Biography of Graeme Gatenby

Graeme has come to the Clarion Resort Pinewood Park following a wide and varied career in the food industry.

His dream as a young man of fourteen was to become an artist, however, with no money and no family support, he decided to set off on his own to make his dream come true. His first involvement with the hospitality industry began in the small resort town of Thurlston in Devon, England. He was hired to work in the kitchen as a dishwasher where he was quickly noticed by the Swiss Head Chef for his hard work. It was in this kitchen that he was to meet his friend and mentor.

Following an apprenticeship for Chef under the guidance of his mentor, Graeme enrolled in cooking school where he won 'Student of the Year' after the three year program. He was awarded a CFCC diploma as well as a scholarship to work under the Head Chef at Le Grand Hotel in Zurich, Switzerland for one year.

Upon his return to England from Switzerland, he worked at the 'Five Rosette' Imperial Hotel in Devon where the Queen had her own suite. Graeme, however wanted to broaden his horizons and decided to come to Canada to perfect his style of Nouveau Cuisine. He has worked in a number of prestigious restaurants in the Toronto area including Wellington Court, Boulanger, La Bodego and Hazelton Café. His expertise and reputation soon called him to the Niagara Area.

Once in the Niagara area, Graeme won the position of Executive Chef at The Pillar and Post Inn (Niagara on the Lake) out of twenty-eight applicants. Having worked there for five and a half years he accepted an offer of Executive Chef at White Oaks Inn and Racquet Club (St. Catherines) where the task began of building up a corporate conference center. Kittling Ridge Winery was the next stop for Chef Graeme, where he was employed as the Corporate Chef.

Chef Graeme’s motto is 'Cuisine de Soleil', using only natural and fresh products in his dishes. The Clarion Resort Pinewood Park welcomes Chef Graeme to our community and we all look forward to serving this community for a long time to come.

So, in the end, the would be artist’s dream did come true. His art, however, is not displayed on canvas, but rather on china.