Food Talks Volume 12

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Food Talks Vol 12 Speakers (from left to right) Takayuki Omi, Peter Van Stolk, Loren Taves, Dominique Duby and Cindy Duby.

On April 27 we presented the twelfth event in this Food Talks series which featured 5 inspiring speakers from our community who spoke about themselves and our Theme: Perfectionism in our Food Community 

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The evening began as guests mingled over coffee and tea from the host location Momento Coffee House on the Great Northern Way Campus.

richard intro speakers

Richard Wolak (Host and Founder of Food Talks and Vancouver Foodster) welcome all and introduced our speakers.

dominique duby

Dominique and Cindy Duby

Chefs and Co-Owners Wild Sweets

takayuki

Takayuki Omi

Chef at The Raw Bar

peter van stolk

Peter Van Stolk

CEO – Spud

Loren Taves

Loren Taves

Owner, Taves Family Farms and Applebarn Pumpkin Farm

There was a Q & A following the speakers which Richard Wolak moderated and guests had a chance to ask questions and engage with the speakers.

Thank you to our Videographer Geoff Peters,our volunteer Stephanie and our photographer Michelle Hondl, as well as Momento Coffee House.

By: Richard Wolak

Food Talks Vol 12 on April 27

This is the twelfth event in this Food Talks series! Come join us to meet and mingle with other foodies, and to hear some enlightening speakers from the food community.

Hosted by Richard Wolak – Founder of Vancouver Foodster and Food Talks

Theme: Perfectionism in our Food Community

1) Getting it right, always

2) How have they achieved their goals

3) Is failing a concern to being innovative

Our Speakers Line-up:

Peter Van Stolk

CEO – Spud

Peter is the CEO of SPUD (Sustainable Produce Urban Delivery), an online grocery store delivering local & organic products to customers in 6 cities within North America.

Peter previously founded the Jones Soda Company in 1987, and served as CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors through 2007. Peter also oversaw the launch of new product lines including non-carbonated juice, tea, ad energy drinks. He successfully competed against the global multi-billion dollar soda giants, and earned brand loyalty among consumers, all on a shoestring budget. By 2007Jones Soda had reached over $40 million in revenue, transforming Jones Soda, from a small premium Soda to a international brand with global aspirations.

Spud delivers local and organic groceries to homes and offices with six locations in Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Los Angeles and San Francisco. In each location, they hire locally, buy locally, and deliver locally.

You can follow Peter Van Stolk on twitter @SPUDVancouver

Dominique & Cindy Duby

Dominique and Cindy Duby

Chefs and Co-Owners Wild Sweets

Wild Sweets® By Dominique & Cindy Duby is Canada’s only science-based artisan cocoa bean-to-bar chocolate-maker. It evolved from a three-year research and development project in collaboration with the University of British Columbia, which resulted in the opening of a brand new virtual chocolate boutique in November 2013. Wild Sweets® By Dominique & Cindy Duby Cocoa Bean-To-Bar Chocolate Online Boutique is an haute couture concept of chocolate that is part of an exclusive group of only a few premium sweet boutiques in the world that are combined “Chocolatier | Cacaotier | Pâtissier.” The online boutique focuses exclusively on chocolate, and all the chocolate products are made from our own cocoa bean-to-bar chocolate. The boutique promises consumers a luxurious range of chocolate products that are unique in the chocolate world, thanks to the nature of and our total control over the entire chocolate-making process! .

Dominique & Cindy Duby are the chefs and owners of Wild Sweets® By Dominique & Cindy Duby (www.dcduby.com), a critically acclaimed Designer Chocolatier Atelier, Vintage Chocolate-Maker Laboratory and Virtual Boutique, which has emerged as one of North America’s finest artisan chocolatiers. The Dubys also own DC DUBY Hospitality Services Inc., an international firm offering culinary training and consulting services to hotels and catering companies worldwide, as well as product development, food styling and photography. In addition to these full-time business endeavors, Dominique and Cindy are also award-winning authors. Their first book, Wild Sweets: Exotic Dessert and Wine Pairings, won Best Book for Food and Wine Matching (2003) at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Spain. Their second book, Wild Sweets Chocolate, won for Best Chocolate Book (2007) at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Britain. In 2008, they launched a new series of books titled Definitive Kitchen Classics. To date, three books in the series have been released: Crème Brûlée, Chocolate and Panini. The Dubys are currently working on more titles.

You can follow Dominique & Cindy Duby on twitter @WildSweets

raw bar 1

Takayuki Omi

Chef at The Raw Bar

Takayuki (Taka) Omi has spent the past 17 years honing his skills as a sushi chef, and leads the Raw Bar team at the Fairmont Pacific Rim, he is passionate about the art of sushi-making and educating diners on the ongoing sustainable seafood practices

Under his direction, The Raw Bar has been named the city’s first 100 per cent Ocean Wise sushi destination by the Vancouver Aquarium. Since The RawBar made its debut in 2013, it has been become renowned for its innovative presentation and quality of ingredients – a must-dine for the sushi-savvy.

