Sandy Hill is the new home base of a renowned chef

Jan Finlay

The 2008 docuseries The Chef’s Domain, an eight-part cross-Canada culinary adventure series, featured an episode with Ottawa’s Chef Michael Moffatt and described him as being “on a mission to overhaul his hometown of Ottawa’s culinary reputation.”  Nearly 20 years later, having certainly made his mark on the Ottawa food scene, he continues on his mission in his new role leading the culinary and bakery team at Working Title and allsaints event space.

Having joined the group in August, Mike (as he prefers to be called) has just started to put his stamp on the neighbourhood restaurant and event space at 330 Laurier East. I sat with him a few weeks after he started, to learn more about him and his vision for his new role.

Mike has a prestigious resume in Ottawa, as a partner in the launch of the Beckta Restaurant Group and at Thyme & Again catering. He also spent many years outside Ottawa, working in renowned kitchens, including New York’s iconic The River Café, as well as in the CAA 5 Diamond Award Rimrock Resort in Banff.

When asked about his path, Mike explained: “In the early 2000s, I wanted to change the foodie’s attitude that there was nowhere worth eating in Ottawa. I did that by helping launch Beckta and subsequently Play Food & Wine, and Gezellig. Now I’m at Working Title, in part because I want to prove that same great food can be accessible. It doesn’t need to carry a huge price tag or be overly complicated.”

Leanne Moussa, who spearheaded the allsaints project and launched Working Title, chimed in on our discussion: “Restaurants are both a business and an art. Striking the right balance is a difficult feat. I believe Mike is one of a select few chefs who know how to do both really well.”

Sitting across from Mike, I am struck by how personable and down to earth he is. As a sports enthusiast and avid golfer, he is clearly a multifaceted guy who finds a way to carve out enough time for his hobbies while remaining effective in a very demanding industry.

Motioning to the large historic church and the terrace full of customers, Mike said, “I feel there is quite an opportunity here. Leanne’s entrepreneurial spirit, drive, and passion are aligned with my vision. The opportunity to grow a brand rather than just run a restaurant fits with where I am in life.”

It appears this moment offers opportunity for both the allsaints project and Chef Mike. Asked what he hopes to achieve in his new role, he says, “I hope through this role I can bring unique opportunities to Sandy Hill and the greater Ottawa environs. Together, I think we can reinterpret hospitality in the city with dynamic concepts and different levels of customer engagement.”

And he is well positioned to have this significant impact. For one, he envisions bringing together his love of hospitality with his passion for guiding the next generation of cooks. As a proud graduate of the Algonquin College Culinary Arts Program and longtime member and chair of its Advisory Board, Mike continues to teach the best and brightest chefs in the city. With his addition to the neighbourhood, don’t be surprised if you see some of them right here in Sandy Hill.