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The 2018 Canada’s 100 Best Judges

Our 2018 Judges


OUR NATIONAL LIST OF JUDGES INCLUDES CHEFS, RESTAURATEURS, JOURNALISTS, GOURMETS AND INDUSTRY LEADERS.

Our biggest and most representative panel yet.

Our judges include leading restaurateurs, chefs, food writers, and gourmets.

They are selected exclusively by virtue of expertise. None is permitted to vote for a restaurant with which they are professionally or personally involved.

We assign judges regionally according to population. But no judge is regionally bound; their allegiance is to quality, not the street or town where it’s found.

Each judge is required to vote for the 10 restaurants that delivered their best dining experiences of the previous year. To ensure that each judge brings a national perspective to this exercise instead of merely a local one, we insist that at least three of their choices be situated outside of their home province or region.

Many exceed that voting requirement. When a judge nominates half or more of their choices outside their home region, we call them national judges. This year, more than a third of our panel voted that way.

The ballots are audited and tabulated by an independent panel at KPMG. The goal of the list and ranking it helps us compile is to shine a spotlight on the exceptional quality of our best restaurants, wherever our judges find them

 


NATIONAL

Jen Agg

Grey Gardens, Agrikol

Paul Alsop

IDMG Culinary Marketing

Keith Baguley

BT/A

Ned Bell

Chefs for Oceans, Ocean Wise

Claudia Bianchi

Bianchi All Things Food, Actinolite Restaurant

Jeremy Bonia

Raymonds, The Merchant Tavern

Damon Campbell

Browns Restaurant Group

Derek Dammann

Maison Publique

David Hawksworth

Hawksworth Restaurant Group

Don House

IDMG Culinary Marketing

Chris Johns

Writer

Jamie Kennedy

Jamie Kennedy Kitchens

Chris Knight

Gusto Worldwide Media

Ben Kramer

Custom Catering

Jim Kyte

Algonquin College

Lanita Layton

HUGO BOSS Canada

Justin Leboe

Model Milk, Pigeonhole

Eric Lee

Red River College

Howard Levitt

Levitt LLP

Dale MacKay

Ayden Kitchen (and others)

Heather McDougall

Montecito

Adrian Myers

Torkin Manes

Mona Nazari

Nestlé Waters

Brenda O’Reilly

O’Reilly’s Irish Newfoundland Pub

Christie Peters

The Hollows

Pino Posteraro

Cioppino’s

Andrew Torriani

Ritz-Carlton Montreal

Peter Tsebelis

Buca, Jamie’s Italian

Vikram Vij

Vij’s, Rangoli, My Shanti

Joël Watanabe

Kissa Tanto, Bao Bei

ONTARIO

Stephen Beckta

Gezellig, Play, Beckta

Rosanna Caira

Kostuch Media

Christine Cushing

Chef, author, TV host

Anne DesBrisay

Writer

Jay DuBoulay

Impress Marketing & Promotions

Stephanie Duong

Roselle Desserts

Kenny Hotz

Writer, comedian

Dr. Josh Josephson

Gourmet

Moez Kassam

Anson Funds

Robert Lantos

Serendipity Point Films

David Lee

Nota Bene

Geddy Lee

Musician

Martine Levy

DDB Public Relations

Claudia McNeilly

Writer

John Morris

CN Tower 360

Dr. James Oestreicher

Toronto Eyelid Surgery

Afrim Pristine

Cheese Boutique

Clayton Ruby

Lawyer

Tina Santoro

American Express

Franco Stalteri

Charlie’s Burgers

Bonnie Stern

Author and chef

Anthony Walsh

Oliver & Bonacini

QUEBEC

John Aylen

John Aylen Communications

Riccardo Bertolino

Maison Boulud

Jon Bloom

Tuck Shop

Brigitte Boulanger

Cuisines Steam

Charles-Antoine Crête

Montréal Plaza

Théo Diamantis

Oenopole

Patrick Dubé

Le Bonne Entente

Oliver Germain

Ourea Hospitality Consultants

Bruce Hills

Just For Laughs

Jean Laporte

Groupe Laporte, Visions Actions

Normand Laprise

Toqué!, Brasserie T!

Héloïse Leclerc

Writer/Blogger

Lenny Lighter

Moishes

Marie-Claude Lortie

La Presse

Hubert Marsolais

Le Club Chasse et Pêche (and others)

Stéphane Modat

Champlain at Le Château Frontenac

Jean-Louis Souman

Hotelier

Spike Stockdale

Pure Cobalt

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Jack Evrensel

Builder (founder, Toptable Group)

Iriss Gibbons

Gourmet

Alexandra Gill

The Globe and Mail

Robert McCullough

Appetite, Penguin Random House Canada

Andrew Morrison

Editor-in-Chief, Scout Magazine

Jason Pleym

Two Rivers Specialty Meats

Jason Priestley

Actor, Black Hills Estate Winery

Dino Renaerts

Bon Vivant Group

Gary Ross

Communications Consultant

THE PRAIRIES

Michael Allemeier

SAIT Polytechnic

Rosemary Bacovsky

Gourmet

Twyla Campbell

Writer/blogger

Dan Clapson

Writer/blogger

Carmen Hamm

Una Pizza + Wine (Saskatoon)

Connie DeSousa

CHARCUT Roast House

Carmen Hamm

UNA Pizza + Wine, Picaro Sask.

Douglas McCrae

CIP Document Solutions

Gwendolyn Richards

Calgary Herald

Liv Vors

Writer

ATLANTIC

Jesse Vergen

Saint John Alehouse (and others)

Peter Crooks

Holland College

Lia Rinaldo

Devour!

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