Chef

Thirty-four year-old Executive Chef Derek Kennedy doesn’t have his own prime time show, or a vast stable of restaurants and cookbooks; what he does have is an unstoppable thirst for his craft. Steering the kitchens of The Cosmopolitan and Pantages hotels—the city’s leading boutique hotels—Kennedy consistently receives rave reviews from very discerning guests for transforming the stereotypical “hotel food” to upscale gourmet heights. His success at both boutique hotels led him to the helm of yet another stove to charge over, Eight Wine Bar (in The Cosmopolitan), and now sees Kennedy as Executive Chef for both hotels and the new restaurant. He has previously wowed patrons at the legendary Bodega restaurant, where he served up hundreds of dinners—lauded by Toronto Life, NOW Magazine, and many other influential publications while he was there.

Kennedy is motivated by something quite simple: his passion for the local, seasonal, comfort foods he grew up with and his desire to share that passion with as many guests he can get through his doors. Through every dish he shares this passion through his commitment to sourcing from local growers and organic producers by featuring them on his menus, but at the same time, not being so unrealistic as to not use phenomenal quality, hard-sourced ingredients from their respective land of origin. Kennedy comes from the school of letting the ingredients shine without fuss or overbearing technique. He would rather serve simple, wine-friendly dishes at Eight that friends and colleagues can sit around, appreciate, but not have to dissect or feel intimidated to eat.

The roots of Chef Kennedy’s philosophy can be traced to his childhood where he encountered his grade school’s ‘Career Day’ where he quickly spotted a chef with a tall white hat. It was almost as if the stove gas light went on and the rest was history. Deciding to practice on his family (his two brothers are also in the food business, one the chef at upscale market Pusateri’s), and later attended his formal training at George Brown Culinary School.

Happy to have kept behind-the-scenes until he was happy with his culinary skills, Kennedy now wants to dip his foot in the waters and show Toronto diners what he’s offering.