Five of the city’s top amateur grill masters to get raked over the coals on Canada Day RibFest began in 2009 at an East Van backyard BBQ hosted by restaurant industry wine buyer Jeff Curry. Since then, RibFest has been a battlefield where the city’s most ambitious amateur BBQ masters from restaurants across the city meet over the flames of competition. On Canada Day — Wednesday, July 1st —Mamie Talyor’s (www.mamietaylors.ca) and Re-Up BBQ (www.reupbbq.com) are joining forces to bring RibFest out of the backyard and into the street — opening the grill games to the public for the first…
Author: Cassandra Anderton
TODAY a few seats left @pastisvan. Entertainment with French chanteuse, Pepper Really, who will of course sing the French national anthem, La Marseillaise. Also, if you wish, enter to win a five-course catered dinner at your house, hosted by owner, John Blakely. Don’t miss out on this fun night. Phone the restaurant now to reserve your table 604.731.5020. Santé! BASTILLE DAY AT BISTRO PASTIS July 14 Three Courses $55.00 per person Brandade de morue Cod brandade, ovendried tomato, saffron aïoli or Salade Landaise Smoked duck breast and chicken liver salad or Pissaladière Caramelized onions tart, tomatoes, goat cheese and olives…
Another great Avocados From Mexico recipe from our friend Chef Victor Bongo! Look forward to more chef’s recipes in our Avocados From Mexico chef’s series. AND look forward to Chef Bongo’s new cookbook, Born to Cook, out soon! Latin-Style Seared Scallops with Cornbread Cakes Mango Salsa, Avocado Mousse and Chipotle Aioli Ingredients: 3 T Extra virgin olive oil 16 10/20 Scallops, thawed, cleaned and muscles removed. TT Salt and black pepper 1 t Ground morita pepper 4 Cornbread cakes 3 T Mango salsa 6-8 T Chipotle aioli 1 cups Avocado mousse Directions: • Preheat oven to 400⁰F. • Make sure the…
Umberto Menghi brings Tuscan Italian cuisine back to the city Umberto Menghi’s classic, signature Tuscan and Mediterranean cuisine makes a highly anticipated return as Giardino Restaurant is officially open at 1328 Hornby Street, just steps away from the original Il Giardino. “Giardino is a continuation of my passion for the food born in my home country,” explains Menghi, who closed his venerable Il Giardino two years ago. “From farmer to the kitchen, and then to the table, everyone can do fresh, and everyone can do local, but it is all in how you execute the clean flavours, especially with Italian…
July 11th is the Similkameen BBQ King celebration. Enjoy an extraordinary evening with award-winning wines from Similkameen wineries and cider members and dishes from the distinguished chefs who are vying for the title of Similkameen BBQ King 2015. This truly unique Similkameen wine and food experience is a competition where featured chefs will create unique dishes for you using organic ingredients from local farmers in the heart of Canada’s organic capital. The 2015 Similkameen BBQ King is on Saturday, July 11th from 5-9pm at the Historic Grist Mill & Gardens in Keremeos. This event is a partial fundraiser for the Grist Mill…
I’m judging this avocado recipe competition and hope to see some of you there! Get out your best Avocados From Mexico recipe and compete! Create a fun, shareable dish using Avocados from Mexico and enter it in a blind-tasting competition against the best of BC food bloggers. Come down for some avocado cooking tips with chef Darren Clay, get to taste many snacks and try each others creations and sample cocktails by Justin Darnes! Tuesday, July 21, 2015 at 5:30 PM at Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts Contact Amy Chen at amy@townhallbrands.com to register. Limited spots available. Prizes will be awarded to the top three winning…
The City of Vancouver Awards of Excellence takes place on Monday, July 6, 2015 from 6:15pm to 8:30pm at the Orpheum Theatre on 601 Smithe St., Vancouver and is free for the public to attend. Awards of Excellence celebrate outstanding achievements by local individuals, organizations and youth who make Vancouver a better place in which to live. Tickets to the Awards of Excellence are available to the public free of charge by reserving online via: vancouver.ca/awards-of-excellence Winners of the second annual City of Vancouver Awards of Excellence will be announced at the gala awards ceremony, taking place on Monday, July 6 at the Orpheum Theatre. Presented by Mayor Gregor…
