The judging panel included Chef Jonas Mangao of Lee Restaurant, Chef Heinrich Meesen, Le Château Laurier, Chef Julia Hanna, Julia’s Ristorante, Chef Sebastien Houle, Restaurant sEb, Chef Richardo Roque, Brasserie Crème, and media judges Annabelle Waugh, Food Director, Canadian Living Magazine, Emily Richards, Food Columnist, Metro Newspapers and Alexa Clark, blogger at unsweetened.ca. The panel awarded Molettieri the once-in-a-lifetime chance to compete at the finals competition to be held at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley from March 9-12, 2012.

The fast-paced, high-pressure cooking competition included six culinary students representing The George Brown Chefs School (Toronto), The International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Vancouver, École hôtelière de la Capitale (Québec City) and Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (Montréal).

Molettieri won high marks with her innovative signature dish recipe, Fillet of Veal Stuffed with Wild Mushrooms. The demanding, in-depth evaluation from the judging panel took place during a lively tasting reception for local media, chefs and invited guests. Molettieri was met with cheers and applause as she was crowned the Canadian regional winner.

“I owe a lot of my success this evening to Chef Côté, my ITHQ advisor,” says Molettieri. “He spent a lot of time helping me prepare for this competition and his patience really paid off.

In celebration of its 10^th year, Molettieri will join the nine past winners of the S.Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition during the three-day finals event. Past winners will work alongside Molettieri and an esteemed judging panel to mentor the 10 finalists throughout the three days of fierce competition. All finals competitors will be evaluated in three competition categories: the Mystery Basket, Signature Dish and People’s Choice.

The highly intense, star-powered weekend will culminate with the announcement of the 2012 S.Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef. The event will be broadcast live via the Almost Famous Chef Competition Facebook fan page where viewers can vote for their favorite competitor and ask questions of the celebrity chef panel. The overall winner will take home the title along with up to $22,000 in prizes and a career-changing apprenticeship with a master chef.

Another winner at the S.Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Canadian Regional Competition was Anne-Marie Plourde, a student at École hôtelière de la Capitale. She won the hearts and palates of everyone in attendance at The Calphalon Center and was rewarded with the People’s Choice award for her signature recipe, Roasted Duck Breast and Gingerbread Crusted Foie Gras.

“I’m really pleased to win the People’s Choice award,” says Plourde. “Even though I didn’t win overall, I know a lot of people enjoyed my dish tonight.”

About the S.Pellegrino^® Almost Famous Chef^® Competition

For centuries, Acqua Panna^® Natural Spring Water and S.Pellegrino^® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water have complemented fine food, wine and the dining occasion. In support of this passion for gastronomy and their commitment to the culinary arts, the S.Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition was founded in 2002 as a mentoring program that connects top culinary students with established chefs and influential media. Since then this program has helped to launch hundreds of culinary careers and refined the skills of a new generation of chefs. Through the Almost Famous Chef Competition, student chefs are given the opportunity to gain unmatched experience, while cooking in some of the most prestigious kitchens in the world.

Every couple will have the opportunity to paint their own cocoa butter transfer sheets, and then apply them onto our Valentine’s chocolates (red wine, tobacco, cognac, cinnamon, ginger and 85% dark).

We’ll be serving some of our favorite creations (and a few refreshments) for your indulgence as you paint, and each couple will take home their creations in a 24pc box wrapped with our limited edition Valentine’s Day sleeve.

Tickets are $125 per couple, and can be purchased through our webstore or in our shop.

Saturday February 11th or Tuesday February 14th
8:30pm – 10:30pm

* don’t delay – there are only 8 tickets available for each date

Saturday February 11th or Tuesday February 14th

From 8:30pm to 10:30pm
at the BETA5 Workshop
413 Industrial Ave

$125 per couple

Learn how we hand-paint our chocolates and indulge in some of our favourite creations.
Purchase ticket online here or visit our shop

413 Industrial Ave, Vancouver, BC : : 604.669.3336 : : beta5chocolates.com

Workshop Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 11am-5pm or by appointment
Join us on Twitter : : Facebook

#dineout Vancouver Dine Out Festival

Year of the Dragon..Chinese Dim Sum & Japanese Sake

Dim Sum Class at Quince

Monday January 23 – 5:30 – 6:45

Demo & Tasting Bar: class in the making of 3 Dim Sum dishes and local artisan sake to match.

