Food Talks Vol 17

Food Talks Vol 17 Speakers (from left to right) Raveena Oberoi, Mark Singson, Will Lew, Dez Lo, Warren Chow, and Tushar Tondvalkar.

On November 20 we presented the 17th event in this Food Talks series which featured 6 inspiring chefs speakers from the food and beverages community who spoke about themselves and our Theme: It’s a Jungle Out There.

The evening began as guests mingled over delicious appetizers from Toloache Mexican Kitchen enjoying Barbacoa Sope, Chorizo empanada, Street corn in a cup and Toastadas.

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

Chef Will Lew

Chef Dez Lo

Chef Mark Singson

Chef Warren Chow

Chef Raveena Oberoi

Chef Tushar Tondvalkar

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 host Toloache Mexican Kitchen, Phil Chin of Tin Type Portraits for filming and Birds in the House Productions for editing.

By: Richard Wolak

Food Talks Vol 17 on November 20

Get ready to indulge in Food Talks Vol 17

Join us for an exciting evening of food talks at Toloache Mexican Kitchen in Vancouver, BC, Get ready to indulge in a feast of flavors and connect with fellow food enthusiasts. Our lineup of speakers will share their passion for all things culinary, from secret recipes to food trends. Don’t miss out on this in-person event that promises to tickle your taste buds and inspire your inner foodie. Come hungry, leave inspired!

This is the seventeenth 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: Movers and Shakers in our Food Community

Our Speakers Line-up:

Chef Will Lew

Chef Will Lew’s dream was always to be an artist. Growing up, his earliest memories about cooking were with his grandfather as child cooking, drawing, painting, and woodworking every weekend. His grandfather was a chef in Chinatown and from his dedication in the kitchen Will gained the love of food, fine arts, and creativity. Will had many interests in art and performance and grew up a violinist playing in many orchestras along with his earliest jobs as a violinist for various musicals around the city. One summer while obtaining an animal biology degree from UBC and playing in musicals he discovered professional kitchens for the first time. He was offered a job washing dishes while spending an afternoon in Yaletown almost 20 years ago. The Chef of the restaurant that summers afternoon asked him to start immediately, not even letting him change out of the suit he was wearing that day. That was a moment of epiphany as he finished at 4am that day, suit destroyed from washing dishes, but elated by the revelation introduction to the restaurant world. That day his whole culinary life flashed before his eyes from this open kitchen seeing all the potential, energy, and affect food and hospitality had on the community. From that day forward, Will went on to gain a degree in Animal Biology and continued to play music for several shows.

He worked his way up from washing dishes to running several restaurants for Glowbal Group. From there he became the Chef of all the restaurants at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel running Oru, The Rawbar, and Giovane. The most impactful moment for Chef Will at the Pac Rim was when the team forged the way for the RawBar to be the first 100% Ocean Wise sushi restaurant in Canada. That connection to his science background and thecreative storytelling though the canvas and performance of food to create positive changes for sustainability became a mission for the rest of his career. May it be ocean health, to seafood sustainability, to sharing the importance of plant based foods the sustainability and conservation of our food security systems became tenet of his culinary journey. That experience eventually led him to become the Chef de Cuisine of Notch8 at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver and continued the path for environmental and social change through various initiatives. Chef Will eventually went back to Glowbal Group to run Black & Blue and The Roof. From there a unique opportunity led to him to be the chef that opened Quanjude, which later went on to earn 1 Michelin Star.

The journey went full circle after that experience to lead to his ultimate dream of working for a non-profit and making further strides in Seafood Sustainability. From his past decade of committing his menus, restaurants, and volunteer work toadvocate for Ocean Wise and seafood sustainability, he was able to obtain his dream of being the Executive Chef of Ocean Wise Conservation Association and run The Vancouver Aquarium. This journey eventually lead him to be the Chef of Nootka Marine Adventures with the mission to bring seafood sustainability and culinary creativity to the world of fishing lodges.

