Daily bite: Ontario chef Jonathan Gushue joins Fogo Island Inn

Image for Daily bite: Ontario chef Jonathan Gushue leaves The Berlin for Fogo Island Inn
Photo of Jonathan Gushue courtesy of Sian Richards and photo of Fogo Island Inn courtesy of Paddy Barry.

A particularly "ears perk up" news release was unleashed earlier this morning. Ontario-based chef, Jonathan Gushue has left his head chef position with his first restaurant, Kitchener's The Berlin, to make the trek out to Fogo Island and assume the role of executive chef at the world-renowned, architectually stunning property, Fogo Island Inn.

Born in Newfoundland, Gushue cut his teeth with the Four Seasons, working across the globe before returning to Ontario and rising to national notoriety while running the kitchen at Langdon Hall from 2005 to 2012. His resume is peppered with accolades that include Pinnacle Award for Canadian Chef of the Year (2010) and seeing The Berlin's become a nominee in enRoute's list of 2016 Canada's Best New Restaurants, though it did not place in the top ten.

Fogo's Innkeeper, Zita Cobb, was quoted saying, “From the first days of service, our focus has been on our traditional foodways and connecting people to nature and culture through food. We are delighted to be deepening our commitment to Newfoundland culinary development and innovation with Newfoundland-born Chef Gushue. His approach to food celebrates tradition with imagination."

This hard-to-get-to, but hard-to-forget, hotel has had a culinary program worth noting since it opened its doors almost five years ago with its initial chef, Murray MacDonald (now at Toronto's Cluny Bistro), especially being named the third best new restaurant in the country by enRoute's Canada’s Best New Restaurants list in 2013.

Chef Gushue starts his new role at Fogo Island Inn at the beginning of February 2018.