 Cost: $40.00 – Dine-out Pricing

 Japanese Izakaya with Chef Phong Vo  of the Electric Owl 

Tuesday January 24 – 6:00 - 9:00

Chef Phong leaads a hands on cooking class on Japanese pub style food

Cost: $95.00 – Dine-out Pricing

Hawaiian Cocktail & Waikiki  Pupus (Tapas)

Tuesday January 31 – 5:30 – 6:45

Demo & Tasting bar: class in the making of 3 Waikiki favourites

Cost: $ 40.00 – Dine-out Pricing

Indian Bar Snacks

Thursday February 2 – 5:30 – 6:45

Demo & Tasting Bar: class in the making of popular Indian snack foods

Cost: $ 40.00 – Dine-out Pricing

@biglousbutcher

Inspired by Old World butcheries and bistros, Big Lou’s Butcher Shop satisfies discerning carnivores with a focus on fresh, sustainable and local meats. Recently , Two Chefs butchers began sharing their carving know-how in small, group-focused two-hour classes which cover a variety of facets of the art and craft of butchery.

Deer – FEBRUARY 27

http://biglousbutchershop.com/contact.html

Here’s just a sample of some of the classes offered this month:

Bacon Makes Everything Better with Chef Carl Sawatsky, Executive Chef Central City Brewing 

January 18    7:00 pm

At Central City Brewing, Chef Carl & his team make everything from scratch, including their own bacon. They do an excellent job incorporating their house cured & smoked bacon into dishes that also highlight their excellent craft beer. On the bacon-centric menu during this class is Beer, Bacon and Blue Cheese Mussels in Pale Ale Sauce followed by Bacon and Ricotta Corn Cakes with Maple Mayo & Smoked Paprika. These tasty morsels can be served as a nice appy or they make a great brunch item. Next up, a perfect Bacon and Pepper Vodka Palate Cleanser right before you get into Carl’s take on a classic Smoked Bacon Carbonara. If that’s not enough, Chef will round out the menu with a Bacon Crème Brûlée.

$55

Everyone Can Cook Mid-week Meals – Recipes for Cooks on the Run with Chef Eric Akis    

January 21  10 am & 2 pm

This class is designed for those looking for advice and great recipes for making quick, tasty and nutritious mid-week meals. The class begins with useful information on stocking your pantry. Mid-week meal preparation is a much quicker proposition if you’re not running to the grocery store after work to pick up kitchen staples. In the class Eric will walk you through some of the items you should regularly keep on hand. During the class Eric will also offer a range of cooking tips, from how to hold a knife to how to tell if fish is cooked, while demonstrating the following recipes: Quick Tomato Soup with Pesto and Feta, No-Fuss Vegetarian Baked Beans with Jack Cheese Cornbread, Fish Tacos with Homemade Salsa and finally, Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies. 

$75 includes a copy of the cookbook, “Everyone Can Cook Mid-Week Meals”

Prawns and Scallops with Chef Karen Barnaby

January 24   7:00 pm

This class is full of seafood inspiration; whether you are entertaining or just looking to mix up your weeknight suppers, there is something in this class for everyone that loves prawns & scallops. On the menu; Fresh Prawn Salad Rolls with Sweet & Sour Dipping Sauce, Chipotle Glazed Prawns with Pumpkin Seed Cilantro Sauce, Prawns with Lobster Sauce, Karen’s famous Pad Thai and finally Pan Seared Scallops with a Burnt Orange Wasabi Glaze. This class will fill quickly – call us today to reserve your spot. 

$60

Oceanwise Seafood with Chef Garry Steele

January 28   12:00 pm

Vancouver is leading the world in the sustainability of seafood. In this class we will cook with sustainable ocean-wise seafood from our very good friends at 1 Fish 2 Fish right here in Langley. On the menu for today’s class is a Spicy Snapper, Scallops perfectly cooked in a Lemon Grass Cream and finally Chef Garry’s version of Alaskan Cod and Chips. Bring a friend and your appetite, we’re going to have a great afternoon.

