Passions 2019 Highlights the Importance of Food as Harm Reduction
We’ve been supporting Passions for many years and look forward to seeing what the chefs have created for this year’s must-attend gala on September 26, 2019!
When people arrive at Passions 2019 at Performance Works on Granville Island September, 26, they can expect to hear Scott Elliott talk a lot about food as the ultimate harm reduction tool. As Executive Director of the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation, Elliott says food is a critical building block of services for those suffering from HIV/AIDS.
“When people hear the term ‘harm reduction’, they think about drug policy. But really, harm reduction is anything that brings people closer to their own health – and the most basic building block of health comes from the food we eat.”
Each year, the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation prepares in the neighbourhood of 96,000 meals for approximately 500 people living with the complications of HIV/AIDS as well as mental illness, housing insecurity, and various substance use disorders.
“Bringing people together with good nutritious food does more than help them survive the day, it helps them build relationships with clinicians, with counsellors, and with others that in turn bring them closer to living a full life,” Elliott said.
Now in its 16th year, Passions has raised more than $1.5-million for the Centre, thanks in part to generous sponsors in the community, including presenting sponsor Scotiabank. The funds raised go exclusively to the kitchen, ensuring residents and participants in the Centre’s day program have access to quality food twice a day – sufficient to ensure they meet their daily nutrient requirements which helps them tolerate their hefty medication regime.
“The Vancouver restaurant community has always supported this night in remarkable ways,” says Passions founder and Chef Nathan Fong, who continues to be a driving force of the event. “We’re doing it again this year thanks to participation from some of the top culinary creatives in a city that has become known for its commitment to healthy living.”
Tickets for Passions 2019 are now on sale through the drpeter.org/passions website.
Passions guests will be treated to a stellar line-up of chefs, mixologists and bartenders from Vancouver’s premier restaurants. Highlights include:
- 2019 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Award winner Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar and its talented chef Eva Chin
- First-time participation from Cantina Norte, Hydra, and L’Abattoir, Ancora, and Fanny Bay Oysters
- Curated live auction prizes including a private sushi class for four people with chef Tojo, and a three-hour dinner event or cocktail party aboard the Pacific Yacht
Emceed by Global TV weather anchor Kasia Bodurka, the evening’s festivities culminate when celebrity auctioneer Fred Lee picks up the gavel, providing attendees with opportunities to give to the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation and the work it does through bidding on exquisite prizes that reflect a true passion for life.
- VIP Tickets (first access to chef stations, glasses of bubbly, and VIP gift bags) starting at 5:30pm: $300
- General admission ($225) starts at 6:30 p.m.
- Group tickets (10 people): VIP $2700, and General Admission $1750
PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS
Forage
Minami
Ancora
Restaurant & Bar
ARC at the Fairmont Waterfront
H2 Rotisserie & Bar
Notch8
Beaucoup Bakery
Honey Salt
Pacific Yacht Charters
Boulevard Kitchen
Hydra
Provence Marinaside
Cantina Norte
Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House
The Observatory
CinCin
L’Abattoir
Tojo’s
Fanny Bay Oysters
Market by Jean-Georges
West Restaurant + Bar
PARTICIPATING MIXOLOGISTS
Katie Ingram from Elisa, and Chiara Fung from H Tasting Lounge
ABOUT PASSIONS
The history of Passions dates back to 2002, to a small charity cooking class at Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks. In 2004, the event was moved to the Dr. Peter Centre and titled Passions. Organized by Vancouver food media personality, Nathan Fong, the inaugural event featured nine chefs, 100 attendees and raised $7,000. Under Nathan’s continued stewardship, Passions has since tripled in size and has become one of Vancouver’s most popular food and wine events, raising much-needed funds for the Dr. Peter Centre.
ABOUT THE DR. PETER AIDS FOUNDATION AND THE DR. PETER CENTRE
Named in honour of a British Columbia hero, Dr. Peter Jepson-Young, the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation is a non-profit organization that operates, and raises funds to support the Dr. Peter Centre in Vancouver’s West End neighbourhood. The Dr. Peter Centre provides compassionate care to some of this city’s most vulnerable community members who live with HIV, in addition to numerous medical and psycho-social challenges which can include mental illness, trauma, substance misuse, poverty, and unstable housing. The Foundation manages a seven-day-week day health program, a 24-hour licensed care residence, and an enhanced supportive housing program.
