New Executive Chef Karan Suri is turning up the heat in the kitchen at North America's top airport hotel

With his jet-setting background and international postings, the airport is an ideal location for Karan Suri, the new executive chef of The Fairmont Vancouver Airport, with his food philosophy of “local sourced and globally inspired”. Prior to touching down in his new home, his culinary tour of duty included Singapore, Dubai, Nairobi, and New Delhi, working with several Michelin Star chefs along the way.

Born and raised in northern India, Suri graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Hotel Management from Indira Ghandi National Open University in 2004. Classically trained in traditional and contemporary Indian, he is well versed in French, Chinese, Thai and Mediterranean cuisine and recently added Japanese and Italian cuisine to his repertoire.

Suri started his culinary career with the esteemed Oberoi Group in New Delhi in 2005 as kitchen executive. While working with their extensive collection of hotels across India, he had a brief stint in Singapore and worked alongside Michelin Star chefs while receiving training at Raffles, Ritz Carlton, and independent restaurants.

In 2008, he joined the luxury brand, Raffles and relocated to Dubai where, as Chef de Cuisine, he was responsible for the award-wining restaurants, Fire and Ice, Cellar & Grill, and Azur over his two-year tenure. He was awarded with a gold medal in Culinary Arts from the Professional Culinary Excellence Challenge, and reached the finals in the popular television show Foodistan, a cook-off between the best Indian and Pakistani chefs.

From there, he returned to Delhi to oversee the launch of the prestigious Leela Palace as Executive Sous Chef and refined his skills at the company’s signature restaurants – Le Cirque (awarded 2011 Best Restaurant by Vir Sanghvi) and Megu, renowned for their one-of-a-kind dining and design experiences.

In 2012, he joined Fairmont Hotels as Group Executive chef based out of the historic Fairmont Norfolk in Nairobi and oversaw a trio of properties that also included The Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club and The Fairmont Mara Safari Club. He won numerous accolades including Best Chef in Kenya (Taste Awards), and the signature restaurant at The Norfolk, Tatu was ranked in the top 101 restaurants in hotels around the world by the Daily Meal.

Already enamored with the west coast and its bounty of fresh seafood, meats and produce, the top toque is enjoying the area’s natural beauty and expanse of space waiting to be explored when he’s not in the kitchen.