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Choose A Sustainable BC Wine for Earth Day

Friday, April 22, 2022 is Earth Day! If you’re gong to open a bottle of something bubbly and delicious, reach for one of the following BC wines, all made sustainably and locally.

credit: David Bain photography

Blue Grouse Estate Winery’s 2020 Amphora Collection Bacchus

Blue Grouse Estate Winery bottles with Eco Glass, which uses uses 25% less glass than a typical wine bottle. The 2020 Amphora Collection Bacchus is not only made with Eco Glass, but also uses grapes from the winery’s estate vineyard. Purchase this wine online at bluegrouse.ca.

Monte Creek Winery’s Haskap Fruit Wine

Monte Creek Winery’s Haskap Fruit Wine is made with Haskap berries that are grown at the winery. The Haskap berries were planted so that the winery’s Honeybees could feed on the Haskap flowers and pollinate the plants. The winery then produces Haskap fruit wine and all-natural honey so that nothing goes to waste. Purchase this wine online at montecreekwinery.com.

Okanagan Crush Pad’s 2018 Free Form Rosé

Okanagan Crush Pad’s Free Form wines are made with organic grapes, native yeasts, and are free from additives. The 2018 Free Form Rosé is made with certified organic Cabernet Franc grapes from Osoyoos, and the label uses eco-friendly stone paper. Purchase this wine online at okanagancrushpad.com.

Blasted Church’s 2020 Unorthodox Chardonnay

Blasted Church’s vineyard team has planted cover crops (which are plants that grow between the rows of the vines), to naturally balance the vineyard. Since the winery’s 2020 Unorthodox Chardonnay is made with estate grown Chardonnay Musque, all grapes in this wine came from the winery’s home vineyard, where the soil was enriched through the cover crop program. Purchase this wine online at blastedchurch.com.

10 Sustainable Practices at Blue Grouse Estate Winery on Vancouver Island

10 Sustainable Practices at Blue Grouse Estate Winery on Vancouver Island

We are proud to represent amazing wineries that take sustainability seriously. In honour of #EarthDay, here is how Blue Grouse Estate Winery in Duncan, BC is aiming to leave their property a better place than it was found for generations to come.

Chefs' Table Society of BC's Slow Fish Dinner Returns

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Lovers of local seafood and social times rejoice as the Chefs' Table Society of BC's Slow Fish Canada Dinner returns for the 5th year to the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts (PICA) on Sunday, September 23, 2018 from 6pm-9pm. 

This annual event allows seafood lovers to gather and indulge in local sustainable seafood in the most interactive way.  

With only 100 tickets available, be an early bird! Purchase tickets before September 9 for $99 + taxes and fees here. (Tickets from September 10 onward are $109 + taxes and fees).

Like all Chefs' Table Society events, the proceeds from this event along with earmarked funds will be used to fund a scholarship; in this case, one that will be awarded that night.

Meet the chefs while you eat:
It's a kitchen party! Move from kitchen to kitchen and enjoy sustainable seafood. Credit Meighan Makarchuk

The evening starts with Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts (PICA) culinary student-prepared canapés, and Frizzante Rosé from Salmon-Safe winery St. Hubertus & Oak Bay Estate Winery.

Next, attendees move through the school's eight professional teaching kitchens to meet the visiting chefs, who each offer a tasting-sized portion of local sustainable seafood delicacies.

Leading the event committee is Chefs' Table Society chef Darren Clay, executive culinary chef instructor at PICA, and Poyan Danesh, culinary director at Ocean Mama Seafood.

This year's participating chefs:
Julian Bond, Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts
Andrea Carlson, Burdock and Co.
Welbert Choi, Forage
Warren Chow, Juniper
Jason Harris, Colette Grand Café at Holt Renfrew
Edgar Kano, Four Seasons Hotel
Greg McCallum, Le Crocodile
Mark Singson, Food Art and Music (Top Chef Canada Finalist Season 6)

Dishes will include the chefs' creative interpretations of how to serve sustainable local sturgeon, arctic char, Humpback Shrimp, Honey Mussels, Spiny Scallop
Geoduck, Albacore tuna and Octopus.

Wines paired with each dish will be from the portfolio of Peacock & Martin, and several Salmon-Safe BC wineries.

The intention of the event aside from raising funds is to raise awareness for Slow Fish Canada (a Slow Food initiative) and its role in protecting our oceans. Slow Food has been working in the field of sustainable fish for many years, raising awareness among seafood-lovers through the biennial Slow Fish fair in Genoa and developing projects to support responsible artisanal fishing communities. The quality and variety of the ocean's bounty will be in the spotlight at this special Slow Fish dinner.  

Tickets include reception, flavourful seafood dishes paired to wines, sweet treats from James Coleridge of Uno Gelato and a rare chance to interact with eight acclaimed chefs. 

With limited tickets available, seafood lovers are advised to act quickly, as this exciting and delicious event sells out every year. Tickets can be purchased here.  

