Published on January 31, 2019
With restaurateurs for parents, Chris Kourouniotis grew up with an insider’s view of the hospitality business. But it wasn’t food that influenced his career path, it was the dining experience – and the special role a designer plays in that.
“We’re creating a two-hour holiday,” says Kourouniotis, principal of CKDesign Associates, an Edmonton-based firm responsible for hundreds of restaurant and office interiors across Alberta and, through franchised clients, as far afield as India and Pakistan.
Today, Kourouniotis seeks to inspire up-and-comers like his younger self by acting as an adviser to NAIT’s Interior Design Technology program and mentoring its students. “It’s my opportunity to steal someone every year,” he says, and that way continue to transform common Alberta dining experiences into meals to remember.
— Scott Messenger