Joe Beef Dave McMillan montreal restaurant restaurants industry leaving

Joe Beef’s Dave McMillan is leaving the restaurant industry

“I never want to shave white truffles onto asparagus for someone from Toronto ever again in my life.”

In an interview with The Gazette‘s Bill Brownstein, longtime Montreal restaurateur Dave McMillan revealed that he is leaving the restaurant industry. After 32 years on the local restaurant scene, one of the driving forces behind renowned Montreal restaurants and wine bars Joe Beef, Liverpool House, Vin Papillon, Vinette and McKiernan is stepping away, as he long ago pledged to do after he turned 50 (which he recently did).

“I was burned out, I was angry all the time. I decided I couldn’t live like this any longer.

“It’s 5% cooking. It’s 95% cleaning. To be able to make dinner for 50 people, it will take you four hours, then 12 hours to clean up. It’s no glamour.”

Dave McMillan

McMillan joked that he would prefer a job with a boss and a shift, at a place like Home Depot. In reality, he plans to spend more time communing with nature and growing vegetables and grapes for wine at his property in Saint-Armand, Quebec.

In other Joe Beef news today, ex-executive chef Gabriel Drapeau announced his departure from the restaurant and his new gig at WeCook.


For more on the Montreal restaurant scene, please visit the Food & Drink section.