Today Chef Will is the executive chef of Club Versante in Richmond, and looks after Bruno, Cask, Acre, and Alaia along with the banquet and catering departments. The mission for sustainability for both the merrior and terrior of our environment continues as Club Versante has its own organic 120 acre farm aptly named Acre Lavande on Cortez Island where the majority of our produce and plant-based products originate from that are used in our restaurants and is the backbone of the inspirations for the food that we create. To preserve this resource and share the This connection and proximity to Chinese cuisine and culture as well as many new relationships bridging the gap between Chinese cuisine and western food has led him go full circle back to his earliest days of cooking Chinese food with his grandfather. This resurgence and pride in sharing his take on his cultures cuisine and stories has now brough forth a new missionand purpose for cooking that is in support and collaboration with the Chinese Restaurant Awards and all the initiatives they have worked on and continue to work on together with so many other passionate and inspiring Asian chefs in showing diversity and pride in our cultures and our cuisines.

You can follow Will Lew on Instagram @chefwilliamlew

Chef Dez Lo

Chef Deseree (Dez) Lo, born in Hong Kong and grew up in Taiwan, started working in the finance sector in New York City in the early 2000’s after graduating from New York University before deciding to break the mundane routine by learning a new skill, cooking. She enrolled at the French Culinary Institute in New York City, discovered her passion, quit her banking job and embarked on an almost 2 decade long career.

Before moving to Vancouver, Canada in 2016, Chef Dez honed her skills and climbed the culinary ladder at some top New York restaurants, including La Grenouille, Oceana and Locanda Verde. She worked at Cincin Restaurant until August 2019 as the Executive Sous Chef before joining the team at Old Bird as its opening chef in September 2019. When the pandemic hit, she took on an unexpected role as the Chef and Sales Director at Fresh Ideas Start Here, a Vancouver-based seafood company. Chef Dez competed on season 10 of Top Chef Canada and finished as runner-up. Most recently she was the Head Chef at Blank Canvas Catering and Chef-in-Residence for the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. She is currently working as a private chef.

You can follow Dez Lo on Instagram @chef.dezlo

Chef Warren Chow

Born and raised in beautiful British Columbia, Chef Warren Chow has a deep connection to Canada’s West Coast. He is the Executive Chef of Wildlight Kitchen + Bar. Chef Chow rose through the ranks in notable kitchens across the province including The PearTree Restaurant and Mission Hill Family Estate Winery, which led to executive chef roles at Juniper Kitchen & Bar, and Bauhaus restaurant. Mentoring under renowned chefs such as Bruno Marti, Scott Jaeger and Patrick Gayler, Chef Chow is trained in classic French cuisine and inspired by ingredients that nature, farmers, foragers, or fishermen have provided. He is a member of Culinary Team BC and represented Canada at the ExpoGast Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg, winning a Gold Medal in 2022. Chef Chow is the recipient of Vancouver’s first Michelin Young Chef Award. His best motivation is creating memorable dishes for guests, friends, and family to enjoy. At Wildlight, Chef Chow brings an approachable yet refined style of food to the menu. He’s passionate about good food, and he welcomes you to our family table.

You can follow Warren Chow on Instagram @warren.chow

Chef Tushar Tondvalkar

Chef Tushar, the owner and executive chef of the Indian Pantry has studied culinary arts and hotel management with a post-graduate degree in the latter. He has worked at the legendary two Michelin star, Gaggan and one Michelin star, Gaa in Bangkok, Blue Water Cafe, Bauhaus, Fish house in Stanley Park and West Oak in Vancouver. He was also the executive chef at Mumbai Local for two years, until he parted ways to start something of his own. In 2019, Chef Tushar has also started The Indian Pantry, which showcases regional Indian food through tasting menus, private dinners, catering services as well as retail options. He also co-owns Frankie Street Wraps a food truck in collaboration with Brave brewing co.

You can follow Chef Tushar Tondvalkar on Instagram @chefttushar

Chef Raveena Oberoi

Raveena Oberoi is the owner and head cake decorator and visionary behind Just Cakes Bakeshop – a bakery boasting 2 storefront locations in Surrey, BC. Raveena started her baking journey at the age of 16, and has built her business based on innovation, whole & simple ingredients, and a sprinkle of of South Asian influence over the last 13 years. Just Cakes Bakeshop is widely known for their Cake in a Jar concept, even opening up an exclusive, Cake Jar Vending Machine – coined THE JAR BAR – in 2020.

Personally, Raveena joined the baking world through passion and finding solace & therapy in baking. Her talents have brought her to the Food Network stage – competing and winning The Big Bake in 2019 – and now serving as a Judge on Wall of Bakers on Food network Canada.

