The Changing of the Chefs

Always in flux, there’s never a dull moment in Toronto’s restaurant scene, what with new restaurants opening almost on the daily, trends coming and going with the staying power of a 2000 Flushes puck, and the changing of the chefs happening nearly as often as the changing of the guards. And speaking of chefs switching gigs, why does it always seem to be the most notable entries subsequently lead to the most notable, soon-after exits?

With Matt Blondin’s recent departure from Momofuku Daisho (read it up at Toronto Life) after but a few months as Exec Sous, we couldn’t help but a take li’l mo’ to look back at this year’s chef switch-ups that had the foodie community buzzing…

– As mentioned, Matt Blondin, after but a few short months in the Momofuku kitchen, has left the prestigious passes of the Shangri-La space. He likes to get around, this one.

– Patrick Kriss left his stint at Acadia, Matt Blondin’s former digs, after not too long a time either.

– After only six or seven months, Matthew Sullivan bid adieu to the kitchen at Skin + Bones a few weeks ago.

– It was announced a couple months ago that Chef Nigel Finley was set to leave Catch to head over to soon-to-open The Chase.

– In early April it was announced that Jamie Kennedy was leaving the reigns at the Gardiner Museum’s Cafe.

– Also in early April, Chef Eric Wood left Hawthorne Food and Drink after only seven months. He’s slated to head into the kitchens at boutique hotel The Beverley, which opens soon. His Hawthorne replacement, Binh An Nguyen, also left the restaurant in late May.

– Shock and awe were felt when Jeff Claudio announced he was leaving tasting menu hotspot Yours Truly at the end of March.

– Also in March it was announced that Chef Ryan Gallagher had parted ways with Reds Wine Tavern. His notable stint was heavily publicized after the restaurant’s renovation last fall.

– Mid-March saw Chef Garth Legree stepping away from The County General to expedite more refined fare at Little Anthony’s.

– In one of the most upsetting splits for Toronto’s noshers, Chef Nuit Regular and husband Jeff left Khao San Road at the end of last year. They later opened Sabai Sabai Kitchen and Bar and Sukkhothai Wellington.