Food Talks Volume 10

group speakers

Food Talks Vol 10 Speakers (from left to right) Tim Pawsey, Michaela Morris, Michele Boufard, John Clerides, Sid Cross and David Schoelfield.

On December 3rd we presented the tenth event in this Food Talks series which featured 5 inspiring speakers from our community who spoke about themselves and a different wine related topic.

van urban winery

mingling

The evening began as guests mingled over wine from the host location Vancouver Urban Winery.

Representatives from three wine related organizations then spoke about their organization giving everyone an over view as to their role in the wine community.

mark hicken

Mark Hicken

Modernize Wine Association of British Columbia 

masa

Masa Shiroki

Artisan SakeMaker

dave stansfield

David Stansfield

Fresh Tap and Vancouver Urban Winery

 

Our Speakers Line-up:

 sid cross

SID CROSS

Topic: “The 6 best wine types already proven most successful for BC” (or why I love BC chenin blanc, riesling, white blends, pinot noir, cab franc, and syrah)!

david schoelfield

DAVID SCHOLEFIELD

Topic: ‘Place not  Grape: Defining Okanagan terroir’.

house wine girls

MICHELLE BOUFFARD and MICHAELA MORRIS 

Topic: “You don’t have to be rich to start a wine cellar’’

tim pawsey

TIM PAWSEY 

Topic: Drinking Outside the Box … Why Vancouver is forever in the Okanagan’s debt

john clerides

 JOHN CLERIDES 

Topic: Nuturing & Developing a Wine Culture in BC

speakers 2 in q and a

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.

View all of the speakers presentations and the Q & A here which were filmed by Geoff Peters.

Thank you to Dianne Chow for taking the photos  (see more photos), as well as our Videographer Geoff Peters, and our volunteer Caro.

By: Richard Wolak

Food Talks Vol 10, December 3

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

Food Talks goes WINE Talks for this edition! Our speakers will touch on all aspects of the wine industry including British Columbia and beyond. Each of the speakers will speak on their own wine topic (see below). You will also have a chance to learn from some industry supporting organizations.

Our Speakers Line-up:

 sid-cross-image_1st-choice

SID cROSS

Sid Cross is the Honorary President globally for The International Wine & Food Society and does a weekly posting on their site (blog.iwfs.org). Sid is an enthusiastic speaker who judges many wine and food competitions including The Lieutenant Governor’s Awards For Excellence in British Columbia Wines & The Canadian Culinary Championships. He is the only Canadian inducted as a Membre d’Honneur of the Academie du Vin de Bordeaux and to be awarded The Gourmet of the Year by The Society of Bacchus America “for outstanding knowledge of food and wines and for imparting this knowledge to others”. Sid is an Officier de l’Ordre du Merite Agricole awarded by the French Government. Follow him @winefoodguru.

Topic: “The 6 best wine types already proven most successful for BC” (or why I love BC chenin blanc, riesling, white blends, pinot noir, cab franc, and syrah)!

david s

DAVID SCHOLEFIELD

Few in the wine industry need an introduction to David Scholefield. His personality, experience, and profound global insight to the wine industry, in addition to his sharp wit and expert palate, make him a valued member of the Okanagan Crush Pad team. David was the inspiration for the Okanagan Crush Pad business model, which he first envisioned over ten years ago.

David’s devotion to wine sustained him throughout his long career as senior wine buyer for the British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch (BCLDB), where he earned a global reputation for his ability to shepherd allocations of the world’s finest wines onto the shelves of BC liquor stores. It was during his many buying trips to wine regions around the world that he was first introduced to the concept of a cooperative wine production facility. The light bulb turned on while on a visit to New Zealand in the early 1990s when he discovered several of the top producers were making their wine from the same facility. David is an ambassador for Okanagan Crush Pad, and the “S” in the winery’s Bartier Scholefield label.

When he does not have his nose in a glass of wine, David can be found stomping through fields tracking birds or lurking around music shops and book stores in Vancouver. You can follow here @TrialtoBC

Topic: ‘Place not  Grape: Defining Okanagan terroir’.

Michelle-Bouffard-Headshot

MICHELLE BOUFFARD 

Michelle grew up in Québec where she studied classical trumpet and performed, taught and conducted music. She moved to Vancouver in 1996 to finish her bachelor’s degree in classical music and learn English. While serving in fine dining restaurants, she took an introductory wine course, which proved to be a revelation. In 2003, she completed her International Sommelier Diploma with top marks and worked as the resident sommelier at Marquis Wine Cellars. She went on to complete the internationally recognized Wine & Spirit Education Trust’s (WSET) Diploma Programme in 2007 with her first year funded by a scholarship awarded by the Vancouver Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier. Today Michelle is an instructor for the International Sommelier Guild and is a regular guest on French CBC radio. She speaks fluent French and English. Her defining wine moment was having her soother dipped in Champagne at Baptism but she also fully admits that she often cheats on wine with a delicious beer.

