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The Baker’s Market Returns To SE Vancouver February 16th

9 Feb

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The Baker’s Market is back for the Spring!  The first of 7 dates get under way Sunday, February 16th.  This much loved and well attended event took a hiatus this past fall while organizer, Connie, flew off to France.  She spent six months doing some intensive baking, studying and tastings to earn a Diplome de Patisserie from Le Cordon Blue in Paris, France.  Congratulations Connie!

If you haven’t attended this Baker’s Market, it is a community based event that brings out baking enthusiasts, pastry students, mommy bakers as well as budding entrepreneurs.  Each week you will find different bakers on hand offering a wide array of baked goods. Some of the delicious things you will find include exquisite French macarons by J’adore les Macarons, delicious lemons squares from The Lemon Square and delectable baked breads from the The Bread Lab. Other vendors on hand include Andrea’s Oven, GI Jane with Healthy Treats for hungry foodies and the ladies from Petit Four Pastries plus of course many more.  Each week has different vendors, so the offerings will be a bit different each time, but the types of goodies you can expect to find include organic muffins, brownies, handmade chocolates, Belgian waffles, scones, preserves, breads, tarts, granola and much more. If you have something specific you’d like, I do recommend you arrive early.

The Baker’s Market will be held at Moberly Arts & Cultural Centre, 7646 Prince Albert Street (60th & Fraser).  Admission to the market is free, there is ample parking and my favourite part, lots of samples! So come out and support your local talented creative bakers.   If you this miss the kick off Sunday, February 16th, not to worry, there will be 6 more markets on February 23rd, March 2nd,  March 9th,  April 20th, April 27th and May 4th. The market runs from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each Sunday. 

ColourMacaroons

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CiderWISE: A Cider & Gluten Free Beer Tasting Event At The Wise Hall February 8th

4 Feb

CiderWiseWiseHallYou are invited to CiderWISE taking place at the Wise Hall, 1882 Adanac Street, this Saturday, February 8th. The event brought to you by CAMRA Vancouver and Untapped will be a bit of an education and a bit of fun.  There will be an actual Education Stage with CAMRA Vancouver’s Danny Seeton who will talking about makes gluten free beer good and how the process has changed.  Also on hand, will be Alex who is a ‘cider evangelist’ from cidermonger.com.  He will discuss his passion for cider and give you the run down on all things cider.  His reputation I hear precedes him, so if you like cider, this is the man to talk to.

Want a bite of something to eat in between tastings? Culver City Salads Food Truck will be set up outside the Wise Hall for your snacking pleasure with gluten free salads of course.  They are getting quite the reputation around town. And I do mean that in a good way with good healthy innovative salads.

Tickets for CiderWISE are available at Brown Paper Tickets for $20 for CAMRA/WISE Members and $25 for non-members. Event kicks off at Noon and goes till 4:00 pm.

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Eat Drink Dance At Hawkers Market February 8th

3 Feb

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The Hawkers Market is back this Saturday, February 8th, at East Van Studios, 870 E. Cordova Street.  If you have not checked out this event, you are missing a delicious treat. This underground foodie event has a different group of vendors each month, so each market is unique. Lots of samples available and small affordable portions for purchase so you can taste your way around the room.

This weekend, for something sweet with Valentine’s Day approaching, you can expect to find Liam Brownrigg with some local honey products and chocolates by Bumble and Oak Chocolates as well as BPP Ice Cream featuring an adult sundae bar. Refreshments will be provided by 33 Acres Brewing Co. and Oollo Tea to name but two.  Other vendors on hand include Flip Flip Truck, Wonton Girl and more. Come tantalize your taste buds and help support young local entrepreneurs.Tickets are $10 in advance and available online at Eventbrite or at the door for $15. Event gets underway at 7:00 pm. 

Would you like to win 2 tickets to this weekend’s Hawkers Market?  Check out the contest with the Georgia Straight for your chance to win. You have until February 5th to enter.

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Are You A Baker? Would You Like to Sell Some Sweet Or Savoury Goods? If so, River District Is Looking For You!

29 Jan

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River District Centre, 8683 Kerr Street, in SE Vancouver is hosting an indoor baked goods market for five Sundays in March starting March 2nd.  They are on the hunt for 13 local bakers who wish to sell their baked goods to the public. The markets will run every Sunday in March, being March 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Admission will be free to the public.  If you are interested in being a vendor, visit their website at River District to review the Vendor Information and Temporary Food Market guidelines.  Application deadline is Tuesday, February 4th.  Vendors accepted for Baker’s Dozen will be notified by February 7th. To apply, see online Vendor Application.

