Daniel Boulud Takes over Feenie's, Yellowtail, Sex or Chocolate, Red-Flesh Apples, Fraiche, Okanagan News, Tequila Kitchen

ANNOUNCEMENTS - (March 18, 2008)

In honour of Earth Hour, Vancouver restaurateur Harry Kambolis will be shutting off the lights at his three restaurants on Saturday, March 29th. In keeping with their philosophy of Ethical Luxury, C Restaurant, Raincity Grill and Nu Restaurant + Lounge will flick the switch and serve by candlelight between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Enjoy this first annual event, this year unique to Vancouver, while dining in the warm glow of a softly lit room. For more information, or to make your reservation please contact C Restaurant at 604-661-1164; Raincity Grill at 604-685-7337; Nu Restaurant + Lounge at 604-646-4668. You won't be alone in the dark. Earth Hour began last year in Sydney, Australia, during which more than 2 million residents and businesses turned off their lights for one hour, reducing Sydney's energy consumption by 10% for that hour (the equivalent effect of taking 48,000 cars off the road for a year). This simple, yet powerful act has caught on. As a result, at 8 p.m. on March 29, 2008, millions of people in some of the world’s major cities (including Vancouver) will unite and switch off for Earth Hour. For more information on Earth Hour, visit www.earthhour.org.


Ricardo Ferreira has been appointed as the new Restaurant Director of Vancouver's CinCin restaurant , bringing over 15 years of hospitality experience amassed in leading restaurants throughout Vancouver and the UK. Previously, Ferreira was the Restaurant Manager of CinCin's sister restaurant Blue Water Cafe. (More on this later in our People section.)


The deadline for nominating a person for the Western Magazine Awards Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award is March 31, 2008. The award is open to anyone in the magazine industry. Anyone can nominate a person and there is no entry fee. Simply send the foundation an e-mail with your nominee’s name, title and career achievements along with an explanation of why this person should be considered for this award. The winner will be selected by a committee appointed by the Western Magazine Awards Foundation Board and will be celebrated at their Gala Awards and Dinner on Friday June 20, 2008 at River Rock Casino Resort. Please send your nomination to corey@westernmagazineawards.ca before March 31, 2008. More information as well as a list of previous winners is available on the foundation's website at www.westernmagazineawards.ca.


Tequila Kitchen will open for lunch this Wednesday (March 19th) with a “Soft Opening” limited a la carte menu. Soft opening remains until March 31st with a limited a la carte menu at lunch and dinner as well as an evening tasting (or sampling) menu at $25 per person. Lunch 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.


The snow has melted, spring has sprung and the herd of cattle at the Elkin Creek Guest Ranch need sorting, branding and to be taken out to pasture to graze. One of the last remaining cattle drives in Canada, want-to-be cowboys and cowgirls of all ages and riding abilities are invited to take part in this authentic adventure with the Elkin Creek Guest Ranch’s “Annual Cattle Drive” weekend package. Set to take place this May Long Weekend from May 16 to 19 the popular 3-night package is priced at $825 based on double occupancy and includes three-nights of accommodation, meals, cattle drive, and the complete Elkin Creek Guest Ranch experience.


The British Columbia Restaurant and Foodservices Association and the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society announced today that the Kelowna's 5th Annual Wine and Dine program was once again successful. The program was offered to stimulate business at 52 restaurants over a 17 day period from January 18 through February 3, 2008. Featuring a three-course prix fixe dinner at $15, $25 or $35. The program resulted in 15,400 incremental meals sold as part of the promotion and over 10,000 glasses of wine – a record in wine sales.


Les Dames d’Escoffier (BC Chapter) is accepting applications for their 2008 Scholarship Awards, supporting the advancement of women in hospitality and culinary fields. Awards are based on merit and ability, and vary in amount according to the program they support.
The Dames offer these scholarships to women of all ages who are keen to begin basic training in these areas and to women already skilled in these fields, who seek to refine their expertise. Applicants must be B.C. residents. Scholarships awarded in the past have supported advancement in wine and sommelier studies, food and wine writing, culinary education, culinary institutions in Canada, the US and Europe, cheese making , children’s cooking, business, pastry and chocolate making, arts of the table. In addition the Northwest Culinary Academy of Vancouver is again generously contributing three $2,500 scholarships—one for each of their three terms. These scholarships will be awarded through Les Dames d’Escoffier to successful candidates who enroll in the one-year Professional Program or the 15-week Professional Culinary Program at Northwest Culinary Academy of Vancouver. Pacific Institute of the Culinary Arts is also offering four scholarships of $2500 each—one for each intake—to be applied to the full time Diploma Culinary Program or the Baking and Pastry Program. Application forms for all these scholarships may be obtained by visiting their website at http://www.lesdames.ca/scholarship Application deadline is April 30, 2008. Contact Glenys Morgan glenysmorgan@shawcable.com for further information.


