It’s Saturday morning, just hours away from the Opening Ceremonies that mark the official start of the 2010 Canadian Chefs’ Congress.

Many of our chefs and guests have already been with us for one night, having arrived a day early to set up camp and mingle with other delegates at Friday’s Firelight Pig Roast.

Chef Robert Belcham and his team had been prepping two Sloping Hills Farm heritage pigs for this occasion. One was destined for the spit (above) and the other slow cooked in Adam Protter’s industrial BBQ for a dozen hours or more.

Delegates set up camp throughout the woods above the main site. A tent village was also set up by our team of volunteers for participating chefs and other guests needing a home.

As night fell and the dinner bell approached, Chef Robert Clark took to the main stage to greet our Early Bird attendees and to introduce MP Fin Donnelly and biologist Alexandra Morton, who spoke briefly but passionately about the Save Our Wild Salmon campaign (private members’ bill C-518).

The rest of the evening focussed on food, beer, wine, music and dancing by the main stage, and conversations by the bonfire.

Photo Gallery

For all photos taken by us throughout the weekend, visit the 2010 Canadian Chefs’ Congress album page.

The 2010 Canadian Chefs’ Congress is just a month away, and the BC and National Committees are finalizing the minutae of all the logistics involved in bringing over 500 chefs, sponsors, speakers, and volunteers to Providence Farm.

We have posted all the details we can share with you in the Event Info section above. Below is a summary of what’s new.

Delegate and site details now available

If you are registered as a delegate or are going to register soon, please bookmark or print out the Delegate and Site Details page, which provides you with site maps, directions, and instructions for parking, camping, and supplies.

On-site details for participating chefs now available

If you are a chef or sous-chef that is cooking for the Congress delegation next month, please visit the new Participating Chef Details page for a breakdown of what you’ll have on-site versus what you’ll need to request or bring. Print out and email the form on this page to supply the BC Committee with your materials set-up and your requests.

Our Logistics guy, Bill Jones, also wants you to take a look at the photo of the stainless steel dishware that each delegate will have when they approach your station – make sure your portions and presentation plans will work with this!

Workshop listings updated

Take a look at the Workshops page to see what we’ll be talking about during the Congress and which speakers that will be at your disposal for further discussion.

Weekend itinerary updated

Our Schedule page has been refreshed with the run-throughs of Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. We will continue to make amendments to this schedule as the month progresses.

Site Map now up

The Delegate and Site Details page contains this site map as well as a PDF version for you to download / print. The Delegate Package that you will receive during the Congress will contain a copy of this map.

Travel, carpooling and accommodations

We’ve received a lot of questions about where to stay off-site and how to get to Providence Farm from the airport / ferry. For your convenience, 2 Facebook threads have been started in the Canadian Chefs’ Congress Facebook group:

• Carpooling Facebook thread
• Accommodations Facebook thread

In addition, shuttles will be available at the Victoria airport and Schwartz Bay ferry terminal for Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. No shuttles are available from Nanaimo.

Sign-up is required to use this shuttle service – please email ccc2010@canadianchefscongress.com.

Register Today

Don’t forget to register as a delegate by August 31, 2010!

Once again, we will preside the eight professional culinary kitchens of the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts (PICA). Embark on a food and wine laden tour, mingle with mystery chefs, and support a national meeting of culinary minds for the 2010 Canadian Chefs’ Congress. Don’t miss this opportunity to graze amongst the best chefs our province (and country) has to offer.

Date: Sunday, August 22, 2010, 6:30pm – 9pm
Location: Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts -map-
Tickets: $75 per person

Our past two Mystery Kitchen Tours have showcased the talents of:

• Angus An – Maenam
• Jeremie Bastien – Boneta
• Robert Belcham – Refuel, Campagnolo
• Ned Bell – Cabana Bar and Grille
• Julian Bond – Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts
• Andrea Carlson – Bishop’s
• Sean Cousins – The Vancouver Club
• Quang Dang – Diva at the Met, Metropolitan Hotel
• Scott Jaeger – The Pear Tree
• Lisa Perkins – The Vancouver Club
• Neil Taylor – Cibo
• Marc Thuet – Thuet, Conviction Kitchen
• James Walt – Araxi
• Chris Whittaker  - O’Doul’s, Listel Hotel
• Josh Wolfe – Coast Restaurant
• Neil Wyles – Hamilton Street Grill

Will you be able to guess our next slate of participating culinary icons?

