MARC LEPINE Chef & Owner

Chef Marc Lepine built his culinary foundation through experience in Toronto, France, and Italy before settling in Ottawa in 2001. He earned his sommelier certification from Algonquin College and went on to serve as Executive Chef at the Courtyard Restaurant for six years, where he was twice named Ottawa Chef of the Year by the Canadian Culinary Federation.

In 2008, Marc opened Atelier, which was named one of Canada’s Best New Restaurants by enRoute magazine. He went on to make history as the only chef to win the Canadian Culinary Championship twice, earning the title in both 2012 and 2016. In 2018, he was recognized as Canada’s Most Innovative Chef by Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants. Most recently, in 2024, Marc was among only six Canadian chefs to receive international recognition from The Best Chef Awards.

DEVON BOWERS-KRISHNAN General Manager & Head Sommelier

Born and raised in Ottawa, Devon began his restaurant journey in 2007 as a busboy and dishwasher. It wouldn’t be until the completion of a BA with Honors in History and International Development at Trent University that he decided to expand his knowledge and skillset within the hospitality industry and become a sommelier. Upon completing the Algonquin College Sommelier Program in 2015 he was awarded the Sommelier of Excellence Award. Devon then went on to achieve Level 3 certification with the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET). Most recently he received the Certified Level of the Court of Master Sommeliers Americas (CMS) accompanied by the Walter Clore distinction for top in class and continues to pursue higher certification. He joined Atelier in January 2016 and took on the role of GM in December 2024

MARIEL LEGERE-VAN HERPEN Sous Chef

Mariel was born in Landstuhl, Germany to a Canadian military family, constantly moving from post to post, finally settling in the Ottawa area in 2013. Her passion for cooking was birthed in high school after taking a culinary program resulting in interest doing culinary competitions. In 2018 she enrolled in the Culinary Management Program at Algonquin College, graduating with honors in 2020. During this time, she was the winner of the Ron Eade Award, participated in the Skills Ontario competition and was also president of the Canadian Association of Food Service Professionals (CAFP). Most recently she was a finalist for Team Canada preparing to compete at the Bocuse d'Or culinary championship. After a short stint at the Ottawa Art Gallery, Mariel joined Atelier in 2021 as Chef de Partie. Her natural leadership and talent were quickly noticed resulting in her assuming the role of Sous Chef.