On Monday March 10th, 2008 the Chefs’ Table Society of BC held the First Annual Fundraising dinner at Elixir bistro moderne, raising $11,650 for the society. This collaborative effort brought together Vancouver’s leading chefs, sommeliers, food producers and wine media to create a unique and entertaining dining experience for guests. The Chefs Table Society of BC would like to thank their many wine sponsors for donating the wine for the dinner and all of the other contributors whose generosity contributed to the great success of the event.





ANNOUNCEMENTS - (March 14, 2008)
(Sorry, due to a slow termporary server we are unable to make live links in this article at this time.)

If you are interested in learning more about Chef Daniel Boulud, you will get your chance this Saturday. The Best of Food and Wine Show with Anthony Gismondi and Kasey Wilson taped a 40 minute interview with the New York celebrity chef yesterday for airing during their regular noon timeslot on CFUN 1410 radio. (If you are unable to be near a radio at that time, the station’s website now also features live streaming.) The session opens with the question: “So Daniel, you wrote the intro to Rob Feenie’s second cookbook, now you are taking over his former restaurant. What is your comment on that?”


CORRECTION NOTED: Perpetuating our cultural belief that younger people are more interesting, or at least make for better photo ops, Western Living Magazine intends to run a “40 under 40” feature in the upcoming fall release of their 2009 Food + Wine Issue. The community is welcome to nominate any “foodie” currently making significant contributions to the local food and wine scene who has not yet crossed the border into official middle age. Deadline is the end of May. [Too bad though that it is when people get middle-aged crazy that they really get interesting.]


Joseph Sartor, the former sous chef of C Restaurant, has been promoted to Chef de Cuisine at NU Restaurant + Lounge. Sartor recently took the helm at NU and launched his new menu at the beginning of this month. Before joining Harry Kambolis’ group of restaurants, the Ontario-born Sartor worked at well known establishments such as Bin 941 and the Wedgewood Hotel’s Bacchus Restaurant, and has worked stage at Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons under the supervision of Michelin starred Chef Gary Jones. (Full details of this appointment will be listed under the Press Release section.)


Salt Tasting Room will present a winemakers dinner with Bill Eggert of Fairview Cellars on April 8th. The Okanagan winery known for its limited release red wines and Sauvignon Blanc will be featuring their entire portfolio, along with library favourites, as well as a sneak peek at upcoming releases. This event will take place in Salt's new cellar tasting room and wines will be served with a selection of local artisan charcuterie and cheese. Tickets are $95. (See upcoming calendar listings for more details.)


Traumatic time spent at a slaughterhouse compelled Toronto author Susan Bourette to convert to vegetarianism in a fit of altruism that lasted precisely five weeks and 37 hours. Her hilarious and informative memoir Carnivore Chic follows her continent-crossing quest for politically correct meat. Ms. Bourette will conduct a reading at Barbara Jo’s Books to Cooks at their six o'clock salon on Tuesday, March 18th. Ticket price is $45, which includes a signed copy of Susan's book. (See upcoming calendar listings for more details.)


To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, les amis du Fromage is stocking up on the classic cheeses of Ireland. Look for Dubliner, Cashel Blue, Andrahan, Gubbean and the famous Guinness Cheddar, a tangy cheddar that has been washed in Guinness Stout to achieve a distinctive mosaic pattern. Get the details on the company website at www.buycheese.com.


On Thursday, April 3, Haro's Restaurant + Bar in The Sidney Pier Hotel & Spa will play host to Golden Mile Cellars’ winemaker, Mike Bartier, for an informal three-course dinner ($85 inclusive). All diners will also be entered to win a bottle of a limited vintage Golden Mile wine, valued at $100. Take a flight from Vancouver ($29) via Orca Air and make a night of it by booking a room for the evening (breakfast included). Packages start at $319 per couple (exclusive of flights). (See upcoming calendar listings for more details.)


