VanFoodies.com

30 Food Stations + 10+ Beverage Stations  + Live Jazz + 300 guests = One unusual fundraiser.

A few weeks ago we told you about Hot Chefs Cool Jazz VI, a fundraiser for Bocuse d’Or Canada and the 2011 team led by Chef Ryan Stone. VanFoodies.com was invited to attend this event, so Mr. and I went and let me tell you, it’s quite the privilege to have some of BC’s top chefs cooking for you at the same spot.

300 guests enjoy an evening of food & wine

How it works?

Each of the food stations was paired with a beverage station. Guests were encouraged to explore by matching each dish with its respective beverage pairing. And to make it easy for us (especially after a few drinks), the pairings were marked with matching colour of table cloths.

Luscious Food Station

Luscious Beverage Station

Not only did this event showcase the culinary talent we have in our province, it also featured local agriculture and aquaculture products. All wines were from BC wineries and local ingredients such as albacore tuna, spot prawns, oysters and scallops were used.

So without further adieu, take out your bib and let us walk you through this mouth-watering photo blog post.

Participating Restaurants

Here are some restaurants that we’ve tried and their respective dishes:

Bocuse d’Or Canada (Chef Chris Mills)

BC albacore tuna & pink grapefruit salad

C Restaurant

Open face “oyster club”

Five Sails Restaurant

Chilled local BC spot prawn

Hapa Izakaya

Fresh spot prawn shooter

La Belle Auberge (My favourite of the evening)

Peace River lamb shoulder

L’Abattoir Restaurant (new restaurant opening in Gastown this summer)

Dungeness crab & chickpea toast

Moxie’s (Title Sponsor of Bocuse d’Or Canada)

Preparing Chipotle pulled pork sliders

Oru Restaurant (Similar to what’s offered during Dine Out but different cooking method)

Sake Kasu sablefish

Savoury Chef Foods

Canapes style

Petit Fours

The Peartree Restaurant

Chocolate ganache & chocolate orange sorbet

The Wildflower Restaurant

Rabbit rillette

Vancouver Community College Culinary Arts

raised rabbit leg & wild green salad

Vij’s Restaurant (Mr.‘s favourite of the evening)

Garam masala portobello mushroom

Final Thoughts

We had a chance to speak with Chef Ryan Stone and the Bocuse d’Or Canada manager Chef Vincent Parkinson and got their thoughts about Bocuse d’Or 2011 and the Canadian culinary industry as a whole. It was a pleasure meeting them.

From right: Chef Parkinson, Moxie’s President, Chef Stone and Chef Humphreys of Moxie’s

Meanwhile, check out the full image gallery from the event: