Chris McDonald
Cava Restaurant, Toronto
Chris is truly an international chef in every sense of the word. Working in some of the finest establishments in places like; New York, Verona, Mexico, San Francisco before returning to Toronto to open the Avalon in 1995. Cava, which opened in May 2006, grows out of McDonald's
desire to return to the exploration of more rustic culinary
themes, and to establish a neighbourhood restaurant with a more
casual tone.
Denis Cotter
Café Paradiso, Cork, Ireland
Born
in Macroom Co. Cork in Ireland, he trained as a cook in the famous Cranks
restaurants in London. Following the well-organized and methodical systems of
Cranks, a year spent in New Zealand gave Denis access to the emphasis on
seasonality and creativity that would shape the basis of his cooking. Denis was
voted 'Chef of the Year' by Food & Wine Magazine (Ireland in 2005 and has
published three books to date; 'The Café Paradiso Cookbook', 'Paradiso
Seasons', 'wild garlic, gooseberries & me'
Ryan Crawford
Gastrohomestead
 Chef Ryan Crawford joined the Stone Road Grille in 2004 from an extended
run in Stratford, Ontario at the Old Prune Restaurant and the Stratford
Chef School - as a pupil and then as an instructor. Ryan has done his
fair share of Stages - working at such places as Eigensinn Farm with
Michael Stadtlander, the French Laundry with Thomas Keller and many
other top North American kitchens.
Michael Hoy (Desserts)
Hoy at Huff / Michael Hoy Catering
 Michael Hoy is an award-winning chef, teacher and international
culinary tour leader, and is the founder of Chef Michael Hoy Culinary.
He has been awarded stars in "Where to Eat in Canada" for years of
cooking at various restaurants throughout Ontario, notably at the
Westover Inn in St. Mary's and at the Claramount Inn and Spa in Picton.
He has been chosen by the Government of Ontario to represent Savour
Ontario, part of the province's Pick Ontario Freshness Strategy.
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Carl Heinrich
Richmond Station, Toronto
  Although
Carl is only 26 years of age, he has been working in kitchens since he was 13 years old and is
extremely driven and accomplished for his age.While at the Stratford Chef School Carl worked at a restaurant
as a chef de partie and completed a summer stage for Daniel Boulud in
New York City. After graduating, he took up an offer to return to New
York and work at Daniel's busy bistro in Midtown for nearly four years. In 2012 Carl was the season two winner of the Food Network's Top Chef Canada! He used his prize money to open the extremely successful Richmond Station located in downtown Toronto.
Bryan Steele (Desserts)
The Prune / Stratford Chef School, Stratford
 Bryan has been the Chef at The Old Prune since the late 80's. He trained
at Toronto's George Brown College and completed his apprenticeship in
Toronto restaurants as well as working with Michael Statdlander and has
also spent time overseas crafting his skills in Italy and Germany. He
devotes his winters as senior cookery instructor at the Stratford Chefs
School guiding young students in the fine art of cuisine.
Marc Lepine
L'Atelier, Ottawa
 After 3 years of culinary school, Marc Lepine spent time working in
Toronto, France, and Italy. Marc decided to
move to Ottawa in 2001where he received his sommelier certification from Algonquin College and spent
6 years working as executive chef for the Courtyard Restaurant where he was twice named 'Ottawa Chef of the Year' by the Canadian Culinary
Federation. Marc decided it was time to open Atelier in 2008, he was named
the Canadian Culinary Champion after winning gold at the finals in
Kelowna, BC in 2012.
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Born in France, Fred was destined to be a winemaker. He originally
received his MBA from Concordia University and decided to follow his
calling into winemaking and went on to complete his winemaking/oenology
degree from the famed Lycee of Beaune. Fred has done vintages in
various regions throughout the world including France, Italy, South
Africa, Chile, California and Niagara and then was lured to Prince
Edward County. Fred has been a member of Huff Estates since the
winery's establishment and has become a highly regarded craftsman at
his trade.
In 1991, beginner winemaker Deborah Paskus created Ontario's first cult wine, the Tempkin-Paskus chardonnay, which wrote the book on high-quality winegrowing and winemaking in Canada. Since then, her uncomprising approach has made her one of the most celebrated winemakers in the country, and a pioneering figure in Prince Edward County, Ontario's newest wine region, where her naturally-made, elegant chardonnays and pinot noirs at Closson Chase Vineyards continue to "wow" people.