Culinary Team Canada is coming to The Culinary Institute of Vancouver Island at Malaspina University-College for a pre-Olympic practice. The team will practice their cold show items on Sunday, March 30 and as a fundraiser, on Monday, March 31, they’ll cook the menu that will be served at the Culinary Olympic Pavilion in Germany this fall. Tickets for the limited seating dinner are $65 per person including wine pairing. (See upcoming calendar listings for more details.)


The British Columbia Chefs’ Association (BCCA) and the British Columbia Produce Marketing Association (BCPMA) have joined forces to encourage the greater use of fresh produce with their 9th Annual 5 to 10 a day Healthy Chef Competition. Held at the Hyatt Regency hotel on March 19th, upwards of 500 trade guests will watch executive, apprentice and sous chefs and their teams put the finishing touches on their entrees and desserts, then they will be able to sample the results. Chef Dino Renaerts of Diva at the Met and Chef Julian Bond of the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts will be among the 11 chefs participating in an evening that will include platter presentations and live auctions. The public is welcome to attend and ticket prices are $80. (See upcoming calendar listings for more details. )



ANNOUNCEMENTS
(March 12, 2008)

On March 20th, La Terrazza will present a winemaker dinner with Don Corson, the winemaker from Washington State’s Camaraderie Cellars. Starting this month, La Terrazza’s wine dinners will take on a new format. The evening will begin with a one hour tutorial style tasting (available by reservation to those who wish to try the wines without attending a dinner, for a price of $45), and then the second stage of the evening will proceed as the full multi-course, sit down dinner complement ($130).


Tequila Kitchen, Yaletown’s new Mexican restaurant, is now open for dinner with a soft opening special price of $25 for an eight-course set tasting menu. The offer is good until March 31st, Tuesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. See the menu here.


Laughing Stock Vineyards will be closing the futures offering of their signature Bordeaux style blend, Portfolio 2006, at the special price of $35 per bottle after March 20, 2008. The offer provides early subscribers with the option to secure orders of Portfolio before it is released to the public later this fall. Last year, the winery sold out in just weeks, in part thanks to the gold medal awarded to the ’05 vintage at the Canadian Wine Awards. This year’s vintage is again a blend of the classic Bordeaux varietals: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. See the website for details on how to order.


Chef Jeff Van Geest of Aurora Bistro will be behind the stove at Barbara-Jo's Second Annual Cookbook Awards on Tuesday, March 25th at 6:30 pm. Van Geest was pleased to sign on as guest chef at this event honouring his mentor, John Bishop, whose cookbook Fresh was picked as the year's best by the cookbook store’s customers. Vikram Vij—last year’s winning author and another former protégé of John—will present the award at the reception, while guests enjoy recipes from Fresh paired with local wines. This year’s Cookbook Awards ceremony will be a fundraiser event for the restoration of the Vancouver East Cultural Centre. The entire value of your $75.00 ticket will be donated to the campaign. Those who wish to make additional donations to the Vancouver East Cultural Centre will be issued a tax receipt. Call 604-688-6755 to register. This event takes place at the store's Main Shop.





WINE NEWS - (March 11, 2008)
THE WALLABY JUMPS

Professional wine weenies were shocked on Monday by the news that Casella Wines had switched the local agency representation of their Yellowtail wines line from that of Dorothy Budden’s Vinterra Wine Merchants to Authentic Wines and Spirits Merchants, a company founded in 2006 by Richard Carras, Darryl Weinbren and Duncan Hobbs as a division of Charton Hobbs (Canada’s largest privately owned wine and spirits importing company).

It was shock, quickly followed by jealousy, as Vancouver-based agencies have been trying since day one to wrestle the highly lucrative Yellowtail wines account away from Budden, who introduced the world’s best selling Australian wine to BC and Alberta several years ago and helped propel it to its prominent position in the westcoast market. ... CONTINUE READING...



Filed in DRINK/Wine News.






















CHEFS - (March 11, 2008)
WHAT TO SAY TO A SUPERSTAR CHEF

The ripple effect to the recent news that Daniel Boulud will be converting Feenie’s into his own restaurant in Vancouver has been akin to someone dropping a boulder into a goldfish pond – quite a splash, not to mention a big surprise to all the indigenous fish. It even made the US gossip circuit via sites such as www.eater.com who quoted the Globe and Mail as quoted by CityFood. (Pushing New York into our number two city by readers stats position.)