The Canadian Chefs’ Congress is a biennial gathering of chefs from across Canada that reinforces the passion and integrity of Canadian Food Culture. Themed in 2010 as Oceans for Tomorrow, happens September 11 & 12, 2010. Chefs, cooks, apprentices and culinary students from across Canada will converge on Providence Farm in the heart of the beautiful Cowichan Valley for two days of conversation and deliberation on the state of our water ways, our effect on marine life and what constructive steps can be taken to improve the health of our oceans. Attendees will have the opportunity to sample Canadian inspired dishes from leading provincial and territorial chefs from across the country. As host, BC chefs will present the very best that our province has to offer. The weekend will be a series of unique tastes and experiences as you camp with fellow chefs, dining on BC food and drink.

Come take a peek inside the kitchen of the exclusive Vancouver Club as we set to task on the next Mystery Kitchen Tour fundraiser for the 2010 Canadian Chefs’ Congress. The kitchen was humming with activity as 9 chefs and their aides flowed through the aisles to get course after course out to our guests.

Reception

Canapes by Quang Dang, Executive Chef, Diva at the Met, Metropolitan Hotel:

Spiced Yarrow Meadows duck meat balls, young garlic puree; rare seared albacore tuna, Granville Island sake emulsion; poached cherry tomatoes infused with basil

Salt Spring Island goat cheese bread stix

Dinner

Jeremie Bastien – Owner / Executive Chef, Boneta

Spring salmon gravlax, nugget potatoes, avocado, pickled cucumber, crispy shallots

Township 7 “7 Blanc” 08

Sean Cousins – Executive Chef, The Vancouver Club

Chili and salt cured “free spirit” Hecate Straight halibut; Pacific seaweed salad, Vancouver Club roof top coriander, spot prawn brioche, squid viniagrette

Neck of the Woods Rosé, BC VQA Fraser Valley, Estate Bottled

Andrea Carlson – Executive Chef, Bishop’s

Baby beet with ricotta zucchini blossom fritters and red currant vinaigrette

Chandra Estate Winery Pinot Noir Rosé 2007

Chris Whittaker – Executive Chef, O’Doul’s, Listel Hotel

Seared Qualicum Beach Scallop, Chilliwack corn and saffron puree, bacon powder, Poplar Grove Tiger Blue panna cotta

2008 Averill Creek Pinot Gris

Josh Wolfe – Executive Chef, Coast Restaurant

Dungeness crab salad with pickled oysters and a sweet corn fritter

Mission Hill “Martin’s Lane” Riesling 2008, Okanagan Valley

Marc Thuet – Executive Chef, Thuet, Conviction Kitchen

Fraser Valley rabbit fricaasse, foie gras ravioli, chanterelles

Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio 2009 Trentino-Valle dell’Adige, Italy

Quang Dang – Executive Chef, Diva at the Met, Metropolitan Hotel

Lightly Smoked Yarrow Meadows Duck, Okanagan lapin cherry financier, fava beans, thyme essence

Desert Hills 2009 Gamay

Robert Belcham – Owner / Executive Chef, ReFuel, Campagnolo

Slow cooked Fraser Valley lamb collar navarin, radish, polenta, mint

Montagu Cellars Three Barrel Merlot 2006

Lisa Perkins – Pastry Chef – The Vancouver Club

Crème friache and tarragon pannacotta, black cherry pearls, white cherry puree, black pepper “crisp”

Satura Vinsera 2007 “Port Style” wine

Save the Date: August 22, 2010

Whether you enjoyed you dinner at the Vancouver Club or wish you had been there, we would love to see you at our next and last Mystery Kitchen Tour fundraiser on August 22nd.

Mystery Kitchen Tour Encore
August 22, 2010, from 6:30pm – 9pm
Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts
1505 West 2nd Avenue | Vancouver, BC

With the wild success of June’s Mystery Kitchen Tour, PICA Director Chef Julian Bond announced an encore event to be held in late August.

Who’s cooking? What’s on the menu? You’ll find out that night. If you’re determined to figure out the mystery before you arrive, we’ll be dropping hints at the Canadian Chefs’ Congress website, on our Facebook group page, and through Twitter.

Photo Gallery

The 100 seats we had originally released for this event are already sold out. Thanks everyone for your support!

We’ve gotten the okay from the Vancouver Club to up our event’s capacity to 120 guests, so we have now released these 20 spots, with priority registration given to those who had signed up for our waitlist.

Make sure to snap up these spots before they sell out for good!

We’re one week away from the next Mystery Kitchen Tour event, and only 16 spots are left! Get your tickets while you can.

On the fence about going? Got the top secret menu and the mystery chef line-up stashed away from prying eyes…but it’s time, we think, to give you some clues as to what to expect at the next Mystery Kitchen Tour.

Hint #1: A Chef with Conviction

This morsel was too juicy to not share! If you are a fan of Conviction Kitchen, this event may get you some face time with its stars.

Hint #2: Queen Bishop

Recognize this lady? If you’ve been keeping abreast of the locavore movement in British Columbia, you may already be aware of the strides she and her cohorts have made in bringing spectacular 100-mile diets to your table. Meet her and sample her fare on July 30th.

