Paul Smolen, owner of Hart House Restaurant in Burnaby, will be remembered for his "inimitable charm and warmth, as well as the depth and loyalty of his relationships" after he passed away Tuesday.
In a statement, Smolen's family and restaurant announced the death of Smolen on June 11 at the age of 74. A cause of death was not released in the statement.
Smolen was born in Krakow, Poland and moved to Canada as a teenager, where he graduated from the University of B.C. He found his passion for restaurants, however, after a trip to Europe in 1975, the family statement said.
In 1976, Smolen opened the Daisy Restaurant Espresso Bar and McGuiggans, on Robson Street in Vancouver, and 10 years later, during Expo '86, managed Restaurant Bucaresti.
Smolen and two business partners leased the Hart House property from the City of Burnaby two years later, in 1988, and converted the house into the Hart House Restaurant.
Twelve years later, in 2000, Smolen bought out his business partner and his wife, Carol Smolen, joined the business, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in September 2018.
"Paul loved travel and the relationships it built and nurtured. Each year he would explore restaurants and wineries from around the world, taking him from Spain to Germany, Italy and allover North America's wine regions," the family statement reads.
"Paul was often found enjoying the company of his fellow restauranteurs and wine lovers in the dining room at Hart House, where laughter, sharp wits, an intrinsic passion for wine and food and a fine palate were the only requirements for a seat at the table."
Carol Smolen and the management at Hart House will carry on the restaurant's legacy "and the purity of hospitality that Paul created."