Michelle plays an active role in the wine community, sitting on expert panels for Cornucopia, the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival and the Vancouver Magazine wine awards. Her wine travels have led her to the regions of Burgundy, the South of France, Abruzzo, Piedmont, Tuscany, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, Napa, Sonoma, Washington, Oregon and the Okanagan. Co-Founder of House Wine, you can follow here @housewine_girls

Topic: “You don’t have to be rich to start a wine cellar’’

mm

MICHAELA MORRIS 

Michaela spent most of her youth determined to become an actress but a modeling stint in Japan fuelled her desire to travel. She spent several years cycle touring and working her way around Europe before earning a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and French from the University of British Columbia. A one year exchange program led her back to France where she discovered the region of Burgundy and decided to pursue a career in the wine industry. After a five-year tenure at Marquis Wine Cellars, Michaela went on to become the Marketing/Logistics Manager for Liquid Art Fine Wines, a premium-only wine importing company. Michaela was awarded a scholarship by the Vancouver Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier for the internationally recognized Wine & Spirit Education Trust’s (WSET) Diploma Programme.  She successfully completed her diploma in 2005 and today she is a guest lecturer for the programme. She is fluent in both English and French and continues learning Spanish and Italian. Michaela’s guilty pleasure is lobbing off Champagne corks with a sabre and she has a weakness for anything that sparkles.

A familiar face in the wine scene, Michaela has participated in tasting panels for Les Chevaliers des Vins de France, Cornucopia and the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival. She has traveled extensively throughout the wine regions of Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Rhône Valley, Abruzzo, Piedmont, Sardegna, Sicily, Tuscany, Val d’Aosta, Napa, Central Coast, Argentina, New Zealand and the Okanagan. Co-Founder of House Wine, you can follow here @housewine_girls

Topic: “You don’t have to be rich to start a wine cellar’’

Tim Pawsey

TIM PAWSEY 

Tim has been covering the food and wine revolution for about 20 kilos. Count 15 kg alone thanks to the blossoming cuisine and wine culture of British Columbia, Canada.

Tim’s hallmark is seeking out and recommending value wines from BC and around the world that offer quality at every level. He also scopes out noteworthy restaurants that live up to their promises—and often over deliver. Readers depend on the Hired Belly for his “Belly’s Best” and “Belly’s Budget Best” picks to help them find the right wine for the occasion.

He writes, tweets and shoots his own images for columns in the Vancouver Courier and North Shore News. He also contributes to WHERE Vancouver magazine, as well as to several other publications. They include Taste magazine, Tidings Magazine, and Montecristo. His columns are frequently picked up by major newspapers across Canada.

Tim is a frequent judge for wine competitions, such as Vancouver Magazine International Wine Awards. He is a founding judge of The BC Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Wine. He is frequently invited to judge at The BC Wine Awards, and others.

Tim has traveled to taste in many of the world’s leading wine regions, most recently in Burgundy, Argentina and Chile. You can follow him @hiredBelly

Topic: Drinking Outside the Box … Why Vancouver is forever in the Okanagan’s debt

john c

 JOHN CLERIDES 

John was raised listening to stories about his father’s childhood in a Cypriot mountainside village. He heard about how his grandfather looked after his family of nine by raising an assortment of animals, and by growing their own fruits and vegetables. His grandfather also tended their vines and made wine, along with their local moonshine which was nothing less than racing fuel. The seeds were planted for his curiosity about food and wine.

In 1977 his career began like any other good Greek Canadian, in the family restaurant. Ten years in the restaurant business gave John a strong foundation for working with people and listening to his customers. Painfully aware of the frustrations locals had by the limited selection of wines and indifferent service, John jumped at the opportunity to open Marquis Wine Cellars in 1986. Inspired by speaking with many of his seasoned wine friends and his readings John’s quest for knowledge began.

John has travelled extensively though Australia, Washington, Oregon, California, Italy, Spain, France and Austria, sourcing unique, flavourful, undiscovered wines. Even after 25 years his quest for discovery remains unabated. You will most likely find John in either one of three places, at Marquis Wine Cellars assisting his clients, in a vineyard or cellar somewhere in the wine world, or his most preferred location: at the local ice rink playing hockey. You can follow here @MarquisWineCell

Topic: Nuturing & Developing a Wine Culture in BC

Watch videos of past food talks here.

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

You will also have a chance to learn about some organizations that lead the way in the wine industry.

modernize

Modernize Wine Association of British Columbia is a registered non-profit society that advocates for a modern food and wine culture in B.C.

FreshTAP is a premium packaging company that provides wineries and licensees a cost-effective, hassle free and reliable way to join the rapidly expanding Wine-On-Tap market in stainless steel kegs.

Established in 2007 on Granville Island, Artisan SakeMaker is known as a unique commercial winery that produces award winning, hand-made, small batch and fresh sake. Our brand name “OSAKE” is widely recognized as “Canada’s first locally produced fresh premium sake” and its popularity has reached across the country and beyond.

