SCENE | HEARD
Vancouver’s hospitality industry is rallying around well-loved and respected chef Tina Fineza, one-half of Service Excellence, a well-regarded local hospitality consultancy group. Fineza was recently diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer, and will need to take a year off from work to undergo chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. Tina has cooked in top restaurants around the city, including Lumiere, Diva at the Met, and Bin 942, as well as consulting on such wide-ranging projects as Commune Café, East of Main, and The Roaming Dragon food truck, among others. The BC Hospitality Foundation will match all donations up to $5,000. Donations can be made through FundRazr.
Vancouver Island Salt Co. has won a $100,000 award from TELUS with their environmentally friendly plan to expand their local, artisan sea salt into the global market. VISaltCo.com
Eater.com, the popular food news chain of sites, has closed down their Toronto and Vancouver sites, as well as a handful of other sites across the North American network. The stated reason for closure was lack of visitors. The Vancouver site reportedly received 35,000-40,000 monthly visitors.
Craft Beer Market is now using 100 per cent green electricity via Bullfrog Power, reducing their CO2 emissions by 100 tonnes. Your beer just got a little less guilty.
Langley’s House of Q has won the BBQ Off the Bypass barbecue competition earlier this month. First runner-up was Rusty’s BBQ from Port Moody. BBQOnTheBypass.com
The Dirty Apron Cooking School & Deli is launching their first cookbook next month, with recipes, tips and tricks for creating foolproof dishes. DirtyApron.com
Merridale Ciderworks, BC’s first craft distillery, has released a seven-year-old whiskey. Less than 30 cases will be made, so get it while it’s here. MerridaleCider.com
DRINK | DINE
On Oct. 1, Cibo Trattoria will be hosting a special wine dinner. Cibo GM and wine director Robert Stelmachuk will share the stage with wine expert Kurtis Kolt as they engage in the “Bottle Royale,” pitting BC wines against counterparts from around the world. The five-course menu includes two wine pairings with each course. Tickets $140 per person. CiboTrattoria.com
Movies at Market is back starting on Oct. 3 and 4 with a screening of Chef. Begin the evening with a glass of bubbly and gourmet popcorn for the movie, followed by a four-course dinner from Market Chef de Cuisine Montgomery Lau. Tickets $78, optional wine pairings available. MarketByJGVancouver.com
Bestie has begun serving brunch Saturdays and Sundays, 11am-3pm. Look for sausage-focused bennies, as well as the classic currywursts. Bestie.ca
The Parker is giving back in a big way. For every private holiday party booked, The Parker will feed 100 individuals through Mealshare. That office party just got a little more worthy. TheParkerVancouver.com
