Partner & Executive Chef
Chef Kim Canteenwalla’s experience can be described as nothing short of diverse. As chef-owner of the award-winning popular local’s restaurant Honey Salt in west Las Vegas, Canteenwalla creates inspired dishes with a focus on seasonal ingredients and a farm-to-table approach. On the world-famous Las Vegas Strip inside the Grand Canal Shoppes at Venetian|Palazzo, he takes the helm as executive chef of Buddy V’s Ristorante where he’s partners with Buddy “The Cake Boss” Valastro and is tasked with recreating popular Italian heirloom dishes from the Valastro family vault.
Throughout all of his projects, Canteenwalla’s love for fresh and exciting flavors coupled with his passion for the kitchen, create unique dining experiences that have garnered the chef and his restaurants world-wide accolades.
As principal and cofounder of Blau & Associates, Canteenwalla brings to the table more than 30 years of hospitality expertise and industry leadership. His ambition to perfect the art of dining reflects his sincere love of food and genuine dedication to exceptional service. While his formal training took place at the Institute at St. Denis in Montreal, Canteenwalla traveled a tremendous amount and these culinary expeditions took him around the world in search of unusual flavors and new techniques. He spent time in locales including Singapore, Thailand, Bali, Dubai and Cambodia, among others and honed his skills with projects ranging from the flagship Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto, time abroad with the Raffles International Hotel Group and the Royal Garden Group, and back to the states with a stint at Beau Rivage as well as executive chef of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Coming full circle, Canteenwalla returned to his Canadian roots when he conceptualized and developed multiple world-class food and beverage outlets in Vancouver’s premier dining and entertainment destination, Parq Vancouver, which opened in September, 2017. Here, lives his second Honey Salt Restaurant location, as well as The Victor, a contemporary sushi, seafood & steakhouse. Also included in the culinary lineup are D6 bar & lounge, a Singapore-style night market named MARKET East, and tavern favorite BC Kitchen.
Along with wife and business partner Elizabeth Blau, Canteenwalla adds published author to his resume, as Honey Salt: A Culinary Scrapbook, can now be found on bookshelves across North America.
Canteenwalla has participated four times in the Best Hotel Chefs in America series at the James Beard House in New York, and in 2005 teamed up with celebrity chef and partner Kerry Simon on Food Network’s Iron Chef America series for a rousing victory. Canteenwalla eventually became executive chef and managing partner, along with Blau, of Society Café at Encore which was named as one of the “Best New Restaurants of 2009” by celebrated food critic John Mariani.
When not in the kitchen, Canteenwalla proudly serves on the Culinary Council of Three Square, a Las Vegas-based food bank dedicated to feeding the hungry, and assists Communities in Schools of Southern Nevada and Child Focus with charitable endeavors. In 2009, the I Have A Dream Foundation of Las Vegas named Canteenwalla Dream Builder of the Year. He enjoys golfing and visiting national parks with his wife, son and the family dogs Brookie and Dodger.