Location: Vancouver Urban Winery

The Evening: Each guest will receive a tasting glass of Vancouver Urban Winery’s wine. Enjoy a wonderful line-up of speakers who will talk about themselves and their passion related to the wine community.  There will be a Q & A where you will have a chance to ask questions and engage with the speakers along with a draw for prizes (A selection of wines from their Wine on Tap line-up will be available for purchase).

Buy Tickets via Eventbrite:

https://foodtalksvolume10.eventbrite.ca/

Advance Tickets: $20 per person before November 30

Regular Tickets: $25 per person after November 30 and at the door

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

Note: Limited tickets available. 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.

Location & Wine Sponsor

van urban winery

Video Sponsor

Food Talks Volume 4

Food Talks Vol 4 Speakers (from left to right) Pete Schouten, Douglas, Emad Yacoub, Steve Thorp, Mike Macquisten and Greg Hook (in the front row) – Shannon Bosa-Yacoub and Lesley Stowe (photo by Dianne Chow)

On October 23rd we presented the fourth Food Talks Vancouver event that featured a selection of  inspirational speakers from our food community.

Boxes of Indian Salmon Candy & Broccoli slaw

Indian Salmon Candy & Broccoli slaw

Endive ……

Leeann Froese of OK Crush Pad Wine

The evening started off with guests mingling over a glass of Ok Crush Pad wine inside the Vancouver Urban Winery. Guests were treated to delicious canapés prepared by Chef Julian Bond and his talented crew of student chefs from the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts.

Our 5 Speakers:

Lesley Stowe of Lesley Stowe Fine Foods

Greg Hook of Chocolate Arts

Mike Macquisten and Steve Thorp of Vancouver Urban Winery

Emad Yacoub and Shannon Bosa-Yacoub of Glowbal Group Restaurants

Pete Schouten of Hardbite Potato Chips

Braden Douglas of Hardbite Potato Chips

Then there were prizes to be won as we held our draw prize giveaway.

Kent Houston (L) of Lets Patch & Helen Stortini (R) of Growing Chefs

One of the drawprizes was a Patch Planter to grow herbs/veggies.

Chocolate Treats Box from Chocolate Arts

Chocolate Arts provided the creative box of chocolate treats for everyone to take home at the end of the evening. Hardbite Potato Chips handed our bags of their different flavours of chips to guests as well.

Panel of Speakers during the Q & A

Thank you to Dianne Chow for taking the photos, as well as our Videographer Geoff Peters, and our volunteers Tyler Yee and his family.

By: Richard Wolak

Food Talks Volume 4, October 23

This is the fourth 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.

Our Speakers Line-up:

Emad Yacoub and Shannon Bosa-Yacoub

emad

Proprietors – Glowbal Group Restaurants

Emad is no stranger to the kitchen. He spent the early years of his career honing his craft as Executive Chef in several celebrated Toronto restaurants. Later, he was the driving force behind the re-invigoration of Vancouver’s Joe Fortes. It was at Fortes that Emad met his future wife, Shannon, who was managing that restaurant’s busy dining room at the time, while Emad worked away as Executive Chef in the high-volume kitchen.

After spending several years in B.C.’s restaurant industry, Emad and Shannon decided it was time to make their own move – to realize their own vision of what a restaurant could be. Toronto’s Solo on Yonge St. and Brownstone Bistro were their first successes. Emad’s culinary mastery and Shannon’s vast experience with public relations and management led them to rave reviews in Toronto’s restaurant scene.

Today, the GLOWBAL COLLECTION is comprised of eight restaurants: glowbal grill steaks & satay, COAST Restaurant, Italian Kitchen, Trattoria Italian Kitchen, SOCIETY, Black+Blue, two IK2GO locations; and two lounges: AFTERglow and O Lounge. A ninth restaurant will open on Granville Street (in the former Sanafir location), along with the city’s largest patio at Black+Blue, later this fall.

Steve Thorp and Mike Macquisten 

Steve Thorp and Mike Macquisten

Steve Thorp and Mike Macquisten co-founded the Vancouver Urban Winery in 2012. The 7,700 square foot urban winery is the first of its kind in Vancouver and also operates as a unique special events space. The winery features 36 wine taps at the tasting bar where consumers can learn about British Columbia wines, and the exploding wine-on-tap category. Alongside the tasting bar sits a boutique wine shop full of local items, wine merchandise, artisan foods and beverage and plenty of wine! The winery manufactures, packages, imports and distributes wine for multiple brands. The operations of FreshTAP, which specialize in packaging quality wines in stainless steel kegs for the emerging wine-on-tap category takes place within the Vancouver Urban Winery.

