A top Ottawa chef will leave his multiple ByWard Market kitchens in mid-May

Chef Dave Godsoe from E18hteen. Photo by JULIE OLIVER /POSTMEDIA

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The executive chef overseeing several leading ByWard Market restaurants is stepping down in mid-May.

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Dave Godsoe, the 35-year-old chef of Restaurant E18hteen, Social, Sidedoor, the Clarendon Tavern and the Hyde Bar announced Thursday on his Instagram page that his last day in his kitchens will be May 15.

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“Overall, it’s time,” Godsoe said in an interview. “I’ve been there going on 10 years. That’s a long time. It’s not an easy decision. It just felt like it was the right time for me to step away.”

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Godsoe said he was “super-grateful” that Caroline Gosselin and Peter Boole of the Eighteen Hospitality group, which includes Restaurant E18hteen, Side Door, the Clarendon Tavern and the Hyde Bar, took a chance on him a decade ago.

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Godsoe was originally hired as the chef of the group’s flagship restaurant, Restaurant E18hteen, a high-end, special-occasion eatery on York Street. His responsibilities grew over time to include oversight at the group’s other properties and he also became the executive chef of Social, a Sussex Drive restaurant that Boole owns with other partners. Godsoe said he collaborated with chefs de cuisine at each of the restaurants to write their menus.

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Eventually, as not only the executive chef but also group’s food and beverage director for the restaurant group, Godsoe oversaw kitchen and front-of-house teams totalling about 140 people.

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“I learned so much. I was given lots of space to grow and learn and become a better chef and a better leader,” said Godsoe.

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Godsoe said he has thought about opening his own restaurant, but has ruled that out for now. “Maybe when there’s a little more financial stability in the economy. It’s not a financial risk I’m willing to take right now,” said Godsoe, who has a young family that includes an 18-month-daughter.

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“A new senior leadership role” awaits Godsoe in June, but he declined to give details. “I’m going to stay part of the Ottawa restaurant scene,” he said.

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Godsoe grew up in Riverside South and was a prize-winning 2011 graduate of Algonquin College’s culinary program. In his early 20s, he was already running restaurant kitchens, and when he was 26, he took the helm at Restaurant E18hteen, which marks its 25th anniversary this year.

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A party marking E18hteen’s milestone is expected to take place this summer, and Godsoe says he wants to be part of it.

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“It’s been an icon in the city for a long time,” he said. “A lot of the big names in this city owe some of their story to E18hteen.”

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