Now the elbow jostling is to get an invitation to the press release/lunch “official company statement” event this Friday. ...CONTINUE READING...


Filed in PEOPLE/Chefs.



NEW PRODUCTS - (March 10, 2008)
WOULD WOMEN RATHER HAVE SEX OR CHOCOLATE ... With their bacon?

Two new items argue the case for both sides of that question.

In the heavy breathing corner is a new book by Sarah Katherine Lewis entitled Sex and Bacon: Why I Love Things that are Very, Very Bad for Me.

Lewis, a sex worker, and former Seattleite, assumes the stance that food and sex are closely related because they are both addictive and all consuming. (Although it is our personal opinion that the real reason boomers are so obsessed with their food these days is because they are now getting so much less of the other item.)

Putting up its dukes for chocolate, Vosges has introduced a boxed chocolate flying pig to its line that is filled with ... you guessed it ... crunchy bits of salty bacon.

Who's winning this battle? Our bets are on the pig. The last several times we have tried to log onto that particular page of the Vosges website has been a failure, due to "a busy server".


Filed in FOOD/New Products.




THE MEDIA HOUND - (March 10, 2008)

Here's the official story on the "Lumiere partners with Daniel Boulud" story that we leaked on Friday (see below) as told to Alexandra Gill at the Globe and Mail:

Post-Feenie, Lumière lands a New York star.


We see that the Vancouver Sun is crediting themselves for Zen Fine Chinese Cuisine's sudden turn around in fortunes.

Customers Flood Restaurant after Sun Story on Rave Review.

The paper sites its mention of Zen's highly favourable review in a new book on Chinese restaurant culture, The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Restaurants, that was published by New York Times reporter Jennifer 8 Lee at the beginning of this month. Ms. Lee calls Zen "the world's greatest Chinese Restaurant outside of China", no less. But then to keep the endorsement in perspective, as revealed in her book, Ms. Lee also found it a big surprise to discover that the fortune cookie was not actually a Chinese invention.

Zen also received a boost from the New York Times this past Sunday in an article entitled "What to Catch on Canada's West Coast -- an oddly eclectic list of "must visit" recommendations gleaned from the comments posted by readers on the Times' Travel Section website. Other restaurants on the thumbs up list included: Sequoia Grill, Kettle of Fish, Go Fish, the Naam, Delilah's, Chutney Villa, Phnom Penh and the Sandbar. Not to mention of course, the two local restaurants that always make it onto any New York list, Vij's and Tojo's.

News to us: that "up until seven years ago, Yaletown was nothing but an empty field" ... and that the historic Vancouver district's more recent swamping by architecturally bland, glass condo towers is "the most beautiful urban planning development I've ever seen".

Ah, another eye of the beholder thing, we guess.


Filed in MEDIA/Local Ink.

FARMERS MARKETS - (March 10, 2008)
GOD DIDN'T MAKE THEM LITTLE PINK APPLES ...
(March 10. 2008)

Harry Burton, a Salt Sping Island organic farmer, prolific letter writer, and the closest thing BC has to a "Johnny Appleseed", sent us this essay on red-fleshed heirloom apples, a variety that Harry believes will be the next "hot" trend in the produce bins. You will be able to try them this fall, along with 200 other connoisseur apple varieties at the Salt Spring Island Apple Festival, taking place on Sumday, September 28, 2008 at Fulford Hall.


Red-Fleshed Apples Are Truly the Apple of the Future

By Harry Burton

Red-fleshed apples are truly the apple of the future.

We grow 23 varieties at Apple Luscious Organic Orchard on Salt Spring Island and they are great to eat. The excitement of biting into the apples, the great taste and the novelty is amazing. You never have to encourage a child to eat them. Kids love them.

Not only that, but the red colour is an indication that the fruit has extra antioxidants, in the form of anthocyanins, that are great health benefit. I predict that red-fleshed apples will become the apples of the future, in the same way that red grapefruit has displaced white grapefruit as the common type. They taste even better than they look. The first reaction to biting into the red flesh is always “WOW”. ... CONTINUE READING ...

Filed in FOOD/Farmers Markets.

RESTAURANT NEWS - (March 7, 2008)
"FEENIE WHO?"


David and Manjy Sidoo, the owners of Lumiere and Feenie's, have just announced a partnership with Daniel Boulud. The details of which will be made known to the media at a press event scheduled for next Friday.

