BizBash | George Brown College Gives Insider's View of Kitchen at New Restaurant

George Brown College Gives Insider's View of Kitchen at New Restaurant

FROM TORONTO George Brown College opened its new student-run restaurant the Chefs' House on Tuesday, the first training facility of its kind in Canada. Following a recent expansion of the college's center for hospitality and culinary arts, chef school director John Higgins introduced the 3,200-square-foot, ground-level restaurant and event space in a brownstone building on King Street East.

The highlight of the room is the stainless steel, open-concept kitchen, where guests can view students prepping, cooking, and plating dishes (flat-screen TVs mounted on the exposed-brick walls also show diners the process, Food Network-style). "We wanted to break down the barrier between the front and back of the house and have transparency," says Higgins. "It's not just about food, it's about education."

Hanging spherical glass lights and floor-to-ceiling windows enhance the height of the 70-seat room. A downstairs private dining room with a TV seats 16, and custom menus can be created for private dinners and events. Chef de cuisine Oliver Li offers a menu of bistro dishes with seasonal ingredients. Prix fixe options and on-site catering services are also available. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner.

—Erin Letson

The main dining room features chestnut wood tables, a mirrored wall, and red accents.
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Oak-paneled walls furnish the simple downstairs private dining room.
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The kitchen, staffed by George Brown Chef School students, is on display in the main space.
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Floor-to-ceiling windows give diners a street view.
Photo: BizBash

George Brown College