Hint #3: Ingredient List

If our less-than-subtle clues about 2 of our mystery chefs haven’t gotten you interested, perhaps this excerpt of ingredients from the sumptuous 7-course feast will.

• Yarrow Meadows duck
• Salt Spring Island goat cheese
• Chilliwack corn
• Dungeness crab
• Hecate Straight halibut
• BC spot prawns
• Zucchini blossoms
• Qualicum Beach scallops
• Pacific seaweed
• Black cherries
• Chanterelle mushrooms

Grab Your Tickets Today

We hope we’ve spurred your curiousity and convinced you to unravel the remaining mysteries by coming to this Mystery Kitchen Tour. See you there?

A mysterious new food series event in Vancouver sold out the first time it was held. Don’t miss the next Mystery Kitchen Tour!

Tour the Palates of Some of Vancouver’s Best Known Chefs in Support of the 2010 Canadian Chefs’ Congress

Date: Friday, July 30, 2010
Time: 6pm – 10pm
Location: The Vancouver Club  -map-
Suggested attire: Smart business casual*
Capacity: Limited to just 100 lucky guests
Price: $125 per person

The chefs – We’ll never tell.
The wines – Some of the best.
The menu – It’s a mystery…
The beneficiary – Young chefs, farmers, fishers, gardeners, foragers & artisanal food producers.

About the Mystery Kitchen Tour

The last Mystery Kitchen Tour was located at The Pacific Insitute of Culinary Arts. The theme: a mystery group of some of Vancouver’s culinary icons preparing, just for you, world class food and serving world class wines as you grazed through different kitchens about the school. The beneficiary: the 2010 Canadian Chefs’ Congress.

Back on June 27th, friends told friends and speculation turned to delight when 100 lucky guests were treated to a menu prepared by the following iconic chefs:

• Angus An – Maenam
• James Walt – Araxi
• Julian Bond – Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts
• Ned Bell – Cabana Bar and Grille
• Neil Taylor – Cibo
• Neil Wyles – Hamilton Street Grill
• Robert Belcham – Refuel, Campagnolo
• Scott Jaeger – The Pear Tree

Video courtesy of Jason McRobbie of Imagination Think

Friday, July 30th – This time we are located in the beautiful Vancouver Club, one of Vancouver’s oldest, and a Class “A” Heritage building. And, as is fitting for the slightly more formal setting, this dinner is a sit down affair. Seven courses**, paired with wine, prepared and served by seven world class chefs.

Which culinary icons will be preparing the cuisine at the July 30th dinner? Be one of the lucky 100 guests to find out!

The Beneficiary

The 2010 Canadian Chefs’ Congress, themed as Oceans for Tomorrow, takes place September 11th & 12th in association with the Chefs’ Table Society of BC and our title sponsor, the BC Shellfish Growers Association.  That weekend, chefs, cooks, apprentices and culinary students from across Canada will converge on Providence Farm in the heart of the beautiful Cowichan Valley for two days of conversation and deliberation on the state of our water ways, our effect on marine life and what constructive steps can be taken to improve the health of our oceans. Attendees will have the opportunity to sample Canadian inspired dishes from leading provincial and territorial chefs from across the country. As host, BC chefs will present the very best that our province has to offer. The weekend will be a series of unique tastes and experiences as you munch and mingle with fellow chefs, sipping BC wines, ales, beers, ciders, and mead. For full schedule details visit canadianchefscongress.com/british-columbia.

The Canadian Chefs’ Congress connects chefs to our land in solidarity with farmers, fishers, gardeners, foragers and all artisanal food producers. The Canadian Chefs’ Congress is a biennial gathering of chefs from across Canada that reinforces the passion and integrity of Canadian Food Culture. canadianchefscongress.com

* The Vancouver Club is a private club and has a dress code that excludes denim, sport clothing and casual footwear such as flip flops and running shoes.

**The menu will be a set menu and as such substitutions at time of service will not be possible. We ask that your palate is open to anything as befits the night, however if you have a severe food allergy it is incumbent upon you to let us know in advance so those substitutions can be allowed for.

6pm. Less than an hour before our next fundraiser begins. The mystery chefs gather for a group photo before the guests arrive at 6:30. Can you tell who’s cooking tonight?

6:30pm. As guests arrive, they are greeted with a glass of 2008 Pink Elephant bubble from Naramata’s Elephant Island Orchard Wines.

6:45pm. Julian Bond jumps on a chair to announce the location of the 8 kitchens and the 8 mystery chefs. The crowd is revved up and released into the culinary school to start exploring!

7:30pm. Let’s slowly reveal the chefs and what they’re serving up tonight:

Chef Neil Taylor – Cibo

Chef Taylor is serving panelle: chickpea fritters with buffalo mozzarella and smashed peas and fava beans.

