Senior VP of Operations, Al Petrone, is pleased to announce that Karen Gin is the new executive chef at FigMint Restaurant & Lounge. She joins the restaurant at a very exciting time as the adjoining Plaza 500 Hotel will be rebranded as an Indigo boutique hotel by year’s end.

Passionate. Creative. Competitive. If you had to pick just three words to describe Gin, those would be a good place to start, but there is a whole lot more to this talented young woman. Gin has a wealth of experience, a love of the West Coast, and a burning desire to ensure that she exceeds every guest’s expectations.

“I am so excited about taking on this new challenge,” says Gin. “I love being part of a team, working under high pressure and tight timelines, being creative and sourcing out new products. I am really looking forward to bringing our guests a truly memorable experience. When they leave, I want them to say “Wow, that was a great meal, I’m coming back”.

Gin’s talent was readily recognized when she graduated from Vancouver Community College. She was hired by Fairmont Hotels to complete her apprenticeship at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel in Vancouver. From there she moved on to the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver where she worked in 900 West, the fine-dining lounge.

She then got a call from Diva at the Met in Vancouver’s Metropolitan Hotel. She spent six and a half years in the kitchen there and worked her way up to the position of sous chef. While working at Diva, Gin placed fourth in the national competition to represent Canada at the prestigious Bocuse d’Or. From Diva at the Met, Gin moved back to the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver in the position of executive sous chef for a year and a half. Then in 2008, she stepped into her first Executive Chef role at Zin Restaurant and Lounge in the Pacific Palisades Hotel. When Zin was closed, FigMint lured Gin over to their kitchen.

Gin grew up in Vancouver as the youngest of five children in a Chinese-Canadian family. Her mother did a lot of cooking to feed her large family and Gin remembers all the kids gathered around the table rolling wontons with her mother. Gin was struggling through a science degree to be a marine biologist that her sister pointed out that her passion might be something completely different.

“She suggested that I try culinary school,” says Gin. “The idea appealed to me and, once I started, I never looked back. I loved the opportunity to be creative and competitive at the same time. I was always striving to be the very best in the class.”

FigMint Restaurant & Lounge is located at 500 West 12th Ave at Cambie Street. For reservations phone 604.248.4766 or visit www.figmintrestaurant.com