Chefs' Table Society
Fundraising Dinner at Elixir

Vancouver's Top Chefs, Food Producers, Sommeliers & More ...

Vancouver, BC – The Chefs’ Table Society (CTS) of BC is pleased to announce a very special fundraising dinner at Elixir bistro moderne at the Opus Hotel. Taking place on Monday March 10th, 2008, this unique event brings together Vancouver’s leading chefs, food producers and wine media for an unparalleled collaboration that is sure to be an extraordinary and interactive dining experience. Tickets are $250.00 for six courses including wine pairings, with net proceeds going towards the creation of bursaries and scholarships for young, emerging and student chefs through the CTS.

The theme of this exclusive evening is fermentation and cultured food, featuring canapés and a six course dinner prepared by a collaboration of Vancouver’s top restaurants. While the executive chefs host a table of guests, their sous chefs will showcase their skills and execute the dinner. The wine pairings for each course will be chosen by a team of Vancouver’s leading sommeliers and wine media.

Executive Chef Don Letendre came up with the concept and is graciously hosting the event at his celebrated Elixir bistro. “The idea is to bring together a collaboration of chefs, producers, sommeliers and wine media to create a one of a kind dining experience” says Letendre.

“The CTS is all about supporting young & emerging chefs so we are going to have our sous chefs create the dishes and execute the dinner. It’s a rare opportunity for the sous chefs to showcase their skills and participate in an event like this. I chose fermentation as the theme for the dinner for I wanted to give these young chefs a challenge and really get them to put some thought into the history and significance of the ingredients used in their dish.”

The entertaining evening will begin at 6:00pm with a reception at Opus bar featuring sparkling wine and canapés from: David Hawksworth, Restaurant at the Georgia Hotel; Vikram Vij, Vij’s Restaurant; Robert Belcham, Fuel Restaurant; and Yuji Otsuka, Yuji’s Japanese Tapas. Guests can peruse and bid on fabulous silent auction packages while enjoying mouth watering canapés.

At 7:00pm, guests will take their seats and join a table hosted by a celebrity chef, a local producer and a media personality. Dinner will be served and wines poured by Vancouver’s top sommeliers, while the participating restaurants sous chefs will be hard at work in the kitchen preparing the six course meal.

The incredible lineup of participating restaurants and host chefs include: Bishop’s, Andrea Carlson & Sous Chef Terry Somerville; Parkside, Andrey Durbach & Sous Chef Derek Reinhardt; Aurora Bistro, Jeff Van Geest & Sous Chef Hugh Carbary; Elixir, Don Letendre & Sous Chef Julian Owen-Mold; C Restaurant, Rob Clark & Sous Chef Quang Dang; the Pear Tree, Scott Jaeger & Sous Chef Lee Cooper; and petit fours from Thomas Haas (see menu below).

The Chefs’ Table Society Fundraising Dinner at Elixir is on Monday March 10th, 2008. Tickets are $250.00 including tax and gratuity and can be purchased by calling Elixir at (604) 642-0557. The reception and silent auction begins at 6:00pm at Opus Bar and dinner starts at 7:00pm.

Chefs Table Society Fundraising Dinner at Elixir. Fermentation & Cultured Food
$250.00 including tax and gratuity

Reception Canapés
- Roast Sablefish, Chorizo, Capers and Almonds – David Hawksworth, the Hotel Georgia
- Beer Spiked Indian Street Nuts – Vikram Vij, Vij’s
- Fuel's Finocchiono, Crisp Sourdough, Orange Mostardo – Robert Belcham, Fuel Restaurant
- "Battera" Saba wrapped in Kelp Paper, "Shoyuzuke" Salmon Caviar, Vinegar Chaser – Yuji Otsuka, Yuji’s Japanese Tapas
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Amuse
House Made Sunchoke Beer with a Sweet Miso Gelly, Pickled Vegetables and Enoki Mushroom Tempura – Bishop’s
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1st Course
Tournedos of Scallops Wrapped in Duck Ham, Choucroute Confit of Cepes, Sherry Vinegar Beurre Noisette - Parkside
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2nd Course
Coq au Vin, Polderside Farm Redbro Chicken, Cippolini Onions, Hedgehog Mushrooms – Aurora Bistro
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3rd Course
Fraser Valley Venison Wrapped in Holstein Speck, Fermented Oat & Barley Consommé - Elixir
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Cheese
Poplar Grove Tiger Blue in Three textures, Poached Lapin Cherries, Venturi Schultz Balsamic Gel – C Restaurant
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Dessert
Pear and Yogurt ‘Charlotte’ With Okanagan Spirits Poire Williams, Spiced Granola and Micro Basil – The Pear Tree
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Thomas Haas Petit Fours

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Fermentation:
The science and art of fermentation is, in fact the basis of human culture: without culture, there is no culture. Nations that still consume cultured foods, such as France with its wine and cheese, and Japan with its pickles and miso, are recognized as nations that have culture. Culture begins at the farm, not in the opera house, and binds a people to a land and its artisans. Many commentators have observed that America is a nation lacking culture – how can we be cultured when we eat only food that has been canned, pasteurized, and embalmed?

How ironic that the road to culture in our germophobic technological society requires, first and foremost, that we enter into an alchemical relationship with bacteria and fungi, and that we bring to our tables foods and beverages prepared by magicians, not machines.

~ Sally Fallon

Media Contacts:

Tiffany Soper
Director of Communications
The Chefs’ Table Society of BC
tiffanysoper@shaw.ca / 604-783-0013

Annabel Hawksworth
Hawksworth Communications
Mobile: 604.961.3707
Office: 604.609.6678
Email: annabel@hawksworth.ca

Judy Ahola
Hawksworth Communications
Mobile: 604.816.4779
Email: judy@hawksworth.ca