Chefs of the Kawarthas - Chef Scott Hudson

CHEFS OF THEKAWARTHAS

CHEF SCOTT HUDSON

Meet Scott Hudson, Head Chef at Hobart’s Steakhouse in Lindsay and Peterborough. Not only is Scott an amazing Chef, he is also very passionate about the meals they serve. Scott has been a Chef since 1989. He was born and raised in Peterborough and went to Adam Scott Collegiate School.

Scott’s career started as a dishwasher at the Holiday Inn and he just never left the kitchen. When he quit high school, did his basic apprenticeship at Georgian College in Barrie, his advanced at Algonquin College in Ottawa, and started his Economic Business Degree at Brock University.

Chef Scott relocated to Burlington for 15 years where he worked at the Pig & Whistle Inn. He also taught the apprenticeship program at Liaison College in Hamilton. After teaching, he worked at Hearthstone by the Lake, which was ironically the same location of the torn down Pig & Whistle Inn. He has traveled to Nunivak NWT as a GM Consultant to run two restaurants - Waters Edge Seafood Steakhouse and the Kicking Caribou Pub.

Scott is at Hobart’s now. He likes it there, and has decided to set his roots in Lindsay to be close to his family - his parents and youngest son live there.

So what does Scott love about being a chef? “The guests. Bar none - the guests. When you walk in the door, I want to WOW you from the moment you get there until the time you leave. If we haven’t done that, then we haven’t done our job.”

What makes Scott tick? “Being a chef is the pride and passion of every ounce of product you put on a plate, and the WOW factor of guests enjoying a meal.” That’s what makes him get up and do it tomorrow. His advantage of understanding the numbers side

of the business gives Scott an edge. And he loves doing it. It’s about coaching and development. He teaches consistency in the menu and food.

Scott feels that Lindsay’s restaurant businesses are evolving and growing. “There are more restaurants

in Lindsay than there has ever been”, he says. Not only does he pride himself on teaching, but also it has to be the freshest ingredients and as local as possible.

With Scott’s gypsy-like personality, surprisingly, he never gets bored with being a Chef. “Cooking to me is like putting your shoes on in the morning”, he says, “It becomes a habit. What keeps you interested is constantly developing a new weekly feature program or making next season’s menus. And at Hobart’s there isn’t a high turn over of staff, so we become a team, and that makes it much more enjoyable. Their program is the best I’ve seen in 30 years.”

Chef Scott is a pivotal part of Hobart’s opening their third location – Hobart’s Lighthouse. It is located on Stony Lake at Harbourtown McCracken’s Landing, and will open on May 15th through October 15th. Some people may remember it as The Lantern. It will be an upscale, casual pub with an all day menu, right on the water with seating for 56. There are 83 boat slips there, and transients are welcome to dock and eat.

Make it a point to head to Hobart’s Lighthouse, and say ‘Hey!’ to Chef Scott Hudson. And tell him we sent you!