Chef Ian Thompson’s Bio

Era 67 Restaurant & Lounge believes quality ingredients deserve quality care. Our superior menu dishes are not simply prepared in the kitchen, they are first formed and then nurtured in the innovative mind of our talented chef Ian Thompson.

With a lifetime of experience in the restaurant industry and thriving as an Executive Chef for over a decade, Chef Ian Thompson is an award winning culinary individual, who is highly regarded by his peers. A graduate of the respected George Brown College Culinary Management Program, Chef Thompson has had the opportunity to work alongside Master Chefs, as well as a Canadian Culinary Team member. He has travelled extensively throughout Canada to sharpen his cooking techniques. He has also trained at a highly sought-after seafood restaurant in Kinsale Country Cork on the Celtic Sea – the gourmet Capital of Ireland.

In recent years, Chef Thompson has won 1st Place at the annual “Feast for the Pallet” competition in the Greater Toronto Area and was named Collingwood’s “Most Creative Chef” by the Collingwood Connection Newspaper.

The Early Years

Like many aspiring chefs, to get a feel for the industry Ian Thompson began his career working in established chain restaurants. He soon learned how to overcome the everyday challenges associated in each new environment, and adapt to adversity in the heat of the moment, all the while working as part of a close-knit team. Having excelled in “spec and speed” Chef Thompson craved to learn the finer points in culinary and enrolled in the Culinary Management Program at George Brown College in Toronto. At the age of 20, he had the amazing opportunity to move to Ireland to become a sous chef at a Four Star seafood bistro. The many diverse species caught daily from the Celtic Sea forced Chef Thompson to quickly expand his classroom theory. This training not only taught him how to treat the product, it allowed his emerging culinary imagination to “take it to the plate.” Upon his return to North America, Chef Thompson was hired as Head Chef for a casual/fine dining restaurant playing with an international flare. In the intervening years, Executive Chef Thompson has come to realize that now is the time we return to our roots. His moto: “Fresh is not a thing of the past, it’s a lifestyle.”

Present Day

Chef Thompson frequently guests on Rogers Television and area radio stations to showcase his divine international cuisine creations.

A proud resident of Orillia, Chef Thompson looks forward to supporting local producers, as he’s always believed in creating seasonal menus by utilizing fresh products from within his community.

Chef Thompson has always enjoyed Northern Ontario and is delighted to share his passion for the Culinary Arts with guests of the Era 67 Restaurant & Lounge in Orillia, ON.