Donor Profile

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Thank You To Our Adopt-A-Classroom Supporters!

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Each year, generous families and businesses donate to adopt a Growing Chefs classroom. These funds support the edible education experience for up to 25 B.C. kids through our Classroom Gardening & Cooking Program.

Image is of children sitting around a table in a classroom, looking at a plate of vegetables

Photo by Trudy Tran, T-Studio Marketing

Thank you to our Spring 2023 Adopt-A-Classroom supporters! 

Barbara Mackenzie (Vancouver classroom)

Connor, Clark & Lunn (Burnaby classroom)

Mary and Gordon Christopher Foundation (Vancouver classroom)

Les Dames D'Escoffier (Vancouver classroom)

Porte Communities (Vancouver classroom)

Port Moody Foundation (Port Moody classroom)

Adopting a classroom has many benefits, including receiving hand-made cards from the students, updates about the program in your classroom, and an invitation to watch the program in action. Teri from the Mary and Gordon Christopher Foundation recently visited a classroom and had this to say about the experience:

“Thank you for the fun experience this morning! My mom and I loved being with the kids! Growing Chefs is doing great work in classrooms.”

Please contact Afton Bell for more information on how you can adopt a classroom for fall 2023 or spring 2024! 

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How sweet it is!

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Sweet food industry friends, sweet flavours, and sweet essential funding for Growing Chefs.

Warm thanks to the Greater Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival for adding something oh-so-sweet to our winter. The Hot Chocolate Festival runs annually from January 15th to February 14th, highlights the skills and creativity of local restaurants, cafés, bakeries and chocolatiers, and raises essential funds for charities like us. The 2023 festival was as sweet as ever! 

Thank you to the patrons who purchased a hot chocolate—you not only supported a local business, but raised funds Growing Chefs! To all the businesses that participated, you knocked our socks off with your new flavours, skill, and generous donations. Thank you!

We can’t wait to see what sweetness is in store for 2024.

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Donor Shoutout: From Farms to Forks 13 Auction

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Thank you to all the people and local businesses that donated products, services, and experiences to the From Farms to Forks 13 Auction. Our winners have been gushing about the quality of the lovely packages, as they happily took them home to enjoy!

Check out the list of our generous Auction Donors below, you might find the perfect local business to support this winter. To everyone that donated to the auction - THANK YOU!

From Farms to Forks 13 Auction Donors:

Abeego

Agro Coffee Roasters

Anita's Organic Mill

Anja Jane

April Lacheur Art

Arterra Wines

Audain Art Museum

Authentic Wine & Spirits

Autostrada

Banyen Books & Sound

BC Lions

Bella Wines

Big White Ski Resort

Bon Macaron Patisserie

Boosh Foods

Canadian Outback Rafting

Climb Base5

Culmina Family Estate Wineries

Dalina

Davis Bay Tea Co.

Dead Frog Brewery

Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort

Dilly Dally

Earnest Ice Cream

Ellen Schwartz

Everything Wine (River District)

Fable Home

Fairmont Hotel Whistler

Fjallraven

Forbidden Vancouver

Four Winds Brewery

Gourmet Warehouse

Grizzli Winery

The Hive, North Shore

House of Knives

Iron Dog Books

Joey Restaurant

JOEY Restaurants

Kics Lemonade

Iris Lord & Lois Gagnon

Kidsbooks

Kitsch Wine

Kizzy's Macarons

Klippers Guest Suites

Klippers Organic Acres

Krause Berry Farm

Kula Kitchen

The Little Butcher

Little Creek Dressing

Little Kitchen Academy

Loot Toy Co

Mission Hill Family Estate Winery

Museum of Anthropology, UBC

Nature Bee

Off the Rail Brewing

Okanagan Lavender & Herb Farm

Olé Cocktail Co.

Pacific Coastal Airlines

Pacific National Exhibition

Pacific Theatre

Parallel 49 Brewery

Parkside Brewery

Penguin Random House

Pizzeria Farina

Plot Wines

Pomme Natural Market

Pure Float

Rio Theatre

River Safari

Roberts Creek Wellbeing

Row Fourteen

Saul Good Gift Co.

