National Arts Centre appoints John Morris as its new Executive Chef
Ottawa (Canada) – The National Arts Centre (NAC) is delighted to announce the appointment of John Morris as its new Executive Chef, effective today.
Chef Morris steps into the top culinary job at the NAC, eight months after taking over in an acting role. Since then Chef Morris has impressed patrons and staff with his culinary skills and his overall leadership.
"This position is a dream come true for me,” said Chef Morris. “This is a very exciting opportunity to build on the NAC's longstanding tradition of culinary excellence. I’ve always been a firm believer in showcasing the wealth of ingredients Canada has to offer – whether they’re from the sea or land – while supporting local farmers and producers from the National Capital Region. I like to think the NAC can have a positive impact as the Nation’s table.”
“Thanks to his talent for creating imaginative cuisine… John Morris is uniquely positioned to grow the NAC’s reputation as an outstanding food destination in the National Capital Region,” said Peter Herrndorf, CEO of the National Arts Centre. “I’m also tremendously impressed with John’s ability to mentor young members of the NAC kitchen team to develop the next generation of Canadian chefs.”
Chef Morris will work in tandem with the NAC General Manager of Food Services to be hired later this year. The NAC will thus return to its traditional Executive Chef/General Manager management model for its food services, a system that worked well for many years under the late Chef Kurt Waldele and Ashok Dhawan.
The NAC Food and Beverage Department generated revenues of $7 million last year, making it one of the largest operations of its kind in Eastern Ontario. It includes le café Restaurant, a major catering operation and a number of intermission bars. Every year, the NAC hosts 800 events such as weddings and conferences, and serves more than 56,000 guests at le café.
Biography: John Morris
Chef John Morris was born in Bathgate, Scotland, and raised in Ontario. John, who has been cooking for more than 18 years, began his career as an apprentice at the Kananaskis Lodge in Alberta. He was a key part of the team who achieved the CAA Four Diamond awarded to Perspectives restaurant at the Brookstreet Hotel in Ottawa. Later, after a culinary stage in Bermuda, John joined the team at Caesars Hotel and Casino in Windsor. He was executive sous chef at the Ottawa Marriott Hotel prior to joining the National Arts Centre in 2009, the same year he received the 2009 Gold Medal Escoffier Society of Toronto Culinary Salon.
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For more information, please contact:
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Carl Martin |