Video Didn't Kill the Radio Stars

DINE AND DASH

You'll soon be hearing more from Fred Lee, social columnist about town for the Vancouver Courier. And we mean that quite literally. Lee has teamed up with CBC veteran Margaret Gallagher (currently a reporter for The Early Edition), to create a new weekly food show that will air on CBC Radio. Right now the two are in production for the first of the 10 segments that each week will theme around one seasonal ingredient. At present they are planning 30 minute segments, but if the show is well received, these could be extended to fit an hour-long format. Content will be mostly industry interviews with chefs, growers, etc., and with recipes made available via a companion website.

Look for the programs to start June 29th on the dial at 690 AM at 7:30 p.m and each followng Friday after that. The Lee-Gallagher show will join a small number of radio programs that focus exclusively on the food and wine industry (another is the Best of Food and Wine Show with Anthony Gismondi and Kasey Wison which airs every Saturday at noon on CFUN 1490), but it will be the only one available to listeners right across Canada.



With the building of the Skytrain connector it would seem that everyone is busting pavement to get to Richmond. The location of the Vancouver International Airport and the approaching Winter Olympics may have something to do with this disruptive urgency, but some people would say that we all just want to get to Richmond faster in order to be in time for dinner. Once the train is working, you can bet that more car-less city dwellers will be heading down to the malls of the "Golden Mile" to go shopping at the great Asian grocery stores, not to mention eat at the many top grade Chinese and SouthEast Asian restaurants.

Certainly that thought must be behind the release of a new publication, The Richmond Asian Dining Guide -- a culinary road map to the area's multiplicity of eclectic regional cuisine. To introduce the guide, Tourism Richmond will conduct dining contest entitled ‘Eat your Way to China’. This gastronomic promotion will entices diners to discover the various Asian cuisines featured in Richmond, with the help of the new Guide and its accompanying Passport. One lucky diner will not only explore Richmond’s culinary scene, but will win the ultimate culinary experience: a trip for two to China, featuring stays in both Shanghai and Beijing, home of steamed dumplings and succulent Peking duck.



Meanwhile, The T&T Supermarket will be going to Thailand. In partnership with the Thai Trade Centre in Vancouver, they will be holding a 2007 Thailand Festival at all T & T stores (eight in total) in Greater Vancouver from July 6-12. Look for featured Thai dishes taught to the T&T chefs by a famous chef and cooking teacher from Thailand, Dr. Naruemon Nantaragsa; exotic Thai fruits air freighted from Thailand; Thai drinks, juices and desserts; in-store Thai massage; and Thai fruit carving displays.

We'll be happy when the T&T in Crosstown (Keefer) finishes the major reno it's making in its deli area. The old one was just a broom closet compared to the expansive hot prepared takeout counter in the Richmond store.



And let's not forget Japan, or at least its famous beverage, saki. Edible BC still has a few spaces available for their sake dinner on June 19th with special guest Masa Shiroki who will teach participants all about the world of sake while sharing his three special chilled sakes produced right on Granville Island. Check out the menu on the Edible BC website and then book online before all the seats are gone! This is a steal at only $59.95 per person and tickets won't last.


Is it too early yet to be thinking of Cornucopia?... Maybe not, because it's also good to know that Quattro at Whistler will be holding a wine maker's dinner on November 9th that will feature the truffles of Alba and the wines of Batasiolo. More on this later ...






CHANGE ALERT:


We've added something new to this page to help you to find old material more quickly. In addition to filing back articles indexed by each days date (See the "MOST RECENT" bar to the left), you can now access articles by topic. Look for the FEATURES BY TOPIC link under the CityFood logo in the top left corner of the Daily News Section. This new section will be for feature online articles only. We will also be adding a new scrolling section to help you find old Dine and Dash items later today.

TODAY'S PRESS RELEASES

Always in the market for ... interesting food products....Here's the complete details on Whitefish Group's new food store "The Market" which just opened on West 2nd at the foot of Cambie Street, as well as some of the things they will be stocking on their shelves.



The people behind Capone's in Yaletown get ready to open Deuce on Lonsdale in July.

Meinhardt's hosts the modestly named Superstar Chef Challenge III

Cake Decorating Contest this weekend.

At Smoking Dog the chefs are inspired by the new strawberry crop.

A Loving Spoonful holds their fund raising Empty Bowl Gala this week.

Log on to the Slow Food Lion's Gate blog to keep tabs on what's happening (slowly) on the North Shore.

.