Investigators are asking for the public’s help in locating an award-winning Ontario chef who was last seen in downtown Toronto on New Year’s Eve.
Relatives say they haven’t heard from Jonathan Herder Gushue since then and are concerned for the 41-year-old’s well-being, according to a statement from Waterloo Regional Police.
According to Gushue’s family, the last time anyone saw the father of three was when he was checking out of Toronto’s Park Hyatt Hotel on Dec. 31.
A spokesperson for Langdon Hall Country House Hotel and Spa, a hotel in Cambridge, Ont. where Gushue works as an executive chef, said he last appeared for work on Dec. 29.
His next scheduled shift was on New Year’s Eve for a gala. Gushue’s absence that night was the staff’s first indication that something was wrong, Langdon Hall marketing and public relations coordinator Jessica Pearce wrote in an email.
While Gushue has been known to go away for a day or two in the past, it’s been a week since anyone’s heard from him and his family has asked police for their help.
Police say the chef may be going by the name “Jonathan Herder,” Herder being his middle name.
Neither investigators nor the chef’s family will say why they believe he’s disappeared.
Gushue's resume as a chef includes a long list of luxury hotel restaurants, including London’s Berkeley Hotel and Truffles Restaurant at the Four Seasons Toronto.
According to a biography on Langdon Hall’s website, Gushue was born in St. John’s, N.L. but left there at age 19.
Investigators have said they have no reason to suspect foul play, or believe Gushue is in danger.
Gushue has been described as white, about five feet 10 inches tall and 180 pounds, with short dark hair and blue eyes.
Anyone with information has been encouraged to contact Waterloo Regional Police at 519-650-8500 ext. 2299.
