It's Back! From Farms to Forks Year 12!

For Immediate Release
Vancouver + Victoria, BC:

Growing Chefs’ From Farms to Forks is returning for its 12th year this October! Like our palates, this event has evolved over the years and has grown from a one-night event into a series of events that are accessible across Vancouver and Victoria-- and virtually for those across B.C. and Canada! 

This series of events is a celebration of local chefs, restaurants, and food producers while highlighting the importance of community and connection surrounding food. For the safety of all including chefs, restaurants, and guests, From Farms to Forks will remain online this year but each online event will be jam-packed with energy, education, and eats!

The aim is to raise $65,000 for Growing Chefs edible education programming and initiatives throughout the upcoming school year supporting B.C. kids and their families. This is an opportunity for foodies around the province to show their love for the Industry while supporting the next generation of food lovers. 

With five online events plus an online auction and 50/50 raffle there are multiple ways for food lovers around B.C. and Canada to get involved throughout the five-week fundraising event. The online auction and 50/50 raffle will run from Friday, October 1, 2021 until Sunday, November 7, 2021 that is open to everyone. 

Tickets for the five-week event go on sale on Wednesday, September 1, 2021 at 9am. Tickets are limited.

The 2021 Lineup of Events are: 

• Sunday, October 3, 2021 at 8:00PM - Culinary Kick-Off & Secret Menu takeout dinner*
  Join us for the kick-off party and enjoy menus from a small selection (shhh it’s a secret) of Vancouver and Victoria restaurants with special guests popping into the event to say hello! Part of the series pass only.

• Wednesday, October 13, 2021 at 7:30PM - Four Season Foraging*
  Spend the evening with Robin Kort of Swallow Tail Tours and other foraging experts and educators to learn the ins and outs of foraging safely, ethically, and sustainably year round! Part of the series pass or individually priced.

• Wednesday, October 20, 2021 at 6:00PM - Catching Fillings - For the Love of Dumplings (Cooking Class)*
  How do dumplings connect to us, our cuisines, and our cultures? Let Chefs Karima Chellouf, Matthew Murtagh-Wu and more guide you through a dumpling-folding class as they share their techniques, their stories, and their love of dumplings! Part of the series pass or individually priced.

• Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 8:00PM - Trivial Charcutes Local Food Trivia*
  You’ll be served up 12 courses of delicious local food trivia  hosted by Growing Chefs’ own trivia buff and Program Director Amanda Adams! Halloween costumes are encouraged and there will be lots of treats to win! Part of the series pass or individually priced.

• Saturday, November 6, 2021 at 10:00AM - Choose Your Own Brunch Adventure (Family Cooking Class)*
  Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but Brunch is an event with this Family Cooking Class which allows the kids in your life to get their hands dirty and start their day with food, fun, and family! Part of the series pass or individually priced.

*Please note these events may include a drop-off or pick-up of partial ingredients/beverages from a central location in either Vancouver or Victoria.

Passes for access to all five events of the Food Series are $250 per person or $450 per couple (and include a $200 or $400 charitable tax receipt, respectively). The Secret Menu takeout dinner for October 3rd is an added $50 per ticket which goes directly to the restaurant. All pass holders will receive a Culinary Cache filled with tasty treats and products with a focus on preventing food waste and food preservation from local food producers and businesses. The Culinary Cache is limited to the first 100 pass holders- so get your tickets early! 

Prices for individual events vary. Individual event tickets range from $20 (for virtual access only) to $75 (includes ingredients and/or beverages).

Tickets and additional information will be available on www.growingchefs.ca. 

We’re grape-ful to have Mission Hill Family Estate Winery back this year as our wine sponsor. 

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For additional information please contact:

Media Contact
Kathleen Beveridge
kmhbeveridge at gmail.com
604.999.1934

Development & Communications Director, Growing Chefs
Jaydeen Williams
jaydeen at growingchefs.ca
604.710.1677

Family Cooking Class: Summer Gazpacho

Join us for our ‘Family Cooking Class: Summer Gazpacho’ with Chef Morgan and learn how to make a cooling, delicious summer soup.

Chef Morgan has planned a fun and exciting “choose your own adventure” style gazpacho recipe and live cooking class for kids and families (grown-up supervision recommended). Join us as we learn how to make a delicious and nutritious cold summer soup that you can easily customize to your family’s personal tastes. Learn about seasonal fruits and vegetables and find out what the difference is between a baton and a batonnet. There will be plenty of hands-on opportunities to learn and practice kid-friendly kitchen skills during this event.

Family Cooking Class: Summer Gazpacho

In support of Growing Chefs. Where kids’ connections to food take root.
$25 | July 28, 2021 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM PST

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Knives for little hands!

Looking for a beginner-friendly knife? Check out the Kussi Kids Knife from House of Knives. 

