Peter Hum has spent over a decade determining what makes a dish worth talking about. Early next year, he’ll decide what goes on the plate.

The longtime Ottawa Citizen restaurant critic has been appointed resident chef at 1 Elgin restaurant for the start of the 2026 season. His eight-week stint at the National Arts Centre will begin Jan. 6 and continue through early March.

NAC general manager of food and beverage Nelson Borges called the match instinctive. “We got to see beautiful images of the food that Peter was eating,” he said, referring to Hum’s trip to southern China in late 2024 to retrace his family origins . “Everybody in Canada could read about it. Nobody could taste it. So I thought, why not give Peter the chance to put his culture on a plate?”

A five-course gala dinner o

See Full Page