About Chef Nick

Nick Benninger was an obstinate kid. When he complained about dinner his mother said, ”If you don’t like it, make it yourself.” Nick did, and he never stopped. At 16, he got his first cooking job, working at a summer camp in northern Ontario. While most kids were happiest running through trees and jumping in lakes, Nick found joy behind sweaty pots, and sizzling pans. He had found his path and has been on it ever since. After attending George Brown College, Nick apprenticed throughout Ontario, working under some of the province’s finest chefs. 

Nick knew he was too independent, too much of a culinary creative to work “cooperatively” under others, no matter how good.  So, in 2008, with his wife Natalie, Nick opened his first restaurant, Uptown 21, in Waterloo. This was just the beginning.

In 2016 he created The Fat Sparrow Group,  opened Taco Farm and resurrected the Waterloo landmark restaurants, Marbles Restaurant and Harmony Lunch.

The little brat who thought he could out-cook his mother, eventually parlayed his youthful defiance into a mini empire,  adding a catering company, bakery, butcher shop, market stalls and a wholesale food producer - employing over 220 people. 

Always searching for his next adventure, in 2023, Nick sold The Fat Sparrow group.  

Because Nick doesn’t just love to cook, he’s happy to share his knowledge through creative writing, consulting and connecting with the community. He’s also at home in front of the camera and has appeared on Where to Eat Canada and You Gotta Eat Here! as well as the independently produced Nick and Taylor Make A Food Show!

Nick is as passionate about where his food comes from as how it gets prepared. He has been a staunch advocate for sourcing local ingredients and showcasing the diversity of great produce, so abundant in the Waterloo Region, long before it was a trend. Nick has now brought his culinary diversity and affable charm to the small screen as host of the Bell Fibe series Farm to Fork. Now in its second season.