Hi Drakers,

Sending out an update from inside Drake Mini Bar. It may be as cold as ice outside, but the space in here just got a whole lot warmer as I watch the beautiful mural of Toronto-based artist, Rajni Perera, go up on the teal walls of this mini but mighty space.

I’m excited to report that things are really starting to take shape and with every day that passes, our May opening gets closer and closer.

Last week we welcomed to The Drake family approximately 20 new staff members as we kicked off week one of opening training.

Staff explored the 'Drake Life' with sessions held at The Drake Hotel and Drake Commissary, even stopping in at a Drake General Store location during a team building lunch and scavenger hunt, designed to discover Mini Bar's financial district neighborhood.

Word is spreading through The Drake’s many channels that the corner of York and Adelaide is about to become a cultural food and beverage hub for the savvy local, downtown travelers and business professionals alike.

From day to night: The Mini Bar will continue The Drake's Café tradition, starting things off with coffee and made from scratch breakfast offerings delivered daily from Drake Commissary.

Then, seamlessly transitioning in the afternoon and evening into a cozy setting that will include a sun-filled summer patio and ingredient-driven shareable dishes paired perfectly with an extensive and diverse cocktail and wine program.

In the coming weeks, the new Drake Mini Bar teams will be digging deep into service training and immersing themselves into each of the new menus.

We look forward to sharing The Drake's newest property with each and every one of you as this little gem continues to take shape!

- Mel

Listen to Dayna's spring picks here.

This month's shout out comes from an anonymous staff member at Drake One Fifty. We all know Cosme and appreciate all the work he does behind the scenes to keep our properties running. A big Drake thank you to Cosme!

If you had to pick two sentences to describe your work, what would they be?
I have two questions instead. Why stick to one reality when there are so many dimensions? Why don’t we look to the other dimensions to bring better circumstances to this one? What are you inspired by, and why does it inspire you? I am inspired by my life, space and time, fashion, hard work, the different places I’ve travelled to and lived in, and last but not least The Most High: Instagram.

Can you describe some of the amazing projects you worked on for our new property Drake Mini Bar?
I worked on a full wall mural design as well as tables for the Mini Bar, inspired by the legacy of Cartier and the company’s vintage illustrations. Included in the bar will be a piece from the series Africa Galaktika called I See Now.

Over the course of your Artist Residence at Drake Devonshire you completed a new piece entitled ‘Sleepers’. Was there an element of The Devonshire or surrounding county that influenced ‘Sleepers’?
I got there on a sunny day and all the blues of the lake were just stunning. I slept a lot there and I had this vision of two marble women sleeping inside a blue geode like fetuses.

What song is most likely to be playing in your studio?
Oh gosh I play a ton of different stuff and that’s a hard question. But probably Cardi’s new album.

See more of Rajni's work here.

SPEND THE SUMMER LAKESIDE!

A busy summer kitchen season at Drake Devonshire provides a great development opportunity working with a fantastic Culinary team lead by Chef Alexandra Feswick whose relationships with local farmers + producers celebrates the bounty of one of Canada’s most agriculturally rich + beautiful regions. We can provide very competitive BOH rates and participation in the overall gratuity pool. Front of House roles provide a great change of scenery working at our gorgeous lakeside property, tremendous earning potential for the summer months and staff can spend the summer by the lake and gain new experiences! There are also a limited number of Hotel positions open as well.

You can see the current opportunities for all properties here.
Send us their resume and fill out our Employee Referral Form.
Don’t forget about the new updated $300 referral bonus for every successful hire!
Check our the new Referral policy posted on ScheduleFly.

Thomas Oliver from Drake Commissary wins this month's contest with his artful Feaster dessert presentation. Thomas wins a Drake gift card!

Please tag @thedrake (our new Instagram handle!) for a chance to win Photo of the Month. Include #workwiththedrake to double your chances. Slide into our dm's with a post-worthy photo to triple, quadruple, most definitely probably win.

Happy Birthday to
1 John-Norman White, Gregory Garner
2 William Hollingdale
2 Andy Sennin
2 Colton Kotanko
4 John McNeil
6 Jean-Paul Parker
7 Sandy De Almeida
8 Monica Zhang
9 Judy Yan
10 Tim Steele
12 Justin Otto
13 Adrian Rebucas
15 Hunter Van Vlack
16 Adam Regenstreif
17 Adriano Dibattista
18 Aaron Grant
20 Cody Ray Michie
21 James Rogers, Shawna Robinson, Gabriel Wong
22 Hannah Factor, Ali Johnson
23 Maxine Gagnon
24 Predamien Georges
26 Simon Thibeault, Melissa Murphy
28 Jian Zhang Cao
29 Jeremy Cheng
30 Surendran Kulanthaivadive

And a big Happy Drake-a-versary to

1 Year
Tim Steele
Kailey DeRubeis
Jessica Stroebel

3 Years
Owen Norquay
Breanna Dillon
Etienne Lemieux

5 Years
Matthew Hesketh
Jonathan Pong
Lhamo Tenma
Salina Stange