$55

 For the full schedule of cooking classes, visit www.wellseasoned.ca 

The Wilton Method® Decorating Basics Course is a great foundation for anyone interested in cake decorating. Kathie will show you the right way to decorate, step by step, so that you will by the end, be able to complete a decorated, iced cake. Learn how to bake a great cake, see how to make and color icing and learn the best way to ice the cake. You will also learn to decorate cookies and cupcakes too!

Essential skills for decorating the perfect party cake — piping stars, shells, rosettes, lines, zigzags, and dots; creating drop flowers, pompom flowers, shaggy mums, simple ribbon roses, and leaves; and creating printed and script inscriptions.

Chef: KATHIE BRATKOWSKI & YOU!
1:00-5:00 pm
Three courses for $329* or each course for $149*

RICARDO’S MEDITERRANEAN KITCHEN – Tuesday, January 17th.

Join Chef and Author Ricardo Scebba on a culinary journey of the Mediterranean. Ricardo will share recipes from his recent cookbook ‘That’s Amore’. Enjoy a menu inspired by his own mother’s Italian recipes! Tonight you will enjoy:

• ·  Roast garlic and brie soup
• ·  Morel mushroom risotto with truffle oil drizzle
• ·  Linguine Vongole – fresh clams in a garlic & olive oil toss
• ·  Pork Tenderloin with Gorgonzola cream sauce, concord grapes, Seigelinde potato galette and crisp vegetables
• ·  Coconut panna cotta – Toasted coconut, Malibu rum glaze, fresh fruitCHEF & AUTHOR: RICARDO SCEBBA
  THAT’s AMORE – FROM RICARDO SCEBBA’S MEDITERRANEAN KITCHEN
  6:00 – 9:00 pm
  $59* each or 2 for $99*

  FISH HOUSE FAVOURITES – Wednesday, January 18th

  Tonight Executive Chef Karen Barnaby has prepared a fabulous menu featuring Fish House favourites. If you have not been to the restaurant, this is your opportunity to learn Chef Karen’s seafood tips and tricks and enjoy several signature house dishes! This evening’s menu features:

• ·  The Fish House’s famous clam chowder
• ·  Prawn pad Thai
• ·  Crab cakes with angel hair pasta
• ·  Seared ahi tuna with Diane sauce
• ·  Chocolate lava cake with espresso crème AnglaiseExecutive Chef: KAREN BARNABY
  THE FISH HOUSE IN STANLEY PARK
  6:00 – 9:00 pm
  $79* each or 2 for $139*

  FUNDAMENTALS OF COOKING – 6 CLASS PARTICIPATION SERIES – Fridays in January & February

  A good grasp of the basics of cooking will not only give you the ability to apply the technique, you will also learn the standards of quality. French-born and trained chef Eric Arrouze will lead you into the classics. The classes will cover, knife skills,vegetable cuts, sauces, stocks, meats, vegetables, seafood, desserts and more in these full hands-on workshops. Gain confidence to cook like a chef in your own kitchen!

  COOKSHOP certificate upon completion of the series!

  Executive Chef: ERIC ARROUZE & YOU!
  www.911cheferic.com

  6:00 – 9:00 pm
  $449* for the series or $129* per class

  VALENTINES DAY CANDLELIGHT DINNER – Tuesday, February 14th – 6:00 – 9:00pm

  Join your sweetheart in our elegantly appointed dining room that combines a romantic and unhurried pace with expert culinary instruction! White linens, candlelight, fresh flowers, fine wines and epicurean decadence awaits you with a sumptuous menu prepared by French Chef Robert Vaillancourt. You will also take home a bottle of bubbly and a special Valentines Day treat!