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Sunday School Wine Education Is Back At Vancouver Urban Winery

22 Jan

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Starting this Sunday, January 26th, Vancouver Urban Winery’s Sunday School is back with some wine education classes.  This weekend’s class is “The Price is Wrong”.   They will help answer what price has got to do with it when choosing wines.  The hosts will take you through a series of blind tastings of both inexpensive as well as some more expensive wines. To keep things fair, the wines will be from the same grape and the same country, just a different price tag.   You decide what you like best, as in the end, it all comes down to taste and what you like.  Classes run from 7:00 – 9:00 pm, doors open at 6:00 pm and you are invited to stay post class for a mix & mingle from 9:00 – 10:00 pm. Tickets are $40 and available from Vancouver Urban Winery, 55 Dunlevy Avenue. If you can’t make this week’s class, upcoming classes include:

February 16:              France vs the New World

March 16:             Sommelier Smack Down: the Rematch (SOLD OUT)

March 30:            Sommelier Smack Down (Bonus Class Added)

April 20:               Food Fight: The Great Beer vs. Wine Showdown

May 18:                 BC vs. the World: Round III

June 15:                The Cider House Rules

For more information or to purchase tickets visit EventBrite, or email the winery at info@vancouverurbanwinery.com or call them at T:  604.566.9463.

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Gluten Free Expo At The PNE Forum Building January 25th & 26th

20 Jan

GlutenFreeExpoVancouverIn case you missed the recent news story in the Vancouver Sun, Vancouver is the gluten free capital.  Organizers of last year’s Gluten Free Expo held at the Vancouver Trade & Convention Centre expected some 3,000 to 5,000 visitors, but instead 25,000 people showed up. This gives you some sense of the level of interest in gluten free living in Vancouver.   This year’s Expo will be held at the PNE Forum Building, 2901 East Hastings Street on January 25th & 26th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Whatever your reason for your interest in gluten free living whether medical, allergies or just general health, you will find a wealth of information at the Gluten Free Expo.  As well as a long list of exhibitors, a number of Speaker Series have been scheduled. Topics include: 

– Successful Strategies for Living Gluten-Free

– Allergen and Gluten Free, Plant-Based Living

– Using Immune boosting Gluten Free Grains

– You’re What You Absorb: Eat to support digestive wellness

For a full rundown of the Speaker Series and their times, visit their website at Gluten Free Expo Vancouver. Advance tickets are available online for $12 or you can purchase them for $15 at the door (cash only).  Children under the age of 10 are free.

If you are unable to attend the Expo this weekend, but wish to learn more about gluten free living in Vancouver, I invite you to check out Gluten Free Vancouver.

Also, why not check out some of the these local East Van bakeries offering great gluten free foods:

THE GLUTEN FREE EPICUREAN is a great bakery that offers light lunches as well as having a take & bake section. They are located at 633 East 15th Avenue (Fraser & Kingsway) and are open Monday to Saturday 9:00 am – 6:00 pm and Sunday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm.  They have a great selection of cakes, muffins, cookies, bars, pastries, cranberry pecan or olive fig artisan crackers, a frozen food section with items to take home including vegan pizza dough, pie crusts sausage & veggie rolls and precooked pot pies & quiches.   Did I mention donuts! Lots of vegan offerings as well.

EAST VILLAGE BAKERY, 2166 E. Hastings Street. This is another great spot with delicious cookies including coconut macaroons, chocolate lava, rosehip thumbprints and pistachio lemon.  But their specialty is bread, baked fresh daily. The Gluten Free Buckwheat Seed Loaf is their most popular.  They also have some great vegan options including a vegan raspberry pecan bar.   They are open Wednesday to Friday 9:30 a.m. – 7:00 pm, Saturday & Sunday 9:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and closed Monday & Tuesday.

ITALIA BAKERY, #104 – 2828 East Hastings Street, recently announced that they are now carrying some gluten free and vegan cookies, muffins and banana bread. They are open Monday to Saturday 9:00 am to 6:00 pm and Sunday 9:00 – 5:00 pm.

