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Hay left Ottawa for promising adventure — but it just didn’t happen
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MAY 24 13 – 12:01 AM — Chef Michael Hay, 28, formerly in charge of the kitchens at Courtyard Restaurant and, most recently, Back Lane Café in Ottawa, has landed as chef de cuisine at O&B Canteen in downtown Toronto, part of the Oliver & Bonachini 11-restaurant group that includes Canoe, Auberge du Pommier, Luma and Oliver & Bonacini Café Grill.
Recall that in March Hay announced he is leaving Back Lane to open a 45-seat restaurant in Picton, Ont., celebrating local ingredients from Prince Edward County with a group called Healdspon 1830. But the arrangement fell through — for reasons chef Hay will not publicly discuss — which left him searching for work in the Big Smoke.
“I can’t really elaborate,” Hay says in an update through email, “other than to say it failed to materialize. I can’t and won’t say anything more.
“I’m happy to move on with my life and career. Overall, even though it was an extremely negative time in my life I’m grateful for the experience. Adversity has a way of carving you into a stronger person.”
Hay is now living in Toronto with fiancée Laura Zahody.
“Moving to Toronto has always been on the radar for Laura and myself simply because there is more opportunity here,” Hay says.
“When I realized I was out of work I simply got on a train and headed west for a week. I had no expectations really; I never returned to Ottawa.
“I had served Jason Bangerter, chef at Luma, when he visited Back Lane last fall. I sent him my resumé and was then put in touch with Anthony Walsh [corporate chef for Oliver & Bonacini Restaurants]. A few days later I had an interview with chef Walsh and owner Michael Bonacini at Canoe.
“They offered me a chef de cuisine position at one of their restaurants, O & B Canteen, where I’ve been over a month.”
O & B is billed as a “casual, fresh market café” with a “grab-and-go” counter open seven days a week.
On the restaurant website, chef Hay is introduced this way:
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Chef de Cuisine, Michael Hay
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Chef Michael Hay began his career in the kitchen in his home town of Kingston, before moving to Ottawa to study English and Humanities at Carleton University. But the lure of chef life proved too great.
Michael decided to pursue his passion for food full-time. He honed his skills in various restaurants in Ottawa, working alongside prominent chefs such as Marc Lepine and René Rodriguez. In 2007, Michael moved to Chicago to gain experience with molecular gastronomy at Michelin-starred Moto Restaurant. A year later, he returned to Ottawa where he became executive chef at Courtyard Restaurant.
In 2012, he moved to Back Lane Café. Under Michael’s leadership, both restaurants were amongst the top 10 in Ottawa. Michael has also been selected to compete in the prestigious Gold Medal Plates (Ottawa) competition twice, in 2011 and 2012. Michael will use traditional cooking techniques to execute a polished casual menu driven by seasonal products and O&B Canteen’s passion for flavourful, quality food.
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We wish you well.
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Twitter: @roneade
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
