Fred’s Not Here: Toronto hall of fame restauranteur passes away

Fred Luk was inducted into the Ontario Hostelry Institute Hall of Fame in 2024. (Credit: Ontario Hostelry Institute Hall of Fame)

The man behind numerous Toronto Entertainment District restaurants, including Fred’s Not Here and The Red Tomato, has died at the age of 70.

Fred Luk, a Hong Kong native and Toronto culinary leader, passed away following a battle with cancer on Oct. 29, according to an obituary published on Wednesday.

Smart Serve Ontario, whose board Luk served on, also confirmed his death in a separate post last week.

Luk`s other restaurants included Cha Cha Cha, Wally Gators, The Strip House, Filet of Sole and The Whistling Oyster.

``Fred’s influence extended far beyond his own restaurants. As the founder of Fred’s Not Here and The Red Tomato, and through his consulting work with many of Toronto’s finest establishments, he became known for his instinctive culinary sense and his ability to bring bold, creative concepts to life," Smart Serve Ontario said in a social media post. “Beyond his culinary accomplishments, Fred was a tireless advocate for the hospitality industry. He served for many years on the Ontario Restaurant, Hotel, and Motel Association’s Board of Directors, including as Chair, where he championed issues affecting restaurateurs across Ontario.”

Luk helped develop Smart Serve Cares, a program to help hospitality workers with free mental health support. He was “driven by his deep respect and compassion for the industry’s front-line staff, whose hard work and dedication he never stopped advocating for,” according to Smart Serve Ontario.

Fred’s Not Here and The Red Tomato - closed in 2019 and Luk retired in the Niagara Region but stayed active in the industry.

He was inducted into the Ontario Hostelry Institute Hall of Fame in 2024.

“Fred was a food pioneer, introducing the Toronto restaurant scene to innovative cuisine, especially the fusion fare that the city enjoys to this day. Customers were equally impressed by the spectacular and welcoming interiors to whose design Fred devoted enormous creative and artistic discernment – even to the extent of designing furnishings and commissioning original works of art," his obituary notes.

There will be a celebration of life in the spring of 2026, Luk is survived by his wife of 31 years.