About

Inspiration

A contemporary expression of our shared culinary heritage

Owning a strong connection to time and place, Drift pays homage to this region’s land, people and history. Celebrating our natural abundance, Drift’s culinary vision is to showcase the East Coast’s most beloved ingredients stemming from a vibrant community of artisans, producers, farmers and fishers.

Chef Anthony Walsh has crafted menus featuring eclectic interpretations of familiar Maritime fare. Whether you’re sampling an incredible variety of raw bar delicacies or tucking into a piping hot lobster pot pie, Drift’s dishes aim to deliver equal parts comfort and surprise.

Also inspired by the surrounding terroir, Drift’s bar program showcases a mix of classic and signature cocktails that highlight local distillers and ingredients, a selection of interesting craft beers, and a 100+ bottle wine list that includes premium local offerings, traditional styles, as well as several organic and biodynamic blends.

Located on the main level of the newly built Muir Hotel, our salon, bar and promenade offer a simple, modern and stylish setting to dine, drink, linger and relax without interruption. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, late-night drinks and weekend brunch, we warmly invite you to experience a taste of Drift at your leisure.

Executive Chef

Anthony Walsh

One of Canada’s most highly revered and respected chefs, Anthony Walsh is the Corporate Executive Chef of Oliver & Bonacini Hospitality. In this role, Chef Walsh oversees the culinary direction of all properties in the diverse O&B portfolio, including the restaurants, the event spaces and the catering arm. More specifically, he ensures every menu reflects the specific flavours and characters of the many unique venues. For Chef Walsh, defining Canadian food and elevating it to the world stage is not only a top priority, but a passion.

Chef

Jamie MacAulay

We are thrilled to welcome Chef Jamie MacAulay as Chef de Cuisine of Drift. With more than 20 years of culinary arts experience across premier hotels and restaurants from coast to coast, Chef Jamie brings a genuine love for local ingredients, a passion for art and design, as well as a commitment to mentorship to our team.

Chef

Steven Kwon

With more than 20 years of culinary experience, Chef Steven Kwon’s professional journey has taken him across Canada and around the globe.

Now, as a District Executive Chef, Steven oversees the culinary operations at several restaurants in the Queen’s Marque district including Drift, Bar Sofia, and more to come. And, as a lifelong lover of the ocean, beaches and the fresh salt air, Chef Steven is happy to call Halifax his new home.

inspired by the surrounding terroir

Anthony Walsh

Prior to his appointment to O&B’s Corporate Executive Chef, Chef Walsh served as Executive Chef for the iconic Canadian restaurant Canoe. There, his leadership, unrivaled culinary craftsmanship and visionary sense for haute Canadian cuisine played a vital role in the restaurant’s meteoric ascent on the country’s fine dining scene. Quickly recognized by media, foodies and the culinary world, the restaurant earned four stars in Toronto Life magazine, was named Best New Restaurant by The Globe and Mail and WHERE Toronto magazine, and ranked #3 in Gourmet magazine’s list of Top Tables.

Prior to joining O&B, Chef Walsh opened JAW, a boutique restaurant in Toronto’s Queen West neighbourhood, which received unanimous critical acclaim for its inspired fresh market cuisine and frequently changing menu. It was his work at JAW that caught the attention of local restaurateurs, Peter Oliver and Michael Bonacini, who then brought Chef Walsh onto the O&B team in 1996.

Over the course of his career, Chef Walsh has won critical acclaim by national and international media and has received numerous awards, including gold medals from Taste of Canada, Black Box, Salon Culinaire and the Ontario Hostelry Institute. He has been a featured guest chef at James Beard House, and has cooked for a number of notable dignitaries, including Canadian Prime Ministers Brian Mulroney and Justin Trudeau, U.S. President George Bush, and Princess Diana. In 2016, he was named “Chef of the Year by Foodservice & Hospitality Magazine as well as one of Toronto Life’s Most Influential People.

Chef

Jamie MacAulay

Born and raised in Halifax, Jamie first began cooking alongside his brother while growing up—from simple meat and potatoes to a classic Maritime boiled dinner of corned beef and cabbage. While attending college for multimedia design, Jamie picked up kitchen jobs as a dishwasher or fry cook here and there. It wasn’t until he began spending hours in front of a computer rendering graphics that he realized he was meant for a career that would keep him constantly active and hands-on. With that, Jamie moved out west to begin his culinary journey in earnest. In 2001, he began an apprenticeship in Whistler, British Columbia, under renowned Chef Bernard Casavant, the first chef to represent Canada at the esteemed Bocuse d’Or competition. He would quickly become Chef Jamie’s biggest mentor.

Combining his passion for art and design with cooking, Chef Jamie found he was able to express himself and his creativity in an almost five-dimensional sense. His culinary career blossomed, and he was soon promoted to the role of Chef de Partie of Chef Bernard’s Café and then Sous Chef at Ciao Thyme Bistro. In 2007, Chef Jamie followed Chef Bernard to the lush Okanagan Valley, where they succeeded in bringing terroir-inspired cuisine to Burrowing Owl Estate Winery. At the advice of his mentor, Chef Jamie spent the next several years honing his skills at some of Vancouver’s top hotels, including Fairmont Waterfront and Butcher Market by Jean-George at Shangri-La. On the side, he spent time as a culinary instructor at Vancouver Community College, teaching practical cooking skills to student chefs.

In 2012, Chef Jamie made the decision to return to his roots and settle down in Nova Scotia. He landed a Sous Chef position at the fine-dining-focused Fid Resto, which earned a spot on Maclean’s 50 Best Restaurants in Canada list. It was there that Jamie learned from Fid chef-owner Dennis Johnston and sushi chef Yoshi Suzuki how to make authentic hand-crafted ramen. Having initially fallen in love with ramen out west, Jamie enthusiastically immersed himself in the art of handmade noodles. Several years later, Chef Jamie and his wife opened Water & Bone in Halifax’s North End, offering a local spin on traditional ramen. Now known as Coda Ramen, they quickly developed a loyal local following as well as garnered national attention when celebrity chef Matty Matheson hailed Coda as his favourite ramen shop in Canada.

Now, as Chef Jamie shifts his attention to helming the kitchen at Drift, he is excited to tell Nova Scotia’s story through food. Working closely with local fishers, farmers, foragers and suppliers, Chef Jamie looks forward to showcasing ingredients that he feels deserve more of a spotlight, such as the region’s beautiful variety of seaweeds, small fish and urchin. As well, he is eager to play a role in teaching, developing and mentoring Nova Scotia’s next generation of great chefs.

When he’s not in the Drift kitchen, Jamie can often be found teaching his six-year-old daughter and two-year-old son how to snowboard, surf or, of course, cook.

About

Inspiration

Executive Chef

Chef

Chef

Hours

Location

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Corporate Executive Chef

Anthony Walsh

Chef

Jamie MacAulay

Reservations

Please note that all available tables are currently listed on OpenTable. Seating for groups of 5-8 is limited, and we are unable to accommodate parties larger than eight at this time. Please consider another time if you are unable to find your requested reservation. Thank you for your understanding!