An evening of excellent food can do a lot of good. On November 25, the 23rd annual Passions Gala returns to Performance Works, bringing Vancouver chefs, mixologists and guests together to support the Dr. Peter Centre’s Food and Nutrition Program.
Last year, more than 200 guests joined contributors from 26 restaurants and bars, raising over $200,000. Those funds help keep the Centre’s kitchen running throughout the year, providing daily meals for people facing complex health and social challenges.
Good Food With a Purpose
For many participants at the Dr. Peter Centre, a hot meal is a starting point for stability and connection. The Centre supports people living with HIV alongside challenges that can include mental illness, substance use and homelessness, offering meals as part of its broader approach to care.
Passions gives Vancouver’s hospitality community a way to contribute directly to that work. Chefs, bartenders, sponsors, donors and guests all play a part in supporting the meals served long after the evening ends.
A Look Back at Passions 2025
Last November’s gathering featured restaurants including Burdock & Co, L’Abattoir, Chambar, Published on Main, Touk, iDen & Quanjude and Sushi Hil.
The 2025 beverage lineup included The Keefer Bar, Copperpenny Distilling Co., Phantom Creek Estates and Sea Cider, among others. It was a substantial showing of support from the city’s food and drink community—and a successful night for the Centre’s food program.
Confirmed Passions Gala 2026 Food and Drink Partners
The confirmed lineup includes 18 food partners and seven bars and drink partners.
Food
- Acorn
- Anh and Chi
- Bar Bravo
- Boards of Vancouver
- C Market Coffee
- Casa Molina
- Dachi Restaurant
- Fanny Bay Oysters
- iDen & Quanjude Beijing Duck House
- Les Faux Bourgeois
- Lila
- Niwa Restaurant
- PiDGiN
- Provence Marinaside
- Sushi Hil
- Touk
- UCHU Cevicheria & Raw Bar
- Wildlight Kitchen + Bar
Bars & Drink Partners
- AMA
- Copperpenny Distilling Co
- El Tequileño
- Good Thief
- June Bar
- Keefer Bar
- Phantom Creek
Nathan Fong’s Lasting Contribution
The event’s roots reach back to a charity cooking class at Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks in 2002. In 2004, Vancouver food media personality Nathan Fong organized the inaugural Passions gala at the Dr. Peter Centre, bringing together nine chefs and 100 guests to raise $7,000.
Since its beginnings, Passions has raised more than $3 million. That history gives this annual gathering a special place in Vancouver’s culinary community, with generations of hospitality professionals contributing their time and talent.
Passions Gala 2026: Tickets and Details
When: Wednesday, November 25, 2026
Where: Performance Works, Granville Island, Vancouver
VIP admission: 5:30 p.m. | $350
General admission: 6:30 p.m. | $250
Supporting: The Dr. Peter Centre’s Food and Nutrition Program
The organizers advise that VIP availability is limited and tickets tend to sell quickly.