Sea to Sky Gondola

Search & Rescue Denim Co

Select Wines

Soirette Connections

Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub & Guesthouses

Sriracha Revolver

Supported Soul

Swallow Tail Canada

Terra Breads

Tru Earth

Untangled Craft Cider

Vancouver Circus School

Vancouver International Children's Festival

Vancouver Mysteries

Vancouver Mysteries

Vancouver Naturopathic Clinic

Vancouver Water Adventures

Vancouver Whitecaps

The Wildflower

Ziptrek Ecotours

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From Farms to Forks Auction – Coming this October!

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Spring is a busy time at Growing Chefs! Our spring program is in full swing and we are starting to plan our favourite fall fundraiser. That’s right, From Farms to Forks 13 is coming this October. From Farms to Forks is our biggest fundraiser and always includes a totally rad(ish) auction. Our auction features the best in B.C. experiences, services, products, food, and beverages. Plus, we make the niftiest, creative names for our auction packages. We might be a bit biased, but we think our auction is the best thing since sliced carrots.

If you have an item that you would like to donate to thE 2022 auction, please fill out our online form. We’d be very happy to hear from you!

We would like to give a big thank you to all the people and local businesses that donated to last year’s auction. Check out the list of our generous auction donors below, you might find the perfect business or experience to explore.

From Farms to Forks 12 Auction donors (scroll down for photos):

All of Oils Wholesome Oils & Vinegars
Anh and Chi
Anita's Organic Mill
Ask For Luigi
Autostrada
Bandidas
BC Lions
Burdock and Co.
Canadian Outback Rafting
Dalina
Davis Bay Tea Co.
Dead Frog Brewery
Di Beppe
Dilly Dally
Earls
Enotecca Wineries and Resorts Inc.
Fernwood Coffee Company
Forbidden Vancouver
Four Winds Brewery
Giovane Bacaro
Gourmet Warehouse
Greater Vancouver Zoo
House of Knives
Hume Hotel & Spa
Iron Dog Books
Island Eko Pantry
Jackie Frioud Pottery
Joey Restaurant
Kannusamy
Kidsbooks
Klippers Guest Suites
Klippers Organic Acres
Little Kitchen Academy
Loot Toy Co
Iris Lord
Lumette
Marzano
MIla
Modo
Farah Motani
Museum of Anthropology, UBC
Niche Grocerant
Penguin Random House
Pure Float
Ranger Teacrafters
Rio Theatre
Roberts Creek Wellbeing
Row Fourteen
Salt Spring Cider
Scandinave Spa
Ellen Schwartz
Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse
Search & Rescue Denim Co
Sea to Sky Gondola
Sheringham Distillery
Sons of Vancouver Distillery Ltd
SPUD
Stile Brands
Susgrainable
Tempo Dry Gin
Terminal City Brewing
The Keefer Bar
The Preservatory
Thomas Allen & Son
Tractor Everyday Healthy Foods
Untangled Craft Cider
Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Mysteries
Vancouver Naturopathic Clinic
Vancouver Water Adventures
What's Good Brands
Whole Foods Market
Jaydeen Williams
Ziptrek Ecotours




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You Warmed up our Winter!

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The 2022 Greater Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival has come to a close, but at Growing Chefs we are still feeling the warmth. This festival highlights the skills and creativity of local restaurants, cafés, bakeries and chocolatiers, and also helps raise funds for charities like us. The donations we received will help B.C. kids build connections to their food, the earth, local food systems, and with one another. Thank you to all the businesses that participated and to all the patrons that purchased a tasty hot chocolate. We are already excited to see what flavours are featured at next year’s festival!

Donor Shoutout: Culinary Cache

jjosuephotography_GrowingChefs2021_WEB-2.jpg

We soared through the From Farms to Forks Food Series, but we want to take a moment to look back and spread the love to our amazing sponsors and donors. Today we will be acknowledging those who contributed to our Culinary Cache, a complimentary gift bag that was delivered to our Food Series pass holders filled with tasty treats and products celebrating local food producers and businesses.

A big thank you to: Biota Fermentation, Dageraad Brewing, Davis Bay Tea Company, Earnest Ice Cream, East Van Jam, Edible Vancouver Magazine, Fresh Prep, Fresh Roots, Tempo Gin, Helmer's Organic Farm, House of Knives, KICS Lemonade, Klippers Organics, Legends Haul, Mission Hill Family Estate, Nature Bee Beeswax Wraps, Ono Vancouver, RISE Kombucha, Shaketown Brewing, Spread'Em Kitchen, The Preservatory, and Whole Foods Market.

