Joe's journey

My name is Joe Thottungal. I am a Canadian chef, born and raised in Kerala, south India. My culinary journey has taken me from cooking school in Chennai to kitchen work in Mumbai, Saudi Arabia, Toronto, and Windsor before I settled in Ottawa in 2002. Together with my chef de cuisine, Rajesh Gopi, and my brothers Majoe and Thomas, I opened Coconut Lagoon in 2004 and then our second restaurant, Thali, in 2018.

I was honoured to be named Ottawa Chef of the Year in 2008. My Coconut Lagoon team and I have won gold, silver, and bronze medals at both the regional and national cooking competitions of the Canadian Culinary Championships. I am also extremely proud to be the culinary director of the Ottawa charity, Food for Thought, and to have received an Outstanding Individual Philanthropist Award and a United Way Community Builder Award in 2020 “for the work were doing in addressing food insecurity in the city”. In 2022 I received the Order of Ottawa and an honorary degree from Algonquin College, where I occasionally teach classes. I share these honour with the extraordinary team I have the pleasure to work with at Food for Thought. I am the author of Coconut Lagoon, Recipes from a South Indian Kitchen (Figure 1, 2019) and have a second cookbook, My Thali, due to be published in 2023.

Milestones

1998

Started my culinary journey at the kitchens of Royal York Hotel, Toronto, Canada

2001

Bronze at Lindt Chocolate Competition, Toronto

2003

Became Certified Chef De Cuisine in Canada

2004

Birth of Coconut Lagoon Restaurant

2008

Ottawa Chef of the Year

2014

10 years of Coconut Lagoon

2014

First Culinary tour to Kerala

2014

Taste and Travel Magazine

2015

Bronze at Gold Medal Plates Ottawa

2016

Gold at Gold Medal Plates Ottawa

2017

Silver at Canadian Culinary Championships, Kelowna

2017

Sandwich Sovereign of Ottawa

2017

Seafood Champion

2017

Chef at Canada’s Table

2018

Birth of Thali Restaurant

2019

15th Anniversary of Coconut Lagoon

2019

Launch of Coconut Lagoon Cookbook

2020

Community Builder Award

2020

Order of Ottawa

2020

Individual Philanthropist Award

2020

Gold for Coconut Lagoon Cookbook at Taste Canada

2021

Honorary degree from Algonquin College

2021

Volunteer Award

2021

Cooked at National Arts Centre Ottawa

2022

Reopened Coconut Lagoon Restaurant

2022

Recipient of Queen Elizabeth ll platinum jubilee award

2022

News maker of the year 2022 by Ottawa business journal and ottawa board of trade

2023

Gourmand Awards 2023

Jeo

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1998

Started my culinary journey at the kitchens of Royal York Hotel, Toronto, Canada

2001

Bronze at Lindt Chocolate Competition, Toronto

2003

Became Certified Chef De Cuisine in Canada

2004

Birth of Coconut Lagoon Restaurant

2008

Ottawa Chef of the Year

2014

10 years of Coconut Lagoon

Recognitions