Meet Sandy Dixon: Botanist’s New General Manager

As Botanist reopens its doors after the annual winter break, there’s an exciting new face at the helm. Meet Sandy Dixon, the restaurant’s new General Manager, who brings a passion for exceptional hospitality and a dedication to making every visit unforgettable. In this Q&A, Sandy shares her vision for the Botanist experience, highlights from Executive Chef Hector Laguna’s winter menu, and a sneak peek at what’s coming this year—from indulgent Valentine’s dinners to innovative creations from the Botanist Bar’s Cocktail Lab. —Noa Nichol

What inspired you to join Botanist as the new General Manager, and what excites you most about this role? 

The pursuit of excellence that you find in everything we do at Botanist. Chef Hector’s creativity, dedication, and unique interpretation of the riches of the Pacific Northwest terroir, the vibrate and educational experience that you experience with our Senior Sommelier, Matthew Jacobson, our cutting-edge and innovative cocktail program led by the legendary Grant Sceney, and one of the most charming, gracious, and talented serving teams you could find.  I am inspired daily to be the best leader I can be to support this incredible team.  

How would you describe the dining experience at Botanist to someone visiting for the first time? 

The Pacific Northwest produce is full of flavour, and Chef Hector’s creative expression will take you on a journey of exciting new flavours rich in culture and diversity.  You will be welcomed into a Chef driven and hospitality inspired setting that will make you feel like you are exactly where you want to be… 

Executive Chef Hector Laguna’s menus celebrate the Pacific Northwest—what do you think makes this region’s cuisine so special? With such a focus on seasonal and local ingredients, how does Botanist ensure sustainability and support for local producers? 

The rich terroir gives a unique expression to the produce, making it rich in flavour and texture.  We source only the best seasonal products from local farmers, such as Local Harvest, Hannah Brook Farms, and North Arm Farms.  The menu can change right up until the very day should an ingredient not be available or fresh enough. Chef Hector brings his heritage and life experiences to his cuisine, always using produce as the premier ingredient and then he builds the dish from there. We always strive to use as much of our product as possible, for instance we will use the peel of an orange, and ensure it is transformed into a textural component be it dried and crushed to elevate a dish or cocktail. Our shells are simmered into a broth and then transformed into seafoam with butter to our butter poached Seabass. We are always focused on sustainability and only form partnerships with companies that value the same sustainable and organic practices. 

What are your favorite dishes from the current winter menu, and why do they stand out to you? 

dungeness crab,

Both our Dungeness Crab with spaghetti squash, crab emulsion and butter-poached striped sea bass, and mustard spätzle with salsify, red cabbage, brown butter jus and dry-aged duck breast make use of produce that are only found in and around the Fall and Winter months and they make these dishes sing.  Chef Hector takes these simple ingredients and elevates their flavour profile whereby you wonder how did he come up with this?! 

Can you share any insider details about the upcoming Cocktail Lab debut at Botanist Bar in March? 

We’re thrilled to reintroduce a thoughtfully curated experiential cocktail menu from our enhanced cocktail lab. The “Water of Life” menu explores life’s most vital element, which enables growth, energy, and survival. The program will have a strongfocus on the science element but served in a fun, artistic, and meticulously detailed way. Each of the experiential cocktails will be paired with a canape by chef Hector.  

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner—what can guests expect from the six-course Valentine’s dinner experience? 

Chef has planned a romantic culinary journey sure to excite the senses, and of course we will have a couple of surprises up our sleeve!  

What is your vision for the future of Botanist under your leadership, and how do you plan to enhance the restaurant’s unique identity? 

Simply enhancing our service with refined details that will showcase Chef Hector’s beautiful, innovative, and elegant dishes. We want to share this experience with as many people as possible, in hopes that our guests will return again and again.  The constant pursuit of excellence and inspired hospitality.  

As someone who has worked in the hospitality industry, what do you believe sets a truly exceptional dining experience apart? 

The moment you walk into an exceptional dining experience you feel like you are part of a vibe and it’s exciting. You are welcomed into an event whereby you naturally become a part of the shared experience and passion for inspired food, cocktails, hospitality, and music. You know you are somewhere special, because you are treated that way.

What advice would you give to someone planning a special event or team gathering at Botanist? How can you help make it unforgettable? 

I would suggest to share as many details of the vision for the event as possible so we can customize our menu offering and complementary beverage pairings that would be suit the occasion. There are plenty of ways to make it special for the guests, depending on what they are looking for and what matters to them.