Currently, Just Cakes Bakeshop employs a robust and enthusiastic team of 32 incredible individuals, and are currently expanding into the distribution market with their cake jars as well as other treats.

You can follow Chef Raveena Oberoi on Instagram @ravthechef

Chef Mark Singson

Chef Mark Singson is a Canadian chef who gained recognition for his culinary skills and creativity. He is known for his participation in various culinary competitions and TV shows. Chef Mark Singson gained widespread attention as a contestant on Season 5 of the popular cooking competition show “Top Chef Canada.”

His culinary style is often described as modern and inventive, and he has a passion for experimenting with different flavors and ingredients. He has worked in various restaurants and has earned a reputation for his dedication to the culinary arts. Chef Mark Singson continues to be active in the culinary world.

You can follow Chef Mark Singson on Instagram @marksingson

The Evening:

Enjoy tasty bites during our reception, followed by our wonderful line-up of all chef speakers who will talk about themselves and our theme. 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.(Cocktails, beer, wine and other drinks will be available for purchase).

Tickets:

Early-Bird Tickets: $20 per person (before November 3, 2023)

Regular Tickets: $25 per person (after November 3, 2023)

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.

Location and Appetizers Sponsor

Film Editing Sponsor

Birds in the House Productions

Food Talks Volume 9

group

Food Talks Vol 9 Speakers (from left to right) Felix Schellenberg, Peter Ladner, Susan Davidson, Andrea Carlson and Jenice Yu.

On September 24 we presented the ninth event in this Food Talks series which 5 inspiring speakers from our community who spoke about themselves and Sustainability in our Food System.

food salad 2 food salad 1 food dessert 6 food dessert 5 food 4

The evening began as guests mingled over delicious appetizers, and desserts from the host location Lost + Found Cafe.

Our 5 Speakers:

andrea

Chef Andrea Carlson

Chef and Owner Burdock & Co Restaurant and Harvest Community Foods.

Food Talks Vol 9 Speakers (from left to right)

Food Talks Vol 9 Speakers (from left to right)

Felix Schellenberg

Owner of Chilcotin Harvest and Pasture to Plate

peter

Peter Ladner

Former City Councillor, Author of The Urban Food Revolution

jenice

Jenice Yu 

Owner of Fresh Ideas Start Here Market Ltd. [F.I.S.H. Market]

susan

Susan Davidson

Glorious Organics Co-op

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

susan and propsmingling 4 mingling 3 mingling 2people mingling 1

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

By: Richard Wolak

Food Talks Volume 9, September 24

This is the nineth 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.

Theme: Sustainability in our Food System.
— What does local mean?
— How much do you want to tell your customer about sustainability issues?
— Protecting the farmland
— Quality, taste & local
— Politics at play

Our Speakers Line-up:

 

Chef Andrea Carlson

Chef and Owner Burdock & Co Restaurant and Harvest Community Foods.

Andrea is a graduate of the Dubrulle Culinary School, where she honed her culinary skills under Executive Chef Rob Clark at C Restaurant, first as a pastry chef and later as Sous Chef. From C, she moved to Victoria to work at the Sooke Harbour House with its famed edible landscape. Andrea Carlson has garnered the Prestigious Green Award from Vancouver Magazine. When she was at Raincity Grill, she was the first chef in town to feature a 100-mile menu; she has worked as the Executive Chef at Bishops Restaurant, as well she helped launch the city’s compost program by composting with the mayor.

 

felix

Felix Schellenberg

Owner of Chilcotin Harvest and Pasture to Plate

The abattoir and butchery component of Pasture to Plate, B.C.’s first vertically-integrated organic grass-fed meat operation. The pond and patio are frontage for Kinikinik, the general store and restaurant sells and serves meat from Rafter 25 Ranch, which has been owned and operated by Felix and Jasmin Schellenberg since 1979.

peter

Peter Ladner

Former City Councillor, Author of The Urban Food Revolution

Peter Ladner is author of The Urban Food Revolution: Changing the Way We Feed Cities. He is a former Vancouver city councilor, Metro Vancouver vice-chair and business owner. He is currently a weekly columnist at Business in Vancouver newspaper, which he co-founded in 1989. He also writes for Seattle-based crosscut.com. He blogs at Urbanfoodrevolution.com.

