The Willow Inn, an iconic country restaurant, inn, and venue, in Hudson has announced that it has appointed Danny Smiles as Executive Chef & Manager of its institution. Smiles is the former chef de cuisine and co-owner of Le Bremner – a Montreal hot spot with a seafood-forward menu. Over the past years, he has worked with chefs across the country to create an extraordinary dining experience for many music and arts festivals, including Osheaga. “We are excited to showcase local talent in the kitchen and feature fresh produce from the area” says Patricia Ades, co-owner of the Willow Inn, “We are confident in Danny’s skills and creativity to bring an experience as unique as our venue to our guests.”

Danny Smiles has also had his fair share of the public eye. He was a winner in season one of Iron Chef Canada, runner-up on season three of Top Chef Canada, and co-starred in the Food Network’s Chuck and Danny’s Road Trip. His love of food and easy-going manner has gained him numerous appearances on such TV shows as Breakfast Television Montreal, Salut Bonjour, Global News Morning as well as Canada AM.

Montrealer Ira Dubinsky has been appointed marketing director for KFC Canada. His finger licking good job is being done from Toronto…Ted Dranias of Petros Taverna has started his own YouTube Show. It is called Table Talk With Ted and it can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/petrostaverna. Dranias will announce soon his plans to open a Petros in Fort Lauderdale.

The West Island Restaurants Facebook page continues to grow, with over 11,000 members. Moderator Corey Szwarcok, who owns a very successful team building company called Everblast Play, has a true success story on his hands.