Chef Suzanne Barr

Suzanne Barr is one of North America’s most respected chefs with a signature flair for Afro Caribbean comfort food. She recognized the significance of food from an early age, growing up in a household with two novice chefs where preparing every meal was an opportunity to bond as

a family, learn about cultural roots, tell stories and express love. This instilled a lifelong passion to value the significant role food plays in nourishing not just the body, but the soul. Her food is a

reflection of her roots and is ever-evolving as she travels the world refining her culinary and personal education. Suzanne’s food philosophy is to create highly nutritious, flavourful and comforting food with ingredients that are accessible and all in an elevated way to make the ordinary, surprisingly extraordinary. Her impressive past culinary repertoire includes: Head Chef/Owner at True True Diner in Toronto, owner of Saturday Dinette; inaugural chef-in-residence at the Gladstone Hotel; a residency at Sand and Pearl Oyster Bar in Prince Edward County; starring role as one of the

chefs in the acclaimed documentary film, The Heat: A Kitchen (R)evolution; and as a resident judge on Food Network Canada’s series, Wall of Chefs.

Suzanne regularly advocates for food security, people of color, mental wellness, equal pay for equal work, LGBTQ communities, nutrition literacy, and food source sustainability. She is also active in the community as a board member for Not 9 to 5 (a not-for-profit organization empowering the hospitality, food, and beverage industry through mental health

education and support), won the Social Advocate of the Year Award in 2021 from Restaurants Canada, and most recently launched her memoir, My Ackee Tree: A Chef’s Memoir of Finding Home in the Kitchen.

In 2021 Suzanne relocated to Florida where she began consulting on a new German restaurant concept in Miami called The New Schnitzel House which opened in June 2023. She resides in Plantation, FL, and is preparing to launch a line of smocks for home cooks and a food product line. She roots her flavors in comfort bringing years of experience to every kitchen.