Dinner In The Grill Room At The Fairmont Chateau Whistler Before the holiday season gets in full swing, you’ve got a smidgen of time to escape up to Whistler and enjoy the festivities before hotel room prices spirals upward. If you’ve got just one night, we’ve got the agenda for you! First up, take the bus from the village to Vallea Lumina, a stunning winter walk through light-filled woods on Cougar Mountain, then head back and stroll amongst 5,000 strings of lights, enjoy Whistler’s Festival of Trees, and proceed onwards to the skating rink where you’ll work up an appetite…
Author: cassandra
Members of Les Dames d’Escoffier Weigh in on Culinary Trends For 2020 Did you know Les Dames d’Escoffier International (LDEI) gathers data from our international membership of over 2,400? Les Dames d’Escoffier is a worldwide philanthropic organization of professional women leaders in the fields of food, fine beverage, and hospitality and I’m a member. Members were asked about Culinary Trends including: International Food Trends, Restaurant Trends, Catering Trends, Retail Food Trends, Health and Lifestyle Trends, Beverage Trends and much more. This forecasts the most innovative trends in culinary and cultural landscape for the next year. The report focuses on international,…
Dames Wine Releases Dames Brut And Donates $20,000 to Les Dames d’Escoffier Winemaker Mireille Sauve launched the Dames Wine with a 2013 vintage, donating profits to benefit of Les Dames d’Escoffier British Columbia Chapter’s Scholarship Fund. On November 25th Sauve, the Dames 2019 president, presented a $20,000 cheque to the organization at the Annual General Meeting, bringing the running total of the donation from the Dames Wine to $37,000. Funds will go to scholarships to women in the wine industry, and we are so very thankful! More on the first release here. Following the first vintage of 2013 Dames Red,…
What To Do In Vancouver This Week It’s a tough week to decide what to allocate to this column, so stay tuned as we’ll have to add later! Here’s some of the Best Things To Do in Vancouver This Week. Empower Her 2019 – November 27 On Wednesday, November 27, 2019 WORTH Association will bring together women from recreation, tourism and hospitality for an evening of networking with an inspiring panel discussion. We’re sending our friend and fellow Les Dames d’Escoffier member Chef Karen Dar Woon to report on this one. TICKETS Empower Her aims to connect a community of leaders…
Good Things – Vancouver Events And What To Do in Vancouver I’m in holiday mode already and have been getting the house ready to decorate and thinking about what cookies to bake this year. I probably won’t pull out the full decor until December, but I’ve got some plans, which is what counts, right? Half the fun’s all in the planning I think. During the holiday season there are so many things to do in Vancouver and within just a quick drive from the city, and I’ve already been out to The Christmas Store at Potter’s in Surrey! All you’ll…
$15,000 Raised for Mind the Bar Foundation From The Vancouver Hospitality Industry We joined a sold out and event at Café Medina (780 Richards Street) for Kitchen Aide Vol.1 and helped raise more than $15,000 for Mind the Bar Foundation. Fifteen Vancouver chefs and four bartenders stepped up to create awareness and end the stigma around mental health issues in the kitchen. The Vancouver Hospitality Industry is strong! More restaurant news here. Head to Facebook for more pictures! “We were blown away by the support we received last night,” says Colin Staus, co-founder of Big Day BBQ. “We are thankful…
District Wine Village Opens To Open In South Okanagan The first village of its kind in Canada, District Wine Village will bring small-batch wine, beer, cider and spirit producers together alongside unique events and creative culinary offerings, all in one exceptional South Okanagan location. More wine news here. Breaking ground in spring 2020, District Wine Village stems from the visionaries at Greyback Construction in Penticton, BC. Having been responsible for many prestigious winery builds in the Okanagan, their team saw an opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind village where small, craft producers can start their own business, without the need to…
National Espresso Day Espresso Cocktails. We partnered with Grey Goose to bring you some Espresso cocktails! Join us in our cocktail lounge series where we bring you bar cocktails and afterwork drinks. And, please don’t call it EXPRESSO, that’s an s drink lovers, not an x. More cocktails here. Instead of just enjoying a regular espresso, celebrate National Espresso Day on November 23, with Grey Goose Vodka’s original espresso cocktails. The thick, italian-styled coffee’s bold flavour, blends perfectly with the smooth taste of Grey Goose Vodka and we’re thirsty just thinking about them. Elevating the timeless espresso taste, premium espresso…
Hospitality Community Unites to Discuss Issues Involving Gender, Substance Use and Mental Health, Introduces Employee Assistance Program, Free to Industry Workers Tacofino is set to host Shift Change — an event designed to bring the local hospitality community together to create dialogue and exchange ideas to improve the quality of life for those working within an often-challenging industry — at its Ocho location at 8 E 5th Avenue on Monday, November 25 at 6 p.m. The inaugural Shift Change event aims to engage hospitality workers and professionals in a discussion on how to increase awareness of issues involving gender, mental health and substance use, reduce stigmas and effect sustainable…
The Bounties of BC: Wild Game and Foraged Dinner at Bishop’s Restaurant Bishop’s Restaurant, Vancouver’s original farm to table restaurant, has been delivering local food and wine to its diners well before the trend went mainstream. On Thursday November 28, 2019 join them to celebrate the flavours of fall, with a menu stacked full of wild game and foraged ingredients. Join John Bishop, Executive Chef Kai Leitner and the Bishop’s Restaurant team for a true Cascadian dining experience. Wines from one of the Okanagan’s Best Wineries, Blue Mountain Winery, and ingredient sponsors include Ponderosa Mushrooms and Legend’s Hall. Date: November 28,…
