Rafa Covarrubias has always cooked surrounded by his people, but it’s far from home that he found his voice.
Born in a small town near Mexico City, in a family where everyone cooks, he grew up around generous tables and parties where food was the common language. At 16, he stepped into a real professional kitchen for the first time, in a Mexican restaurant in his hometown. That’s where he learned the basics, the discipline, the pace. That’s where it clicked: this would be his life.
Leaving Mexico to define himself
At 17, he understood that to fully chase this ambition, he would have to step out of his comfort zone. He moved to Calgary, where a cousin welcomed him. He enrolled in culinary school, worked his way through brigade positions, learned the craft in the cold, far from the flavors of his childhood but closer to the chef he wanted to become. That detour laid the groundwork for a path that would eventually put him at the forefront of Canadian gastronomy.
Hexagon: Finding his voice
In 2017, the opportunity at Hexagon appeared. A project in Oakville, outside Toronto, first presented as a French-inspired restaurant. Nothing was holding him back in Calgary, and he was hungry for a real playground. He said yes. Very quickly, Hexagon became his lab and, more importantly, his first true “home” in the kitchen. What was meant to be a classic French restaurant evolved into something else entirely: a place where French technique met his Mexican roots, Ontario terroir, his team’s influences, and the simple idea that good food always tells a story bigger than the plate itself.
With Rafa, Hexagon found its rhythm. The menu never stopped evolving, creativity was fully embraced, the framework remained sharp but never rigid. Recognition followed: San Pellegrino Young Chef in 2019, a rapid climb in the Canada’s 100 Best rankings, and then a turning point — a Michelin star and the Young Chef Award at the 2024–2025 ceremony. Hexagon became the first starred restaurant in the Halton region; Rafa emerged as one of the leading figures of a new generation of chefs cooking confidently between cultures.
For him, though, success is not defined by stars or lists. What keeps him in the kitchen night after night is the people. The guests who make the trip, the teams who give everything, the energy you pour in and that comes back. “The more effort we put in, the more it gives back,” he says, speaking of his craft as a shared commitment. His relationship with his brigade is essential: Rafa loves weaving their stories, influences and family recipes into the restaurant’s narrative.
Turning the page on Hexagon
After eight years of building Hexagon, finding his voice there and pushing it further, a new page is opening. His last service in Oakville will take place on December 20. It’s far from a light decision: Hexagon, he says, will always be his first baby, the restaurant that shaped him as a chef and as a leader. But he feels the need to test himself elsewhere, on a more intimate scale, with a different kind of involvement.
20 Victoria: A new playground
The next chapter will unfold downtown Toronto, at 20 Victoria, where Rafa arrives eager to see what he can create in a smaller, more focused space, one that’s directly aligned with his vision. It’s a natural step in his journey: after proving he can lead a house to the top, he now wants to build his own, fully claim his identity, and push further this conversation between his native Mexico, the Canada he calls home, and the people who sit at his table.
One chapter closes, another begins
He leaves Hexagon with gratitude and appetite. “Bittersweet,” yes, but clear-eyed. Rafa Covarrubias steps away with the calm of someone who knows exactly what this place has given him — and with the intact hunger of a chef who is nowhere near done writing one of the most compelling stories in Canadian gastronomy.
Written by Fabie Lubin