• ·  Fig wrapped in prosciutto with blue cheese
• ·  Dungeness crab cake with micro greens salad
• ·  Duck confit and mushroom risotto
• ·  Blood orange sorbet
• ·  Rack of lamb for two with seasonal vegetables

·  Duo of creme brule and creme caramel

Chef: ROBERT VAILLANCOURT
$299* per couple
6:00-9:00pm

CHOP, DICE and SLICE AS YOU WOK YOUR WAY THROUGH WILD RICE’S COOKING CLASSES

December’s cooking classes at Wild Rice in New Westminster proved so popular that Executive Chef Todd Bright and his Sous Chef Caroline Levy have whipped up another batch of courses designed to teach even the most kitchen-challenged the joys of preparing healthy Chinese fare from scratch.

Classes take place every Monday evening starting at 6 p.m. at the New Westminster location and each concludes with a four-course meal that you have helped to create under Chef Bright’s expert tutelage.

January highlights Vegan Chinese. You’ll learn to prepare a tasty vegan dinner that includes: seasonal vegetable spring rolls with ginger soy agave dipping sauce, curry vegetable bao with a kecap drizzle, grilled king oyster mushrooms and ending on a sweet note with five-spice carrot cake with ginger icing. Price for this course is $30 with an optional wine flight for $15.

February, March and April’s courses are available either singly for $45 (including welcome cocktail) or a Trio Pack of one class each month for only $115 which gives you a $20 discount over the individual price. Chicken Chop Chop is the theme for February. March is Focus on Fish and April will teach you all about Shell Fish Chinese-style – all those ‘ancient Chinese secrets’ to preparing succulent scallops, oysters and crab. A wine flight is not included with these classes.

As seating at all classes is very limited (December’s classes quickly sold out) pre-registration is required. To avoid disappointment, run don’t wok to sign up by calling Wild Rice New Westminster at 778-397-0028 or contacting Leann at leann@wildricebc.ca

For updates on Wild Rice, check out Wild Rice’s web site at www.wildricevancouver.com or ‘like’ us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/wildricevancouver . We’ll be posting upcoming class menus and photos on Wild Rice’s Facebook page

Wild Rice Vancouver: 117 W. Pender Street at Abbott on the edge of old Chinatown, 604-642-2882

Wild Rice New Westminster: 122-810 Quayside Drive in the River Market, 778-397-0028

WHAT: Food 101 – An Introduction to Healthy Living
WHEN: January 15th, 2012 from 3-4:30pm

WHERE: OrganicLives Education Center 1829 Quebec Street (corner of 2nd Ave and Quebec St)
WHY: Learn the answers to your most pressing questions! Why organic? Why sustainable? What is actually nutritious? What is actually fairly traded?
HOW (MUCH): $500 / seven-part series, $95 / workshop

Juices & Smoothies: January 22nd, 2012
Sauces, Dressings, & Dips: February 5th, 2012
Soups, Stocks & Chillis: February 12th, 2012
Entrees & Mains: February 19th, 2012
Spices & Ethnic Cooking: February 26th, 2012

Sweets & Treats: March 5th, 2012

Give a class this Christmas

Give someone the gift of cooking this Christmas! Dirty Apron class gift certificates are easy to purchase online and can be printed in your very own home. No need to brave the mall. Just order, print and wrap with a bow.

Click here to view our great gift certificate options.

Gourmet gift boxes now available

The Dirty Apron is taking gift giving and kicking it up a notch.

Gone are the cellophane wrapped, stale cracker gifts of old. Our custom crafted gift boxes include fresh ingredients, thoughtful gifts, and gourmet selections to impress any palate. Gifts so good you’ll love to give them – now that’s holiday spirit!

View and order gift boxes online >

Guest chefs from our own BC backyard will join us, as will visiting chefs from the Prairies, Ontario and Quebec. National celebrities (including Anna Olson, Connie DeSousa, Andrea Nicholson, Derek Dammann), and local talent (including Vikram Vij, James Walt, Ned Bell, Thomas Haas) are headed to Granville Island. All are coming to represent Canadian cuisine to the fullest, and each Chef will prepare a gourmet, seasonal feast in our custom designed private demonstration dining room at Edible Canada at the Market.

