the team
MARC LEPINE Chef & Owner
Chef Marc Lepine spent time working in Toronto, France and Italy before moving to Ottawa in 2001 with the intention of eventually opening a restaurant. He received his sommelier certification from Algonquin College and spent 6 years working as executive chef for the Courtyard Restaurant, where he was twice named 'Ottawa Chef of the Year' by the Canadian Culinary Federation. Marc opened Atelier in 2008 and it was named one of Canada's Best New Restaurants by enRoute Magazine. In February 2012, and then again in February 2016, Marc won the Canadian Culinary Championship. In 2018, he was named 'Canada's Most Innovative Chef' by Canada's 100 Best Restaurants magazine.
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.
SANAZ MAADANIAN Executive Pastry Chef
Born and raised in Seattle Washington, Sanaz started working in kitchens at the age of 16 as a savory cook. Upon completing a BA in Business Administration with a minor in Marketing from the University of Washington she came to Ottawa in 2016 on a partial scholarship to Le Cordon Bleu and graduated the top female student obtaining the highly coveted Grand Diplôme and Diplôme de Boulangerie. Post-Le Cordon Bleu, Sanaz moved to San Francisco with the goal of working in Michelin-starred restaurants, starting at a 1-star and moving to a now 3-star restaurant named Quince, where she worked her way up from pastry cook to Pastry Sous Chef in 3 years. In 2021, Sanaz moved back to Canada’s capital, joining the Atelier team as Executive Pastry Chef in 2023.
BERNARD JOSEPH LEMOYNE General Manager & Head Sommelier
Originally from Lusaka, Zambia, Bernard moved to Ottawa in 2004 to pursue university studies. While studying Criminology at the University of Ottawa, he got his first restaurant job as a kitchen hand. He quickly made the move to server and upon completion of university took on the role of Assistant General Manager with East India Company Restaurants. In 2014 he completed the Sommelier Program at Algonquin College (where he is now a part-time instructor) and has been pursing the level of Master Sommelier with The Court of Master Sommeliers Americas (CMS) ever since. He currently holds the title of Certified Sommelier with the CMS. Bernard has been part of the Atelier team since November 2017 and took over as GM from his friend and mentor Steve Robinson in July 2019.
DEVON BOWERS-KRISHNAN Assistant Manager & 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.