From 2009-2011 he was a fellow at the SFU Centre for Dialogue researching, teaching and organizing public events around the theme Planning Cities as if Food Matters. He has grown food in his own gardens for 35 years, most recently on what used to be his front lawn. As a city councilor, he worked with the Vancouver Food Policy Council in initiating the city’s program to add 2010 food-producing community garden plots by 2010.

Peter has more than 40 years of journalistic experience in print, radio and television and is a frequent speaker on food, business and community issues. He has a BA from UBC and completed a year of graduate studies at the UBC School of Regional and Community Planning.

jenice

Jenice Yu 

Owner of Fresh Ideas Start Here Market Ltd. [F.I.S.H. Market]

At FISH we are all about great seafood, sustainably sourced. We love selling seafood and we do it well. You can find our seafood at our store, at any one of the many fine restaurants we supply and in several of the large retail chain stores across Canada. We  have challenged ourselves to be the best in the business and we continually strive towards this.

susan

Susan Davidson

Glorious Organics Co-op

Susan Davidson, of Glorious Organics Co-op ( http://www.gloriousorganics.com) in Aldergrove, is an organic farmer and passionate eater of all things local. She has been active with the Vancouver Farmers Markets for fourteen years  as a vendor and on the Board and Vendors Advisory Committee.  She is devoted to helping grow  a thriving  Farmers Market  in Langley.

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

The Evening: Enjoy tasty appetizers and desserts by Lost + Found Cafe followed by 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 along with a draw for prizes (*Wine, beer, and other beverages will be available for purchase).

Buy Tickets via Eventbrite:

https://foodtalksvolume9.eventbrite.com/

Advance Tickets: $15 per person before September 21

Regular Tickets: $21 per person after September 21

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

.– A donation of $3 from each ticket purchased will go to support Growing Chefs.

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

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

Charity Partner

Growing Chefs

Location & Appetizers Sponsor

Video Sponsor

Food Talks Volume 8

Food Talks Vol 8 Speakers (from left to right) Karan Barnaby, Angie Quaale, Merri Schwartz, Susan Mendelson and Meeru Dhaliwala

Food Talks Vol 8 Speakers (from left to right) Karen Barnaby, Angie Quaale, Merri Schwartz, Susan Mendelson and Meeru Dhalwala

On June 11th we presented the Eighth event in this Food Talks series which celebrated its first year of hosting inspiring speakers from our community. Our wonderful line-up of all women speakers spoke about themselves and their role as a Woman Chef in the Food Community. See each of their video presentations here!

food talks vol 8 3 food talks vol 8 4

The evening began as guests mingled over delicious appetizers from the chefs team at The Westin Grand.

Our 5 Speakers:

food talks vol 8 5

Chef Karen Barnaby

food talks vol 8 6

Chef Meeru Dhalwala

food talks vol 8 7

Chef Susan Mendelson

food talks vol 8 8

Chef Angie Quaale

food talks vol 8 9

Chef Merri Schwartz

food talks vol 8 10

The owners of Binh’s Lollipops (from Left to Right is Binh and Cindy) were talked about the treats they created to celebrate the Food Talks first Anniversary which they custom created for the event.

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.

food talks vol 8 11 food talks vol 8 12 food talks vol 8 13

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 Taylor.

By: Richard Wolak

Food Talks Volume 8, June 11

This is the eigth event in this Food Talks series which will celebrate its first year of hosting inspiring speakers from our community. Come join us to meet and mingle with other foodies, and to hear some enlightening women chefs as our speakers.

Our Speakers Line-up:

Karen Barnaby

karen

Karen Barnaby started cooking at the age of eight and has not been able to stop. Her professional career started twelve years later on a pink, four-burner electric stove in the basement of The Bohemian Café in Ottawa where she baked carrot cakes, cheesecakes, quiches and other culinary marvels of the late 1970’s.

Karen has lived and worked in Toronto at The Rivoli and the David Wood Food Shop, and in Mexico as a private chef. Vancouver has been her home since 1991 where she has held the position of Executive Chef at the Raintree Restaurant and the Fish House in Stanley Park.  Her current role is as Chef of Product and Business Development for Albion Fisheries, Intercity Packers, and Fresh Start Foods under the Gordon Food Service umbrella.

