Growing Chefs! From Farms to Forks Gala…
Some food really is good for the soul. I had the pleasure of attending the Growing Chef’s! Farm to Forks Gala this past Sunday. Some of Vancouver’s top Chefs paired up with local farmers and suppliers to create a mouthwatering array of bite size morsels. Having been away from the city for the past few years it was a fabulous way to reconnect with friends and former colleagues, taste some incredible food and at the same time support a fantastic cause. Find out more about Growing Chefs! and the amazing work they are doing in our community!
Here are some behind the scenes images from that night…
Executive Chef Kris Kabush, Hart House Restaurant paired up with Notch Hill Organics.
Lightly Cured Snapper with Pickled Cippolini & Crosnes Salad
Chef Maxim Ridorossi & Jenna Dashney-The Food Lovers Cooking Co paired up with Rootdown Organic Farm.
Cured Pemberton Beef Breasola on a pumpkin cracker with celeriac, squash & Pemberton Valley red wine mustard preserve.
Chef Lee Humphries of C Restaurant paired up with Organic Ocean Seafood.
Grapefruit Cured Pink Salmon with spiced squash & honey ginger tuile
Chef David Robertson of The Dirty Apron Cooking School paired up with Mikuni Wild Harvest.
Roasted Duck & Wild Chantrelle Mushroom Cake.
Chef Alessandra Quaglia of Provence Restaurants paired up with Stein Mountain Farm to create a Pissaladiere.
Chef Jane Cornborough of ReFuel Restaurant paired up with UBC Farms to create a velvety Cinderella Pumpkin Soup, simply elegant with a dollop of sage cream to finish.
This might have been one of my favourite flavours of the night. So simple, but when you have such a delicate fresh pumpkin flavour you really don’t need to hide it with anything fancy.
Chef Andrea Carlson of Bishop’s connected with SOLEfood.
Eggplant ‘Tartare’ with pickled nasturtium seeds, bull’s horn red pepper glaze, quail’s egg & Farmhouse caerphily cheese.
Vij’s & Rangoli co-owner Meeru Dhalwala paired up with Klipper’s Organic Acres and presented a Roasted Eggplant & Butternut Squash with Paneer.
Having had the pleasure of working with both mixologist Lauren Mote (CHOW restaurant) and Chef Jonathan Chovancek (Culinary Capers) I am a bit biased about their newest venture together; Kale&Nori Culinary Arts. Watch out for this power team!
Miss Mote in classic Lauren-style posing for the camera. More importantly though check out her line of housemade bitters, soon to be released.
Lauren paired up with Parsons Farm Market to create the solo cocktail of the evening.
Willy’s Fizz is a complex gin cocktail with the subtle sweetness of William’s pear balanced with housemade peach & pepper bitters & a hit of green cardamom & smoked black pepper spice.
Some of our ‘Growing Chefs’ helping out in the kitchen. Who wouldn’t love finger painting with beet puree?
Chef Jonathan Chovancek of Kale&Nori Culinary Arts paired up with Glen Valley Organic Farm Co-operative.
Vancouver Island salt roasted beets with Glen Valley vegetables.
Chef Angus An of Maenam has long been one of my favourite local chefs. Back in my days of working at Fuel Restaurant Angus would often drop by (we were right next door after all) with gifts from his kitchen. His Geng Gari Chicken on Sunday reminded me of those days.
Paired with Helmer’s Organic Farm, Chef Angus ‘ Geng Gari Chicken was an aromatic curry of Maple Hills chicken confit with Helmer’s organic potatoes & oven roasted onions.
Guests got to wander around through each of the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts kitchens and witness the Chefs in action before tasting the small plates.
Chef Scott Jaegar of The Pear Tree connected with Stoney Paradise Farms.
Chef Jaegaer’s Stoney Paradise Sungold Tomato Float was like summer in a glass. Enough said.
Chef Marc-Andre Choquette and Sous Chef Tret Jordan from Tableau Bar Bistro paired up with Sapo Bravo and created Bone Marrow with Squash Fritter, oxtail & tomato marmalade on toasted brioche.
This was my absolute favourite dish of the night… it might even be the best dish I have tried this year. They had me at ‘oxtail’.
This was the first time I have had the pleasure of tasting one of Chef Lucais Syme’s dishes. The Chef of La Quercia did not disappoint. Paired up with Thomas Reid Farms, Chef Syme created a light and fresh flavoured Chicken Liver Pappardelle.
Executive Pastry Chef Chris Janik of Miku Restaurant paired up with Apple Lane Orchard and created a beautiful Tarte Tatin.
Pastry Chef Rhonda Viani of West paired up with Canadian Hazelnut. Her Hazelnut Brown Sugar Cake with lime bavarois & candied hazelnuts was simply… sublime.
Last but not least… Pastry Chef Merri Shwartz (founder of Growing Chefs!) from King Pacific Lodge paired up with Astra Organics and O’Neils Orchards to create Poached Quince with See Ya Later Ranch Gewurtztraminer Sabayon.
Judging from the satisfied murmurs coming from the crowd, I would say the event was a rounding success and for me it was a reminder of how strong the relationship is between our restaurant community and the amazing farmers and suppliers that provide us with such abundance here on the Westcoast.
If you have never checked out Growing Chefs!, please take a moment.
Growing Chefs! runs a Classroom Gardening Program teaching kids about growing,cooking & eating healthy food and teaches them about sustainable agriculture.
