Head Chef (Seasonal Event / Banquet / Festival) | Distillery Winter Village

On November 13^th, the Distillery Historic District is transforming into a Winter Village, and we’re looking to populate it!  The Winter Village is a place to create memories; a place that facilitates joy, celebration, family, and love into the New Year. The festival aims to help guests rediscover the magic and romance of the holidays by bringing together local artisanal food makers, craftspeople and musicians to the heart of the city again! If you love spreading joy and sharing smiles – we’d like you to join our village!

Reporting the Festival Executive Chef, the Distillery Winter Village is seeking an experienced and innovative Head Chef to lead our team with passion for great food and a love of the holidays. The ideal candidate is not only an exceptional event chef, but a great teacher and mentor with a strong growth mindset.  They not only understand that exceptional food is at the heart of hospitality but that they are an ambassador to Toronto's unique food and beverage culture. 

Please note, you must have legal permission to work in Canada to be considered for this role.  This is a seasonal role running from October/November 2025 - January 2026.

What you’ll experience with The Winter Village: 

• $35 per hour
• In-house dining perks
• A dynamic culture that encourages and rewards the entrepreneurial spirit
• Bold and lively work environment
• The chance to work alongside the best team in the city during the Winter Village, making memories for the more than 650,000 visitors we host!

What you will be doing:

• Oversee all aspects of kitchen operations, including food preparation, cooking, plating, and presentation, to ensure efficiency, accuracy, and timely delivery. 

• Manage inventory levels and ingredient sourcing to ensure the availability of high-quality ingredients. 

• Maintain a safe, sanitary and hygienic work environment, following health and safety policies and industry laws and regulations, and best practices. 

• Assume full responsibility in every facet of the business. 

• Monitor fresh, frozen and dry goods being ordered and received by the kitchen. 

• Ensure that all recipes and inventory are accurate and up to date. 

• Maintain food costs and labor costs at DRC established budgets. 

• Other duties as required and/or assigned. 

What you’ll bring to the kitchen:

• EXPERIENCE. You have years of cooking experience, ideally in Banquets/Events and/or Festival settings.  You’ve led a large kitchen in a Sous Chef/CDC/Executive Chef capacity with demonstrated success.
• PASSION. You have a genuine passion and drive to create – both great food and great talent.  You love teaching and sharing your knowledge with your team.
• EDUCATION/TRAINING. You have a culinary degree/diploma and/or the equivalent in education and experience. 
• LEADERSHIP: You pride yourself in being able to collaborate with others and to lead a team by healthy example. 
• COMMUNICATION SKILLS. You demonstrate exceptional relationship building and communication skills among your team members in both BOH and FOH.
• ADAPTABILITY. You thrive in a fast-paced, changing environment.

The Distillery Restaurants Corporation (DRC) is committed to providing an inclusive, barrier-free recruitment and selection process. We encourage and welcome candidates with disabilities to apply for job opportunities with us. Please note that accommodations throughout each stage of the DRC’s recruitment process are available upon request. #HP

The Distillery Restaurants Corporation (DRC) is committed to providing an inclusive, barrier-free recruitment and selection process where candidates are respected, supported and valued. The DRC welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Please note that accommodations during every part of the recruitment and selection process are available upon request.