Naveen, Chef – Coconut Lagoon
Seasoned chef from Kerala state in India referred to as “Gods own country”,with over 20 years of varied national and international experience in the hospitality industry at various levels such as Executive Chef, Chef in Charge, Senior Sous Chef, Chef Tournant, Sous Chef.
CGH earth, Taj hotels,Norwegian cruises,Emirates flight kitchen are some of the employment companies.
Mastered my food Kerala cuisine beginning from my home kitchen with mother and grandma.
Shaped professionally by CGHearth kitchen(www.cghearth.com) who are considered pioneer in keeping local ethos and culture in the purest form, working with some of their experienced Master chefs who have 35 to 40 years of experience in the the art of making cuisine in the traditional way.
Saji Kumaran, Manager – Coconut Lagoon
Meet our Cool, Calm & Collected Manager Saji who prides himself in ensuring that each and every guest is provided with an elevated fine dining experience.
He started his career in India, at Hotel Eastend Munnar, Kerala, prior to moving to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to work in the hospitality industry until he came to Canada in 2017.
Before joining Coconut Lagoon, he worked at Chartwell Rockcliffe and the Riverpath retirement home as a dining room supervisor. He completed the Food Service Worker Program at Algonquin College.
Saji has always wanted to work in the hospitality industry and found his new home. We are so fortunate to have him managing our team!
Ray Joseph, Sommelier – Coconut Lagoon & Thali Restaurants
I am extremely delighted to have Ray as our Primary Sommelier for both Coconut Lagoon and Thali Restaurants. I first met Ray over 15 years ago at an exclusive cooking class that I held in Westboro. I noticed that Ray was very enthusiastic in my demonstration, and I could see that he had comprehensive knowledge for complex flavours within food and wine.
Ray provides tremendous depth and virtue to our experienced team at both of our restaurants. When I view Ray’s authentic and natural interaction with our guests, I can see how his sincere passion for wine recommendations elevates the dining experience within our valued dining community.
Ray has thrived in the service industry for over thirty years. He proudly holds degrees in both business administration and economics, and has obtained studies within Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts Institute and Algonquin College’s Sommelier Program.
Ray’s travel experiences are remarkably extensive, as he’s visited over 70 countries in the world. He has studied wine in 15 out of 18 of theTop Wine Producing Countries (83.3%). His travels for wine exploration have brought him to Italy, Spain, France, USA, China, Argentina, Chile, Australia, Germany, Portugal, Greece, Russia, Austria, Switzerland, Japan, Israel, Uruguay, Peru, Canada, the Czech Republic, Monaco, Turkey, Mexico, Morocco, India and many more wine producing countries. He has also travelled to all 50 states in the USA., and he is very proud to have explored Canada’s 10 provinces and two of its territories.
We truly look forward to your next dining experience at Coconut Lagoon and Thali restaurant. I’m certain that you will benefit from Ray’s intricate knowledge and experience of culinary foods and exceptional wines which will enhance and make your dining experience highly memorable with us!