He sharpened his skills in Japan and Toronto before opening The Lobby Lounge where he’s been creating masterpieces so unique you almost don’t want to eat them – almost. When Taka isn’t rolling and slicing in The Raw Bar, he shares his skills; teaching sushi classes many of which are held at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre.

You can follow Takayuki Omi on Twitter @takayukiomi

Barbara-Jo McIntosh

Barbara-jo McIntosh

Author and Owner of Books to Cooks

Barbara-jo McIntosh is an award-winning food professional with over 25 years experience in the food and hospitality industry. Formerly the owner of the popular Vancouver restaurant Barbara-Jo’s Elegant Home Cooking, she is now a passionate bookseller and supporter of the culinary arts. Barbara-jo opened Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks in Vancouver’s Yaletown district in 1997 and in 2005 relocated to the Armoury District on 2nd Avenue. Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks is an epicureans’ delight, where food lovers and cooks of all abilities find inspiration.

Author of the bestselling Tin Fish Gourmet, Barbara-jo served on the prestigious James Beard Awards cookbook selection committee for six years.  In 2003, Vancouver Magazine honoured her with a lifetime achievement award for her many contributions to the local culinary scene. In 2004 Barbara-jo published Great Chefs Cook at Barbara-Jo’s. This charming book captures the ambience of forty culinary events featuring celebrated chefs and authors with over 50 recipes contributed from their own cookbooks. In 2010 Barbara-jo launched french apple press, an independent press whose aim is to publish unique and treasured books for likeminded culinary and book enthusiasts. French apple press released their first book in June 2010, Cooking for Me and Sometimes You; A Parisienne Romance with Recipes by Barbara-jo McIntosh. In her culinary memoir with recipes, Barbara-jo takes readers along with her as she realizes a life-long dream of spending a month living, loving, and cooking in Paris as a true Parisian.

You can follow Barbara-Jo on twitter @bookstocooks

Selfie of Loren

Loren Taves

Owner, Taves Family Farms and Applebarn Pumpkin Farm

Located in Abbotsford, BC, Taves Family Farms was established in 1969 by Loren Taves’ parents. After Loren graduated, he and his brother decided to pursue farming and focused on niche markets, starting with gooseberries and then apples that were unique to coastal climates. Shortly afterwards, Loren started growing red and black currants followed by artisan peppers and tomatoes.Today, Taves Family Farms consists of 4.5 acres of greenhouses that grow artisan vegetables.

The Taves are active in farmers’ markets, extending from Abbotsford to Vancouver, where they sell their 100% Natural Apple Cider (picked, pressed and bottled on site), plums, pears, gooseberries, currants, several varieties of apples and tomatoes, miniature peppers and cucumbers, and eggplant.

“Since 1998, I have been involved in selling our produce at farmers’ markets and directly to customers at the farm gate.  This lead me to believe that by participating in the direct sale of the food we grow, it’s an important part of  the farm as it informs not only the consumers about where the food is grown, and who grows it, but it also teaches the farmer about what consumers want and like. This important process continues on at the various farmers’ markets we attend and at the Applebarn every fall. It’s why we state with pride “Come to the Farm for a Taste of the Country.” (Loren Taves)

The entire operation is founded on environmentally responsible and ethical farming practices, innovation, community, and quality. In 1990, Loren and his wife, Corinne Taves, created the Applebarn—a destination designed for ‘fall family’ fun. Loren’s philosophy is to “continue perfecting the complex relationship between the land and resources and the business of growing food.” He is passionate about farming, and will continue to develop the important and direct connection between the harvest of great food and the families that enjoy it.

You can follow Loren on twitter @TavesFarms

If you haven’t been to our previous Food Talks events, Novus TV featured our Vol 3 on City Lights (view here).

Location: 

Momento Coffee House
577 Great Northern Way, Vancouver

The Evening:

Enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and some light eats followed by a wonderful line-up of speakers who will talk about our theme: Perfectionism and their passion related to the food community.  There will be a Q & A where you will have a chance to ask questions and engage with the speakers along with a chance to mingle and network with the speakers and guests afterwards (*Wine and other beverages along with other food will be available for purchase).

Tickets:

Tickets: $20 per person

Note: Eventbrite fee and GST is extra on all tickets purchased online.

Note: ALL Tickets must be purchased in advance online. All ticket sales are final. No exchanges or refunds; however you are welcome to transfer the ticket to another person for the same event if you notify us in advance with name (s) of who will be attending in your place. Event produced by CMI Chat Media Inc.

 

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