Chef Jefferson Alvarez

Executive Chef, Fraîche Restaurant

Self taught chef, Jefferson Alvarez left Venezuela for Ottawa at age 16 where he briefly attended Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa Culinary Institute. It didn't take long for the young chef to get itchy feet and within a year, Alvarez had packed up his knife and English dictionary and moved to Toronto to work at Centro under famed chefs David Lee and Mark Thuet. This ignited an intensity to absorb as much knowledge as he possibly could from Toronto's culinary talents at restaurants around the city. Brief experiences at Pangea, Adega and Scaramouche were followed by a two-year stint at Canoe working under the inspiring Anthony Walsh.

Alvarez's thirst for knowledge and experience has led him to spend his vacation times working, seven days a week, at a number of top restaurants in New York and Philadelphia including Aquavit and Morimoto. He spent a year working at Senses under chef Claudio Aprile before taking on his first Executive Chef role at a small restaurant called tomi-kro.

Throughout his career, Alvarez has taken many return trips to explore Spain in-depth while working stages at exciting restaurants such as the three-star Michelin rated Arzak and Akelare. Ready for a new experience, Alvarez decided to move to British Columbia in 2009 to head up the kitchen at Divino. His experience and techniques paired with his culinary passions are sure to spell delicious and exciting times for the guests at Fraîche.

Alvarez is a chef to watch, and we invite you to do so from our elegant open kitchen and hilltop dining room.