We suppose this confirms rumours we have been hearing from our media friends in New York that Boulud is to take a large position in Feenie's, possibly even changing the restaurant's name to that of his own casual dining restaurant in New York, DB Bistro Moderne.

Well, it should be interesting.

ADDED: Why wait for Friday? The following is a brief written for Saturday's Globe and Mail by Alexandra Gill. Look for Gill's longer article to appear in the newspaper on Monday, March 10, 2008.

French-born Star Chef to Replace Feenie

Vancouver -- Daniel Boulud, one of the world's top chefs, is coming to Vancouver. The French-born chef is going into business with Manjy and David Sidoo, the owners of Lumiere and Feenie's restaurants. Mr. Boulud will be the executive chef and a partner at Lumiere, replacing Rob Feenie, who left last November. After briefly closing for renovations at the end of this month, Feenie's will reopen as dB Bistro Moderne Vancouver. Mr. Boulud is the chef/owner of six award-winning restaurants in the United States, but is best known for Daniel, his fine-dining restaurant in New York. ... CONTINUE READING...


Filed in RESTAURANTS/Restaurant News.

BC REGIONAL - (March 10, 2008)
NEWS FROM THE OKANAGAN - SPRING 2008


Vincor is the latest winery to hire an in-house chef. We hear that Roger Planinden, the executive chef of the Fairmont Hotel at the Vancouver International Airport and its restaurant (YVR), has been hired away to the Okanagan to oversee all activity of a culinary nature at the company's wineries at Sumac Ridge, See Ya Later Ranch and Nk'Mip .

Up till now, Sumac Ridge had been leasing out its on-location restaurant, Cellar Door Bistro, but this will now be run under the corporate umbrella. Apparently we will still be able to see former Cellar Bistro chef, Neil Schroeter as he makes appearances at Farmers' Markets around the Valley this summer, selling his line of fresh pastas, stocks, street food and other food items.

Still, with Sumac Ridge, Roger Gillespie, who formerly ran the wine shops at both SR and See Ya Later Ranch is reported to be opening a new takeout and deli in Summerland. ... CONTINUE READING.


Filed in REGIONAL/Okanagan.

NEW RESTAURANTS - (March 6, 2008)
TEQUILA KITCHEN - A PREVIEW

"When the hurricane destroyed both my house and my business, more or less sweeping both of them out to sea, I figured I should find another place to run a restaurant", said the practical Laura Enriquez . "So when I collected my insurance money, I packed up my remaining belongings, and my over twenty years of experience running the franchises for Senor Frog's and Carlos' n Charlie's in Playa del Carmen (in Mexico's Yucatan), and said: "I'm going to Canada."

Along the way, Enriquez met up with son Emiliano Núñez, who had been working in the restaurant business in Halifax, and together with their business partner Claudia Ibarrondo and Chef Juan Gonzalez, made her dream come true by launching Tequila Kitchen in Vancouver's Yaletown. .... TO CONTINUE READING AND SEE PHOTOS AND THE $25 INTRODUCTORY SAMPLING MENU CLICK HERE.


Filed in RESTAURANTS/Previews.

MEDIA HOUND - (March 5, 2008)
THE LOCAL INK

Lots of local coverage in the Globe and Mail today.

Fiona Morrow profiles West's new star import from Britain, Chef Warren Geraghty.

Beppi Crosariol reviews the highlights on the Italian part of the floor at last week's Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival.

And in her review of Bishop's, Alexandra Gill admires the restaurant's localvore creds but wishes they were a tad less understated about it.

We have to agree with her there, if only for Bishop's own sake. But is it also not an interesting reflection that we have become so inundated with the public relations trumpeting that comes part in parcel with any regional or sustainable connection to our restaurant dining that we feel something is missing if there is a lack of it?

Perhaps it is not oversight but simply in the nature of the restaurant's principals (owner John Bishop and chef Andrea Carlson) to behave as if excellence needs no explanation. At one Wine Festival event we ran into the woman who has finally convinced John Bishop to update his website. "But", she confessed, "The work is progressing slowly because I can't convince either John or Andrea to give me their bios or the other materials I need to sing their praises."

No doubt both of them just have higher priorities than self-promotion, but should that be a bad thing?

