I'M HERE FOR THE BEER
(Directly from the press release.)

Aurora Bistro will be offering it's "I'm Here For the Beer Menu next week, June 4th to 7th. Cost is $49 per person. See Menu below.

OPUS GETS BUBBLY ON THURSDAYS
Edited from the Press Release

Launching on Thursday June 21st to coincide with Summer Solstice, is Opus Bar’s weekly Bubble Lounge. Select champagnes and sparklers from around the globe, are presented with complimentary canapés from 5pm to 7pm. Celebrate summer every Thursday in with a well-deserved glass of bubble. At the Opus Hotel in Yaletown.

QUATTRO ON FOURTH SWEETENS UP WITH APPOINTMENT OF NEW PASTRY CHEF
(Edited from the press release.)

(VANCOUVER, BC) May 31, 2007 – Antonio and Patrick Corsi are pleased to announce the appointment of Merri Schwartz to the position of Pastry Chef at Quattro on Fourth.

Merri attended the Baking and Pastry Arts Program at Vancouver Community College before starting at . She then trained at Sweet Obsession Cakes and Pastries before joining C Restaurant in the fall of 2003 as assistant pastry chef, rising quickly to pastry chef.

An avid learner Merri apprenticed at Cocoa West Chocolatier, on Bowen Island, and in the fall of 2006, with a scholarship from Les Dames d’Escoffier, Merri travelled to France, where she attended several workshops at the Valrhona Chocolate Institute in Lyon, and continued to develop her pastry technique while traveling through Italy and Switzerland.

Outside the restaurant, Merri is the founder and director of Growing Chefs! Chefs for Children’s Urban Agriculture. This Vancouver-based non-profit organization pairs elementary school classrooms with chef volunteers who help students plant, grow and learn to cook their own vegetables. (See press release below.)

Merri has a degree in Visual Art from the University of Toronto.

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VANCOUVER STUDENTS LEARN TO COOK LIKE CHEFS
(Directly from the press release.)

After patiently waiting all spring for their vegetable gardens to grow, students participating in the Growing Chefs! Chefs for Children’s Urban Agriculture program are about to start cooking.

For the second spring, community volunteers and chefs from local restaurants, including Raincity Grill, Fuel Restaurant, Culinary Capers Catering, C Restaurant, and Glowbal Grill, teamed up with four classes at MacDonald and Champlain Heights Elementary Schools in Vancouver to help students plant, grow, and learn to cook their own vegetables.

The cooking classes, which are the sixth lesson in the three and half month Growing Chefs program, take place next week, as students ages six through nine learn to cook like chefs. This year’s menu includes a Nutritious Salad, Chilled Snap Pea and Mint Soup, and a Green Bean Stirfry.

Growing Chefs! Chefs for Children’s Urban Agriculture was founded in the fall of 2005 by Merri Schwartz, a professional pastry chef. “I wanted to provide an avenue for chefs and growers to engage in the community, and to support food sustainability,� said Schwartz. “Most importantly, the program aims to inspire children with the idea that they can grow their own food, even in the city.�

In the Growing Chefs program, chef volunteers visit the classroom every two weeks. Each lesson engages the students in a variety of games, lessons and activities focusing on plant growth, vegetable exploration, sustainability and nutrition. At the end of the project, students harvest their vegetables, and the chefs teach them how to prepare a delicious meal with what they have grown.

Growing Chefs is supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Evergreen. For more information, to volunteer, or to request a team of chefs for your classroom, contact Merri Schwartz at 778-885-1308. Check out the Growing Chefs website, at www.growingchefs.ca.

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DAVID OWEN APPOINTED GENERAL MANAGER AT GUSTO DI QUATTRO
(Edited from the press release)

NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C. (May 29, 2007) – Proprietors Antonio and Patrick Corsi are pleased to announce the appointment of David Owen as Gusto di Quattro’s new General Manager.

Owen brings over 20 years of hospitality and entrepreneurial experience to the restaurant. He recently returned from St. Maarten where as General Manager he opened the 12 Metre Yacht Club. But most people will recognize him from the six years he served as General Manager of the Salmon House on the Hill. Mr. Owen also opened the Northlands Bar and Grill as GM at the Northlands Golf and Country Club.

Gusto di Quattro is located at 1 Lonsdale Avenue in North Vancouver, across from the Lonsdale Quay Market.

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CULINARY TEAM CANADA AWARDED SILVER MEDAL IN WORLD CULINARY COMPETITION

Chicago, Illinois – The Canadian Culinary Federation/Federation Culinaire Canadienne (CCFCC) is delighted to announce that Culinary Team Canada was awarded a Silver Medal in overall placement in the world at the American Culinary Classic Competition in Chicago yesterday. The American Culinary Classic is the final competition before going on to the World Culinary Olympics in Germany this October.

As one of twelve international teams competing in Chicago, the Canadian Team presented cold and hot displays including cakes and pastries as well as hot meals, receiving two gold medals and a high silver medal and, as part of the competition, the Team prepared 86 hot three course meals which were served to the public, using items that aptly display Canada’s great food products.

Canada was awarded overall second place, just 0.2 points behind the winners, Team Switzerland. Team Norway was awarded third place and Team USA fourth.

Members of the CCFCC Culinary Team Canada – Chicago 2007 are:

Team Manager, John Carlo Felicella, Chef Instructor, Vancouver Community College
Team Captain, Tobias MacDonald, La Belle Auberge Restaurant, Ladner, BC
David Bakker, Westin Prince Hotel, Toronto
Cameron Huley, St. Charles Golf and Country Club, Winnipeg
Poyan Danesh, Marriott Pinnacle Hotel, Vancouver
Arthur Chen, Pastry Chef, Pan Pacific Hotel, Vancouver.

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