Oui, Chef

In the heart of the restaurant you will find yourself in the kitchen, with lots of noise, higher temperatures, and many moving pieces. While on the line you will often hear "oui, Chef!" as the dishes get called and answered during a busy service. But who is this Chef? At Red Lion Smokehouse that is none other than Chef John Murray.

John went to culinary arts school at Humber College graduating — well, let's just say a couple of years ago. His culinary career spans across several provinces, two continents, and almost three decades. In addition to what any regular person would consider a heaping plate, John was also completing his sommelier training at this same time. Needless to say, the practice for that particular passion went down a little easier than most.

He began his culinary journey in the kitchens of acclaimed Toronto, Ontario Chef Susar Lee, under the tutelage of Jason Carter. These were formative years for John, & were a catalyst for his decision to move to Europe. There he had an opportunity to work at Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant, Petrus, under Chef Marcus Waering. Following that, John landed his dream job at Fergus Henderson’s St. John Bread & Wine. He spent several exceptional years there before moving on to hone his pastry skills at Michelin-starred L’Autre Pied & Yauatcha restaurants in England UK. John’s first Head Chef role was at the famed London wine bar, Vinoteca.

John returned to his entrepreneurial roots when he moved back to Thunder Bay ON & opened Red Lion Smokehouse in 2014. Just over a decade later, Red Lion has won numerous business, restaurant, & civic awards, & is considered an institution in Thunder Bay’s culinary scene. Never one to shy away from new ventures, John recently entered the world of property development. His complex at 16 Cumberland Street currently houses not only Red Lion Smokehouse, but several other local retail businesses in the rapidly expanding downtown north core of Thunder Bay.