From the fast-paced lifestyle of downtown Milan to the quiet of coastal British Columbia. From public relations and corporate events to the owner and operator of a family-run, eco-tourism resort. At the age of 22, Giorgio Cogrossi found himself experiencing an abrupt lifestyle change.
The resort's resident chef and naturalist, Aldo Cogrossi, has been in love with birds ever since he was a little boy in Milan. "My passion is food, birds and nature," he says. "At Ruby Lake, it all comes together like a puzzle."
He started building birdhouses almost as soon as he arrived on the B.C. coast. You'll spot more than 40 of them on the sides of cottages, on telephone poles, on the tops of the houses, under the eaves of the restaurant.
Now he has a healthy nesting colony of barn, tree, and violet-green swallows. At least other 80 species of birds, including ospreys, herons, and owls, call the Ruby Lake lagoon home at least part of the year.
Aldo and his family are also proudly involved with the Lagoon Society and the Iris Griffith Field Studies and Interpretive Centre, which lies adjacent to the Resort, on a 20 acre parcel of land which has been kindly donated by the family on an 80 year lease.
The Cogrossi family immigrated to Canada in 1993, having set sail from Milan in search of greener pastures, where their love for nature, birds in particular, could flourish.
Their search ended on the Sunshine Coast where they purchased a roadside café located on Ruby Lake.
Brigit Cogrossi, of In Touch Therapeutics, is the resort’s in-house Registered Massage Therapist and Spa Practitioner. Her interest in well-being and healing led her to become a licensed massage therapist in 1989. She has been Licensed and practicing for 18 years.
She has also studied dance, jazz, ballet and yoga from an early age, and is a Certified Blue Belt Nia Instructor.
Giorgio's personable and entertaining style sets the tone for the resort's famously warm hospitality. His energy and creativity has captured the exciting culture of his previous life and brought a touch of the famous Italian lifestyle, "La Dolce Vita", to the wilderness of B.C.
His authentic Milanese, home-style Italian chef skills have inspired rave reviews from those who have dined at the resort's restaurant. Aldo’s policy is to promote sustainable fishery and to support suppliers of organically grown foods. He grows many of his own herbs and vegetables on the property and uses local products whenever possible.
Aldo is a huge Ferrari fan. He and wife Brigit have three sons, Oliver, Benjamin, and Paolo. Brigit is the Resort's in-house Registered Massage Therapist.
We are also indebted to the many volunteers that have come to us via the Willing Workers On Organic Farms (WWOOF) program. We have received workers from all over the world, staying from 2 weeks to several months, who have helped us with gardening, landscaping, construction, cleaning, office work - in fact anything and everything that goes into keep a busy resort going!
They have since added a superlative lagoon-side restaurant specializing in Northern Italian cuisine, an outdoor Rainforest Spa, romantic lakeside and forest cottages and safari style tents and the Spirit of the Rainforest amphitheater with a state-of-the-art stage, artistically designed and constructed from reclaimed driftwood logs with a living 300 year old fir tree as its centrepiece.
Now in its 15th season, Ruby Lake Resort is a popular vacation destination, attracting a loyal and growing regional clientele. It has been operated directly by the Cogrossi family whose long-term commitment to the Sunshine Coast is unquestionable. Their track record of sustainable business growth mixed with environmental good and community involvement speaks for itself.