"The Kussi Kids Chef Knife was designed for kids with the help of kids and is great for all beginners in the kitchen, no matter their age! Crafted from German quality steel for great edge retention, the blade shape and length are just right. The blade is wide enough to allow for some knuckle clearance—perfect for learning the basic rock and cross chop techniques. Designed with safety in mind, the rubberized handle ensures a non-slip grip, even when wet! The rounded blade tip and safety choil make sure that little fingers don’t slip onto the blade." - House of Knives

Use promo code GROWINGCHEFS when shopping at houseofknives.ca and 10% will be donated to Growing Chefs!

Get your kids and grownups into the kitchen! Can’t wait. Hope to see you there.

Once Upon a Thyme - Food Trivia

Looking for a fun way to support Growing Chefs’ spring edible education programming? Check out our Once Upon a Thyme - Food Trivia event next Tuesday, April 27th at 7:00 pm PST.

Once Upon a Thyme will be an exciting, interactive, virtual food trivia game designed for adults. This trivia night's theme will be the story behind food (On the Origin of Pea Seeds, if you will). At this event, you can learn more about where food comes from, plus, top players will be eligible to win some great prizes from our favourite local producers! Zoom-only tickets are $15 each, and tickets that include a 4-pack/6-pack of local beer are $28. Those who purchase Trivia + Beer Tickets will be required to pick up their 4-pack/6-pack of beer from select local breweries before the event.

Participating breweries include Bridge Brewing Company in North Vancouver, The Parkside Brewery in Port Moody, and Strange Fellows Brewing in Vancouver.

Prize sponsors include Lonetree Cider, Lonsdale BridgeDeck, Mogiana Coffee, RISE Kombucha, Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse, and Whistler Brewing Co.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Simon Rao is a Graphic Design student at LaSalle College Vancouver. Growing Chefs is lucky to benefit from Simon's creativity and dedication in the marketing designs for this event. Thank you, Simon!

Family Cooking Class on March 18th - Let's Meet the Chef!

This Spring Break, we’ve planned super fun, interactive online experiences for elementary school-aged kids between March 15th and March 26th. These activities will provide kids with the opportunity to explore their local food system, meet local food champions, and continue learning about growing and cooking. One of these upcoming events is a virtual cooking class for the whole family with our good friend and long-time Growing Chefs volunteer Chef Linda Olson!

SOUP-RISE COOKING CLASS
(ages 5-13)
THURSDAY, MARCH 18TH
5:00-6:30PM PST

Chef Linda has planned a fun and exciting “choose your own adventure” style recipe and live cooking class for kids and families (adult supervision recommended). Join us as we learn how to make a delicious and nutritious vegetable soup that you can easily customize to your family’s personal tastes. Learn about seasonal vegetables and find out what mirepoix is and how to make one. There will be plenty of hands-on opportunities to learn and practice kid-friendly kitchen skills during this event.

We’re incredibly grateful and excited to have Chef Linda join us for this event and we’d love for you to get to know her as well!

How did you get into cooking? 

I discovered my passion for food and flavours while working at the Stock Market on Granville Island. At the same time, I met my future husband who loved cooking and encouraged me to pursue a career in food.

Why do you think it's important to get kids involved in the kitchen? 

I believe that when kids take an active role in growing and preparing food, they are more likely to try new things and give healthier foods a chance. 

Why you support Growing Chefs? 

I think a lot of people have lost touch with the true value of food and local food systems. I believe that understanding where your food comes from is important for people of all ages, but the earlier you learn it, the better! The growing aspect of Growing Chefs is just as important as the cooking aspect in my opinion.

What's your favourite local food this time of year?

It’s a tough time of year for local food! Lots of squashes and root vegetables that have made it through the winter. I also grow tomatoes in an indoor hydroponic garden  so I’m loving having fresh extremely local tomatoes for dinner!

Chef Linda is the Kitchen Manager at Truffles Fine Foods. Started in 2005 by owner Nin Rai, Truffles Fine Foods honed its excellent reputation by catering for the film industry in the Greater Vancouver area. Based out of South Vancouver, Truffles quickly grew its reputation as being able to meet the most demanding requirements of sets and film starts – from one-day shoots to full-length feature films, with all of the necessary equipment to provide delicious food, snacks, and beverage service. It didn’t take long to notice that the skills, experience, and equipment in the film catering industry could easily transition to providing the same high-quality service to non-film clients. After working in the high-pressure environment of film catering, it was a simple evolution to offer catering for other types of events, big or small.

Participation in this event is $10. If this cost is a barrier to participating for you and your learner(s) please reach out to us at admin@growingchefs.ca. We will make sure that everyone who wants to participate in our online learning events is able to. Please note this ticket price does not include the cost of ingredients, you will be sent a shopping list in advance and be responsible for sourcing your own ingredients.