Greg Hook

Greg Hook

Greg Hook is recognized as one of Vancouver’s earliest gourmet chocolatiers. After studying cooking in London, England and the intricacies of chocolate at Callebaut College in Belgium and the Ecole du Grand Chocolat in France, Greg Hook opened his Kitsilano shop Chocolate Arts in 1989. To this day, Chocolate Arts is devoted to creating unique chocolate products emphasizing local and organically grown ingredients. At the shop, small batches of artisanal chocolates are created each day using the best raw chocolate from producers in Belgium and France, many of which are single origin chocolates. Fillings never include colourings, additives, or artificial flavours and all purees, concentrates, essences, most dried fruits and flavoured alcohols are house-made. Natural west coast flavours like wild blackberries, raspberries, cranberries, blueberries, hazelnuts and pears are some of delicious temptations found at Chocolate Art.

Lesley Stowe

Lesley Stowe

Lesley Stowe is a Parisian-trained chef who began her own catering company more than 20 years ago in Vancouver. Frustrated by the lack of specialty foods in the city, she opened lesley stowe fine foods, offering customers a wide-range and global selection of cheeses, vinegars, oils, breads, house-made entrees, dips, preserves, desserts and hard-to-find grocery items. In 1990, Lesley started selling her delectable dessert creations to the city’s top restaurants and became known for her decadent “Death By Chocolate” confection. The store’s success, combined with Lesley’s ability to predict and capitalize on food trends resulted in the creation of raincoast crisps – a revolutionary snack food beyond compare.

The author of her own cookbook, the lesley stowe fine foods cookbook, Lesley has also contributed to other popular cookbooks including The Girls Who Dish series.

Pete Schouten 

Pete

Co-Owner Hardbite Potato Chips 

Pete Schouten has been in the farming industry for as long as he can remember. Born in Cloverdale, BC, Pete grew up surrounded by the province’s natural beauty and a local culture focused on clean living through healthy lifestyle choices. In 1993, Pete saw an opportunity to invest into Heppell’s Potato Corp. With years of experience under his belt, he developed a plan for the company. After presenting it to the bank and the Heppell family, his passion won them all over, which eventually lead to the third generation farming family to transfer half of the company into Pete’s care.

Pete’s future plans for Heppell’s Farms and Hardbite will take the companies to a national level. He plans to have a nationwide presence that will provide local produce and goods everywhere. His dream is to have a farm in each province with national marketing as well as purchasing power, creating a unique and efficient value chain from the field to the customer, developing a knowledge network of information to connect the customers to the growers.

We’re not only farmers, we’re artists, scientists and big time outdoor enthusiasts. As fourth generation potato farmers, we know it takes more than just potatoes to produce the perfect chip. That’s why our homegrown potatoes are just one element of the Hardbite Chip formula. Our passion for quality, innovation and using only the most wholesome, natural ingredients is our recipe for creating chips you’ll not only enjoy, but chips you’ll feel good about eating.

Braden Douglas

Braden

Co-Owner Hardbite Potato Chips 

Braden Douglas is a seasoned marketer who has fused a service-focused approach with strategic creative thinking to form the backbone of Relevention Marketing Inc. – an innovative full service, results-based marketing agency located in the Lower Mainland’s city in the country; Abbotsford, BC.

Hailing from the small town of Fonthill, Ontario (just 20-minutes outside of Niagara Falls), Braden attended Wilfred Laurier University where he received a degree in Business and Economics. It was during his time at university that Braden discovered his natural intuitions and passion for marketing, leading him to become the youngest person hired in the marketing departments at both Procter and Gamble and Frito Lay. In 2004, after enriching stints at these two brand giants, Braden’s personal faith and vision to revolutionize non-profit marketing inspired him to found the Marketing and Communications department at one of Canada’s most recognized non-profit ministries, Power to Change, formerly Campus Crusade for Christ, Canada.

In 2007, prompted by a desire to enable companies and organizations to achieve unprecedented growth, Braden resigned from his position as director of Marketing and Communications at Power to Change to follow a dream. In September 2007, Relevention Marketing Inc., a company dedicated to providing strategic marketing plans, creative solutions and practical advice to medium-sized businesses and non-profit organizations, opened its doors for business.

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

The Evening: Enjoy tasty appetizers in the winery followed by a wonderful line-up of speakers inside who will talk about themselves 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. Each guest will receive a tasting glass of wine, there will also be a draw for prizes and to finish off the evening you will take home a sweet Treat.

Growing Chefs is our designated charity, support their wonderful organization that educates children on the food community in the public schools.

Tickets:

$30 per person before October 21st

$50 for a 2 person group (save $10 when purchasing 2 tickets) before October 21st

$100 for a 5 person group  (save $50 when purchasing 5 tickets) before October 22nd

* $40 per person after October 21st online and at the door.

* Eventbrite fee is extra on all tickets.

Ticket price includes appetizers and a glass of wine, along with a sweet treat in addition to hearing from some great speakers, a Q & A follows.  A donation of $3 from each ticket purchased will go to support Growing Chefs.

