Shonn Oborowsky – Executive Chef / Owner
Characters Restaurant
Shonn Oborowsky studied culinary arts at NAIT, where the first time student quickly bonded with first time teacher Stanley Townsend, dubbed Mr. T. After graduating, Oborowsky worked at The Centre Club in Edmonton under culinary Olympics champ Chef Yoshi Chubachi, before travelling to Hawaii, Switzerland and Singapore eventually settling back in Edmonton where he opened Characters in 2001. The restaurant quickly amassed a legion of devoted regulars. Part mad scientist, part creative genius, Oborowsky painstakingly tests dishes until reaching the perfect result.
From using watermelon vodka for a salmon gravlax dish to serving fries and chips instead of bread at the table to presenting a venison stew in a tagine, Oborowsky’s creativity extends to every detail. This conscientious approach to cooking is well-documented in black tomes that Oborowsky has amassed since he began cooking. They are replete with sketches, notes and ideas for dishes each described in thought provoking detail – a tangible illustration of Oborowsky’s evolution as a chef.