Nathan Mark Fong (March 16, 1959 – March 30, 2020) was a Canadian chef, food stylist, media personality and activist.

Early life and education

Nathan Mark Fong was born in

West Vancouver West Vancouver is a district municipality in the province of British Columbia, Canada. A member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District, West Vancouver is to the northwest of the city of Vancouver on the northern side of English Ba ...

on March 16, 1959. His parents were Edna and Robert Fong. He had four siblings and was the oldest. The Fong's owned an IGA grocery store in the Dundarave neighborhood of West Vancouver. When he was a teenager, Fong worked at the grocery store as a stocker. Fong attended the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

for commerce. He never completed his degree, deciding to study cooking at the Dubrulle Culinary Institute at the

Art Institute of Vancouver LaSalle College Vancouver (formerly the Art Institute of Vancouver) is a Canadian-owned private post-secondary arts and design school located in Vancouver, British Columbia. The school provides education in fashion, culinary, interior design, gra ...

. His classmates included

Rob Feenie Robert Feenie is a Canadian chef based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Culinary career His interest in cooking began during a high school exchange program in Europe. He attended Dubrulle Culinary Institute (now part of The Art Institute of V ...

and Barbara-Jo McIntosh.

Career in food and personal life

Fong started a catering company after graduating from Dubrulle. He transitioned into

food styling Food photography is a still life photography genre used to create attractive still life photographs of food. It is a specialization of commercial photography, the products of which are used in advertisements, magazines, packaging, menus or coo ...

soon thereafter. He styled food for photo shoots and commercials, including for

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...

Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...

, A&W, and

White Spot White Spot is a Canadian restaurant chain based in Vancouver, British Columbia, best known for its hamburgers, Pirate Pak children's meal, triple-o sauce, and milkshakes. Along with its related Triple-O's quick service brand, the chain operates ...

. In 1998, Fong won the first

International Association of Culinary Professionals The International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) is a United States-based not-for-profit professional association whose members work in culinary education, communication, or the preparation of food and beverage. History The organizati ...

Julia Child Award of Excellence for food styling. He won the

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (which holds a 69% ownership stake of the network) and Nexstar Media Group ...

Challenge's Superstar Foodstylist Competition in 2009. Since 2012, Fong served as chef for the British Columbian government. He represented the province at tourism events, trade shows, international events and diplomatic receptions. He appeared regularly on the ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 A ...

'' show during the show's

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...

programming, showcasing British Columbian cuisine and food culture. In 2016, he participated in a reception for the

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was educat ...

and

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge Catherine, Princess of Wales, (born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton; 9 January 1982) is a member of the British royal family. She is married to William, Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the British throne, making Catherine the likely next ...

. Fong persuaded Catherine to taste raw

geoduck The Pacific geoduck ("gooey-duck"; ; ''Panopea generosa'') is a species of very large saltwater clam in the family Hiatellidae. The common name is derived from the Lushootseed ( Nisqually) word . The geoduck is native to the coastal waters of t ...

, while Prince William declined. That same year, he married his partner Michel Chicoine on January 16. For decades Fong hosted his TV show "Fong on Food" on

Global Television Network The Global Television Network (more commonly called Global, or occasionally Global TV) is a Canadian English-language terrestrial television network. It is currently Canada's second most-watched private terrestrial television network after ...

and a weekly radio show by the same name. He was the executive chef producer of the BC Seafood Festival. He was a columnist for the ''

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published s ...

'' and also contributed to ''Enroute'', ''Bon Appetit'', ''NUVO'', ''Men's Health'', ''Cooking Light'' and ''Fine Cooking.''

Activism

Fong was HIV positive, which inspired him to become involved in HIV fundraising and pro-LGBTQ causes. In 2002, Fong created the Passions Gala, an annual wine and food event that benefited the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation. , the event has raised over $1.6 million for the Foundation. He was nominated for the Gemini Humanitarian Award in 2006 for his work with the Dr. Peter Centre. In 2006, he was awarded the BCPWA/Positive Living Society's AccolAIDS Philanthropy Award.

Later life and death

Fong had diabetes and struggled to control it. He would often stop eating when he was feeling depressed, something he experienced with in the weeks prior to his death. In 2020, he also saw business plummet due to the cancelation of events in the wake of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

shelter in place orders. He visited

Scottsdale, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Winfield Scott , image_skyline = , image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg , image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg , nick ...

before travel bans and shelter-in-place went into effect and returned to Vancouver where he quarantined at his home. The last week of March 2020, Fong fainted and fell, hitting his head. Fong was found dead, on March 30, at his home in Vancouver by his spouse Michel Chicoine. Officially it has been said that he died of a suspected

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

References

External links

"Chefs Remember Beloved Vancouver Foodie Nathan Fong"
from ''Montecristo'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Fong, Nathan 1959 births 2020 deaths Businesspeople from British Columbia Journalists from British Columbia Writers from British Columbia People from West Vancouver Canadian television chefs Canadian talk radio hosts Canadian LGBT journalists Vancouver Sun people Canadian male journalists Canadian columnists Global Television Network people Canadian LGBT rights activists Canadian gay writers Canadian LGBT businesspeople Canadian LGBT broadcasters HIV/AIDS activists People with HIV/AIDS 21st-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers 21st-century Canadian journalists Canadian male chefs Chefs from Vancouver 21st-century Canadian LGBT people Canadian activists with disabilities LGBT people with disabilities LGBT writers with disabilities