The internationally experienced chef takes over the kitchen at Fairmont Pacific Rim’s acclaimed Coal Harbour restaurant, launching her first dinner and summer tasting menus.
Botanist has welcomed Amanda Healey as its new executive chef, marking a new chapter for the award-winning restaurant inside Fairmont Pacific Rim.
Healey returns to Vancouver with more than 20 years of international culinary experience and a résumé that includes some of the most respected kitchens in Canada and Australia. Her approach centres on seasonality, sustainability and using regional ingredients to tell a story through food.
“As we look to the future of Botanist, we also want to recognize the incredible foundation chef Hector Laguna helped build over the past nine years since opening the restaurant,” says Jason Cisneros, executive manager, operations at Fairmont Pacific Rim.
“Amanda brings a fresh perspective to Botanist with her impressive global experience. We know she’ll honour these roots, and we look forward to seeing what she creates this summer.”
From Vancouver to Australia and Back
Healey most recently worked as sous chef at Oncore by Clare Smyth in Sydney, where she cooked alongside Smyth and executive chef Alan Stuart. During Healey’s tenure, the restaurant earned and maintained a three Chef Hat rating, Australia’s highest culinary distinction.
Before joining Oncore, she spent more than a year at Sydney restaurant Quay under chef Peter Gilmore, further developing her approach to contemporary fine dining and ingredient-focused cooking.
Healey also served as executive chef at Mount Mulligan Lodge, a luxury Queensland resort named one of the 50 Greatest Luxury Hotels on Earth by Robb Report in 2025.
Her new position at Botanist also represents a return to a familiar culinary community. Healey previously worked in several prominent Vancouver kitchens, including Hawksworth Restaurant and Royal Dinette, where she served as head chef.
I have followed Healey’s career since her time at Royal Dinette, where she also cooked a memorable Les Dames d’Escoffier BC dinner. Her food was thoughtful, beautifully executed and firmly rooted in local ingredients, so it is especially exciting to see her back in Vancouver and leading the kitchen at Botanist.
“Vancouver is one of the most memorable places I’ve cooked because British Columbia offers such exceptional access to seasonal ingredients and fresh seafood,” says Healey.
“Returning to lead a restaurant like Botanist, which so deeply respects the West Coast, is an opportunity to reconnect with the region and create menus that reflect both my experience and the ingredients found here.”
A New Dinner Menu at Botanist
Healey’s first menu is now available during dinner service, with both à la carte dishes and a summer tasting menu.
The menu highlights British Columbia growers, fishers, bakers and suppliers, including Beaucoup Bakery, Hannah Brook Farm, Glorious Organics, Solstedt Organics, North Arm Farm, Rangeland Meats and eatFish.ca.
One of the new dishes pairs Alberta lamb loin with ricotta gnudi, Glorious Organics hakurei turnip and lamb pancetta.
Healey will continue Botanist’s established focus on Pacific Northwest ingredients while bringing her own international experience and perspective to the restaurant’s culinary program.
About Botanist
Located in Coal Harbour inside Fairmont Pacific Rim, Botanist is inspired by the biodiversity and natural landscape of British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest.
The restaurant has been recognized by Canada’s 100 Best and the World’s 50 Best Discovery list. It is also home to Botanist Bar, which has received the MICHELIN Guide’s Exceptional Cocktails Award and has appeared on the North America’s 50 Best Bars list.
Botanist
1038 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC
Instagram: @botanistdining
Website: botanistrestaurant.com