About The Chefs' Table Society of British Columbia
The Chefs' Table Society of British Columbia is a registered, non-profit society composed of BC's leading chefs and culinary professionals. It is a chef-administered, province-wide collaborative dedicated to creating a foundation for the exchange of information between culinary professionals. The Society supports innovative and sustainable programs that will inspire, educate and nurture BC chefs, producers and the local food industry. The Chefs' Table Society secures apprenticeships for and bestows bursaries to emerging local chefs and also finances culinary education programs in BC schools. For more information or to become a member visit chefstablesociety.com. Get social with the chefs on FacebookInstagram, or Twitter.

About Slow Fish Canada
Slow Fish Canada is a campaign that focuses on issues related to fisheries, and encourages only the seasonal consumption of wild salmon, discourages the consumption of any form of farmed salmon, and is committed to the restoration of wild salmon stocks. Learn more about the Slow Fish Movement at  www.slowfood.com/slowfish/. Follow Slow Food Canada on Facebook and  Twitter.

 

Chefs' Table Society of BC hosts Wild Salmon Celebration August 25

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It's that beautiful midsummer time of year in BC when seasonal ingredients like peaches and tomatoes shine on our plates, and wild sockeye salmon makes its seasonal run.

On Saturday, August 25, 2018, join the Chefs' Table Society of British Columbia and the BC Salmon Marketing Council from 6:30pm-9pm, for a celebration of an iconic seasonal BC product: wild salmon. Tickets, $59, and more information here.

Tasting-sized dishes featuring BC wild sockeye salmon will be prepared by six well-known Chefs' Table Society of BC member  chefs, who unite for this event over their love of the ocean.

Grazing through six food stations and savouring BC Salmon Safe wines while live music plays, you will participate in the only outdoor high-end event celebrating BC wild salmon, generously provided by Grand Hale.

Participating Chefs:
Meet the lineup of participating chefs and the dishes they have exclusively prepared for this event:

Ned Bell, Ocean Wise
Cured and Crispy Wild BC Sockeye Salmon with Lime and Poblano Dressing, Cashew Cream and Crumble

Darren Clay, Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts
Baked Salmon, Horseradish Crust, Pickled Cucumber Salad, Beets, Dill Oil

TJ Conwi and Bruce Nollert, ono Vancouver (Private chef/food service consulting business)
Hawaiian Lomilomi Salmon, Coconut Taro Poi, Seaweed Tapioca Pearls Crackers

Mariana Gabilondo, La Mezcaleria
Tostadas - Habanero Ash Cured Salmon, Crispy Corn Tostada with Acuyo "Butter", Ancho Pearls, Plantain Crisps and Mixed Micro Greens.

Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson, Hawksworth
Gus' Famous Maple Candied Salmon with Horseradish & Garlic Scape

Lucais Syme, Cinara
Cured Sockeye Salmon with Caponata

Perfectly paired for a warm summer's night, Salmon Safe wines from local BC wineries, including  Covert Farm Family Estate, Intersection Estate Winery, Sage Hills Estate Winery, St. Hubertus & Oak Bay Estate Winery, Tinhorn Creek Vineyards, and VinAmité Cellars will be available for tasting. For those who want an alternative from wine, you are covered, as Whistler Brewing , Lonetree cider, and Shelter Point Distillery will also offer libations. 

And to make sure your sweet tooth is satisfied, Maestro James Coleridge, Uno Gelato, will treat everyone with seasonal gelato.

The waterfront al fresco style dinner, held on a warm summer night with the False Creek marine surroundings, makes a beautiful backdrop as people gather to taste, all in celebrating a local, sustainable delicacy.

"By having everyone come out to enjoy ocean-caught, sustainable salmon, we are showcasing the best of our coast," states Robert Belcham, Chefs' Table Society of BC president. "I look forward to seeing everyone there."

Learn more about the Chefs' Table Society, its values, how to join, this event and other upcoming activities on Twitter, Instagram or on Facebook .

Meet Robert Clark #withTownHall

By Leeann Froese It’s a new week to introduce an amazing person  #withTownHall!

If you are new to reading this blog or new to our company - we want you to know that we are proud that we have a big network, and we are continually meeting new and interesting personalities.

This week #withTownHall, we introduce you to chef Robert Clark.

croppedChef Robert Clark, The Fish Counter

Robert Clark is a chef, small business owner, author and seafood guru.

He is the owner of The Fish Counter, a Chefs' Table Society of BC member and one of the founders of Vancouver's Spot Prawn Festival, which returns to the city for its 10 year celebration May 13-15 with a gala, cooking classes and the traditional festival with spot prawn boil.

It was 10 years ago that Rob realized the Spot Prawn industry in BC was backwards and we needed to celebrate this local, sustainable and delicious prawn and enjoy it in our own backyards.

Along with the Spot Prawn Festival, he was instrumental in helping the Vancouver Aquarium create the Ocean Wise program and as such is a recognized founding partner. If you visit the Aquarium you'll  stumble across a larger-than-life photo of Rob and we do encourage selfies with it.

Rob's championing of sustainable seafood has been a part of his award-winning career as a chef and as such he removed all red-listed SeaChoice seafood items from his menu more than a decade ago.

Curious about how to cook spot prawns? This is one of Rob's recipes you can try once the season opens on May 12 in advance of the Spot Prawn Festival. Or join Rob at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts on May 14 for a Spot Prawn class!

With all of that said about chef Rob, will you please help us give a big hello to him?

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