Chef David Friesen was born and raised in Vancouver, B.C.  He moved to Alberta’s Rocky Mountains and studied cooking at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT).  He completed his apprenticeship within the prestigious Relais & Châteaux organization, at the Post Hotel in Lake Louise, where he subsequently worked for 6 years.  David moved to Toronto where he was fortunate enough to work at several fine establishments including: North 44 Restaurant, where he was Sous Chef; Terra Restaurant, where he was Executive Chef and Co-owner; Pusateri’s Fine Foods where, as Executive Chef, he launched their fine dining catering division to great acclaim; and The Courthouse Market Grill, part of the Liberty Entertainment Group, where he was Executive Chef. David moved north to Muskoka in the summer of 1999 to open The Compleat Angler Restaurant where, as Executive Chef, he brought a new level of fine dining to the Muskoka region. David then was hired on as Executive Chef of the Wildfire Grille at the Muskoka Sands Resort (now Taboo) and Corporate Chef for Impact Hospitality. In the fall of 2001, David purchased Riverwalk and Club 1 where he has developed a loyal clientele and earned much acclaim for having the “Best Fine Dining Restaurant” & ”Best Caterer” in Muskoka and ‘Top 10 Restaurants in Canada”.  Daivd purchased the restaurant at the Quality Inn in 2015 and relaunched it as Pasta Tree and Smokehouse in June 2016.  In that same month, he was also appointed as the Official Caterer to 'The Lady Muskoka' cruise ship.

Riverwalk Restaurant has been catering for Dragonfly Theatre Company since 2009.