#FOOD: ODD DUCK ENTERS FARM SEASON 2026

Recently recognized by the Michelin Guide, Odd Duck enters the excitement of Ontario’s farm season with a menu that never stands still—changing week to week, and even day to day, as peak ingredients arrive and wines actively shape the direction of each dish.

Positioned as modern fine dining that’s fun, Odd Duck rejects traditional menu structures entirely. There are no seasonal launches, no signature dishes, and no reliance on past favourites – only a continuous cycle of creation driven by what’s available, what’s inspiring the team, and what’s next.
Reservations can be made via Tock HERE

A Menu Designed to Move
At Odd Duck, the menu is intentionally in motion. During peak farm season, 3–5 dishes change each week, with occasional day-to-day shifts, shaped by close relationships with small Ontario farms and the short windows in which ingredients are at their best. Rather than designing menus in advance, the kitchen builds in real time – responding to deliveries, seasonality, and a deeply collaborative creative process. The result is a dining experience where no two visits are the same, and where the defining question is never “what’s popular?” but “what’s next?”

Wine First, Always
What sets Odd Duck apart is its wine-first philosophy. Instead of pairing wine to finished dishes, the process begins with the bottle, using structure, texture, and tasting notes to guide flavour development across the menu. The program is led by co-founder Wes Klassen, a sommelier trained through the International Sommelier Guild with experience at Langdon Hall, who built his career around making wine more approachable, engaging, and rooted in storytelling. The list focuses exclusively on small, independent producers, with an emphasis on organic, biodynamic, and low-intervention practices. The wines are not available at the LCBO, reinforcing a commitment to discovery and to producers often overlooked in the broader market. In this model, wine is not an accompaniment, rather an active ingredient.

A Collaborative Kitchen, Not a Hierarchy
The culinary program is led by co-founder and Culinary Director Jon Rennie, whose approach is rooted in curiosity, critical thinking, and a refusal to accept convention simply because “that’s the way it’s always been done.” With a background spanning classical French, New American, and Southeast Asian cuisines, Rennie has built a kitchen culture that prioritizes openness, mentorship, and shared creativity. Rather than a top-down structure, dishes are developed collectively, assigned, tested, refined, and evolved by the entire team resulting in a menu shaped as much by people as it is by ingredients.

Built by Experience, Backed by Vision
The restaurant’s third co-founder, Rob Corrigan, brings a strategic and community-driven lens to the business. A Waterloo Region-based entrepreneur and advisor, Corrigan was instrumental in recognizing the potential of Odd Duck’s early pop-up dinners and helping evolve them into a permanent concept – one designed to bring a more elevated, yet approachable, dining experience to the region. Together, the trio combines over four decades of hospitality experience with a shared goal: to build something intentionally different.

A Bar Program Gaining Global Attention
The beverage program is further shaped by Bar Manager Emma Osmond, who has been with Odd Duck since before opening. Her work has earned national and international recognition, including being named the Canadian National Finalist in the 2026 Vero Bartender competition and competing globally in Italy, as well as participation in the Tales of the Cocktail apprenticeship program in New Orleans. Her cocktails, alongside an evolving non-alcoholic program, are developed in close collaboration with the kitchen, mirroring the same ingredient-driven and exploratory approach.

Next-Generation Hospitality
At its core, Odd Duck is built on a people-first ethos that begins with the team. The restaurant operates on a no-tipping model, designed to create income stability, equity, and a healthier work environment across both front and back of house. Paired with benefits, paid sick days, and a focus on mental well-being, this approach has fostered a culture where staff are empowered to be themselves which results in a dining room that feels relaxed, genuine, and deeply welcoming. Guests often describe the experience in three words: welcoming, flavourful, and unexpected.

Built by Hand, Rooted in Community
Located in the Victoria Park neighbourhood of downtown Kitchener, Odd Duck is as much a reflection of its community as it is of its cuisine. The space itself was largely built by the founders, including handcrafted live-edge tables made from a single maple tree sourced from family land, and a bar designed and constructed in-house. Surrounded by independent businesses and a growing residential core, the restaurant has become both a neighbourhood fixture and a destination for diners from across Ontario and beyond.

Momentum Following Michelin Recognition
Since being added to the Michelin Guide, Odd Duck has seen guest demand more than double, drawing increased attention from Toronto diners, out-of-town visitors, and international guests alike. The recognition has accelerated growth but the philosophy remains unchanged: stay curious, stay fluid, and keep building what’s next.

About Odd Duck
Odd Duck is a Kitchener-based restaurant and bottle shop offering an ever-evolving, wine-driven dining experience. Rooted in a people-first philosophy, the restaurant combines a collaborative kitchen model, a constantly changing menu, and a focus on small-producer wines to create a style of dining that is dynamic, expressive, and intentionally different. Led by founders Wes Klassen, Jon Rennie, and Rob Corrigan, Odd Duck is known for its fluid approach to food, its commitment to ethical sourcing, and its reimagining of what modern hospitality can look like.