Our Team

Edgar Kano

Executive Chef

Chef Edgar joins the Hotel from Four Seasons Bora Bora where he oversaw all culinary operations as Executive Chef for the past two years. He loves all things edible, particularly seafood, and names fishing as a personal passion second only to cooking. He has already started exploring Greater Vancouver’s markets, docks and fishing boats – which make him a great fit for YEW’s sustainable seafood focus.

Chef Edgar is most looking forward to exploring the richness of seafood and produce in British Columbia while adding a little kick of Latin inspiration here and there. Guests can look forward to some delicious salsas and sauces thanks to Edgar’s vast knowledge of chilies and spices.

Edgar’s Four Seasons career has spanned more than two decades and he’s ascended the culinary ranks through roles at Four Seasons Newport Beach, Four Seasons Hotel Mexico City, Four Seasons Hotel Singapore, Four Seasons Hotel Berlin, Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas, back to Four Seasons Hotel Mexico City and most recently with Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora.

Suraj Karmakar

Executive Pastry Chef

Chef Suraj has travelled the world improving moods and moments with his delicious desserts and innovative breads. Joining us most recently from Four Seasons Hotel at Pudong Shanghai, Karmakar comes prepared to satisfy the sweet teeth of Vancouverites – another bustling, cosmopolitan city by the sea.

Karmakar has been with the luxury global brand for more than a decade, enjoying his pastry focus in the Maldives, Singapore and Bali with additional opportunities in the Seychelles, Seoul, Tianjin and Hangzhou at Westlake. He brings further experience from India’s Oberoi Hotels & Resorts where he earned a Hotel Management and Catering diploma from India’s Institute of Hotel Management, followed by a post-graduate Kitchen Management certificate at Oberoi and additional training from the L’Ecole Valrohna in Tokyo.

His food philosophy is definitely ingredient-based – dishes need to look inviting and elegant but guests should have a full experience of purity of flavour. He also loves adding in surprises and wants to keep his desserts simple to eat. Karmakar also believes that a day without a sweet note is simply incomplete.

Evan Morgan

Restaurant Chef

“Combine new flavours and change conceptions – food should evolve along with the rest of our culture.”

Evan joins YEW seafood + bar as the new Restaurant Chef, a position that allows him to bring his skills, passion and creativity as a leader to the YEW team. Along with developing menus and daily features at the restaurant, Evan is thrilled to work closely with a talented team and bring his intimate knowledge of B.C.’s local ingredients to the YEW Kitchen.

Evan’s career spans an impressive 16 years, having started at Butchart Gardens in Victoria and working his way up the culinary ladder at notable restaurants such as Bluewater, TRACE at The W Hotel in Seattle, Araxi, and most recently the Stable House Bistro before taking on his current role at Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver. He received his diploma at the Culinary Institute of Vancouver Island and went on to graduate from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York with his Associate’s Degree of Occupational Studies in Culinary Arts in 2011.

Having grown up in Victoria, Vancouver has always an exciting place to visit for him. “Now that it’s my home, I love the diversity of terrain. From the ocean to the mountains, there is so much available to us – in the kitchen and out.”

Evan is well-travelled – having spent over a year travelling throughout Europe – and outside of travelling and cooking you can find him in the mountains, biking and skiing in his free time. His food philosophy revolves around creatively highlighting the main ingredient of a meal using local and sustainable products. “Food should be uncomplicated, interesting, delicious and beautiful… but at the same time, it’s still food and has to be sustaining and comforting. Beyond that, there are no rules.” He thrives on adding fun and delicious touches to every dish while paying respect to ingredients – a method that has allowed YEW to maintain its reputation as one of Vancouver’s premier seafood restaurants.

Benjamin Kilford

Executive Sous Chef

Benjamin has been with Four Seasons for 16 years, starting right here in Vancouver and working his way up the ladder with positions at Four Seasons Dublin and Four Seasons Hampshire before becoming the Executive Sous Chef back home. His current role has him overseeing kitchen operations from breakfast to banquets, making sure the product and people are available to make it happen.

Ben’s culinary memories go way back to childhood where he spent lots of time helping his parents prepare meals. His fondness for the connections developed in the kitchen have greatly influenced his life and is the reason his career is built around creating memorable, meaningful dining experiences for guests. His passion for his craft is evident and he loves passing his knowledge on to up and coming chefs, and oh, if you’re wondering where the music is coming from, Ben also loves to sing while he cooks.

