Oliver & Bonacini Hospitality, the company that bears his name, announced Oliver’s death in an online post Thursday.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved leader and co-founder of Oliver & Bonacini Hospitality (O&B), Peter Oliver,” the post said.
The company said Oliver was diagnosed with terminal cancer a year ago in May 2021, “a challenge he met head on with strength and grace.”
“Throughout his treatment, he maintained a positive spirit for which he will always be remembered. He passed away peacefully and gratefully on Wednesday 21st September with his children and wife Maureen by his side.”
Oliver was born in Cape Town, South Africa and moved to Montreal in 1967 to study at McGill University.
He had a successful career as a stockbroker and in commercial real estate, but decided to make a career change in 1978.
That’s when he opened his first restaurant in downtown Toronto, a small sandwich shop called Oliver’s Old Fashioned Bakery, located at Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue.
He began a partnership with chef Michael Bonacini in 1993 with the opening of Jump Restaurant in the Financial District. The partnership became Oliver & Bonacini Hospitality.
Today the company has restaurants across Canada – including Oliver & Bonacini Grill locations – and some of Toronto’s best-known venues, as well as a catering business.
Restaurants in the company’s portfolio include Canoe, Canteen, Babel, Luma and R&D.
“Peter always recognized and valued his partnership with Michael as a fateful one. They were a team that worked well together, each bringing collaborative contributions to the company,” Oliver & Bonacini Hospitality said in its post.
Apart from the hospitality business, Oliver also founded The Leacock Foundation in 1992 after meeting Nelson Mandela in Toronto. The foundation raises money to help disadvantaged children in Toronto and South Africa.
Oliver is survived by his wife, Maureen, four children and nine grandchildren.
