Executive Chef Christopher Duernholz

Christopher Duernholz, Executive Chef for The Sutton Place Hotel is an adamant supporter of Point's statement, believing that a true Chef must constantly strive to learn and experience new things in order to evolve in their profession and create first rate cuisine.

A Toronto native, Christopher fell into the industry at 17 years of age. Enticed immediately by the atmosphere of the working kitchen and developing a strong passion for food and its preparation, Christopher has continued to foster his extensive experience in restaurants across the city for more than a decade.

Cutting his teeth at Splendido, Christopher started as Garde-Manger and worked his way through all facets of the kitchen. Christopher was promoted to Sous-Chef in late 1995.  From there, his career took flight.

In 1997, after his full tour of duty at Splendido, Christopher moved to The Fifth as Chef de Partie under Chef Didier Leroy. Here, Christopher was given a greater opportunity to focus more on style, technique and product care, delivering creative presentations without sacrificing the complex textures and flavours of the dishes. Over the following years, Christopher continued to build on his own more rustic, artisan-style approach to culinary excellence during his tenure at successful city restaurants such as Cucina and Citrus.

In 1999, Mr. Duernholz took on the role of Chef de Partie for Accolade Restaurant at The Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts.  Under the tutelage of Executive Chef Michael Potters - who had completely dispensed with an a-la-carte menu in favour of offering different Tasting Menus every night - Christopher developed a taste for challenging culinary convention and allowing new and creative attitudes to emerge in the kitchen.

Three years later, Christopher took on the role of Chef at the highly successful Rouge.  As Chef, Christopher was able to organize the kitchen as he saw fit, focussing on both efficiency in service and the development of a creative atmosphere. When Christopher took over the kitchen, his cuisine won rave reviews. Toronto.com called Rouge "one of the boldest dining rooms in town", praising Chef Duernholz who the site voted Best New Chef in 2003 for his "sublime" presentation and attention to finer detail.

In the spring of 2003, Christopher joined the culinary team of The Sutton Place Hotel as Sous Chef and then in March 2007 became Executive Chef. Christopher continues to view cooking for individual tastes as an art form and has welcomed the opportunity to produce at a high volume for banquet service without losing the integrity of the menu. The most important thing to Christopher, however, is spending as much time as possible with his two children. He's delighted that the flexibility in scheduling at the hotel allows him to have this time with his family.