Buy Tickets via Eventbrite:

http://foodtalksvolume4.eventbrite.com/

Charity Partner

Location Sponsor

van urban winery

Appetizers Sponsor 

TBA

Wine Sponsor 

ok

Treats Sponsor

choc arts

Video Sponsor

Note: Limited tickets available. All ticket sales are final. No exchanges or refunds; however they are transferrable with printed proof of ticket. ALL Tickets must be purchased in advance online. Event produced by CMI Chat Media Inc

Food Talks Volume 3

Food Talks Vol 3 Speakers & Host – L-R: Zach Berman, Mary MacKay, Preet Marwaha, Eric Pateman, Patrick Murphy, Richard Wolak, Ryan Slater (photo by: Ariane Colenbrander)

On August 14th we presented the third Food Talks Vancouver event that featured 5 inspirational speakers from our food community.

Watermelon Skewers with Shaved Feta and Kalmata Olive with Mint Puree

Bacon & Aged White Cheddar Certified Angus Beef Sliders with Avocado and Chipotle Mayo

Albacore Tuna Poke set on Fried Taro Root Chip with Micro Herbs

Nk’mip Cellars Wine

DJ Bob Graham of Airwaves

The evening began poolside on the PopUpPatio at the Westin Grand Hotel where guests mingled over Executive Chef Matthew Richmond’s delicious appetizers. Guests also enjoyed wine from Nk’mip Cellars as well as music from DJ Bob Graham of Airwaves Music.

Novus TV Food Talks feature on Vol 3 was filmed on location  for their #CityLights show.

Our 5 Speakers:

Eric Pateman is the President and Founder of Edible Canada

Ryan Slater and Zach Berman are the co-founders of The Juice Truck

Preet Marwaha is the CEO and Founder of Organic Lives

Mary Mackay is the Head Baker and co-owner of Terra Breads

Patrick Murphy co-own Vista D’oro Farms & Winery

We then had a prize draw for people to win.

Cocoa Nymph Chocolates

Cocoa Nymph Chocolates provided the creative box of treats for everyone to take home at the end of the evening.

Thank you to Alfonso Arnold and his team of photographers as well as Ariane Colenbrander for the group of speakers photo, as well as our Videographer Geoff Peters, and our volunteers Jonathan Yee & Audrey Ling.

By: Richard Wolak

Food Talks Volume 2

The panel of speakers at the Q & A (photo by: Ariane Colenbrander)

On July 10th we presented the second Food Talks Vancouver event that featured 5 inspirational speakers from our food community.

Lamb Sliders

Chicken Satay Sticks

Roti

The evening began at the Delta Burnaby Hotel where guests mingled over Chef Dan Craig’s delicious appetizers as well had an opportunity to watch Chef John Chang make Roti and then eat the Roti.

Syrah from Painted Rock Winery

Guests also had a chance to have some of the award winning Syrah from Painted Rock Winery.

Our 5 Speakers:

John Skinner – Proprietor, Painted Rock Estate Winery Ltd

Chef Wendy Boys – Owner of Cocolico

Adam Chandler – Co-Owner of Beta5

Debra Amrein-Boyes – Co-Owner of The Farm House Cheeses

Jason Pleym, President & Co-Founder, Two Rivers Meats

We then had a prize draw for people to win.

Beta 5 Chocolates provided the creative box of treats for everyone to take home at the end of the evening.

More Photos taken by Ariane Colenbrander

Thank you to Ariane Colenbrander for the photos, as well as our Videographer Geoff Peters, Tyler Yee and all of our volunteers.

Photo Credit: Ariane Colenbrander

By: Richard Wolak

Food Talks Volume 3, August 14

This is the third 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.

Our Speakers Line-up:

Eric Pateman

eric

Eric Pateman is the President and Founder of Edible Canada, he has grown his company from a tiny one-man culinary concierge service into one of the leading ambassadors of Canadian cuisine. Beginning simply as Edible Vancouver in the spring of 2005, Eric widened his scope beyond city limits with a culinary artisan retail store and expansion to Edible British Columbia. In 2010, only 5 short years after the company was founded, EBC took another big leap and became Edible Canada.

Zach Berman & Ryan Slater

juice truck

Zach Berman & Ryan Slater co-founded The Juice Truck in 2011. Childhood friends have tossed around ideas of going into business together for years, after a trek through the Himalayas the juice truck was born. Two weeks into the trip they were snowed in, in a small Nepalese village. Zach and Ryan noticed the locals were always drinking a vibrant, sweet smelling, orange drink. This orange drink was made from Seabuckthorn berries and supplied these high altitude locals with most of their nutrients. This juice, so essential to their health, sparked an idea.