We are also expanding on the Market Dinner theme with a number of signature evenings. Our popular Whisky Dinners with Cask Strength return (with more dates to satisfy demand!) as well as Alfresco Summer Dinner Evenings in stunning locations around Greater Vancouver.

As with all of our popular Market Dinners, guests enjoy a multicourse seasonally inspired dinner prepared right in front of your eyes. Our sommelier chooses select and often rare BC and Canadian wine, beer and spirits to pair with your meal, and guests are offered a 10% discount in the Edible Canada Retail Store and on future tours booked at the event. Since the goal of the evening is just to relax and enjoy the experience, we will email you a copy of the recipes and wine pairings from the night.

Each Market Dinner is limited to only 24 guests. Gift certificates are available, as are multipack savings packages. Confirmed dates are listed below -  more chefs and dates will be released over the coming months. If you’d like to be added to our mailing list and be first to know about dates, please email us and let us know.

2012 DATES

January 26 – Chef Andrea Nicholson of Top Chef Canada & Killer Condiments $150 per person.

February 11 – Whisky Dinner with Chef Eric Pateman & Cask Strength
 $85 per person.

February 16 – A Taste of Tofino Dinner with the Tofino-Ucluelet Culinary Guild $85 per person.

March 3 – Chef Jeff Van Geest of Miradoro at Tinhorn Creek Winery 
$85 per person.

March 12 – Chef Ned Bell of YEW at the Four Seasons $85 per person.

March 28 – Chef Todd Howard of CinCin $85 per person.

April 5 – Chef Derek Dammann of DNA, Montréal $150 per person.

April 10 – Chefs Cameron Smith & Dana Ewart of Joy Road Catering 
$85 per person.

April 18 – Chef Thomas Haas $85 per person.

April 26 – Whisky Dinner with Chef Eric Pateman & Cask Strength
 $125 per person.

May 15 – Chef Frank Pabst of Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar
 $85 per person.

May 17 – BBQ Dinner with Ron Shewchuk
 $85 per person.

May 29 – Chef Wendy Boys of Cocolico
 $85 per person.

June 12 – Chef Tim Cuff and Chef Owen Foster of Nita Lake Lodge
 $85 per person.

June 19 – Chef Jonathan Chovancek & Lauren Mote of Kale & Nori Culinary Arts
 $85 per person.

June 30 – Whisky Dinner with Chef Eric Pateman & Cask Strength $125 per person.

July 3 – Raw Food Feast with Afke Zonderland
 $85 per person.

July 11 – Alfresco Summer Dinner Series
 $125 per person.

July 25 – Alfresco Summer Dinner Series
 $125 per person.

August 7 – Chef Lee Parsons of Bacchus at the Wedgewood Hotel
 $85 per person.

August 15 – Alfresco Summer Dinner Series
 $125 per person.

August 29  - Alfresco Summer Dinner Series
 $125 per person.

September 11 – Raw Food Feast with Afke Zonderland
 $85 per person.

September 22 – Whisky Dinner with Chef Eric Pateman & Cask Strength
 $125 per person.

October 16 – Chef Vikram Vij of Vij’s & Rangoli
 $85 per person. Due to extremely high demand, we will again be offering tickets to this class by lottery ONLY, so if you would like to try and win an opportunity to purchase two tickets to this popular evening, please send us an email.

October 27 – Whisky Dinner with Chef Eric Pateman & Cask Strength $125 per person.

November 9 – Whisky Dinner with Chef Eric Pateman & Cask Strength
 $125 per person.

November 19 – Chef James Walt of Araxi Restaurant
 $85 per person.
DETAILS

Price: BC Chef Market Dinners are $85 per person.
Visiting Canadian Chef Market Dinners are $150 per person.
Whisky Dinners and Alfresco Summer Dinner Evenings are $125 per person. Prices do not include HST or gratuity.
Time: 7pm – 10pm
Minimum/Maximum Group Size: 14 / 24
Location: Private Dining Room at Edible Canada at the Market.
Alfresco Dinners at various locations throughout Greater Vancouver.
Booking: Online here, or by calling 604.558.0040.