Maenam

Growing up in the Lower Mainland, chef Angus An spent countless hours in the kitchen with his mother and grandmother. “My love for cooking dates back a long time ago,” says the celebrated chef. “In grade one, I graduated from cooking fried eggs to fried rice… I’d stand on a stool and watch my grandmother cook.”

However, cooking wasn’t his initial career path. Angus went on to study architecture at the University of British Columbia. “I was going for my Master’s in Architecture because I wanted to do something creative,” Angus recalls. “When I decided to become a chef, that conceptualization and the execution of ideas I learned at UBC really helped me in my cooking style and plating presentation.”

Angus honed his culinary skills while training under chef David Thompson at the world’s first Michelin-starred Thai restaurant, Nahm in London, England. “David was my mentor, one who really inspired me to learn all about Thai food,” he notes.

In 2009, Angus opened Maenam in Vancouver's Kitsilano neighbourhood. Situated on West 4th Avenue, the award-winning fusion restaurant is located in the space that was once housed Gastropod - Angus' first foray as a restaurateur. He has since opened three more casual dining restaurants: Fat Mao Noodles in Vancouver's Chinatown neighbourhood, Freebird Chicken Shack and Longtail Kitchen in New Westminster.