Vancouver Chefs Unite To Raise Awareness For Mental Health Initiatives Several Vancouver chefs have banded together to end the stigma on speaking out about the prevalence of mental health issues in the kitchen. They want people to speak up and loud. On Monday, November 18, 2019 at 6:30 p.m., the whole community is invited to help mobilize change in the hospitality industry with the launch of the inaugural Kitchen Aide fundraiser at Café Medina (780 Richards Street). Kitchen Aide Vol. 1 features dishes by 11 chefs with all proceeds benefiting Mind the Bar Foundation. “I feel the hospitality industry is…
Jefferson Alvarez Now Head Chef at Papi’s – New Nightly Dinner and Weekend Brunch Menu Congratulations to our friend Chef Jefferson Alvarez on his now formalized role at Papi’s Seafood and Oyster Bar. It’s time for a revisit for us, and doesn’t that brunch sound tempting. From the press release – SMC Communications Papi’s Seafood and Oyster Bar has announced that acclaimed culinary talent Jefferson Alvarez has officially joined the team as Head Chef and added his signature flair to the nightly dinner and weekend brunch menus at the English Bay restaurant. A celebrated chef with more than two decades of…
Italian Cuisine Week Hits Vancouver The Week of the Italian Cuisine in the World will take place on November, 18 to 24, 2019, with over 1,000 events showcasing Italian wine and food, held all around the world. In Vancouver you can join this gourmet adventure with a dinner on November 20th at the Italian Cultural Centre. Tickets here. The Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada–West, will welcome a delegation of chefs and food companies from Italy for a series of events dedicated to the promotion of Italian culinary traditions. A masterclass event dedicated to Canadian food importers, culinary students will…
What To Do In Vancouver This Week It’s full on fall and the wind is howling, almost signalling that it’s time to cozy up inside under a blanket by the fire. But we’re not that easily scared off and a little wind won’t keep us from getting out and enjoying Vancouver and all it has to offer. Here’s a few things to motivate you to bundle up and head out the door. The Opera – La Traviata This is the first production of the 2019-2020 season at Vancouver Opera and it is glorious! I could have watched the whole production…
Christine Sanford from Biera in Edmonton As one of the EAT! Vancouver Ambassadors, we’re catching up with the chefs at this culinary festival and here we have a bit about Chef Christine Sanford from Edmonton’s Biera. EAT! Vancouver takes place from November 4 to 9, 2019 and features culinary collaborations between award-winning local and special guest chefs from across Canada and the United States. Experience a culinary experience like none other from this year’s events including: EAT! Expert Series, EAT! Harvest, EAT! Pastry Day and EAT! dinner series, including one Christine Sanford from Biera at The Acorn with Chef Brian Luptak.…
Chef Cathy Whims From Nostrana in Portland Vancouver Is At Eat! Vancouver More of our pre-coverage on EAT! Vancouver as tickets are going fast and we don’t want you to miss out. Here’s our Q + A with Chef Cathy Whims From Nostrana, one of the best Italian restaurants in Portland. EAT! Vancouver takes place from November 4 to 9, 2019 and there are all sorts of culinary experiences brought to you by local and visiting chefs. Chef Cathy Whims of Nostrana is joining Chef Pino Posterara at Cioppino’s in Yaletown on Thursday, November 7th – tickets for $225 here. Tell…
Pino Posteraro From Cioppino’s Vancouver Is At Eat! Vancouver We are counting down to EAT! Vancouver as it’s less than two weeks away! We’ve interviewed some of the chefs participating to get to know them a little better and here’s the scoop from Chef Pino Posteraro from Cioppino’s Vancouver, one of the best Italian restaurants in Vancouver. If you haven’t been here before, you need to, as the food, wine and service is top notch. EAT! Vancouver takes place from November 4 to 9, 2019 and there are all sorts of culinary experiences brought to you by local and visiting…
Chef Jonathan Gushue – Fogo Island Inn As one of the EAT! Vancouver Ambassadors, we’re catching up with the chefs at this culinary festival and here we have a bit about Chef Jonathan Gushe of Fogo Island Inn! EAT! Vancouver takes place from November 4 to 9, 2019 and features culinary collaborations between award-winning local and special guest chefs from across Canada and the United States. Experience a culinary experience like none other from this year’s events including: EAT! Dinner Series, EAT! Harvest, EAT! Pastry Day and EAT! Expert Classes. Here’s a little bit about Chef Jonathan Gushue who will…
What To Serve Before, During and After The Turkey? Want to impress your Thanksgiving guests with a couple cocktails, the right wine and perhaps a glass or two of punch? We’ve taken the liberty of suggesting a couple ways to mix up something special for your turkey dinner. Pre-dinner – Let’s being with the aperitif. This drink is served with the purpose to prepare the palate for the tastes to come. A JP Wiser’s Canadiano brings a twist to the classic Negroni, perfect to enjoy while waiting for dinner to be served. JP Wiser’s Canadiano Ingredients 1 oz. J.P. Wiser’s Deluxe…
No Plans For Turkey Dinner Yet? Thanksgiving Feasts Still Available Around Vancouver Still haven’t made up your mind on what to do for that Thanksgiving Dinner? There’s still time to get some turkey if you act quickly, but reservations are filling up fast. We’re heading to friends so I’m digging out my recipe for Pecan Pumpkin Pie, and Michael’s doing a Pumpkin Cheesecake. We’ll post recipes if all goes as planned, and check us out on Instagram stories tomorrow as we bake up a couple treats. https://www.instagram.com/goodlifevan/ Arc at The Fairmont Waterfront Hotel Executive Chef Mike Pagnacco is whipping up…
