Shantay Brown
Assistant general manager, e11even/Maple Leaf
Sports & Entertainment, Toronto
Shantay Brown’s family came to Canada from Jamaica when she was three years old. Raised in a “typical West-Indian household,” Brown says she has always been drawn to food after growing up watching and helping her mother and grandmother in the kitchen.
A mother at 17, she entered the industry at 22 as a server/bartender at a tapas restaurant in Toronto’s east end to make ends meet while she attended the University of Toronto. But her real start, she says, came when she joined 3 Brewers in Toronto’s Financial District as a host. She quickly progressed to a server position and not long after was promoted to a manager position.
In 2023, she became assistant general manager, e11even/Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), where she is responsible for strategic planning, budgeting, forecasting and organizational development.
“Shantay is a perfect example of the type of success we strive for,” says Chris Zielinski, senior director, Culinary at MLSE. “In her various roles, she has always risen to the top of her group and has gained a tremendous amount of respect from her peers and staff through her leadership style that focuses on transparency, trust, warmth, intelligence and being generous of herself with her team.”
