seeds we are planting today as side projects that assist in helping the less fortunate in our community, grow into full fledge entities that operate as part of our group.

Who do you consider to be a forerunner within your field?
Bartenders everywhere, especially in Canada, more specifically in smaller markets like Victoria and The Okanagan Cocktail Movement. They are changing the perceptions and expectations of the craft globally.

What three qualities do you feel that your business/organization exemplifies?
A respect for the talent that we hire both creatively and in terms of quality of life outside of work hours.
Bold ambition, bolstered by a spirit of inspired collaboration.
An altruistic focus on celebrating and supporting our community by integrating into our projects programs to give back to those in need.

What would you like to say to your employees/volunteers?
Never martyr yourselves in order to create. Passionate creativity does not have to come at the cost of sacrificing your health, your dignity or your personal life. Leave the old axioms of the “suffering artist” and come create! Revive the joy in what you do and let your talent shine and grow.

How does your business/organization impact the community?
We employ over 100 community members. We support local artisans, farmers and suppliers. We are a fairly new group but we have many programs in progress that will become staples in the community as far as working to support the less fortunate that will be integrated into every one of our venues in the near future.

If you were trapped in an elevator with several wealthy investors from any field, which field would you want them to be experts in? What would say to them/talk about?
Product design and marketing, I would talk to them about a crazy idea or two….

If I could change one thing about Kelowna, it would be:
The “Kelowna isn’t ready for that” Mantra.

What do you think makes Kelowna great?
The celebration of the landscape in the way that it has become a gigantic stage for all of us to create upon.

My choice for the Kelowna In Focus spotlight is:
Dena Details from Details Public Relations.

Some general comments I would like to share are:
We are really excited to continue to bring Kelowna new experiences to enjoy, thank you for supporting The Revival Group! Thank you to everyone who works within, and supports our local culinary scene and thank you all for embracing the Okanagan Cocktail Movement!

We encourage you to leave your comments and words of support below, and submit your own nomination by clicking HERE. You are also welcome to submit a form of your own by clicking HERE. Thank you, Kelowna!