John Taylor – Domus (Ottawa)www.domuscafe.ca
Chef and Owner John Taylor has had a lifelong love of cooking.
His passion for food was nurtured from his earliest days by his mother and grandmother; whose influence is evident in much of his current practices as Chef and Owner of Domus Café.
Born in Lynn Lake, Manitoba, in 1967, John recalls the regular trips to small, local, family-run farms in pursuit of the freshest ingredients: all destined for use in the Taylor matron’s kitchen. In a continuation of those traditions, Chef Taylor has made it Domus’ mandate to help preserve the family and small farm operations that practice organic and sustainable farming practices and candidly attributes many of his own cooking successes to the basics taught him through his own grandmother’s teachings.
John first started his cooking career at the age of 14, where his humble origins found him preparing pizzas and donairs in the West Edmonton Mall. After moving to Fredericton in 1987 and graduating from Fredericton High School, John secured a job in the kitchen at the Lord Beaverton Hotel.
It was on this very first day of work, in a full-service kitchen that John was inspired to the realization that cooking was to be his life’s pursuit. John moved to Ottawa in 1989 to work at the yet unopened Novotel under Chef Norbert Chabot. John’s early skills in the kitchen caught the attention of Jean-Pierre Challet, who hired him as an apprentice for the Relias Chateaux Inn at Manitou.
John spent two seasons at the Inn and it was here where he met his future wife, Sylvia, who was finishing her first year at the Stratford Chef School. After returning from a one-year cooking tour in Barbados with Jean Pierre, John was hired into his first Chef position by Jim Sorenti, for the Westover Inn. This opportunity saw the start of John’s grassroots Canadian regional cuisine influence.
After four truly inspirational years and one son (Cameron Alexander) later, John and Sylvia left Westover Inn and pursued a number of unique dining ventures, each involving equal measures of challenge and success. In 1995, John returned to Ottawa for a position with Chantilly Haute Cuisine. Later that year, two significant events took place: the birth of a second son, Graham Andrew, and the introduction of John Taylor to Domus. In 1997, Chef John Taylor took full ownership of Domus and has relentlessly pursued his vision of establishing a truly unique Canadian Regional Seasonal Cuisine establishment.
Now, and for a long time to come, Chef Taylor invites you to share in the Domus experience.
“Finding the right suppliers and building the right relationships has taken many years and is an on-going pursuit. I invite you to join me in the experience of defining and growing the concept of Canadian Regional Seasonal Cuisine as each new discovery leads to its own unique rewards.
