Nick Benninger

Chef & restaurateur, fat sparrow group
kitchener-waterloo, canada

Nick found his calling to become a Chef at the age of 16 working at a summer camp in northern Ontario. He fell in love with the kitchen and cooking and since then has “rooted” his career in many of the philosophies he learned in that first encounter with food service. After attending George Brown College Nick completed his apprenticeship working in kitchens throughout Ontario and finally settling back down in his hometown of Kitchener-Waterloo.

In 2008 Nick opened Uptown 21 with his wife Natalie and in 2013 the couple went on to open Taco Farm. Uptown 21 has been included in Where to Eat Canada every year since it opened, and recently Taco Farm was featured on the television show You Gotta Eat Here!

In 2016 Nick added two landmark restaurants: Marbles Restaurant and Harmony Lunch to the portfolio of kitchens that he is managing in uptown Waterloo. Having grown his brand to 4 establishments it only made sense to create an umbrella company, in 2017 Fat Sparrow Group was born.

In 2017 Nick joined forces with a local filmmaker creating an independently made food show showcasing the highly under celebrated 519 food scene called Nick and Taylor Make A Food Show!

Once again in late 2018 Nick and the company he helped found, Fat Sparrow grew once more. Acquiring the Stone Crock Group in St. Jacobs would increase the portfolio to 6 restaurants, a catering company, bakery, butcher shop, 3 market stalls and a wholesale food producer totalling 220 employees.

In 2020, in the face of a global pandemic Nick and the Fat Sparrow Group once again spread their wings, this time migrating north opening Fat Sparrow at Killbear, a restaurant and grocery store. This coupled with Fat Sparrow Marketplace, a robust online market delivering to the Waterloo region and multiple marinas on the shores of Georgian Bay would help ensure Fat Sparrow and its team would survive what would be an extremely challenging period.

In his spare time Nick writes a monthly column called 519 Schmecks about the local food scene in The Community Edition covering topics from equity in the kitchen to cooking over and open flame. In addition to that Nick enjoys his time spent as a board of directors member for both the St. Jacobs and Uptown Waterloo B.I.A.

An early adopter and leader in the local food movement, Nick is proud to showcase the cornucopia of great ingredients and produce found right here in Waterloo Region.