BC Dames step up to the plate and offer relief through new funding opportunities Les Dames d’Escoffier, BC Chapter establishes $40,000 COVID relief fund for food-focused organizations supporting women Feb. 11 2021, Vancouver, BC – Recognizing the onerous challenges that charities and community programs in British Columbia are confronting during the global pandemic, Les Dames d’Escoffier, BC Chapter has created a COVID relief fund to provide much-needed aid. The $40,000 fund was established in response to the COVID-19 crisis and the significant fiscal impact faced by many organizations and programs supporting women and their families through food security, education,…
Author: Cassandra Anderton
Ocean Wise Seafood Chowder Chowdown The Chowder Chowdown is going country wide as the National Chowder Chowdown Festival! This month-long celebration takes place throughout February across Canada to celebrate sustainable seafood. Ocean Wise Seafood partners from across the country will be selling sustainable seafood chowders, inspired by some of the best culinary experts out there. Part proceeds of each chowder sold will be donated to the not-for-profit Ocean Wise Seafood program. This is the perfect chance for you to find fantastic new restaurants, celebrate seafood sustainability, and support the hospitality industry during this difficult and unprecedented time. How to find your chowder: Check out…
Chefs’ Table Society of BC has a Sweet Tooth To raise funds for the CTS Culinary Library, which I’m looking extremely forward to, you can now purchase speciality chocolate bars to be delivered directly to your home to support the cause. Chefs’ Table Society of BC (CTS) launches fundraiser featuring a speciality chocolate bar. With impacts of COVID-19 pandemic continuing, Chefs’ Table Society has expanded how the organization connects with the chef and food community in BC. CTS partnered with Cacao-Barry, Chez Christophe and Legends Haul to provide a sweet experience that supports the non-profit organization’s long-term goal of building…
Vancouver Restaurant Heavyweights Join Forces to Open Slim’s BBQ News from our restaurant friends! A new BBQ spot is opening soon! The Narrow Group’s David Duprey partners with restaurateurs Christina Cottell and Shoel Davidson to Slim’s BBQ to Main Street. Read all about it! GLV Mount Pleasant will soon be home to some seriously good barbecue as Slim’s BBQ prepares to open its doors on Monday, February 1. The crew of critically acclaimed Dixie’s BBQ is teaming up with The Narrow Group to take over The Rumpus Room location as the new outpost for its deep-smoked beef brisket and twice-fried…
Honda Clarity Test Drive We had originally booked the Honda Clarity over the holidays, as we had planned to head up to Kelowna to visit my parents, but when we were told that staying home would best, we had to devise other ways to entertain ourselves. The Honda Clarity is a plug in hybrid, so we’ve saved a ton on gas as it offers seventy-five km on one charge, there’s a well-equipped cabin, with lots of features such as warm seats, an eight-inch touchscreen for navigation and music, and tons of safety features such as automated emergency braking, lane departure…
Clearly’s Initiatives for Clearer Vision We partnered with Clearly to spread the news about two programs that assist the community with the costs of vision care, and to let you know their stores have measures in place to ensure physical distancing. Each store has health screenings and sanitization of frames after a person touches or tries them on. After choosing my frames online, I headed to the Robson store near Burrard to test out the shopping experience and to double check my frames suited me, and felt very safe shopping there. I choose the Maverick frames and added the blue…
Vancouver’s Beloved Red Wagon Diner Opens for Dinner at its New Address Some news from one of our favourite East Van Eateries. GLV Fans of The Red Wagon diner exhaled last week when the popular eatery reopened after quietly moving to a new location (2128 E. Hastings St.), two blocks west on Hastings Street. Incorporating touches of the old with the new, the freshly renovated space comfortably integrates simple mid-century design with a few reassuring accents from the original location. The beloved daytime menu remains the same, and dinner service—launching Thursday, Dec. 17—will also offer nostalgic flavours and heartwarming dishes.…
Shift Change Hospitality Industry Initiative and Program Extension Through 2021 Important news from Tacofino: Latest Online Discussions Surround Inclusive Hiring for Food and Beverage Workers on the Autism Spectrum (Jan. 12) and Visibility of LGBTQ2+ in The Kitchen (Feb. 9) Tacofino, the BC-based restaurant group behind ‘Shift Change’ — an initiative dedicated to help improve the quality of life for those in the hospitality and foodservice industry — will host the next two editions of its complimentary online ‘Speakers for Change’ series this January 12 and February 9 at 3:00 p.m. PST via Zoom. As a result of the positive reception for the monthly series that launched in…
Dr. Henry Whisky Sauce fundraising proceeds donation of $17,000 On January 12 at Gourmet Warehouse, Chef Ann Kirsebom will present cheques to VGH/UBC Health Services and the BCCDC Public Health Emergency Response Fund! Chef Kirseböm , a Vancouver chef, saucier and chocolate maker, created a delicious fundraiser this past October, the Dr. Henry Whisky Sauce. The delectable sauce flew off the shelves, enabling her to donate generously to these two Health Services. 12:30 pm: Cheque presentation to VGH/UBC Health Services Who: Presenter, Chef Ann Kirseböm, Dr. Henry Whisky Sauce; MC: Caren McSherry, Gourmet Warehouse. Accepting cheque: Ciara Ginty, Coordinator -…
Rocky Mountain Flatbread introduces Frying Pan Pizza Kits Over the holidays there wasn’t the usual nights out on the town with friends and cooking at home from scratch became rather tiresome! Was it just me or did everyone feel that all they’ve been doing is dishes? Finally, we were saved for a from the mayhem with the Rocky Mountain Flatbread Pizza Kits! Pizza kits come in vegan, gluten wise, and there’s also a kit for kids. Grab the cocktail kit as an add one, that definitely came in handy one particular night after a hard day when I really needed…