Do you know of a place in East Vancouver that has a great selection of gluten free products? Feel free to share and add to the comments section.

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East Van: Powell Street Self-Guided Tour – Odd Society Spirits, Parallel 49 Brewing Company & More

15 Jan

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I recently had the pleasure of some wanderings with friends exploring Powell Street at the foot of Commercial Drive.  This is a unique area with lots to tantalize the taste buds. I will make the bold prediction that this will be a destination location on a foodie/culinary tour before long. This is an area I highly encourage you to visit.  Why you might ask?   Well lets see, there is the Michelin trained chef at Kessel & March, the distillers of East Van Vodka at Odd Society Spirits with a beautiful Tasting Room and a Crème de Cassis that’s absolutely delicious. Then there are the brewmasters at Powell Street Brewery, Coal Harbour Brewing, Parallel 49 Brewing and Storm Brewing.  If that wasn’t enough, there is now the Bistro Wagon Rouge, sister restaurant to the Red Wagon Café, which serves up delicious casual French fare.

You can check out any of these spots at your leisure, but we’ve set out some recommendations so you can do your own self-guided tour:

  1. Breakfast/Brunch at Kessel & March located at 109 -1701 Powell Street, the Vancouver East Village calls it “ simple and sophisticated eats in an intimate and classy environment”.   Mia Stainsby of the Vancouver Sun says it “has the soul of a fine French bistro”. Great spot to start out for breakfast or lunch. Kessel & March is open Saturday and Sunday for brunch starting at 10:00 am.Parallel49RubyTears
  2. Need to walk off brunch?  Take a short walk from Kessel & March (3 ½ blocks) to Parallel 49 Brewing Company located at 1946 Triumph Street (at Victoria Street).  You can try a flight of 4 beers for $3.50, a sleeve for $3.00 or a tasting glass for $1.00.   Parallel 49 is open from Noon – 9:00 pm daily.  Don’t forget to check out their special infusions for the day.  Also, if you are try this spot closer to dinner time, don’t be surprised to find one of the City’s many great food trucks outside.
  3. Another short walk from Parallel 49 Brewing Company (1 ½ blocks) will take you to Powell Street Craft Brewery located at 1830 Powell Street. They also have a Tasting Room and showcase some local art.  They have a Brown Porter the brewers say will “shock your senses with an explosive bomb of flavor”. It’s said to have a deep roasted malt character with hints of caramel, toffee, chocolate, and nuts.  Oh, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that this little brewery won big at the Canadian Brewing Awards this past year with Beer of the Year for its Old Jalopy Pale Ale.  This nano-brewer beat out 764 entries. Obviously, they are are doing something right. Powell Street Craft Brewery is open Wednesday to Saturday 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
  4. Coal Harbour Brewing is in the neighbourhood located at 1967 Triumph Street, but as yet no Tasting Room, but I hear Kessel & March carries their beer.
  5. Storm Brewing Company is located at 310 Commercial Drive.  This is a small craft brewery open Tuesday – Saturday with Wednesday being ‘brew day’ if you wish to watch that process. They offer informal tours anytime during business hours which I believe is until 6:00 pm. Best to call the brewery directly for their hours if you wish to make this part of your tour. UPDATE: Starting April 6th, 2014 Storm Brewing will be open Sundays from 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
  6. Take a short walk from Storm Brewing Company (2 ½ blocks) to Odd Society Spirits, located at 1725 Powell Street, to taste some East Van Vodka and Crème de Cassis, gin to be coming soon. They have a beautiful Tasting RooEastVanVodkam and the hosts are happy to share how they became distillers and what they are working on now.  From what I gather, they love to experiment.  Tours run regularly at 4:00 pm. Friday, Saturdays and Sundays.  Tasting Room hours are Thursday to Sunday from 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm. If you want to learn a bit more about the great minds behind this operation, check this recent write up in Eat Magazine.
  7. Now it’s probably time for some food. For that, take a short walk (1 block) over to Bistro Wagon Rogue located at 1869 Powell Street. This is casual French food with lots of daily specials written up on the chalk board as well as their regular menu.   Many of the dishes are perfect for sharing. TheBistroWagonRougey also have a very nice wine selection and great service. To learn more about their delicious dishes, check out the most recent review in the Georgia Straight. Bistro Wagon Rouge is open Tuesday – Saturday 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm.
  8. If you aren’t ready to call it a day, you can always make your way over to the Princeton Pub at 1901 Powell Street which often has live music.

