A new chef is looking to upgrade the quality of the Tim Hortons menu.
The coffee chain announced just before the new year that Tallis Voakes would be at the helm of their culinary innovation. The Canadian company recently said they would be dialling in their focus on elevating their menu and pulling back slightly on new items.
"My mission of making the food at Tim Hortons even better for our guests across Canada is just so, so exciting," said Voakes.
Voakes, a career chef that has worked at several top restaurants worldwide, is no stranger to the iconic coffee chain––like many kids from small towns across Canada, he worked at his local Tim’s as a teenager.
The chef is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Ottawa and has spent time cooking in London, England under some world-renowned chefs. He’s even prepared a meal for the Queen.
He has been credited as a food stylist in Hollywood and television, working on projects such as The Handmaid’s Tale, which is filmed in Toronto.
Now, Voakes will head the kitchen at one of the most iconic Canadian brands to ever exist.
Though the landscape of grab-and-go breakfast chains has changed significantly over the years, Tim’s has always been at the forefront of it all. Voakes isn’t looking to capsize the entire menu, but is looking to upgrade it where he sees fit.
"There are many things that are already awesome and you don't mess with a good thing,” said Voakes. “And then there's other things that we're looking at amping up the flavour a little more here, or changing a different ingredient there.”
Aside from the best possible quality, Voakes says the key to a successful dining establishment is consistency, which brings customers back for more time and time again.
"At the end of the day in all restaurants—and it doesn't matter if it's Tim Hortons or a posh restaurant—it's all about the art of execution and repetition, he said.
“It's an art form doing something again and again as best as you can do each and every time.”
