Sinclair Centre to offer FREE lunchtime cooking classes from Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks

Get ready foodies! From August 23rd to 27th, the Sinclair Centre (757 West Hastings St.) will be offering a series of free lunchtime cooking courses, taught by Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks. Geared towards the home cook, each class will showcase three different dishes that are fresh, easy and fast.

The 45-minute classes will be offered twice daily, and will be taught demonstration-style in the Sinclair Centre Atrium (adjacent to Sinclair Centre food court, so attendees are encouraged to grab lunch and enjoy the show).

And yes … there will be samples!

Class Schedule

August 23:
11:45 a.m. – French Food Fast
1:00 p.m. – Sea’s Bounty

August 24:
11:45 a.m. – Savouring the Harvest
1:00 p.m. – College Cooking

August 25:
11:45 a.m. – Easy Vegetarian
1:00 p.m. – Sea’s Bounty

August 26:
11:45 a.m. – French Food Fast
1:00 p.m. – Savouring the Harvest

August 27:
11:45 a.m. – Easy Vegetarian
1:00 p.m. – College Cooking
Pre-registration is not required, and seating will be available on a first-come first-served basis.

About the Sinclair Centre

The Sinclair Centre is a historic upscale shopping mall located in downtown Vancouver at 757 West Hastings Street between Granville and Howe. The centre is comprised of four buildings that were restored by Henriquez Partners Architects and joined together by a glass atrium roof in 1986. While known best for its Government of Canada offices, the Sinclair Centre is also a destination for luxury shopping, including fashion (Leone, L2 and Escada), pens and stationary (Charals), perfumes (The Perfume Shoppe) and fine linens (Terra Nova).

For more information please visit www.sinclaircentre.com.

Vij’s at Home House Party Launch

Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks is pleased to launch Vij’s at Home House Party Launch

Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks is pleased to launch Vij’s at Home: Relax, Honey, the highly anticipated second cookbook by Meeru Dhalwala and Vikram Vij, Vancouver’s gurus of haute Indian cuisine. As the busy owners of ever-popular Vij’s and Rangoli restaurants and parents to two young teens, Vikram and Meeru value family meals and have made an art of cooking delicious and timely meals at home. Vij’s at Home gives readers a taste of their home cooking: flavourful, simple and quick. Recipes range from vegetarian dishes that go from stove to plate in less than 45 minutes to company-worthy seafood, poultry and meat dishes that come together in 20 minutes then cook while you help the kids with their homework or sit down with a glass of wine.On Saturday, September 18 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., join Vikram and Meeru at Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks for a festive, vivacious house party to celebrate Vij’s at Home. Enjoy a steaming cup of chai and some delectable tastes and tales from the book. Tickets to this event are $55.00 and include a signed copy of Vij’s at Home.

For more information about this and other events, visit our website at www.bookstocooks.com and please call 604-688-6755 to register.

, the highly anticipated second cookbook by Meeru Dhalwala and Vikram Vij, Vancouver’s gurus of haute Indian cuisine. As the busy owners of ever-popular Vij’s and Rangoli restaurants and parents to two young teens, Vikram and Meeru value family meals and have made an art of cooking delicious and timely meals at home. Vij’s at Home gives readers a taste of their home cooking: flavourful, simple and quick. Recipes range from vegetarian dishes that go from stove to plate in less than 45 minutes to company-worthy seafood, poultry and meat dishes that come together in 20 minutes then cook while you help the kids with their homework or sit down with a glass of wine.

On Saturday, September 18 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., join Vikram and Meeru at Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks for a festive, vivacious house party to celebrate Vij’s at Home. Enjoy a steaming cup of chai and some delectable tastes and tales from the book. Tickets to this event are $55.00 and include a signed copy of Vij’s at Home.

For more information about this and other events, visit our website at www.bookstocooks.com and please call 604-688-6755 to register.

News from Books to Cooks

Whether you serve them simply sunnyside up or in a showy souffle, eggs are one of the most versatile ingredients in the kitchen. On Saturday, May 15 at 10:30 a.m. join our own Lawren Moneta for a morning class focusing on eggs–from a discussion about the amazing chemistry of the humble egg to a demonstration of a delectable menu featuring egg based recipes. Guests will follow along with their own copy of Eggs by Michel Roux.
The cost of this class is $65.00. Limited seats are available.

With the promise of sun and summer just around the corner, we’re looking forward to firing up the barbecue and enjoying a succulent burger. This Saturday, May 15 at 1:30 p.m., author and chef Ted Reader pops by Books to Cooks for a booksigning of his latest book, Napoleon’s Everyday Gourmet Burgers. Ted will be flipping gourmet burgers for guests while he shares useful tips and ideas for grilling up the juiciest, most creative burgers this season. Drop by for a burger, a chat with Ted and a signed copy of Everyday Gourmet Burgers. This event is free, please call 604-688-6755 to RSVP.

Book of the Week
Tagines form the basis of traditional Moroccan cooking. These hearty, fragrant casseroles are cooked and often served in an elegant, specially-designed cooking vessel, the tagine. Tagines and Cous Cous by Ghillie Bhasan offers a collection of recipes that feature classic recipes for traditional tagines as well as less traditional but equally delicious ones. To round out an authentic Moroccan meal, there are several recipes for cous cous dishes, salads and other accompaniments. Mention this book at time of purchase and you will receive a 10% discount.

For more information about these and other events, visit our website at www.bookstocooks.com and please call 604-688-6755 to register.

Cook Book Awards at Books to Cooks

The Fourth Annual Sprouts cookbook awards will soon be upon us. On Thursday, April 8 at 6 p.m. we honour Tender Volume 1 by Nigel Slater (Judges’ choice) and The Tastes of Sonora Resort by Matthew Stowe (People’s choice) with a festive evening of good cheer, hors d’oeuvres prepared by Vikram Vij and Meeru Dhalwala and the presentation of the much coveted silver Sprouts award. Since April is Poetry Month, we will be entertained with recitations of poetry by local actress, director and teacher, Joy Coghill, including Lorna Crozier’s The Sex Lives of Vegetables. All proceeds from this evening’s event will be donated to the Vancouver East Cultural Centre.

Tickets to this festive fundraiser are $75.00 and are selling quickly. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to support the arts and to celebrate the best in culinary writing. To purchase tickets call 604-688-6755.

Araxi and Blue Water Cafe win Gourmand World Cookbook Awards

A note from TopTable proprietor, Jack Evrensel:

“Cookbooks may take years to compile and months to edit, but their real joy comes when you bring them home, and just cook.”

Our entire Top Table team is delighted to share with you that our two recently released cookbooks, Araxi: Seasonal Recipes from the Celebrated Whistler Restaurant and Blue Water Cafe Seafood Cookbook have won Gourmand World Cookbook Awards for Best Chef Book in Canada and Best Seafood and Fish Book in Canada respectively, joining West: The Cookbook, which won Most Innovative Cookbook in Canada in 2008.

This great news came to us just yesterday from Madrid, and we wanted to let you know right away.
Araxi and Blue Water Cafe will now be entered in the Gourmand Best in the World competition, with the results announced at the Paris Cookbook Fair on February 11th, 2010.
I would like to especially acknowledge the efforts of chefs James Walt and Frank Pabst, each of whom spent many hours relentlessly testing their recipes, and making them accessible for the home cook.
Wishing you and your family a warm and happy holiday season.

With best regards,

Jack Evrensel
Proprietor

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