With her no-nonsense and approachable style, Karen is a well-respected cooking teacher, speaker and inspirational role model. She is the only female chef to be honored with the British Columbia Restaurant and Foodservices Association Back of the House Award for Excellence and has received a Minerva Award for Community Leadership.

Karen has written and edited award-winning cookbooks, contributed recipes to numerous publications and writes a popular column for the Vancouver Sun.

As a volunteer, she has edited the Helping Hands Cookbook, written to support Vancouver’s Community Kitchens Project, sat on the board of The Greater Vancouver Food Bank, and was the Scholarship Director and past president of Les Dames d’Escoffier Vancouver Chapter. Karen looks after her neighborhood first and lends her skills to various services in the DTES.

 

Meeru Dhalwala

meeru

Meeru Dhalwala was born in India and moved to Washington, DC, at a very young age with her parents. In DC, she worked with various international non-profit organizations on human rights and economic development projects. She received her Master’s degree in Development Studies from Bath University in England. In 1995 Meeru moved to Vancouver and joined her husband, Vikram, to work at his newly opened restaurant, Vij’s. She quickly took over the menu responsibilities and has been creating new recipes since the summer of 1995.

In 2002, Meeru and Vikram opened up a second restaurant and market called Rangoli. Meeru continues to work closely with her all-female kitchen staff – all of whom hail from villages in the Punjab – to experiment with various cooking techniques and spice combinations. In addition to her responsibility for the recipes at Vij’s and Rangoli, she is also responsible for their packaged gourmet curries, which are sold at Rangoli and many gourmet markets across Canada.

Meeru’s particular interest and focus at Vij’s and Rangoli is to forge business relationships with other local businesses and farmers. She is committed to improving her business environmental footprint. In 2009, Meeru signed up Vij’s to join local CSA (community supported agriculture) farms and has started long-term business relationships with various BC farmers. Meeru’s special community project is an annual international food fair called “Joy of Feeding” that is held every summer in Vancouver. Joy of Feeding features 15 – 16 home cooks of various ethnic backgrounds and professions showcasing their family favorite comfort foods.  This event is held at UBC Farm and is also a fundraiser for the farm.

Meeru and Vikram have penned two cookbooks: Vij’s: Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine, which won Cuisine Canada’s 2007 Gold Award for Best Cookbook, and Vij’s at Home: Relax, Honey. Meeru also wrote a regular monthly column called Food for Thought for the Vancouver Sun for over a year and was a regular Point Person for CBC radio’s 2009 national show The Point. In November 2012, Meeru opened a new restaurant called Shanik, in Seattle, Washington in partnership with Oguz Istif, who is also involved in heading finance and operations for the Vij’s companies in Vancouver.

 

Susan Mendelson

susan

Susan Mendelson co-founded the Lazy Gourmet in 1979 and her catering company has been going strong ever since, she loved working with people and loved cooking. Her first cookbook started with the concept of simplifying classical recipes for people who wanted gourmet food but who were to “lazy” to follow all of the complicated steps, it’s title, “Mama Never Cooked Like This” in 1980. Susan has also written, “Let me in the Kitchen” in 1982, “Nuts about Chocolate” in 1983, “Fresh Tarts” in 1985, “Expo ‘86 Souvenir Cookbook” in 1986, “Still Nuts about Chocolate” in 1992, “Food to Grow on” in 1994, “The Lazy Gourmet Cookbook” in 2000. Over 30 years later Susan Mendelson released her newest and magnificently orchestrated group of recipes in “Mama Now Cooks Like This” in 2006.

Over the years she has shared her recipes on radio, television and in the ten cookbooks. It’s been over 30 years and Susan still feels passionate about delicious and beautiful food and believes that only the finest ingredients should go into any food that is created. Susan has supported many organizations over the years with donating a percentage of royalties of her books including Big Sisters of BC along with the Vancouver Jewish Family Service Agency Food programs.

 

Angie Quaale

angie

Angie Quaale founded Well Seasoned in 2004 after working for several years in hotels & fine dining and a career in commercial food sales specializing in menu development and retail food distribution.

