"When asked if he always knew he wanted to be a Chef, Tyler Shedden pauses, then breaks into a playful grin. “Sure. I love to eat. I love food. And I love to cook.”

Ever humble, Tyler is quick to credit his mentors: Daniel Boulud, Jean-François Bruel, Robert Clark, Rob Belcham and Gordon Ramsay. It was at Boulud’s eponymous 3-Michelin Star restaurant DANIEL where Tyler’s career as a chef took off at lightning speed, and Tyler was quickly promoted to head of the restaurant’s exclusive private dining. The role was a turning point, a true test, as most executive chefs at Daniel Boulud’s restaurants have at one point held this position. Thrown into the fire – literally – Tyler excelled. And, when it was announced that Daniel Boulud would open Café Boulud at the flagship Four Seasons Hotel Toronto, Daniel knew that Tyler would be the perfect chef at the helm to manage day-to-day operations.

Having grown up on Quadra Island, one of the Discovery Islands located off the coast of Vancouver Island in ruggedly beautiful British Columbia, Tyler’s love of the ocean and passion for cooking seafood is in his blood. He fondly recalls as a child fishing with his grandfather then cooking wonderful dinners with his grandmother for the whole family. In his teens Tyler worked as a commercial seafood harvester in oyster, clam, and mussel farming, as well as on commercial fishing vessels for Pacific salmon, spot prawns, and Dungeness crab. By age 20 he was running the restaurant in his parents’ historic 100-year-old Inn. Winters were spent in Whistler, snowboarding and cooking at Val d’Isere, where he was exposed to cooking in a fine dining environment. At C Restaurant and Raincity Grill in Vancouver, Tyler was encouraged by senior chefs to travel and set his sights abroad, and after traveling, cooking, and eating his way through Europe and northern Africa, ultimately packed one bag and his skateboard, moved to Brooklyn, New York, and landed a position with Gordon Ramsay at the London NYC Hotel.

“When I was offered the position at Café Boulud Toronto I was incredibly honored,” says Tyler. I have learned so much from Daniel. The way he treats his people, the way he runs a business, the way he works with food.” Together, they developed the menu, adapting all-star favorites from Boulud’s other famous restaurants, as well as creating new dishes exclusive to Café Boulud Toronto that are inspired by Boulud’s four culinary muses – la tradition, classic French cuisine; la saison, seasonal delicacies; le potager, the vegetable garden; and le voyage, exploring the flavors of international cuisines, no doubt drawing from Boulud and Tyler’s respective travels. For Tyler, Café Boulud is comfortable, casual fine dining, as if you’re eating at the home of family and friends. The dishes constantly evolve with the seasons and are created with the freshest, most wonderful ingredients. Everything on the menu is what any chef would want to eat.

These days, Tyler is happy to be back home in Canada with his wife and baby son Henry. Tyler and his family enjoy taking walks along the stretch of Queen West all the way to Queen East to the Beaches, stopping at specialty food shops and restaurants. “I love that Toronto is a big metropolitan city but it definitely has the feel and warmth of a small city. And, Torontonians really care about food – not just dining, but about good, quality food, and good sustainable food practices, and appreciating local farmers and fishermen. I’m all about that. Toronto is a city that embraces and champions those philosophies.”

Menu highlights? “Everything,” says Tyler with another grin. “It’s just all really, really good.” We can’t wait."