Fraser Macfarlane '94: The Recipe for Success

“I couldn’t believe he took my call. I told him about the program I had done and that I had just returned from working in Italy for almost five months,” recalled Fraser, who said that Keith invited him to come into the restaurant, and ended up asking him to take a turn in the kitchen that very evening. “I worked for about five hours right away.”

 

Scaramouche is an exclusive restaurant and Keith Froggett a well-known chef in Toronto. It is not an easy feat to get a job there. Fraser, who also has a History degree from Bishop’s University, didn’t let it go to his head. 

“Keith immediately told me that it wasn’t because I was a great cook, but because I was willing to stay that night,” he said. “It’s definitely not easy to get in at Scaramouche, but I think I was in the right place at the right time and I was willing to put myself out there.”

Fraser started at the bottom, working on salads, smoked salmon plates and at the pasta bar. He got rotated into the main dining room and over four years, worked his way up to hot appetizers and senior vegetables.

At some point in Fraser’s climb up the food ladder, Georgina Mitropoulos joined the team. After a year of working together, the pair started dating.

“Fraser wooed me on our walks home from Scaramouche,” said Georgina, who is also a trained chef, but has since transitioned to working front of house. “We would stop at the local pub and chat over a glass of red wine. I figured out pretty quickly that we could follow a dream together.”

That dream is now a reality. After several years at Scaramouche, the chefs left the restaurant for England in search of new styles and experiences. While there, the talented duo trained at some of Europe’s top Michelin-starred establishments. 

In May 2010, Fraser and Georgina opened Quatrefoil Restaurant in Dundas, Ontario, a quaint town of 20,000 that is part of the city of Hamilton. Quatrefoil offers fine dining, and Fraser and Georgina use local ingredients to create contemporary French cuisine in a sophisticated environment. In 2014, the pair also opened Brux House, a high-end craft brewery in Hamilton. 

Fraser and Georgina, now parents to a three-year-old son, find inspiration in the best local products to create superb seasonal menus. Their approach is to refine flavours through technique and let the ingredients stand on their own.

“We are so lucky to be surrounded by farmers who take pride. It is wonderful to have the lady who raises our birds pop by, the young man who roasts our coffee visit, and our friends and family brew the cider and beer that we sell,” said Georgina. “We love our ingredients, and our goal is to please our clients. We truly want them to leave happy.” 

Fraser believes that his restaurants work so well in part because he and his wife add a personal touch. 

“People like to see the owners, and people knew that they would see Georgina here and that I would be in the kitchen,” said Fraser, who started at RSGC in Grade 6. “We’re like a family – people know that they can email us or text Georgina.”

But while living and working together 24/7 has its challenges, the couple has found the recipe for success. They no longer have to be at the restaurant all the time and, in fact, can even take vacations together and let their staff run the show. 

“I have chucked citrus at him when he doesn’t listen,” laughed Georgina. “Our staff means the world to us, so we try to keep it light in front of them. We have a common goal, which is pleasing our customers, and, ultimately, we have each other’s backs.”

As for Fraser, he knows who’s the boss. 

“Usually, she is,” said Fraser, who was the Sports Prefect when he was in Grade 13. “But honestly, it’s nice to know there’s someone there who is as vested in it as you are and who wants it to grow as much as you do. I have someone to shoulder that responsibility with me. And I also have someone to celebrate the awards we’ve won together.” 

While Fraser remembers his RSGC days of being the Sports Prefect and watching “Wok with Yan” in his spare time, he thinks about all of life’s little twists and turns that lead to his success as a chef and entrepreneur. 

“I was really lucky to go to RSGC. You could just tell that all of the teachers liked being there and you never got the feeling that any of them were just there for a pay cheque,” he said. “That’s exactly how I try to hire my staff. You want them to be like family.” 

Since opening, Quatrefoil has been named among the top 10 Best New Restaurants in Canada by enRoute Magazine and the Top 10 Best New Restaurants by Toronto Life. This is a testament to Fraser’s skills as both a chef and a leader. 

“Fraser is an amazing chef – one of the few who absolutely loves to cook at home,” said Georgina. “He doesn’t care what time it is or what the occasion is. This is how I know his passion runs deep. There have been many times when I wake up in the middle of the night from the lovely aromas of roasting quail or an exquisite rib eye!”

And while Fraser’s passion does, indeed, run deep, he has a confession to make.
 

“Some days, I’d love to just sit on the couch with my three-year-old son, Charlie, and eat cereal.”