An extra thank you to J. Josue Photography for capturing all of these images, Il Centro, Italian Cultural Centre for providing a safe space to pack our caches, our amazing volunteers from Traction on Demand for helping to pack everything, and Modo for zipping us around town! Below are photos of our team hard at work, and our donors LOVING their caches!

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Four Season Foraging

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FOUR SEASON FORAGING

Wednesday, October 13th at 7:30 pm (PST)

Spend time with Robin Kort of Swallow Tail Tours, Lori Snyder, Indigenous herbalist & educator, and Steph Ganea of Seeker’s Club to learn the ins and outs of foraging safely, ethically, and sustainably year round!

  • $75 ticket - Includes $25 tax receipt, reference materials, dish ingredients and recipe, and wine. Pickup on October 12th from 4:00-7:00PM at the Italian Cultural Centre, 3075 Slocan St, Vancouver.

  • $20 zoom-only ticket - Includes virtual access (no beverages/ingredients).

Guests will receive the ingredients and recipe to prepare a dish designed by Chef Devon Latte of The Acorn, and a bottle of wine from Mission Hill Family Estate.

Maple + Sherry Glazed Vancouver Island Chanterelles from Lance "Wildcraft" Staples, Caramelized Chanterelle Purée, Toasted Haida Gwaii Wakame. Finished with Harissa Olive Oil from Victoria Olive Oil Co.

Special Guests

Photo Credit: Food Network

Photo Credit: Food Network

Lori Snyder

Lori Snyder is a Métis herbalist and educator who shares the wisdom and traditions of her Indigenous roots. Tsuu T’ina, Anishinaabe, Cree, Nakoda, and Nipissing Nations are mixed with her Scottish, French, and Celtic ancestry. She shares knowledge with people of all ages, reminding us of the practices of reciprocity with all that exists.

My favourite local ingredient is: Any fruit or vegetable that grows locally, like salal berries.

The best advice I can give a child who wants to become a chef is: Try not to eat sugar so you can educate your palate and really taste the wonderful world of flavours.

My favourite meal to cook for myself is: Roasted vegetable lentil cumin soup.

If I could have any superpower it would be: The ability to clean up the ocean.

I believe programs like Growing Chefs are important because: Food is the gift of life, and anyone who shares that love is important.

Chef Robin Kort - Swallow Tail Tours

My favourite seasonal vegetable is: Tomato.

My favourite local ingredient is: Sea Urchin.

The best advice I can give a child who wants to become a chef is: Play with your food!

My favourite meal to cook for myself is: Congee with wild mushrooms is my comfort food.

My favourite food memory when I was a kid is: Picking berries with my Grandma and making Saskatoon berry pie.

I believe programs like Growing Chefs are important because: Having a healthy relationship with food and knowing where it comes from is just the right thing to engender in a kid, both for their own health and to show respect for the earth.

Steph Ganea - Seeker’s Club

My favourite seasonal vegetables are: Perfectly ripened heirloom or cherry tomatoes.

My favourite local ingredients are: Chanterelle or Lobster mushrooms.

The best advice I can give a child who wants to become a chef is: Help in the kitchen as much as you can! If you’re curious about an ingredient, ask, or research it yourself. Ask if you can experiment with one new ingredient or recipe a month. Try to grow a garden. Learn about your local wild edibles to really take your cooking skills to the next level.

If I could have any superpower it would be: Definitely flying. It would make getting to the best foraging spots a breeze.

Chef Devon Latte - The Acorn

My favourite local ingredient is: The bounty of local wild foraged mushrooms and greens!

My favourite food memory when I was a kid is: Gardening with my mom, grilling in the summers with my dad!

The best advice I can give a child who wants to become a chef is: Start cooking as much as possible in your younger years, read plenty of books on technique.  Understanding food is the most important part of cooking!

I believe programs like Growing Chefs are important because: This program is amazing.  Having the younger generation understand what it takes to grow food, even in urban environments, is extremely important.  In this new world of ultra-take out, cooking at home is becoming more and more rare. The act of showing and teaching kids to grow and cook food, how delicious and nutritious it really is, it's priceless!