Hot Stove Club
‘My father took me to the Hot Stove at Maple Leaf Gardens, where it was not uncommon to meet Maple Leaf hockey players.’
For more than half a century, the Hot Stove Club has been the place to meet and entertain family and friends before and during professional sporting and musical events in Toronto. The club is steeped in history.
First opened in 1963 as the original members-only restaurant at Maple Leaf Gardens, the venue was moved to the Scotiabank Arena in 1999. By 2012, it was tired, congested and without sizzle.
We were challenged to strip everything back to bare structure, to replace the kitchen, to build three new bars, to enlarge and modernize the 250 seat dining facility. We carried out the project jointly with Fleur de Lis Interiors. Our design team partnered with MLSE staff and their preferred constructors to introduce a contemporary layout, luxury finishes and top flight food service within a tight budget and time line.
Several important visual cues inform the superb quality of the dining experience. Custom refrigerated displays are prominently located to emphasize the on-site, a la minute meal preparation that differentiates this fine dining facility from other possible venues.
Exceptionally beautiful materials and custom lighting create focal points within an attenuated, linear space. Video monitors are carefully integrated into wall treatments, so patrons can synchronize their dining experience with pre-game and intermission activities.
‘It’s the revitalization of a legend.’ – Rik Ocvirk, Director of Restaurants and Catering, Maple Leaf Sports + Entertainment