Added: The above comment was made after reading the online version of the article alone, and before having viewed the unfortunate and manipulative use of photos, headlines and page layouts in the print copy (which would have been the decision of the Globe's Editors and Art Directors and not the article's writer). Let us add that while we agree that Bishop's restaurant is not the buzz magnet that it may have been at one time, we do not believe that is what it aspires to. Instead it operates at a quiet and inspiring level. John Bishop himself deserves to be admired and respected for his life's contribution to the restaurant scene and not used as fodder for the paper's penchant for sensationalism.


In the more newsy part of her column, Alexandra Gill confirms the record numbers for the Wine Festival's earnings and mentions a point of infighting between the agents. We also had our ear bent over the disapproval of some agents, not supporting the Wine Festival, who had taken advantage of the high traffic to lure buyers and media to their suites during the trade tasting hours.

Ms. Gill tactfully does not name names, but as we are less burdened with that inconvenient virtue, we will witness that one of the offenders was Le Vieux Pin, who had used the occasion to debut wines from their new LaStella Winery (due to open on the Osoyoos lakefront this May).

However, the proximity to the Italian show going on downstairs may not have been to their advantage. After two days of tasting the subtly fragrant, bone dry and highly acidic Italian whites, some of the Vieux Pin/LaStella wines, in particular the roses, came off as sugary as soda pop in comparison. They may have actually been better served by the cache of their less accessible South Okanagan winery location than a downtown hotel room.

Added: (a response letter from Anthony Buree, Manager of Le Vieux Pin Winery)

I heard about the controversy at the festival, I didn't realize the problem we had caused, this was pointed out to me after the festival by a couple of my friends who are agents, I apologized and said that next year we would not do this again, and that our suite would open after the trade tastings out of respect for the other companies, I also mentioned this to some of the folks from the Playhouse committee. I was interviewed by Alexandra Gill for the Globe and Mail article and I reiterated our feelings, and that we are very contrite about the situation and it would not happen again. We will learn from this incident, I thought I should relay this to you. Thank you  -- Anthony Buree,  Le Vieux Pin winery


Filed in MEDIA/Local Ink

ANNOUNCEMENTS - (March 5, 2008)

Are you ready for your close up? If you're a chef who can perform (or a performer who can cook) and you think you've got the chops to make it big on the small screen, this is your chance to dish it out. You don't have to be a professional chef or actor to make the cut, but you do have to have the culinary expertise to drive a series on Back to Basics cooking, plus the charisma to make a million people love you. Just make a short video (five minutes or less) showing off your cooking skills and your sizzling personality. The clip should tell the world who you are, what you're like and why you have the ingredients to be a culinary superstar. Make sure you accompany your audition clip with pics, a resume and all the details needed for someone to get back to you. The deadline is March 10, 2008 and the mailing address is: CBC Building. C/O TV Chef Search. P.O. Box 500, Stn. "A", ROOM 6E240, Toronto, Ontario, M5W 1E6. (info@tvchefsearch.com)


The waterfront community of Steveston is getting its own farmers' market. As of May 4th, 2008, the Steveston Farmers and Artisans Market will sell fresh local produce, healthy foods, flowers, plants, and unique works by local artisans in the parking lot of the Gulf of Georgia Cannery Historic Site. Open weekly on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and running until September 28, 2008, the Market will be hosted by the Richmond Agricultural and Industrial Society, which itself is governed by the Steveston Community Society (SCS). The SCS is also responsible for the 63-year-old Steveston Salmon Festival, Canada’s biggest non-profit Canada Day event and notable for drawing crowds of up to 75,000.


Good news for local wineries who have had to vie for a limited quota of spots at previous Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festivals. The VPIWF has announced that the province of British Columbia will be the theme region for next year's Festival, scheduled for March 23 - 29, 2009. To quote a Festival spokesperson: “As Vancouver gears up to welcome the world to the 2010 Winter Olympics, “it’s more important than ever that we showcase the very best that our province has to offer – and what better way than making British Columbia wine and cuisine the focus of the 2009 Wine Festival?” With this theme as the target, who better to serve as partner in the event than The British Columbia Wine Institute. “This is an exciting opportunity for BC’s wine industry and more importantly BC consumers..." says BC Wine Institute Executive Director Peggy Athans. In addition to the featured wine region, the festival always highlights one particular wine grape or type and next year it will be Pinot, in all its variations: Pinot noir, Pinot gris, Pinot blanc and Pinot meunier.


Only ten tickets are now available for the upcoming Chefs’ Table Society dinner at Elixir Bistro. Get details here.