Chef Ned Bell – Cabana Bar and Grille

Chef Bell offers a summer salad with roasted tomatoes and peppers, belgian endive, local goat cheese, toasted walnuts, dehydrated pepper powder, and cucumber, with all ingredients hailing from Windset Farms.

Chef Robert Belcham – Refuel & Campagnolo

Chef Belcham has made a fennel stuffed Sloping Hills porchetta with a summer vegetable salad and a charred wild ramp vinaigrette.

Chef James Walt – Araxi

Chef Walt has prepared a crab and avocado egg crepe with chilled tomato soup and tomato pearls.

Chef Angus An – maenam

Chef An’s dish is a banana blossom salad, which he serves you along with a long pull of R&B Sun God wheat ale from his keg under the table.

Chef Scott Jaeger – The Pear Tree Restaurant

Chef Jaegar presents seared albacore tuna with compressed cucumber and watermelon salad, yuzu gel, coriander sheets, and puff rice.

Chef Neil Wyles – Hamilton Street Grill

Chef Wyles posts a double feature: root beer braised shortribs and Summer Breeze oysters.

Chef Julian Bond – Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts

Last but not least, venue host Chef Bond has cooked up a venision with porcini mushoom and mixed potato puree.

9pm. While guests indulged in dessert, Chefs Julian Bond and Neil Wyles announced the two more Mystery Kitchen fundraisers: the next at the Vancouver Club on Friday, July 30th, and a late August encore at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. The chef lineup will be unique for each Mystery Kitchen event, so if you liked this one, please stay tuned for the next ones and bring your friends next time around!

Full photo gallery:

[Show as slideshow]

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The Canadian Chefs’ Congress is just 3 months away! We’ve got a short update on the heritage pigs that have been selected by Robert Belcham for Friday’s exclusive Firelight Pig Roast:

Here's the Momma sow and her babies. Our two pigs are in picture. They are a Hampshire-Berkshire cross and are about 10 weeks old right now. They will be 170 – 180lbs each at slaughter time.

Please remember to register before June 30, 2010 for your free ticket to the Firelight Pig Roast. Early registration is the only way for delegates to score a spot, so don’t delay.

Other registration perks that you may not be aware of:

• WestJet Conference Code to save 10% off travel into Comox and Victoria for the Congress
• Group rate when you register 10 or more delegates at the same time
• 10% off  delegate fees for culinary students registered at accredited institutions

Contact us with any questions or to inquire about any of the discounts mentioned above. And spread the word to all of your industry friends!

A Star-Studded Mystery Kitchen Tour

- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -

June 2, 2010, Vancouver, BC — On Sunday, June 27th, 6:30pm to 9pm, the Canadian Chefs’ Congress take over the professional kitchens of the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts (PICA) to host a Mystery Kitchen Tour. All proceeds go towards this year’s Chefs’ Congress held on Vancouver Island September 11th to 12th; 2010’s focus is Oceans for Tomorrow.

Tickets for the Mystery Kitchen Tour are $75 and can be purchased online via PICA’s website. With a scant 100 tickets available, you’ll have to act fast. Eight of Vancouver’s top-notch culinary purveyors, sworn to secrecy, are equipped with wine and play host to their very own kitchen parties. Make your way through PICA’s corridors to all eight food and wine stations, ending your mystery kitchen tour with a dessert finale. This exclusive and mysterious evening of superb food and wine pairings won’t disappoint.

Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts is situated at the gateway to Granville Island at 1505 West Second Avenue, Vancouver, BC. To contact please call (604) 734-4488 or visit www.picachef.com.

The 2010 Canadian Chef’s Congress, themed as Oceans for Tomorrow, is slated for September 11 & 12, 2010, when chefs, cooks, apprentices and culinary students from across Canada will converge on Providence Farm in the heart of the beautiful Cowichan Valley for two days of conversation and deliberation on the state of our water ways, our effect on marine life and what constructive steps can be taken to improve the health of our oceans. Attendees will have the opportunity to sample Canadian inspired dishes from leading provincial and territorial chefs from across the country. As host, BC chefs will present the very best that our province has to offer. The weekend will be a series of unique tastes and experiences as you munch and mingle with fellow chefs, sipping BC wines, ales, beers, ciders, and mead. For full schedule details visit www.canadianchefscongress.com/british-columbia.

The Canadian Chefs’ Congress connects chefs to our land in solidarity with farmers, fishers, gardeners, foragers and all artisanal food producers. The Canadian Chefs’ Congress is a biennial gathering of chefs from across Canada that reinforces the passion and integrity of Canadian Food Culture. www.canadianchefscongress.com

Date: June 27, 2010
Time: 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Location: Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts
Tickets: $75 (buy online)