Chef Ryan O’Donnell

After years in the film business, Ryan came to the Stratford Chef School. That was 12 years ago and he can’t imagine leaving the city. His passion is “creating clean, bold flavours that aren’t muddled by unnecessary ingredients.” This attitude spills over to Christmas dinner which he celebrates with a large family gathering (hovering around 40) in St. Thomas, Ont., south of London. Sometimes he stops at Stratford’s Slow Food Market for his favourite fennel sausages from McIntosh Farms for the stuffing or picks up farmer’s sausage from Briwood Farm Market in St. Thomas. While all family members contribute by bringing partially prepared ingredients—such as peeled rutabaga and trimmed Brussel sprouts—for their assigned dishes, all the final cooking is done under his mom’s direction. Delegation is a vital skill for a chef and Ryan knows he learned from the best.