On May 25, 2008, the Island Chefs Collaborative (ICC) in Victoria, BC will present Defending our Backyard; a local food festival to raise awareness of the issues and challenges of food production and sustainability on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Held at Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Sites, the event will showcase top chefs, restaurateurs and local producers. Educational seminars on all facets of local food production will be offered along with live entertainment and, of course, local food and drink. Over ten years ago, Victoria's top chefs committed to supporting local producers first and foremost came together to form the ICC. Now, about 100 chefs and farmers meet at the beginning of each year to collectively plan the year's crops working together to push the boundaries of what can be grown on Southern Vancouver Island and increasing the region's bio-diversity.


When Bellstar Developments purchased the Oliver Wine Village back in November 2007, the location of the wine-themed resort was initially planned for a 3.63-acre former RV park in downtown Oliver, however the original site proved to be problematic and Bellstar is now looking for an alternative location. “We have no doubt that a resort themed around wine and the culinary arts is appropriate for Oliver, the Wine Capital of Canada,” says Jon Zwickel, Executive Vice President of Bellstar. “Ideally, we want to locate the resort on a site that the community can embrace and support, as well as a site that will allow us to create the resort in phases, something the original site did not allow us to do.” Capitalizing on the $2 billion culinary and agri-tourism industry within British Columbia, Bellstar and the town of Oliver envision a resort which would celebrate the culture and heritage of the South Okanagan, along with the region’s relationship to food, wine and agriculture. The plans call for a mixed-use development, consisting of a four-star hotel with conference facilities, spa and restaurant, as well as a wine interpretive and culinary arts centre. Now if they could just find a parking spot.


Word is, someone bid 40-something thousand dollars on a single bottle of vintage Petrus at the Bachanalia Auction at the Wine Festival this year. Just waiting for the official confirmation on that number but it certainly sounds like a record breaker. The total festival earnings is also rumoured to be somewhere in the 500,000 dollar region. Enough to finance some pretty damn good theatre, we'd say.





RESTAURANT OPENINGS - (March 4, 2008)
FRAICHE

A preview in facts and photos of Fraîche, Chef Wayne Martin's new fine dining restaurant on Vancouver's North Shore.

CLICK HERE.

Filed in RESTAURANTS/Restaurant Previews.









ANNOUNCEMENTS (March 3, 2008)

Several important recognitions for the restaurant, hospitality and wine industry trades were announced during the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival last week including the following:



Sommelier of the Year: Neil Ingram of Boneta restaurant, Vancouver

Spirited Industry Professional: Chris Coletta of Coletta and Associates, Vancouver

The Platinum Award for Restaurant Wine Lists:
Blue Water Cafe, Vancouver
Sooke Harbour House, Sooke
West, Vancouver

Quady Dessert Competition:
Steve Hodge of Thomas Haas Patisserie, West Vancouver

Great Beginnings Appetizer Contest:
Judge's Choice: Wild Rice
People's Choice: Tigh-Na-Mara Resort

(more details on these awards to follow)


Marquis Wine Cellars will be hosting their first New Product Salon of the season on Saturday, March 15, 2008. The session is free and there is no need to RSVP. Just stop by anytime between 1 and 4 pm to taste a selection of wines which will include the following: 2004 Canet Valette, Une Mille Nuits, Saint Chinian, France; 2006 Alphonse Mellot, La Moussière, Sancerre, France: 2006 Qupé, Bien Nacido, Cuvée, Central Coast, California. 1034 Davie Street, Vancouver, For more information call 604-684-0445 or email info@marquis-wines.com.


The Banée of Oliver will be held again on April 17 -18 of this year. The very popular event, a social "must" for the winemakers and other wine industry professionals of the South Okanagan region (and the fans of their wines!) will take place at Jay Drysdale's Toasted Oak Wine Bar and Grill. For more information call 250-689-0060 or 250-498-4867.


(More announcements to follow)



7) Halifax, NS
8) Montreal, Quebec
9) Ottawa, Ontario
10) Calgary, Alberta

Cities with most page counts per visitor (visiting yesterday):

1) Parksville, BC
2) Dededo, Guam
3) La Quinta, California
4) Shipley, England
5) San Francisco, California
6) Hong Kong
7) Don Mills, Ontario
8) Prague, Czech Republic
9) Weston, Ontario
10) Winnipeg, Manitoba