Chef Jonathan GushueFernando Morales/The Globe and Mail
More than a week after Jonathan Gushue checked out of a tony Toronto hotel and vanished without a trace, police tracked down the renowned chef in another province. He was unhurt.
The 41-year-old, who runs the kitchen at Langdon Hall in Cambridge, Ont., last spoke with his family on the evening of Dec. 29. That night, he drove to Toronto for dinner with a colleague, and stayed for two days at the Park Hyatt. He left his mobile phone and car behind when he disappeared.
Police received a tip that he was seen at Union Station and said he appears to have departed Toronto via public transportation. Mr. Gushue did not contact police, they said. Rather, it was investigators' detective work that located him. They would not reveal where he went or why he left without telling anyone. Mr. Gushue has gone missing before, but never for so long.
It is unclear if and when he will return to Cambridge. A representative of Langdon Hall said the restaurant had not yet spoken with him on Thursday afternoon, and planned to give him time to be with his family before discussing the situation.
Those who know him breathed a sigh of relief. Afrim Pristine, whose family owns Toronto's Cheese Boutique, said he is ready to help Mr. Gushue with anything he needs. "I am thrilled that my good friend is safe and okay," he said.
Cookbook author Bonnie Stern said it was worrying when, after police went public with Mr. Gushue's disappearance on Monday, three days passed without any word on him.
"I was surprised [police] hadn't heard anything in the last couple of days," she said. "Everybody just thinks he's terrific. I'm so happy he's safe."
A married father of three, Mr. Gushue grew up in Newfoundland and worked at a string of high-end restaurants in Vancouver, Toronto and London before taking the executive chef posting at Langdon Hall in 2005.
Adrian Morrow