Meet the “Hill Chef”

Meet “Hill Chef” Judson Simpson, Parliament Hill’s executive chef, who has devoted his entire career to the pursuit of Canada’s national identity.

On Parliament Hill in Ottawa, where history and tradition abound, Chef Simpson supports the ideals of Canadian cuisine by catering to Speakers, Members and employees of the Senate and the House of Commons, staff of the Library of Parliament, governmental committees, foreign delegations and dignitaries.

Each day, Chef Simpson oversees the production of a staggering 1,500 to 2,000 meals. Committed to the ideals of Canadian cuisine, he develops relationships with independent producers to highlight and showcase food products from all regions of the country. Keeping at the forefront of new culinary trends for the exclusive 220-seat Parliamentary dining room, Chef Simpson conducts his energetic brigade in the 6th floor Centre Block kitchen, from where meals are produced and shipped to locations and events on the Hill.  Whether designing menus or training staff or sourcing distributors, he must constantly answer to the needs of his captive audience – Canada’s parliamentarians and decision-makers, as well as the many support-staff who assist them.

 Truly Personal Choices

Chef Simpson is often asked what members of Parliament like to eat. Not surprisingly, given the nature of their demanding and stressful positions, they enjoy easy-to-eat comfort food, particularly when they must eat in the lobbies adjacent to the Chamber. But parliamentarians are also demanding heart-healthy, lower fat menus, particularly in the dining room.

Chef Simpson is only too happy to oblige, and has a personal interest in this health-conscious trend. More than 10 years ago, he lost 130 pounds with the help of the medically supervised Weight Management Clinic of the Ottawa Hospital, Civic Campus. For 12 weeks, he subsisted on a liquid-meal replacement three times a day – quite a feat for a man who makes his living surrounded by the sight, smell and, by nature of his profession, taste of food. Determined to overcome a life-long struggle with obesity, Chef Simpson embarked on a lifestyle journey that combined foods reduced in fat and sugar content with regular daily physical activity and exercise. Successful in maintaining his weight loss for more than 10 years (only 5 percent of those who diet achieve this goal) Chef Simpson is always willing to give advice and share recipes and cooking tips with others struggling with weight management.

An Illustrious Past

Prior to becoming “Hill Chef” in 1991, Chef Simpson worked at many Toronto landmark hotels and restaurants and competed in culinary salons in Ontario, Quebec and the U.S. 

Chef Simpson and his team represented his hometown of Toronto at the World Culinary Olympics in Germany in 1988, winning gold. He returned home from the success of his first Olympics with a love of international culinary competition that would engage him for years to come. He competed in the Olympics three more times:  in 1992, as Team Captain representing Toronto; in 2000, as Team Manager of Culinary Team Ontario; and in 2004 as Manager of Culinary Team Canada. All teams have won gold and ranked predominantly on the world stage; Team Ontario finished 2nd overall out of 44 regional teams in October 2000 and Team Canada finished 4th out of 32 national teams in October 2004.

Chef Simpson has traveled extensively across Canada and Europe, raising funds for competition, judging culinary salons, and mentoring junior chefs.

In June 2005, Chef Simpson was named “Chef of the Year” by the Canadian Culinary Federation (CCFCC) and continues to be actively involved as a member of the fundraising committee. He is seeking presidency of the Federation for the term beginning June 2006.