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Executive Chef Daryle Ryo Nagata

The Fairmont, Washington, D.C.

Edited by Madelyn Miller

A passion for blending ethnic cuisines from French to Pan-Asian and using organic produce, medicinal herbs and local, seasonal ingredients has become the hallmark of Daryle Ryo Nagata, Executive Chef at The Fairmont Washington, D.C.  A broad brush of international culinary experiences defines Nagata's style, which incorporates the traditions of fine European cooking with regional influences and contemporary presentation.

I feel very sentimental about Daryle. When I first met him in Vancouver, he was so interesting that I just wanted to write a profile about him, so I started the chefs section on travellady.com 

He has moved on to Washington, and while that may have been a capitol idea, I am still salivating to get their to taste his food again.

Born of a Scottish mother and Japanese father, Nagata was raised outside Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.  As a child, he was exposed to the culinary world from both his mother, who worked in kitchens throughout her life, and from his paternal grandmother who he would follow as she worked in the family's garden and in the kitchen.

Nagata's formal culinary training and experience has spanned the globe.  After training with European masters, his culinary journey included London's renowned Savoy Hotel and Geneva's La Reserva before Nagata found his home with Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.  Twelve years ago he opened the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia, to great acclaim, preparing extraordinary cuisine for legendary occasions large and small.  In 1988 Nagata and a contingent of renowned Canadians participated in the opening of Canada House in London, where he had the honor of creating a traditional, West Coast First Nations meal for Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth. 

Nagata's approach to gourmet cooking inspired the production of a 2,100 square foot roof-terrace herb garden to stock The Fairmont Waterfront in fresh herbs year round and he hopes to create the first hotel roof-top garden in Washington, D.C.   In the meantime, Nagata inspires The Fairmont Washington, D.C.'s culinary team to create gourmet fare to please the most discerning palates.

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