Hubert Des Marais, Executive Chef of The East Africa Group of Fairmont Hotels and Resorts
It is not surprising that the culinary artistry of Hubert Des Marais is celebrated far and wide. He has been named one of “America’s Ten Best New Chefs” by Food & Wine magazine, featured on Food Network, PBS’ “Great Chefs of the Southeast,” and now has a weekly cooking series on KBC’s “Welcome Kenya.” Hubert directs the culinary operations of the East Africa Group of Fairmont Hotels which include Fairmont The Norfolk, Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club, Fairmont Mara Safari Club, The Ark, Aberdare Country Club, and Fairmont Zanzibar. Previously, Des Marais was with Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club in Aventura, Florida.
A graduate of the Culinary Institute of American, Des Marais is noted for his deliciously healthy food that is fresh, flavorful and truly inventive in the marriage of textures and seasonings. He is know for his use of the freshest local ingredients he can source. His focus is on creative menus using primarily organic ingredients, fresh garden products and fresh meats. A testament to this passion is his extraordinary network of suppliers. This network of local fruit and vegetable growers, farmers, ranchers and fishermen allows him to create menus that showcase not only the freshest, but the most interesting regional products available.
A source for much of Des Marais’ inspiration comes from his own tropical herb and rare fruit gardens located at The Norfolk and Mount Kenya Safari Club. Here he has created verdant patches which produce traditional herbs, fruits, and vegetables to compliment and enhance his dishes. Here he can also grow exotic herbs that are difficult to find in Kenya. He has always been an advocate for regional cuisine and incorporates indigenous products to produce a creative version of traditional dishes of the local culture. In Zanzibar, this means making use of the wonderfully aromatic spices for which the island is known.
Des Marais’ also gathers inspiration for many new ideas and ingredients through traveling, whether on vacation in Italy or Asia or “at work” as a guest chef in Thailand, Hong Kong, Milan, New York, Chicago, Punta Mita, Aviara, Austin, Los Angeles, Washington, Miami, Dallas, Philadelphia, and Boston. He has been a guest chef aboard the QE2, participated in Cakebread Cellar’s prestigious American Harvest Workshop, cooked at the James Beard House in New York many times and was among a handful of chefs invited to cook for the James Beard Foundation Awards Gala.
Hubert grew up in North Carolina in the United States, in a family interested in art, music, and cooking. His grandmother, whose culinary pursuits included everything from gardening to cultivating bees, inspired an early love of the culinary arts. “I learned the basics of elegant, Southern cooking and very formal entertaining form her.”
Prior to joining Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Des Marais honed his cooking and administrative skills at several of the South’s most luxurious hotels. These include Four Seasons Palm Beach, where he directed the culinary operations for eighteen years including The Restaurant which held the American Automobile Association’s Five-Diamond Award as well as “Restaurant of the Year” from the American Culinary Federation and consecutive “Golden Spoon” awards from Florida Trend magazine; Ritz-Carlton Houston, and South Carolina’s famed Kiawah Island Resort.
Through out the years Hubert has been actively involved in dozens of food-related organizations, including Fairmont Wellness Committee Board of Directors developing a healthy cuisine program for Fairmont worldwide, Fairmont Green Team responsible for recycling, composting, and organic gardening programs for East Africa, James Beard Society, Chaine de Rotisseurs, the American Institute of Wine and Food, the American Culinary Federation, the Herb Society, The Rare Fruit Council and the End Hunger Network.
On the occasional day off, he spends time with his wife and son, tending to his garden, orchids and fishing if possible. “Yes, I do have a life outside the kitchen,” Des Marais says with a smile. “But even my family knows that the preparation and enjoyment of fine food is my life’s passion.”
> View recipe for Dark Chocolate Kenya Coffee Cake