Lee & Patrick Murphy

vista doro

Lee & Patrick Murphy co-own Vista D’oro Farms & Winery that started in 2001, a 10 acre farm located on Campbell Valley Park in the Fraser Valley. They grow naturally, quite a diversified farm, they grow orchard fruits, apples, pears, plums and cherries, all are heritage varieties and grown for taste, which are primarily used in their preserves and baking for the farmgate shop. The winery’s flagship is their D’oro – a fortified walnut wine, The D’oro is also one of the main ingredients in their best-selling preserve and made with Green Walnuts grown on their farm.

Mary Mackay

mary

Mary Mackay is the Head Baker and co-owner of Terra Breads, a Vancouver bakery-café specializing in crusty, sourdough-based breads made from natural starters and baked in stone-hearth ovens. Mary is the author of the bread-making video Rolling in Dough and a contributor to the popular Vancouver cookbooks The Girls Who Dish, Seconds Anyone? and Inspirations.

Preet Marwaha

Preet

Preet Marwaha  is the CEO and Founder of Organic Lives, an organisation dedicated to promoting and supporting organic, sustainable, fairly traded food that is good for the body and good for the planet. Through his passion for food, health, and healing the planet, Preet started OrganicLives as a means to facilitate change. He currently owns and operates a restaurant along with a food and beverage line of products. Most recently he opened a Take-Away Café in the Chopra Yoga Center. As an instructor with the Institute of Holistic Nutrition he teaches Nutrition & The Environment and Holistic Food Preparation. He also spends his time as a personal health coach, teaching at the OrganicLives Education Centre and performing public health talks for schools and corporations. Preet has also been involved globally on numerous projects including the World Wellness Project, Safe Planet Campaign and the United Nations Environment Programme.

The Evening: Enjoy tasty appetizers on the patio poolside followed by a wonderful line-up of speakers inside who will talk about themselves 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. Each guest will receive a tasting glass of Nk’mip Cellars wine, there will also be a draw for prizes and to finish off the evening you will take home a sweet Treat from Cocoa Nymph.

Growing Chefs is our designated charity,  support their wonderful organization that educates children on the food community in the public schools.

Tickets: $30 per person (eventbrite fee extra); $100 when purchasing a 4-Person Pak of tickets (get a group of your friends together and save $20) (eventbrite fee extra) before August 10th.  * $40 per person after August 10th.– ticket price includes appetizers and a glass of wine, along with a sweet treat in addition to hearing from some great speakers, a Q & A follows.  A donation of $3 from each ticket purchased will go to support Growing Chefs.

Note: Limited tickets available. All ticket sales are final. No exchanges or refunds; however they are transferrable with printed proof of ticket. ALL Tickets must be purchased in advance online. Event produced by CMI Chat Media Inc

Buy Tickets via Eventbrite:

http://foodtalksvolume3.eventbrite.com/

Charity Partner

Location & Appetizers Sponsor

westin grand

 

Wine Sponsor

Treats Sponsor

Video Sponsor

Food Talks Volume 2, July 10th

This is the second 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.

Our Speakers Line-up:

Chef Wendy Boys 

Wendy Boys is an award-winning, chocolate-loving pastry artist. Following her life-long love for chocolates and the pastry arts, she has apprenticed under world-renowned chocolatiers and designed dessert programs for some of Canada’s top restaurants. Today, Wendy is a well-respected dessert consultant and proud owner of Cocolico, a Vancouver-based company specializing in small-batch, hand-crafted chocolates and dessert sauces.

On twitter @Wendychocolate

John Skinner

john

John Skinner is the Proprietor, Painted Rock Estate Winery Ltd. After being a stockbroker for 25 years during which time he became an avid wine enthusiast. In 2004, recognizing that the quality of wines in this region was improving dramatically and driven by both his passion for wine and his desire to create a legacy business for his family, he purchased the land in south Penticton known locally as “The Blackhawk.” Painted Rock Estate Winery is currently producing ultra-premium wines that reflect the perfect marriage of new world fruit and old world processes for sale in Canada as well as export to China and the UK.

On twitter @PaintedRockWine

Adam Chandler

adam

Adam Chandler is co-owner and pastry chef at BETA5. With 10 years of experience in both savory and sweet kitchens, Adam discovered an affinity for manipulating flour, sugar, butter, cream and chocolate. Through these experiences, an appreciation for ingredients and the practical science of cooking have influenced his work. In early 2011, together with partner Jessica Rosinski, Adam opened BETA5 as a place to explore the limits and potential of chocolate and pastry.

On twitter @Beta5chocolates

Debra Amrein-Boyes

Debra Amrein-Boyes and her husband, founded The Farm House Natural Cheeses Ltd in 2003 in the Fraser Valley, producing authentic artisan cheeses from the milk of the farm’s cows and goats. The focus of the cheesemaking is on traditional methods, producing a diverse selection of handmade cheeses from the freshest and highest quality milk.

After attending university Debra spent several years working and traveling until settling in the Swiss Alps, where she was first introduced to cheesemaking. Debra returned to Canada in 1991, and in 2009 Debra was honoured to have been selected for membership in the prestigious French Guilde de Fromagers Confrerie de St. Uguzon, in recognition of her effort to guard and preserve the traditions of cheesemaking around the world. Debra believes that the traditions and values represented by the small family farm are worth preserving, and that good locally produced food helps build healthy lives and communities.

