{"id":165258,"date":"2024-02-21T08:00:10","date_gmt":"2024-02-21T13:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/blog\/?p=165258"},"modified":"2024-10-19T17:16:28","modified_gmt":"2024-10-19T21:16:28","slug":"get-to-know-mark-mcewan-of-mcewan-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/blog\/get-to-know-mark-mcewan-of-mcewan-group","title":{"rendered":"Get to Know&#8230; Mark McEwan of McEwan Group"},"content":{"rendered":"<a class=\"fancybox img-float img-float_right\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/chef-mark-mcewan003-e1708181719197.jpg\"><img alt=\"get to know mark mcewan of mcewan group, 1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"494\" height=\"568\" class=\"img-float__img wp-image-165273\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA0OTQgNTY4IiB3aWR0aD0iNDk0IiBoZWlnaHQ9IjU2OCIgZGF0YS11PSJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy5ldmVudHNvdXJjZS5jYSUyRmJsb2clMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMjQlMkYwMiUyRmNoZWYtbWFyay1tY2V3YW4wMDMtZTE3MDgxODE3MTkxOTcuanBnIiBkYXRhLXc9IjQ5NCIgZGF0YS1oPSI1NjgiIGRhdGEtYmlwPSIiPjwvc3ZnPg==\" data-spai=\"1\"  \/><div class=\"caption img-float__caption\"><\/div><\/a>\n<div class=\"basics\">\n              <label class=\"basics__title\">The Basics<\/label> \n              <ul class=\"basics__list\"><li class=\"basics__item\">Name: Mark McEwan<\/li><li class=\"basics__item\">Company: McEwan Group<\/li><li class=\"basics__item\">Years in Business: 40+<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<p><b>So how\u2019d you get started?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I had my first restaurant experience at age 16 working at Mindy\u2019s wine cellar in Buffalo, NY. At that time, I just needed a job and a paycheque so I found an open position. The interesting thing was that I really enjoyed the dynamics of the restaurant as well as the customer buzz and interaction. Before working here, I had no experience working in a restaurant environment nor the desire. When I turned 19, I entered into a structured apprentice chef program and began my career.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>When did you get your first big break?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My first big break was landing the executive chef position at the Sutton place hotel in Toronto in 1982. I was 25 years old at the time and the youngest chef in Canada to hold a position of that caliber.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What was the hardest part of starting your own business? What do you find most rewarding?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The absolute hardest part of starting my own business was assembling the money to make it happen, everything else was just good old hard work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To make it all happen I sold my car, received a tax refund based on my marriage timing and also had both sides of the family co-sign on a loan for the initial down payment needed. Each partner had to bring 100k to the table. In 1985, that was a LOT of money!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Learning from failure is a valuable and inevitable part of most entrepreneurial journeys. What was your \u201cbest failure\u201d that taught you the most?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Failure is your best and most stern teacher! Never feel over-confident when doing a deal and always continue to challenge and question all aspects of your strategy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our retail store at Yonge &amp; Bloor would be my biggest failure, based on the location. I thought we had a winner from day 1 but unfortunately, this was not the case and we made the hard decision to close during COVID.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Since Mark McEwan the individual and celebrity is so synonymous with the McEwan brand, does this present any challenges for you outside work?<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not at all. Not that I think of myself as a \u201ccelebrity\u201d, but the TV personality side has tremendously helped our brand. It encourages us to continue to set and keep the bar high based on our reputation!<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-images\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/chef-mark-mcewan001.jpg\"class=\"link-image link-image_wide\" rel=\"gallery\"class=\"link-image link-image_wide\" rel=\"gallery\"><img alt=\"get to know mark mcewan of mcewan group, 2\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"full-size-image alignnone size-full wp-image-165271\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA5OTAgNjYwIiB3aWR0aD0iOTkwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjY2MCIgZGF0YS11PSJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy5ldmVudHNvdXJjZS5jYSUyRmJsb2clMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMjQlMkYwMiUyRmNoZWYtbWFyay1tY2V3YW4wMDEuanBnIiBkYXRhLXc9Ijk5MCIgZGF0YS1oPSI2NjAiIGRhdGEtYmlwPSIiPjwvc3ZnPg==\" data-spai=\"1\" width=\"990\" height=\"660\"  \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p><b>How has the job\/profession\/industry changed since you first started?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When I started, most high-end restaurants were inside hotels and independent, high-end restaurants were actually in short supply. Today, there are loads of fine dining establishments all across the city.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What\u2019s one of the secrets to your success?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One secret to my success was working for myself while also owning the business as well. Most chefs in my day did not have ownership of their restaurant.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What do you look for when hiring a new employee?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I look for a good attitude, maturity, and a good job history. Most important is the ability to work with others and fit into a team, this is essential.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What\u2019s the best part about your job?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Best part of my job is that we work in a special category where we feed and take care of people. This helps to create a real bond with your clients and not to mention that you meet the city\u2019s most interesting and influential people.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What\u2019s one big tip you would give to up-and-comers in the industry?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Best advice would be to act like a sponge, absorb as much knowledge and technique as you can and never say no. Hard work will reward you, and opportunity will find you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What was your first job in the industry?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My first real job as a chef was at the Constellation Hotel where I did my apprenticeship for 3 years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<a class=\"fancybox img-float img-float_right\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/chef-mark-mcewan004.jpg\"><img alt=\"get to know mark mcewan of mcewan group, 3\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"494\" height=\"741\" class=\"img-float__img wp-image-165274\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA0OTQgNzQxIiB3aWR0aD0iNDk0IiBoZWlnaHQ9Ijc0MSIgZGF0YS11PSJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy5ldmVudHNvdXJjZS5jYSUyRmJsb2clMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMjQlMkYwMiUyRmNoZWYtbWFyay1tY2V3YW4wMDQuanBnIiBkYXRhLXc9IjQ5NCIgZGF0YS1oPSI3NDEiIGRhdGEtYmlwPSIiPjwvc3ZnPg==\" data-spai=\"1\"  \/><div class=\"caption img-float__caption\"><\/div><\/a>\n<h2>And now for the Bonus Round&#8230;<\/h2>\n<p><b>When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up (and how does it relate to what you do now)?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I wanted to be a fighter pilot which has nothing to do with being a chef<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Favourite celebrity?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Daniel Craig is the best 007 ever!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Favourite childhood memory?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Any time spent at our family cottage in Turkey Point<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What\u2019s the first thing you do when you open your eyes in the morning?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make the perfect Italian coffee! I have a Jura espresso machine which makes the perfect short americano, my bean of choice is Lavazza.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What are you currently binge-watching?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Succession, the writing is like no other and the characters are real life. It&#8217;s the perfect mix of drama and comedy and completely relatable to the real world today.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What was one of your less glamorous jobs you had when you were younger?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dishwasher\u2026every kid should be forced to be a dishwasher, it&#8217;s character building.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Favourite vacation spot?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anything Skiing!! Now that the grandchildren are skiing the next big adventure will be a full family ski trip.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>So how\u2019d you get started? I had my first restaurant experience at age 16 working at Mindy\u2019s wine cellar in Buffalo, NY. At that time, I just needed a job and a paycheque so I found an open position. The interesting thing was that I really enjoyed the dynamics of the restaurant as well as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":166179,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[145],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-165258","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-industry-corner"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\r\n<title>Get to Know... Mark McEwan of McEwan Group<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"So how\u2019d you get started? 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