Lauren Cartmel

Raised on beautiful Vancouver Island, growing up Lauren would work part time at her family's real estate brokerages. She always had a love for cooking though so she would spend her time baking and cooking for friends and family. Having this passion for food she decided to not follow into her family's business and chose to attend VIU’s esteemed Culinary Program. Before graduating, one of Vancouver’s top chef’s came calling and recruited her into his kitchen. This started her career in top restaurants such as Le Crocodile and Century Grill. After a few years and inspired to travel she then packed her knives for Gordon Ramsay’s brigade in London at his MICHELIN starred Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. In between cooking revered dishes in the iconic Chelsea eatery, Lauren regularly found refuge from the demanding kitchen at the local gardens and farmers markets. After London, she ventured off to Los Angeles and secured a position at the famed and historic Beverly Hills Hotel as the Chef de Cuisine of The Polo Lounge. Lauren spent over a decade in Los Angeles creating, cooking and catering to the city's most high profile clientele. As life progressed, Lauren started a family and decided to bring her two children home to live in the beautiful Cowichan Valley. She then opened her restaurant Ma Maison in 2019 where she would cook farm to table cuisine over the next few years. Feeling like she needed a change for a new chapter in her career, Lauren sold her restaurant. She decided to follow in her family's footsteps and headed back to school for real estate. Upon graduating from UBC Sauders School of Business she now works at RE/MAX Island Properties with Kaiser & Associates. In her spare time you will find her hiking and running our island's trails, spending time with her children crafting or stepping on lego. Throwing dinner parties, visiting local wineries, baking or working in her flower and vegetable gardens.