Angie is also the Head Cook/Pitmaster of her competition BBQ Team which has traveled all over North America competing in BBQ contests.  Angie has been the President of the BC chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier, a Board Member of the Pacific Northwest BBQ Association and the 1st Vice President of the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce, the Co-Chair & a founding board member of the Langley Community Farmers Market &  has also been recognized by Women’s Enterprise Centre as one of BC’s 100 New Pioneer Women Entrepreneurs 2008.  In 2006 Angie was recognized by the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce as the Entrepreneur of the Year and in 2007 as the Small Business of the Year.   Angie LOVES the work she has the opportunity to do everyday and the fantastic people she gets to do it with.

 

Merri Schwartz

merri schwartz

(photo credit: Heather Goldsworthy)

Merri Schwartz credits her childhood with awakening her interest in baking. Raised by back-to-the-land hippies, she didn’t buy her first bag of granulated sugar until the age of 18. She learned in a kitchen filled with carob, honey, and whole wheat flour that everything could and should be homemade. A whirlwind pastry career later, Schwartz has been lucky enough to serve as pastry chef at some of BC’s best restaurants since 2002, including King Pacific Lodge, C Restaurant, Quattro on Fourth, Raincity Grill, The Granville Island Hotel, and Cocoa West Organic Chocolatier, as well as training at the Valrhona Chocolate Institute, outside of Lyon, France.

The same passion for food and agriculture led Schwartz to found Growing Chefs! Chefs for Children’s Urban Agriculture in 2005. This Vancouver-based, non-profit organization pairs chef volunteers with elementary school classrooms, where the chefs help the students plant, grow and cook their own vegetables. Schwartz founded Growing Chefs! with the hope that sustainable practices will become integral to living and cooking in Vancouver, and in cities like it all over the world. After acting as the executive director of Growing Chefs! for four and a half years, Schwartz joined the board of directors as the chair in 2010.

The Evening: Enjoy tasty appetizers by the chefs at The Westin Grand followed by a wonderful line-up of speakers who will talk about themselves and their role as a Woman Chef in the Food Community. Following the speakers, Richard Wolak -Founder of Food Talks, will moderate a Q & A where you will have a chance to ask questions and engage with the speakers. There will be a draw for prizes.* Wine, beer, cocktails and other beverages will be available for purchase.  You will also receive a treat from Binh’s Lollicakes to celebrate our 1st year Anniversary of Food Talks.

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

Buy Tickets via Eventbrite:

http://foodtalksvolume8.eventbrite.com/

Advance Tickets: $30 per person

Regular Tickets: $40 per person after June 8th

Note: Eventbrite fee extra. 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 in advance with printed proof of ticket. ALL Tickets must be purchased in advance online. Event produced by CMI Chat Media Inc

Charity Partner

Growing Chefs

Location & Appetizers Sponsor

westin grand

Video Sponsor

Treats Sponsor

Food Talks Volume 6, February 12

This is the sixth 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:

Mark Simpson

mark simpson

Brewmaster of Dockside Brewing Company & Founder of Artisan Food and Beverage Group Inc

Mark Simpson is the Winemaker and Brewmaster at Artisan Food and Beverage Group Inc. which he founded. Mark has decades of experience in brewing and winemaking. He has had a keen interest in fermentation since graduating from the UBC Microbiology program in 1982. He started his career with Molson Breweries, working with their core brands, as well as brewing international brands under license such as: Lowenbrau, Coors and Kirin and a ten year stint as Brewmaster for Granville Island Brewing Company.

Mark wears many hats, he is currently Brewmaster of Dockside Brewing Company and produces his own line of super-premium BC wines under his own Siren’s Call label. Mark is one of the few Certified Cicerones in Canada and has a keen interest in beer culture and food pairing for beer.

James Coleridge

james c

Founder & Maestro of Bella Gelateria

James Coleridge is the Founder of Bella Gelateria which he opened in June 2010. James received formal training at the Italian Culinary Institute and advanced masters training at Carpigiani Gelato University in Italy. In 2012, James represented Canada at the World Cup of Gelato in Rimini, Italy where he won Gold. 2012 – Florence Gelato Festival, Florence Italy Winner Double Gold Medal. Voted #1 Technical Jury – Best Gelato. Voted #1 People’s Choice Best Gelato

Marcus Von Albrecht

Marcus v

Chef & President of Mava Foods and Von Albrecht & Associates

Marcus Von Albrecht, has a wide variety of specializations that he brings to the table. He is an owner of Mava Foods, a food manufacturer utilizing local ingredients that produces home meal replacements for grocery stores.They prepare a food program for 44 elementary schools (MAVAlicious KidsEat)and the Meals on Wheels for Vancouver, Richmond and Burnaby. He is the Principal behind XFour Handcrafted Vodka which is B.C’s first handcrafted premium corn and rye based vodka which produces XFour Xoxolat Chocolate Martini.

