Fairmont Chateau Whistler Culinary Team Seeing Stars
Whistler, BC – As Fairmont Chateau Whistler waves goodbye to its 20’s and takes its thirtieth turn around the sun, the future looks bright. The culinary team at Whistler’s most iconic hotel has taken the podium twice at two back-to-back awards shows.
On Monday, April 29 British Columbia’s leading restaurateurs, chefs, and industry professionals gathered at the annual Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards. Here, Fairmont Chateau Whistler’s Grill Room took home silver in the Best Whistler Restaurant category. The esteemed judges noted, “Silver goes to last year’s surprise winner, the Grill Room, where Chef Derek Bendig shows that being attached to a hotel—the Fairmont Chateau Whistler—doesn’t mean that the food has to be expected and safe.” This is only the second time in the hotel’s history that it’s been nominated for this award.
Back on home turf, Tuesday, April 30 saw the Whistler Chamber of Commerce hold their annual Whistler Excellence Awards celebrating local innovators, trailblazers and community cultivators in the areas of service, innovation, sustainability, and outstanding leadership. Fairmont Chateau Whistler Executive Chef Isabel Chung took home the Rising Star of the Year Award, given to a business leader aged 39 and under who has given back to the community and demonstrated success at a young age. Chef Isabel was acknowledged for her tireless work elevating women in the industry while volunteering her time and raising funds for cancer research and the local food bank.
“These awards not only acknowledge the hard work of our culinary team, but also a genuine passion for what we do,” says Norman Mastalir, Managing Director at Fairmont Chateau Whistler. “This recognition is a tremendous credit to Chef Isabel and everything she and her team have been able to accomplish thus far in her short tenure as executive chef at the Chateau.”
Chef Chung has been in her current role since November 2015. She oversees the creative and strategic initiatives of all culinary operations of the hotels’ six restaurants, in-room dining, and banquets. Meanwhile Chef Bendig, with 17 years of experience including former George Brown chef instructor, oversees the kitchen operation of the award-winning Grill Room. Bendig also represented Canada at the esteemed James Beard House in New York with the Food Day Canada team in 2017.
Casual, refined and nestled at the base of Blackcomb Mountain, Fairmont Chateau Whistler’s award-winning restaurants offer everything from casual food and drink to fine dining. Further information about restaurant menus and reservation details at Fairmont Chateau Whistler can be found online at Fairmont.com.