Jason Pleym

Jason Pleym, President & Co-Founder, Two Rivers Meats founded in January 2008 by Jason and Margot Pleym. Inspired by Margot’s father’s farm, Pemberton Meadows Natural Beef, the couple set out to find other producers of cattle, poultry, sheep, game, and pork that demonstrated the same dedication to ethical and sustainable animal husbandry. Today, Two Rivers Meats represents over 20 small-scale farms, ranches, and producers, supplying dozens of discerning restaurants, hotels and retailers across British Columbia. Some of their products include custom-cut beef, chicken, pork, duck, venison, elk, and game birds, as well as housemade sausages and charcuterie. All Two Rivers products are antibiotic, hormone, and chemical-feed free.

On twitter @TwoRiversMeats

The Evening: Enjoy tasty appetizers from EBO Restaurant followed a wonderful line-up of speakers who will talk about themselves 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. Each guest will receive a taste of Painted Rock wine, there will also be a draw for prizes and to finish off the evening you will take home a sweet Treat from Beta 5 Chocolates.

A cash bar will be available if you wish to purchase beer, cocktails and other beverages.

Growing Chefs is our designated charity,  support their wonderful organization that educates children on the food community in the public schools.

Location: Delta Burnaby Hotel,  4331 Dominion Street, Burnaby

Tickets: $30 per person (eventbrite fee extra); $100 when purchasing a 4-Person Pak of tickets (get a group of your friends together and save $20) (eventbrite fee extra) before July 5th.  * $40 per person after July  5th.– ticket price includes appetizers and a taste of Painted Rock wine, along with a sweet treat in addition to hearing from some great speakers, a Q & A follows.  A donation of $3 from each ticket purchased will go to support Growing Chefs.

Note: Limited tickets available. All ticket sales are final. No exchanges or refunds; however they are transferrable with printed proof of ticket. ALL Tickets must be purchased in advance online. Event produced by CMI Chat Media Inc

Buy Tickets via Eventbrite:

http://foodtalksvolume2.eventbrite.com/

Charity Partner

Location & Appetizers Sponsor

Wine Sponsor

Treats Sponsor

Video Sponsor

 

Food Talks Vancouver Volume 1

Richard Wolak (moderator) & the panel of speakers (photo by: Dan Poh)

On June 5th we presented the first Food Talks Vancouver event that featured 5 inspirational speakers from our food community.

Chef Karen McAthy of W2 Media Cafe (photo by: Dan Poh)

The evening began at W2 Media Cafe on 111 West Hastings where guests mingled over Chef Karen McAthy’s Indian Summer inspired appetizers as well as an assortment of espresso beverages; along with red and white wine from Misconduct Wine Co.

Our 5 Speakers:

1st speaker: Mike McDermid (photo by: Dan Poh)
2nd speaker: Stephanie Yuen (photo by: Dan Poh)
3rd speaker: Hunter Moyes (photo by: Dan Poh)
4th speaker: Trevor Bird (photo by: Dan Poh)
5th speaker: Roberta LaQuaglia (photo by: Ariane Colenbrander)

Mike McDermid — Ocean Wise Manager at the Vancouver Aquarium

Stephanie Yuen – Food Writer & Author of “East Meets West”

Hunter J. Moyes – Chef at the Waldorf Hotel & Founder of The Tiffin Project

Chef Trevor Bird – Top Chef Canada Competitor & Chef/Owner Fable Kitchen

Roberta LaQuaglia — Operations Manager for Vancouver Farmers Markets

Richard Wolak moderated the panel of speakers for the interactive Q & A.

Helen Stortini the Executive Director of Growing Chefs spoke about her fine organization and the charity we are supporting with our Food Talk series of events.

Treats by Soirette Macaron

Soirette Macaron provided the creative Smore and match stick Macaron treats for everyone to take home at the end of the evening.

Richard Wolak (L) introducing Chef Trevor Bird (r) (photo by: Ariane Colenbrander)

More Photos taken by Ariane Colenbranderhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/arianec/7344131018/in/set-72157630001427941/

Thank you to Dan Poh and Ariane Colenbrander for the photos, as well as our Videographer Geoff Peters, Jonathan Yee and all of our volunteers.

By: Richard Wolak

Vancouver Volume 1, June 5th

This is the first 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.

