Nathan Brown is back on home turf, joining Fairmont Pacific Rim as Executive Chef. The Ontario raised culinarian has arrived on Canada’s west coast after a decade spent at top hotels and restaurants from Asia to the Middle East to the Caribbean.
Brown’s knowledge of cuisine begins at its very roots, and the concept of farm-to-table has been the essence of his culinary life. Having grown up in the small Ontario farm town of Lucan, he discovered his culinary passion early in life. On the family horse farm, Nathan was surrounded by an abundance of food riches. This taught him the fundamentals of sourcing and using only the freshest seasonal ingredients and preparing them simply, yet to perfection.
A high school student exchange opportunity in Spain fueled a desire for travel. This coupled with his love of food, set him on a global journey to top kitchens around the world. Having been classically trained in French and Italian, Nathan had the fundamentals to build a globally-influenced culinary repertoire, embracing the techniques of Middle Eastern, traditional Chinese, Malaysian and Indonesian cuisines.
Nathan arrives at Fairmont Pacific Rim from China, where he was executive chef for The Ritz-Carlton Beijing, Financial Street. During his three year tenure, Brown led a team of internationally acclaimed chefs that was awarded #1 Hotel in China for Food Quality, designated by Gallup.
No stranger to Fairmont, Brown’s first role after graduating from Ontario’s Georgian College, was ‘cook 1’ at the former Fairmont Algonquin in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. From there, he went on to become part of the culinary team of the Fairmont Southampton, perfecting his skills in Caribbean cuisine. His lust for travel and learning new food cultures continued with a move to the Middle East where he worked at The Fairmont Dubai from 2002-2007. This is also where he met his wife, Mardy.
From Dubai, Nathan stepped away from Fairmont and joined Wynn Resort and Casino in Macau, China from 2007-2009. It was here that he gained first-hand knowledge of traditional Cantonese cuisine. Under the direction of his executive chef Peter Find, he was taught how to ‘play’ with ingredients and push his culinary skills to the next level – constantly experimenting and creating new dishes, perfecting his repertoire of traditional style Cantonese cuisine.
Brown then spent three years in Singapore as executive sous chef at the Fairmont Singapore and Swissotel The Stamford, where he developed his flair and in-depth knowledge of Malaysian, Indonesian and Indian cuisine. He was responsible for 18 outlets that ranged from casual to fine dining.
“Every executive chef you work under molds you in a certain way”, explains Brown. “I have had the opportunity to create new and innovative dishes, work with different cultural cuisines, push the culinary envelope, and most importantly, learn from the best – that’s what cooking is all about, and I look forward to sharing that with our young chefs at Fairmont Pacific Rim, ultimately to the delight and benefit of our guests.”
Brown brings his extensive experience in global cuisine to Fairmont Pacific Rim where he is eager to start ‘playing’ in BC’s backyard with the abundance of local, fresh and sustainable ingredients available. “I’ve always had my eye on Vancouver,” says Nathan. “I love the outdoors and the abundance of ingredients that are available here – you can’t compare them to anywhere else.”
When not in his ‘chef whites,’ Nathan can be found spending time in his own home kitchen, cooking for his family and friends. He makes a fierce Sunday brunch and enjoys teaching and cooking alongside his six-year-old daughter, Madeleine. Vancouver’s beautiful outdoors and diverse culture provides the perfect backdrop for his love of photography, sports and learning new languages – currently developing his Cantonese, Mandarin, French and Tagalog.
