As Executive Corporate Chef for SIR Corp.'s one-of-a-kind, Toronto-based restaurants, the Signature Group, Gordon Mackie has honed his considerable talent with some of the world's most celebrated chefs including Canada's Mark Thuet and Jamie Kennedy, and iconic celebrity chefs as Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Gordon Ramsay, Anton Mosimann, and Marco Pierre Whites.

The result is a style all his own, a light modern and creative cuisine exemplified in his repertoire of updated classics which Mackie calls luxurious comfort food showcased at restaurants including the top rated Toronto hot spot Far Niente and his latest restaurant, FOUR. What's more, his style reflects the breadth and intensity of his experience in some of the finest kitchens in the world.

A self-proclaimed "student of food", he began pursuing his life's passion at age 12, when young Mackie enrolled in culinary classes at Niagara College. "All I really wanted to do was cook so my dad, who also owns a catering company, complied with my wishes and really the rest is history."

Born and raised in Grimsby, Ontario, and classically trained at George Brown College (Toronto), Mackie made his debut on the dining scene at the Windsor Arms Hotel, under the direction of celebrated Canadian chefs Michael Bonacini and Marc Thuet, followed by The Founder's Club with the legendary chef Jamie Kennedy. Next, he moved to London, England, fine-tuning his craft at The Belford Club, Vong, The Four Seasons Hotel and the Petersham Hotel before returning to Toronto in 1996 to the Sutton Place Hotel.

He was executive chef at Biff's, and chef de cuisine at Canoe prior to joining SIR Corp. as Executive Corporate Chef in 2003.

An avid traveller, Mackie selects techniques and products discovered throughout his travels to France, Italy, Spain, the United States, China, Israel, and throughout Canada, and incorporates them into his cuisine. His philosophy is simple - "Great food should be simply prepared, savoured and memorable."

In his current role at SIR Corp., Mackie operates from the kitchen at Far Niente, and also presides over the kitchen operations at Toronto restaurants reds bistro & wine bar, Petit Four Bakery and the newest Signature Group restaurant, FOUR.

He has appeared in numerous food-related TV shows and major features articles including Canada's top dailies The Toronto Star, The Globe & Mail and The National Post, as well as CITYTV's Breakfast Television and Food Network Canada's Christine Cushing Live and Toronto Life magazine. Mackie has also participated in high profile and charity-driven cooking events such as Toronto Taste, and he hosted events with the LCBO and Williams-Sonoma.

He lives in downtown Toronto with his wife of more than 10 years, Sau Fann, their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Issie and their Boston Terriers, Norman and Freddy.