Watch the Vancouver Foodster Food Talks video

Our Speakers Line-up:

Chef Trevor Bird 

@83TBird

Trevor Bird is 28 years old and has opened his new restaurant Fable Kitchen in Kitsilano in May, he also runs his own catering business, Trevor Bird Cooking. He has also been featured this season on Top Chef Canada and is still in the running for Top Chef. Prior to this, he was the chef de partie at the Shangri-La hotel in Vancouver. He also worked as a chef at Truffert and as a sous chef at Restaurant Garcon, both in Montreal, where he is originally from. Trevor has a degree in culinary management from Algonquin College in Ottawa. A restless spirit, Trevor has spent equal parts of his career on the east and west coasts of Canada. His constant searching even led to a stint in Peru to cook for an NGO. He’s hoping Top Chef Canada will provide his next big challenge. Visit Trevor’s web site for tips, recipes and more.

Stephanie Yuen

Stephanie Yuen was born in Hong Kong and has lived in Vancouver for more than thirty years. She is the Author of the Douglas & McIntyre published “East Meets West” Cookbook (released May 2012). The first book of its kind, East Meets West is a celebration of the city’s Asian food and a mouthwatering compilation of distinctive dishes from its most talented—but often unheralded—kitchens. She speaks Mandarin, Cantonese and English and worked as a journalist for Sing Tao, the Vancouver Chinese newspaper, before developing a career as a freelance food journalist. She was a food columnist for CBC Radio 1, and she now writes for Edible Canada and What’s On magazine, contributes to the Vancouver Sun and appears frequently on radio and TV. Follow her blog about Asian food:beyondchopsticks.com. Stephanie also co-founded the Vancouver Chinese Restaurant Awards.

Mike McDermid

Mike McDermid is the Ocean Wise Manager at the Vancouver Aquarium,  a conservation program created to educate and empower consumers about issues surrounding sustainable seafood. Ocean Wise  works directly with restaurants and markets to help them make ocean-friendly buying decisions based on the most current scientific information, and provides an easily recognizable eco-logo to mark these products. Through work with partner businesses, the seafood industry, and government, Ocean Wise is helping to create a market for sustainable seafood in Canada. Mike’s background includes 10 years of research, education and program development experience focused on marine and aquatic environments in British Columbia. He has conducted fisheries related research with the University of British Columbia, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Environment Canada, the British Columbia Ministry of Environment, and the Vancouver Aquarium.

Hunter J. Moyes 

@hunterjmoyes

Hunter J. Moyes climbed the culinary ladder from an early age, and has been called “Chef” for a few years now. Currently, one of the Chefs and event organizers behind East Vancouver’s Waldorf Hotel, he leads a double life with environmental and political NGO’s on the side. With over 10,000 hours cooking under his belt across Canada, and years of events with NGO’s, Hunter is fit to talk food – with a hint of politics, a dash of environmental issues, and a pinch of local agri-news. Salt to taste.

Outside of The Waldorf Hotel, Hunter is about to launch a Non-profit Organization called The Tiffin Project, with a group of restaurants in Vancouver, who’d like to see if they can try to phase out TO GO packaging in their businesses while raising money to subsidize their purchasing of local ingredients at the same time. The project – which he’ll explain – hopes to become a revenue engine for the re-localization of the consumption power of Vancouver’s restaurant community.

Roberta LaQuaglia

 

Roberta LaQuaglia is the Operations Manager for Vancouver Farmers Markets (VFM), a non-profit society that brings locally produced food to urban consumers through the creation of pop-up plazas of commerce across the city. Roberta works collaboratively with vendors, staff, volunteers, community members and site hosts to meet the needs of all market stakeholders.  She also totes tents, hoists tables & patrols parking as one of the market crew whenever needed.

When she isn’t organizing farmers markets, Roberta can be found baking goodies for her family and preserving her market bounty for trading at monthly “Food Swap Burnaby” events, that she also organizes. Roberta is a graduate of Langara’s Display and Design program and comes by her love of food and the domestic arts honestly, from her mom.

The Evening: Enjoy tasty appetizers from W2 Media Cafe followed a wonderful line-up of speakers who will talk about themselves 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. Each guest will receive a ticket for a glass of red or white wine, there will also be a draw for prizes and to finish off the evening you will take home a sweet Treat from one of Vancouver’s bakeries.

Growing Chefs is our designated charity,  support their wonderful organization that educates children on the food community in the public schools.

Location: W2 Media Cafe and Community Media Arts Centre, 111 West Hastings, Vancouver.

Tickets: $30 per person (eventbrite fee extra); $100 when purchasing a 4-Person Pak of tickets (get a group of your friends together and save $20) (eventbrite fee extra) before June 1st.  * $40 per person after June 1st.– ticket price includes appetizers and a glass of wine, along with a sweet treat in addition to hearing from some great speakers, a Q & A follows.  A donation of $3 from each ticket purchased will go to support Growing Chefs.

Note: Limited tickets available. All ticket sales are final. No exchanges or refunds; however they are transferrable with printed proof of ticket. ALL Tickets must be purchased in advance online. Event produced by CMI Chat Media Inc

Order tickets via Eventbrite:

http://foodtalksvolume1.eventbrite.com

Charity Partner

 

Location & Appetizers Sponsor

 

Wine Sponsor

 Treats Sponsor