It is with great pleasure and overwhelming pride that we formally announce the newest addition to the Chartier family; our new Spirit Guide/Bar Manager, Jennifer Kerr.

Jennifer has a long history in hospitality, starting her career with the Fairmont group - spending a lengthly time at the Fairmont Banff Springs and the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald (among others). During her time at Fairmont, she worked in a variety of positions including lead trainer, bartender, server, and high tea presenter.

In 2015, her original cocktail recipe was selected in the top 16 out of 200 submissions for the midwestern region of Canada for the semi-finals of the Diageo World Class bartending competition. In 2018, she competed in the top 10 bartenders for midwestern Canada in Bacardi Legacy's Global Competition. She placed 5th out of 16 women in Alberta at the 2019's Speed Rack Competition, and she placed in the top 3 for the least number of mistakes made during the speed round.

Most recently, she spent over 2 years with Wilfred’s, starting as a bartender and quickly moving to the Assistant Manager role. She recently completed her level 2 WSET with honours, and participated in the “Cook like a Girl” event presented by Wishbone.

Jennifer’s passion for our industry, the bar, and relationship building is infectious. She is driven, she is kind, and she is interested in knowing everything there is to know about beer, wine, and spirits. She loves taking staff and guests on a journey to learn alongside her - and on top of all that, her palette is a finely tuned instrument.

We can’t wait for you to meet her, please be sure to stop by the bar for a hello, a high five, and a tasty drink :)

Want to know more? US TOO! That’s why we did a quick Q&A:

Q: What is your favourite cocktail in the entire world?

A: Classic Sidecar - It's a really special drink to me because you have to be really sensitive to get it right, this cocktail shines best when it very delicately toes the line of sour balance with just the right balance of sweetness to let the cognac be the star.

Q: Chocolate or French Fries?

A: French Fries, my heritage is all Scottish and Irish, there isn't a problem in my life that a good potato can't make feel better

Q: Favourite book?

The unabridged Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, it's 1500 pages, and took me 3 months to read the first time around, but it was worth it, I reread it once every couple of years and it gets better every time!

Q: Why did you decide to set up roots at Chartier?

A: I picked Chartier because it is a restaurant full of heart. The people who work here treat each other like family, and the second you walk into the building you can feel the joy, like it's this thing that you can reach out and touch. In today's age of franchises and faceless corporate restaurants, Chartier is a special place for people to be seen and feel heard for its staff and its guests. Restaurants with that kind of heart are hard to find, so deciding to join Chartier's family was the easiest decision I've ever made.

Q: Favourite Season?

A; My favourite season is fall. The leaves turn colour, the air chills to just the right level of crispiness, it's the coziest time to curl up by the fire with a nice whisky and a good book. When I was growing up in Reno, Nevada, every September, Rancho San Rafeal Park next to my house hosted the Great Hot Air Balloon Races. So every fall I would wake up look out my bedroom window to see hundreds of hot air balloons, some of them even close enough to wave hello and say good morning. It's one of my favourite memories from my childhood, and a big reason why I think fall is the best.

Q: What’s one thing that most people don’t know about you?

A: This doesn't really have anything to do with my work in the hospitality industry, but it's kind of a fun fact. I'm actually in a painting by Ted Harrison. In the year 2000, when the Trans Canada Trail was being completed, as little 8 year old me, I was picked to cross-country ski across the Athabasca River with a flask of water from the Arctic Ocean that had been hand carried and passed along marathon style from person to person to the final leg of the trail that connected all walking trails in Canada to all three ocean borders. Ted Harrison made a painting of the event, and it's actually on show in the Athabasca Museum. Below is a link to the painting:

https://tedharrison.ca/products/athabasca-trans-canada-relay-2000?variant=3227779907