Marcus has also been the Past President of the BC Chefs’ Association. Chair of the New Food Products Panel for the Canadian Council of Grocers and Vice President of North America- AREGALA.

Julia Smith 

Julia Smith

Founder of Urban Diggs Farm

Julia Smith owns and operates Urban Digs Farm. Urban Digs is a family farm that grew out of a quarter acre residential lot on Vancouver’s West Side and now encompasses several acres of in South Burnaby, Richmond and Delta. As an active member of Vancouver’s Urban Farming Society and a founding director of Metro Vancouver City Farms Coop, Julia is well connected to the local farming community. Urban Digs distributes weekly harvest boxes, participates in farmers markets, supplies a number of local restaurants and will be opening for farm gate sales at their Burnaby location in the spring. Like many new farmers today, Julia does not come from a farming background and relies on passion, enthusiasm and a supportive community to propel her up the steep learning curve.

Chef Themis Velgis

themis

Shahab Samimi

shahab

Co-Founders of Pura Sweeteners

Chef Themis Velgis is the resident chef and co-founder at Pura Foods. He has 16 years’ experience in food production. Born and raised in Mexico,  Themis received formal at Dubrulle International Culinary School and later travelled throughout Europe, before opening “Chocoatle” a boutique chocolate shop.

Shahab Samimi is co-founder at Pura Foods, with a background in the distribution industry enabling him to recognize the niche in the Canadian organic food & beverage distribution channels and leverages this growing demand worldwide.

The Pura vision is to replace sugar and artificial sweeteners in foods. We provide a natural and healthier alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners with our own agave syrup, ensuring the highest grade agave syrup available in Mexico and worldwide. Pura Agave strives to be the best quality agave products int he market place worldwide paired with the sophisticated flavour profiles unmatched by any other competitors.

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

Exclusive to this Food Talks event –James Coleridge of Bella Gelateria is creating a custom flavour using one of Mark Simpson’s Dockside Beers and they are both collaborating, guests attending will be able enjoy a scoop of this exclusive local Sorbetto.

The Evening: Enjoy tasty appetizers and desserts by Executive Chef Simon McNeil of Dockside Restaurant followed by 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 also receive 2 tasting glasses of Dockside Brewing Beer, there will also be a draw for prizes and to finish off the evening you will enjoy Gelato by Bella Gelateria. (*Wine, beer, cocktails and other beverages will be available for purchase).

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

Buy Tickets via Eventbrite:

http://foodtalksvolume6.eventbrite.ca/

Tickets: $30 per person (eventbrite fee extra); $90 when purchasing a 4-Person Pak of tickets (get a group of your friends together and save $30) (eventbrite fee extra) * $40 per person after February 9th.– 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

Charity Partner

Growing Chefs

Location & Appetizers Sponsor

dockside

Video Sponsor

Food Talks Volume 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

Food Talks Vol 5 Speakers (from left to right) Isabelle Ranger, Kalpna Solanki, Daniel Frankel, John Bishop, Hamid Attie (photo by Dianne Chow)

On December 4th we presented the fifth Food Talks Vancouver event that featured a selection of  inspirational speakers from our food community.

The evening began as guests mingled over delicious canapés from the chefs at the Stanley Park Pavilion.

Our 5 Speakers:

John Bishop

Chef, Author & Owner of Bishops Restaurant

Isabelle Ranger

Founder – Namasthe Tea Co

Daniel Frankel

President – Daniel Group

Kalpna Solanki

Founder of Martin’s Marvelous Naturals

Hamid Attie

Photographer – Hamid Attie Photography

Our registration team (from left to right) Taylor, Kelsey and Joe

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 Joe, Kelsey and Taylor.

By: Richard Wolak