French Restaurant in Downtown Halifax

Born and raised in Ontario, Chef Bill Osborne’s culinary journey has taken him around the world and across Canada to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he has settled in his current role as District Executive Chef at Freehand Hospitality.

After earning a diploma in Culinary Management from Niagara College, Bill immediately began apprenticing at Wellington Court, one of the top fine dining restaurants in Niagara. His natural ability, combined with his highly curated technique and skill set, led him to his next role at Scaramouche, Toronto’s renowned fine dining restaurant. Having built a solid reputation on the Toronto food scene, Chef Bill’s desire to expand his culinary horizon propelled him across the pond. His international experience kicked off in London, England, where he worked and trained at the Michelin-starred Foliage at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Knightsbridge, followed by a role at Bar Boulud in London, working directly with critically acclaimed chef Daniel Boulud. His passion, skill, and ability to fuse exciting flavours into classic French cuisine impressed Chef Boulud, who then appointed Chef Bill to the prestigious position of Sous Chef of DB Bistro Moderne at the luxury Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore.

With classical training under the world’s culinary leaders, it was only natural for Chef Bill to return home and take up residence as Senior Sous Chef at Canoe, one of Canada’s top restaurants. His talent, quiet leadership, refined technique and penchant for creating beautiful and exquisite tasting dishes, quickly impressed the Oliver & Bonacini culinary team and lead him to rise through the ranks and earn the role of Chef de Cuisine of the brand-new America Restaurant, where he would deliver a never-before-seen contemporary and lavish take on classic American cuisine. In 2015, Bill was appointed Chef de Cuisine at Biff’s Bistro, O&B’s enchanting Parisian-inspired haunt, where he spent nearly five years at the helm.

In 2021, Chef Bill and his wife and colleague Cori (and their daughter Ruby!) made the leap east to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where they would take the lead on opening several exciting new dining concepts under Freehand Hospitality. Chef Bill played an instrumental role in the opening of Drift, while taking the opportunity to enjoy and explore the region’s vast roster of purveyors and impressive food scene. Now, as Chef Bill turns his attention towards Café Lunette, he is looking forward to serving a strong collection of French classics while showcasing the amazing produce, meat, fish and shellfish that the Maritimes has to offer.