Some of the craft breweries and Bistro Wagon Rogue are not open Sundays, so you may wish to pick your days as to which spots you wish to visit, or break them up into a couple of visits. Regardless, how you do the tour, this is a great spot for exploring.

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East Side Brunch Crawl January 26th

9 Jan

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Dine Out Vancouver, Canada’s largest restaurant festival gets under way January 17th with another fun event in East Vancouver, the East Side Brunch Crawl.  This event is being presented by Vancouver Foodster (Richard Wolak) and the Drive Business Improvement Association.  The event will take place on Sunday, January 26th and begins at 10:00 am at LaLa’s, 1748 Commercial Drive. Here you will pick up your “passport” which is your guide to 8 restaurants on Commercial Drive.  From there, you begin your food crawl which includes fresh juices, smoothies, coffees, eggs benedict, pancakes, French toast, omelettes, meats, desserts and more.  Some of the participating restaurants include Timbre Restaurant, Dolce Amore, Yolks Breakfast and Turks Coffee.  Outside of your passport, we do recommend you bring your appetite. Cost for the East Side Brunch Crawl is $40 and includes all food and beverage samples at participating locations. Note, tax and gratuities not included. To purchase your tickets for the East Side Brunch Crawl, visit Tickets Tonight.

 

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Tipper Restaurant & Review Continues Saturday Night Supper Series

8 Jan

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The Tipper Restaurant and Review Room continues their Saturday Concert Series in 2014. On deck this Saturday night is Neighbourhood Night with hosts Andrea Smith and Barbara McGeough.  Hopefully, Andrea will do a song or two for everyone. This woman has an amazing voice with the looks of Meryl Streep and bit of the devil may care attitude that seems to go with both these women.   Then on Saturday, January 18th, The Tipper Room welcomes Just Duets and on Saturday, February 1st, the local bluegrass band, Highrise Lonesome.

Each of the evenings, music begins at 8:00 p.m., but doors open at 7:15 p.m. Reservations are not available, so either come early for dinner and grab your seat, or come and have a drink while you watch the show.  Cost of show is $10 at the door or pay what you can.  The Tipper Restaurant and Review Room is located at 2066 Kingsway at Victoria Drive.

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East Van Craft Brew & Culinary Tours Starting January 18th

6 Jan

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In case you haven’t heard, Dine Out Vancouver gets under way on January 17th.  Dine Out Vancouver is billed as Canada’s largest restaurant festival. This annual event is produced by Tourism Vancouver and presented by American Express.  This is a 17 day calendar of culinary events with hotel options.  The festival gives diners the opportunity to select from over 200 restaurants each offering unique three course prix-fix meals at $18, $28 or $38 per person. The full line up of restaurants will be announced today, January 6th. 

What caught my interest this year is the number of special events being featured as part of Dine Out Vancouver. Some of the events include guided dining adventures, culinary and cocktail tours, cooking classes and demonstrations, debates, guest lectures, BC wine and craft beer tastings and more. For a full listing, click on Events.

East Van will be showcased by Vancouver Brewery Tours and Off The Eaten Track. They have combined their talents to offer the East Van Craft Brew & Culinary Tour.  On this tour you will stop at two local breweries and three food stops in East Vancouver. You will learn about the growing craft beer movement with samples, of course, and be able to meet some of the people that make this “liquid gold”.  After your thirst is quenched, they will take you to the very up-and-coming East Village to sample some locally made sausages, traditional Roman pizza and a stout-infused cake. I’m going to take a shot in the dark here that this is the rather famous Black & Tan Cake at Black Rook Bakehouse, but don’t take my word for it.  Taste it! It’s on a Top 10 List of Things You Must Try Before You Die.  It’s certainly on my Top 10 list. If you wish to participate in the East Van Craft Brew & Culinary Tour, you best hop to it. Tours have been scheduled for 7 dates, 3 of which are already sold out.  Dates the tours are still available (as of today’s writing) are January 18th, 23rd, 24th and 31st.  The tour begins at 3:00 pm and runs for 3 hours.  Cost is $65 and includes all food and beverage samples at 5 different locations, transportation, an experienced tour guide and tax.  Tours begin at Waterfront Station. Tickets are available online through Tickets Tonight.

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