We rounded up some recipes and highly recommend you get making some deliciousness this Canada Day, or sooner! Celebrate Canada Day with an outdoor summer picnic that includes classic outdoor eats. An added avocado twist to these picnic perfect dishes is sure to delight your guests without compromising the waistline after a food-filled day of celebration. Give yourself time to be present and reach for these quick, easy, affordable but delicious and nutritious recipes featuring Avocados from Mexico to round out your Canada Day gathering. Avocado Cheesecake Served in Glass Jars Ingredients: Always a classic- Avocado Cheesecake Served in Glass…
I am honoured to announce that our Les Dames d’Escoffier BC Chapter welcomed ten new members from across the province! I am a member and on the board and am super proud of this group and all we do! Also note we’ve got Summerdine coming up August 12, 2015. More here. The ceremony took place mid-dinner at Café Medina, where Bartender of the Year Lauren Mote shook up a watermelon-gin cocktail made with Unruly Gin, and Chef Jonathan Chovancek created a special three course menu for fifty attending Dames. President Dame Becky Turner Paris welcomed the ladies and Dame Caren McSherry…
For the month of June, 24 Food Day Canada restaurants in 7 cities across the nation are challenging one another in The FunDeLentil Tour. From Vancouver to Halifax they are serving signature dishes using the world’s best lentils on their menus. Canadians are encouraged to dine then vote online at fundelentil.ca for their favourite lentil dish/chef for a chance to win a trip for two to one of seven Canadian cities with gift cards to dine at all of the participating restaurants in the city of choice. Food Day Canada’s Anita Stewart and Cafe Medina Chef Jonathan Chovancek In Vancouver we toured Fable,…
Summer Sizzle is back! The UBC Bookstore will be hosting the mega-foodie event at the bookstore plaza on Wednesday, June 17th from 12:00-2:00. Learn more about UBC Food with Chef David Speight, Executive Chef at Wescadia. He’ll be presenting recipes from the new catering menu. FREE SAMPLES to be provided! UBC Bookstore Plaza on Wednesday, June 17, 12-1:30pm • UBC Farm Campus Market at Bookstore Plaza • Chef Demo with cooking tips and ideas: 12 to 1:30 • Recipes & tasty samples from the new Wescadia catering menu • Bring your reusable container for the samples and remember your reusable…
Your friends will be green with envy, but you’ll have washed away the green with this incredibly nourishing Avocados From Mexico face mask. Avocados aren’t just for eating, although it’s hard to resist not noshing on this mask instead of applying it. This fruit is moisturizing and contain Vitamin C, which brightens your skin. We’ve added yogurt and oatmeal to exfoliate and some honey to hydrate. Ingredients: ½ ripe Avocado from Mexico 1 Tbsp organic honey 2 Tbsp plain yogurt 2 Tbsp quick cooking oatmeal Mash avocado and mix all ingredients together. Apply to face and let sit for 15 minutes.…
Who said there’s no such thing as free lunch/pizza? This Sunday Mogo on Commercial Drive has partnered up with the Community Pizzeria Food Truck to offer existing member and members who sign up that day free pizza slices of #mogoritapizza (a play on Margherita Pizza) during Italian Day (www.italianday.ca) on Sunday, June 14. We got up close and personal with the food truck and made our own pizza. Rest assured that it will be the pros and not I that will be making your pizza Sunday. Things I learned? Do not touch the metal part of the pizza stick (ouch), there can…
