Get Your Appetite Ready for EAT! Vancouver Food + Cooking Festival

Sourced from EAT! Vancouver Facebook page

Anticipation is growing for the return of one of Vancouver’s most popular gastronomy events, EAT! Vancouver Food + Cooking Festival (October 4-7, 2016).

For its fourteenth year, organizers have revamped the event with a series of curated culinary experiences that are bound to satisfy your palate and get you thinking about what it means to cook and eat on a local and national scale.

I’ve lost count of the number of years I’ve attended EAT! Vancouver. The event, which used to revolve around a large food expo, has transformed this year into a more intimate exploration and tasting of food. If you’re looking for epicurean date ideas for the fall, EAT! Vancouver has quite the line-up for you.

Tickets are selling out fast for the Dinner Series ($135 per person plus tax, includes wine and gratuity), which involve Vancouver chefs hosting celebrity chefs from Winnipeg, Toronto, and Montreal. For example, on October 4, 2016, Angus An from Vancouver’s Maenam restaurant and Antonio Park from Montreal’s Park restaurant will be serving a menu showcasing Japanese and modern Thai cuisine, influenced by a Canadian culinary sensibility.

Sourced from EAT! Vancouver website

Fans of chef Michael Smith, known for his many cooking programs on the Food Network, will get the chance to listen to him recount personal stories over a glass of wine, and to taste dishes from his new cookbook, Real Food, Real Good. An Evening with Michael Smith happens October 7, 2016 at the Pinnacle Harbourfront Hotel ($75 plus tax, includes cookbook).

Sourced from EAT! Vancouver website

If you and your date are interested in becoming more educated about food together, the Food Trends Tasting Panel promises to be a thought-provoking event. It features three food powerhouses, Jackie Ellis (Beaucoup Bakery & Cafe), Denise Breyley (Whole Foods Market), and Sarah Stewart (Juniper Kitchen & Bar), who will talk about food trends, offer samples of unique west coast food items, and introduce guests to local producers. The panel takes place October 5, 2016 at the Pinnacle Harbourfront Hotel ($35 plus tax).

Sourced from EAT! Vancouver website

And for the ultimate eating extravaganza, the EAT! Harvest is the night to attend. Headlined by Michael Smith, the event will involve sampling fall dishes from seventeen of Canada’s top chefs, including Pino Posteraro from Vancouver’s Cioppino’s, Nick Liu from Toronto’s Dailo, and Wayne Morris from Toronto’s Boralia. Also expect to taste premium California Wines and desserts by BETA 5, Beaucoup Bakery & Café, and Bella Gelateria. It all happens October 6, 2016 at the Pinnacle Harbourfront Hotel ($115 plus tax). Tickets for all events are available on-line.