Restaurant industry professionals say Toronto needs more chefs

As Toronto’s food scene continues to grow, some in the industry say the pool of professional chefs hasn’t kept up with demand. 

Adam Ryan, Michelin-recognized executive chef at Azura restaurants in Toronto, manages four teams in the restaurant’s kitchens across the city.

“There are less, I would say, culinary enthusiasts than there were a decade ago,” he told CBC Toronto. 

Ryan said he's seen the talent pool of chefs drop at least 50 per cent in the last five years.

“Myself as the chef can't be in two places at once, so finding team members and finding leaders that are able, capable and willing to run these businesses is becoming a challenge on its own,” he said.

Ryan said the pandemic, work from home practices and social media could be catalysts for the waning interest.

“I see people that go into food and then become influencers and that’s the lifestyle they want to live,” he said. “That’s great, but now that’s one less person who wants to work in a restaurant.”

Finding restaurant staff is a problem across the province, said Tony Elenis, with the Ontario Restaurant Hotel Motel Association.

“There is no doubt that there is a high demand for most jobs within the food service sector,” Elenis said.

He said there are about 100,000 job vacancies in the restaurant industry across the country and about half are in Ontario. The lack of professional chefs, Elenis said, is “a concern” because they have specialized skills.

The George Brown College chef school recently paused intake for several of its culinary programs and said in a statement that application numbers have fluctuated over the last few years.

“Overall application numbers have been influenced by various factors, including policies related to international student enrolment and shifts in student preferences following the pandemic," the statement says.

Enrolment in culinary and baking management and skills programs at Humber Polytechnic have been consistent in recent years, according to a statement the college sent to CBC Toronto. But it says international student applications and enrolment have dropped this year.

The federal government is reducing the number of international workers and students allowed into Canada, which Elenis said is contributing to the shortfall of chefs.