Accomplished Ottawa chef Razmon Poisson dies at 35

Poisson was a self-taught chef who ran the kitchens at Jabberwocky Supper Club and Union Local 613 in Centretown.

Published Nov 02, 2023 • Last updated 8 hours ago • 4 minute read

Chef Razmon Poisson in October 2021, when he was the chef for Jabberwocky Supper Club and for Union 613. He held that position until the summer of 2023. Photo by Jean Levac /Postmedia

Ottawa’s restaurant community is reeling from the sudden death of the accomplished young chef Razmon Poisson.

An Ottawa native and a veteran of the city’s restaurants for most of his life, Poisson was a self-taught chef rather than a graduate of a college culinary program. From mid-2021 until mid-2023, Poisson ran the kitchens at Jabberwocky Supper Club and Union Local 613 in Centretown. Most recently, according to his Instagram feed, Poisson was working at Essence Catering.

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Poisson, 35, died by suicide this week.

Poisson entered the Ottawa restaurant industry in his teen years, working as a dishwasher. Fascinated by cooking, he worked at a succession of well-regarded restaurants, including Oz Kafe, Navarra, Das Lokal and Orto. At Navarra and Orto, Poisson worked under chef René Rodriguez, and when Rodriguez competed on a 2018 episode of Iron Chef Canada, Poisson was by his side.

Because of his culinary prowess and achievements, Poisson competed in the 2019 Ottawa edition of Canada’s Great Kitchen Party, an event that sent its winner to the 2020 Canadian Culinary Championships. Then, he was the chef at Orto, a now-closed upscale Italian restaurant in the Glebe.

“He was extremely passionate about food. That was what he was born to do,” his mother, Angel Ketchum, said Thursday. “His biggest goal in life was opening his own restaurant.

“Razmon did everything hard. He lived hard. He loved hard. His passion for food and creating was always over and above. He never did anything half-assed, it was always hard,” said his mother.

“His heart was big and it was on his sleeve. It was outside of his chest,” she said. “But that also made him very vulnerable. He also hurt really hard. That, in essence, is Razmon.”

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A tall, heavily tattooed chef well-known around town, Poisson was outspoken about his past alcohol use and his health challenges. He told this newspaper last year that with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, his drinking worsened. In August 2020, Poisson hit his “all-time low” and was drinking a 60-ouncer of Jameson Irish whiskey every day.

“The more I would drink, the more I realized I was screwing up my life and the more I would drink,” he said. “I couldn’t get out of that cycle. I just didn’t care about myself and I knew it.”

Poisson was hospitalized for a time, and he said doctors told him: “You’re in danger of your liver failing and your kidneys are affected. Change, or you’ll probably die.”

Poisson quit drinking and went on to work and thrive at Jabberwocky. He hoped that being open about his drinking would help others. “People might have the courage to look at themselves and maybe become a bit more aware of what they’re doing,” he said.

“He dug himself out of that hole… it was extremely difficult for him,” said his mother. “That’s what I want him to be remembered for… for how much of a fighter he was.”

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Harriet Clunie, a retired chef who worked with Poisson over the years, said she met him several weeks ago and “he was in a good place.”

Then, Clunie bumped into Poisson last week while they were walking their dogs.

“How are you?” Clunie asked.

“Horrible,” he replied.

Poisson’s mother said she was in contact with her son in the days and hours before his death. She and Poisson discussed him leaving Ottawa to cook abroad, perhaps in Vietnam or Hong Kong.

But she also said: “He was having a really hard time… things were different, I was very concerned…. his mental health was not good.”

Nor did he want any help from friends, said Clunie. “We all saw it. We all watched it… there’s only so much you can do.”

“The bigger conversation we need to be having is about mental health,” she continued. “There’s this mentality in the industry that you just push through it and you can do it and you’re strong enough and if you ask for help, you’re weak. That’s what needs to change.”

Said his mother: “Razmon would hate, hate to have anyone think he was weak.”

His mother said there will be a private funeral service, just for family. But in a month or so, a celebration of life is to be held for Poisson and his many colleagues and friends from the industry will be able to attend, she said.

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How to find help

Ottawa Mental Health Crisis Line: 613-722-6914, 1-866-996-0991 if outside OttawaDistress Centre of Ottawa and Region: 613-238-3311Youth Services Bureau 24/7 Crisis Line: 613-260-2360 or 1-877-377-7775 (Eastern Ontario)Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868Centre d’aide 24/7 (French) : 1-866-277-3553Tel-aide Outaouais (French) : 613-741-6433

Suicide warning signs

Statements that reveal a desire to dieSudden changes in behaviour: withdrawal, apathy, moodinessDepression, crying, sleeplessness, hopelessnessFinal arrangements such as giving away possessions