Moncton man chooses second career and passion over retirement

At nearly 64 years old, most people are reaching for retirement, but Ed Hamilton-Irving is reaching for another batch of dough.

“The funny thing is, I still refer to myself as retired, even though I work 40 hours a week, and I know that it’s an overworked cliché, but when you do something you love, it really doesn’t seem like work,” said the full time pastry chef.

Hamilton-Irving was just days away from retirement at the Moncton Hospital when he read a single line in a magazine that changed his life.

“It said, ‘baking and pastry arts -- one year,’ so I turned to my wife and said, ‘What do you think? Is this crazy?’ and much to my surprise, she said ‘No, I think you should go for it.’”

Jumping at the opportunity, Hamilton-Irving applied and was accepted to NSCC in Halifax. He moved to school in September, renting the cheapest apartment he could find and even buying a student bus pass in order to make it to campus each day.

“I remember thinking as [my son] drove away, ‘What am I, crazy? What am I doing?’ But the moment that I stepped into the NSCC pastry kitchen, I knew that I made the right decision,” he said.

Although slightly older than his classmates, baking was a passion that he’s had his entire life.

“My mother, she was a good home baker, and just before I went to university, she taught me how to make a pie dough, and she said, ‘You’re going to need to know this some day,’ so I’d say, ‘I get it from my mother.’”

Now, with his mom’s wisdom and a year full of school behind him, he’s a full time pastry chef at Tony’s Bistro.

“Ed comes in every day. He just loves what he does,” said owner Tony Holden. “He never misses a day, he’s never late, he’s just always in a good mood and that really reflects to my other staff and the happiness in the kitchen.”

“We have a lot of younger people in the kitchen, so he really helps out the younger people and gives them just words of wisdom and what to look for in life. He basically tells a lot of people to go with your passion.”

One of many display cases at Tony's Bistro on Feb. 14, 2023. (Alana Pickrell/CTV Atlantic)

Tony’s Bistro makes everything from scratch and uses fresh ingredients for all of its menu options. Holden says it helps attract other chefs who are interested in cooking the same way.

“You talk about retired, I feel like I’ve been retired about 45 years because this is my passion,” said Holden. “This is what I do day in and day out, ever since I was 17 years of age, working at the Hotel Newfoundland. This is the only job I’ve ever had, so it’s nice to see another person have that type of passion as well. For Ed, it probably came a little later in life, but I really see the similarities in Ed and me.”

The bistro completely changes its menu every three months and is open seven days a week.

In August, Hamilton-Irving will be celebrating three years with his new career and says he hasn’t looked back.

“Every day when I come home from work, my wife asks me, ‘How was your day today?’ And every day, I said the same thing: ‘It was a great day.’”

Hamilton-Irving says he’s staying in the kitchen and there are no plans for career number three, but he did have a piece of advice for others like him.

“If you have a dream or if you have a passion, put it out there to the universe. It will find a way of helping you and eventually, hopefully, you will achieve your dream.”