Hosted by FarmFolk CityFolk, in partnership with Slow Food Okanagan and Okanagan College’s Culinary Foods Program, Food Flicks: Spring Edition, is a new event which aims to entertain and engage with inspiring films, insightful conversation and delicious food. On June 10th – Celebrate the Bees – with honey-themed nibbles (from Culinary Arts Students), honey wine tastings (with Meadow Vista Honey Wines), a screening of the award-winning film, ‘Queen of The Sun’ and a facilitated discussion to wrap up the night. Tickets are $20 and include food, wine tasting and the film. More details and online ticket sales at www.picatic.com/FoodFlicks
Friday, June 5 is National Doughnut Day in the United States, but Lucky’s Doughnuts refuses to let Vancouverites miss out on such a sweet holiday! The icing on top — Lucky’s Doughnuts has launched the “Baker’s Dozen Combo.” Go back in time to the neighbourhood bakeries of old and 13 doughnuts for the price of 12, handpicked by our team of doughnut experts ($30). Rounding out the celebration, Lucky’s will also debut six new summertime flavours: Pineapple Upside Downut — Lucky’s play on the classic cake is filled with pineapple curd and topped with brown sugar icing, a slice of…
June 18 7 pm…….A delectably artful celebration of local food, drink & performance! Created to highlight the foodie revolution happening in the Firehall’s backyard, EAT. DRINK. PLAY. features an incredible assortment of live performances around the building, paired with the best food & drink our neighbourhood has to offer. There will be craft beer samples from Parallel 49 Brewing, small-batch spirits from Odd Society Spirits, signatures samples from more than 10 of the neighbourhood’s hottest restaurants, a silent auction bursting with prizes, and more! PERFORMANCES –An energetic, knee slapping, toe tapping contemporary Metis jig solo by Jeanette Kotowich, street dance viewed through the contemporary kaleidoscope with…
The Strathcona Business Improvement Association (SBIA) has announced today they will be hosting a “Meet the Makers Expo” on Saturday, June 13th from 11AM-3PM at MakerLabs at 780 East Cordova. The expo will feature innovators, makers, and entrepreneurs from over a dozen Strathcona businesses including restaurants, cafes, breweries, and locally made goods and services. The community-based event will give the public a chance to discover the area’s thriving businesses, while showcasing the future vision for East Hastings and giving the public and community a voice in the change. This must-see event invites the public to learn about Strathcona’s businesses, a chance to…
It turns out that when I met with six-time Canadian Champion and World Silver Medalist Joannie Rochette that one of her favourite recipes includes Avocados from Mexico. She’s currently an ambassador for Almond Breeze, so she suggests using their almond milk in the recipe, and why not! Here’s her salad dressing, why not whip some up this weekend and be sure to add extra avocados to the salad too for an added health boost! Creamy Cilantro-Lime Avocado Dressing with Avocados From Mexico Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 0 minutes Yield: 1 1/3 cups (325 mL) Ingredients 2/3 cup (150 mL)…
A traditional southern paring, bourbon is the ying to BBQ’s yang. The complexity of the bourbon is pronounced when paired with the smokiness of BBQ, channeling the feeling of southern warmth and hospitality. Head to Memphis Blues BBQ on June 20th for an afternoon of sipping bourbon and indulging in BBQ. They’ll start the afternoon with cocktails and a history lesson on the art of bourbon making and then delve further into the complex features of different bourbons to see what makes them unique. A special BBQ pairing will delight your palate and inform on the wonders of Bourbon pairing. $55 plus GST…
We met with six-time Canadian Champion and World Silver Medalist Joannie Rochette as she was visiting Vancouver this week for Stars on Ice. With a schedule of intense training and travel, Rochette knows more than a thing of two about good eating and meal planning and shared some tips and recipes with us. What’s for breakfast and lunch at Joannie’s house or when she’s on the road? She’s got a sweet tooth and doesn’t deny herself certain foods, instead she works with a nutritionist and aims for balance. While she loves her Nutella, she’s varies her breakfast to also include oatmeal…