Tasty Things to Do in Vancouver On my Lyft ride home today, the rain pounded depressingly down as we drove by the Hotel Georgia. Far before Hawksworth, when the hotel housed Night Court, and the back bar was called Casablanca’s, I frequented these various watering holes, and they hold many memories. Suddenly I became sorrowful as I reminisced about the good old days when happy hour was still a thing. I deeply miss meeting my friends, and I crave the hospitality that restaurants provide. I also miss providing that hospitality myself as a food tour guide with Vancouver Food Tour.…
Pourhouse Unveils New Dine-In, To-Go Menu of Signature Burgers, Cocktails, Happy Hour and Weekend Brunch We’ve always loved the Pourhouse Burger and regularly took our Vancouver Food Tour guests to this treasured spot for scotch eggs and devils on horseback. News about their new meaty concept means we’ll have to return soon. GLV The Kitchen Table Restaurants team behind Pourhouse has taken the famed Gastown institution in an exciting new direction with the launch of its new burger-forward menu. The new concept was envisioned and built upon the iconic Pourhouse Burger, with its 30-day, dry-aged steak patty cooked to a…
Galette des Rois: Baking Fit for a King Just when you thought the feast was over, another delicious seasonal pastry has hit the food scene. Every January, Galette des Rois, the King cake is a must for sweet devotees. The cake is flaky, sweet, and best served warm, and if the culinary pleasure itself doesn’t quite satisfy you, the fact that you could be that one lucky patron who will receives the piece with the charm in there, slice crowning you “king for a day”, certainly should! Galette des Rois can now be found in many well-known bakeries around Vancouver,…
Food, Wine, Cooking Tools and Books for those Gastronomically inclined Shopping for a baker, cook, wine devotee or just someone that likes to eat and drink? Here’s some useful suggestions. Where to shop? Support local folks and head to Gourmet Warehouse. Their prices are most excellent too. #notsponsored #justlove Staub 6.7 L Cocotte This Cocotte from Staub is made from cast iron coated in black enamel and can retain heat very well. You can use it on any type of cooker, including induction, as well as in the oven. PERFECT FOR SOURDOUGH! “The lid’s specially developed drop-shaped structure ensures that…
Local Restaurants Band Together for Cultural Vibrancy When Meeru Dhalwala, co-owner of Vij’s, was faced with drastically tanking sales, even at Vij’s, one of the restaurants with the hardest seats to nail in the city, she racked her brain for “pivots” and had a vivid memory of how hard it was for her parents in the winter of 1969 when they first moved from Delhi to Washington, DC. They didn’t have the resources to dine out in local restaurants, nor the experience with different cuisines and menus. Dhalwala sits on the board of MOSAIC, a BC organization that helps newcomers…
The Gift Guide for the Men in Your Life Holy smokes peeps, I asked my lovely husband, Michael, to put together a gift guide and he went all out and produced some grand ideas for men. Many of these gems would of course be very appropriate for women too, apart from the beard grooming kit, one would hope, although I sometimes do feel a few stray facial hairs myself! I’m still working on my gift guides, and they’ll be up in the next few days, but here’s some great ideas from Michael. I imagine there some hints in here as…
Les Dames d’Escoffier Puts Education First This is a very challenging year and I’m so proud to announce that Les Dames BC, an organization of women leaders in hospitality who raise funds for education, has $50,000 to give to deserving women who want to move forward in their career. This year is extra special for me as I am the Co-President, a role shared with my friend, and fellow Dame, Cate Simpson, and we have some great plans to contribute to our community, you will be hearing more about that soon. This year we’ve handed the reigns for communications to…
Provence’s December Wine Menu – A Celebration of Good Taste We had a sneak peek of the December celebration at Provence in December and it’s a delicious combination of some of BC’s best wines and perfectly paired dishes. The next menu in the Monthly Wine Menu series at Provence Marinaside. highlights Mission Hill Family Estate Winery, and the selections feature three of the winery’s most sophisticated wines – Legacy Perpetua Chardonnay 2018 and two vintages of Oculus including the exceedingly rare 2006 and the iconic 2014. Provence Owner/Chef Jean Francis Quaglia and Chef de Cuisine Sheldon Maloff have created two…
Novo Pizzeria Dishes Up More Than Just Pizza The night we were scheduled to dine at Novo Pizzeria the pizza oven was on the fritz, but we knew that there was more than just pizza to be had at this Kitsilano neighbourhood favourite. The new fall items featured a risotto with local squash and foraged mushrooms, stuffed tortellini with veal, prosciutto, mortadella and parmesan and we couldn’t resist ordering the sausage orecchiette, with the fennel sausage we so adore. Favourites this time were the shishito peppers, that fennel sausage pasta and this Chocolate bundino a milk chocolate pudding that I’m…
The 12 Essential Wines of Christmas – Bubbles for the Holidays! Good Wine Gal has a wonderful guide out for the holidays and discounts from Swirl Wine Shop and Marquis Wine Cellars! Here’s some hints as to what’s in there. What are you drinking this holiday season? GET YOUR COPY HERE (click click!!) Good Wine Gal: Bubbles, bubbles – I love bubbles. Why? Because bubbles can be served on their own or with food. In fact, bubbles go with everything. My favourite champagne pairings are: hot buttered truffle salt popcorn; Miss Vicky’s Sea Salt kettle chips; Pringles Plain; Juke fried…