Ben is a strong believer in the dock-to-dish philosophy, using sustainable ingredients and pushing the boundaries of modern cuisine. This is a great fit for YEW’s focus of bringing fresh, inventive, seafood-forward dishes to our guests, earning a place in Vancouver’s venerable food scene.

His food passions include modernizing classic dishes and taking on the challenge of perfectly balancing flavours in South East Asian cooking. With so many diverse cultures, neighbourhoods and tastes, Ben takes full advantage of Vancouver’s broad food scene to perfect these skills; he considers the stunning scenery an added bonus.

Josef Weichinger

General Manager

Josef Weichinger embodies the Four Seasons spirit, going that extra mile to exceed guest expectations and delivering memorable moments both big and small to our guests.

Josef loves the hospitality industry having grown up living and working in a hotel his family owned in Austria.  During his travels to Canada, Josef fell in love with both the province of British Columbia, and his now wife Annie, whom he met while working at Sparkling Hills Resort in Vernon.  Josef and Annie have two children and spend their downtime enjoying the great outdoors – an experience Josef likens to his childhood in the Alps.

Josef is a huge fan of sustainable seafood teamed up with a delicious wine pick from YEW’s diverse wine selection.  Josef is excited to put his stamp on YEW projects and is looking forward to adding energy to the bar program.

When Josef needs to hit the reset button, he does something many of us can only imagine.  He jumps out of an airplane!  Living truly in the moment of pure, heart-pumping adrenaline provides an exhilarating perspective on life and self.

Johan Monterrat

Assistant General Manager

Johan Monterrat has made some great impressions during his brief, three-year tenure at Four Seasons.  Joining the company at The Beverly Wilshire (A Four Seasons Hotel) as a Manager in Training with a focus on food and beverage operations, Monterrat had a quick ascent to his current position after transferring to Vancouver and excelling in junior management roles in the restaurant and in-room dining.  His current role is all about ensuring the quality and enjoyment of guests experiences at YEW.

Monterrat also brings experience from the Grand Hotel Kempinski in Geneva and an MBA in hospitality management from ESSEC Business School in Paris. He loves the hotel industry for its endless possibilities including opportunities to work around the world, meeting people from diverse backgrounds, discovering new food and drink and encountering a variety of situations that invite creativity and quick thinking.

Monterrat is enchanted by the storied history of Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver and the high level of talent the restaurant has boasted over the years. He is looking forward to bringing his own brand of enthusiasm and business savvy to the popular sustainable seafood restaurant.

Originally from Nice, France, Monterrat has fallen in love with Vancouver’s evolving culinary scene, scenic beauty and diverse and kind citizens. He believes in the unifying power of people sharing food, conversation and connection.

Monterrat is a foodie himself naming ramen, barbeque, molecular cuisine and wine as his culinary passions.  Away from the table he enjoys American sports, hotel architecture and travel. On a day off he enjoys staying fit, taking in the fresh air at Stanley Park, trying new restaurants and catching up on Netflix.

Brielle Wong

YEW Sales Manager

Guests planning a private get-together or corporate event will appreciate the sophisticated flare of YEW seafood + bar’s private dining experiences. Vibrant cuisine, creative cocktails and well-matched wines blend with the infectious buzz of the see-and-be-seen room. Enter, Brielle Wong, YEW Sales Manager. Her Four Seasons career spans an impressive amount of years and experience in a variety of roles.  Brielle’s passion is to create memorable experiences for YEW guests, sharing in their special moments and taking YEW’s event portfolio to a new level.

By offering fresh and innovative dining experiences – for groups from ten to sixty-five in YEW’s diverse event spaces – Brielle brings warmth, fun and creativity to her work. Having grown up in a food-focused household with a chef and restaurateur as her father, Brielle’s life has long centred around the dining table, with seasonal ingredients and local seafood as major staples. “YEW embodies the west coast both in its culinary offerings and through the social service of style that brings people together over great food, great drinks, great company and a successful shared vision,” says Brielle.

When not setting the table at YEW, Brielle can be found exploring the city’s parks, trails and unique neighbourhoods with her young daughter and husband, enjoying the occasional treat of piping hot, thin, crispy, salty french fries.

To plan your private event at YEW, contact Brielle.