On November 6th, 2022 we welcomed guests to the beautiful dining room at the Pacific Institute of Arts on Granville Island, for the 13th annual From Farms to Forks fundraiser. This was our first year back in person after two years of online programming, and it felt so good to mingle with our nearest and dearest. We also raised over $40,000 through ticket sales, auctions and raffles! We are so grateful for these funds which will help us continue to share educational programming in 2023. Growing Chefs founder, Merri Schwartz even wrote a poem to express her gratitude, which you can read here.
We enjoyed some incredible dishes thanks to a team of very talented volunteer chefs. Their creativity and skill with flavours really made the night one to remember. The evening’s menu included:
Puffed pastry with poached pears, winter squash and grilled halloumi from Dallan Schell of The Arbor, partnered with Hannah Brook Farms
Whipped, smoked eggplant/almond ricotta creme, herbed crisp, vegan hunnie (Mindful Fud). Pickled beet thread from Karen McCarthy of Lumi Foods
Olive octopus anticucho from PICA, partnered with Fresh Roots
Sunchoke and pine mushroom terrine with juliette goat Camembert cream and preserved fig from Andrea Carlson of Burdock & Co., partnered with Hazelmere Organic Farm
Ash toasted beets, caramelized whey, pear & hazelnut from Derek Gray at Row Fourteen, partnered with Klippers Organics
63 Acres Beef cheeks, burnt butter sunchokes, radicchio agrodolce, preserved greens from Tret Jordan of Truffles Fine Foods, partnered with Glorious Organics
Fall squash 3 ways-mini chickpea crepes, duck bacon, Moroccan viniagrette from Sheldon Maloff of Provence Marinaside, partnered with Solstedt Organics
Spot Prawn Bisque, Smoked Sablefish Cream, Spiced Macro Kelp Dust from Julian Bonds of Organic Ocean
Hojicha chocolate coated cake, hojicha cream, quince jelly from Bev Tsang & Greg Uyeda at Aiyaohno Cafe, partnered with Sole Food Farms and Earnest Ice Cream
Squash pudding, candied squash, coffee cream and cocoa nibs from Gizelle Pare of Row Fourteen, partnered with Klippers Organics and East Van Roasters
The room glowed thanks to beautiful flower arrangements donated by De La Flore, Our Little Flower Company, and The Granville Island Florist. Just as sparkling was the wit and charm of our emcees, Margaret Gallagher and Shiva Reddy who both generously donated their time.
We are so grateful to all of our donors. We encourage you to take a look at this list of supporting B.C. businesses and organizations and consider giving them your business wherever possible.
We would also be remiss if we didn’t mention our incredible sponsors one final time:
It was a wonderful evening full of delicious food, friends breaking bread together, and coming together to raise funds for a cause everyone really got behind. Our thanks to Jordan Marley for the photography. We are looking forward to a new year of programming and hope we will see you there!