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Vancouver Foodster Iced Summer Drink Challenge Is On.

Vancouver Foodster has the perfect way to beat the heat this summer with the Iced Summer Drink Challenge. Running from July 5th to 28th, Vancouver Foodster has challenged cafes and restaurants around Metro Vancouver to create their best iced drink for the summer.

There’s plenty of variety so get out and try any or all of the unique Iced Summer Drinks entries prepared by the participating cafes.

The restaurants have entered their favourite chilled beverage, either from their existing menu or come up with a unique recipe for their Vancouver Foodster Best Iced Summer Drink Challenge cup. The chef’s entries range from simple to fancy, their refreshing beverage creation can made of coffee, tea, soda, lemonade, frappe, shake or kombucha based drink, using unique and innovative ingredients.

As with all of Vancouver Foodster’s food challenges, a panel of media judges (including myself, @pigoutyvr and @shelleyhayashi) will taste and crown the Judges’ Choice Best Summer Drink.  The public is also invited to try any or all of the entries, then vote for their fave to claim the title of People’s Choice Iced Summer Drink creation at vancouverfoodster.com/ice-summer-drink-challenge. On social media, tag your iced tea drinks with #IcedSummerDrinkChallengeYVR and see what other’s are enjoying along the Best Iced Tea Challenge.

The participating cafes in Vancouver Foodster Best Iced Summer Drink Challenge are;

VANCOUVER: 

Firecrust Neapolitan Pizzeria, 808 Davie Street

Paragon Tea Room, 2207 Cambie Street

RICHMOND

Origo Club, 110-6888 River Road

LANGLEY

Ban Cook Dee, 20563 Douglas Crescent

Food by Fanta @ BCD Academy, #107, 20542 Fraser Hwy


Firecrust Neapolitan Pizzeria, #40, 20160 Langley Bypass

For more details and how to vote for your fave Iced Summer Drink Challenge entry visit vancouverfoodster.com/ice-summer-drink-challenge

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Carnaval del Sol fills Concord Pacific Place with Festive Family Fun

Returning for an 11th year, Carnaval del Sol, the Pacific Northwest’s largest Latin-themed festival, takes over Concord Pacific Place, Saturday, July 6th and Sunday, July 7th. 

Carnaval del Sol photo: Hudson Hipolito

A celebration of the diversity and dynamism of Latin American culture, Carnaval del Sol features a vast array of music, dance, visual arts, fashion, sports, plus food and drink. Concord Pacific Place will be transformed to resemble a vibrant urban Latin American plaza, brimming with sound, colour, tempting aromas, and thousands of smiling faces.

Presented by Latincouver, a non-profit organization working to bring together Latin Americans and those who appreciates Latin culture. “All of us at Latincouver are thrilled to be bringing back Carnaval del Sol for its 11th consecutive year,” says Latincouver’s executive director, Paola Murillo. “This is the time of the year where you’ll feel the vast and exciting Latin American culture right here in Vancouver. We look forward to celebrating with you!”

Carnavel del Sol
photo: Marcos Badra

The 2019 edition of this family-friendly event finds more than 450 artists, who have come from around the world to entertain the masses at the Carnaval’s main stage and plazas, celebrating the festival’s 2019 theme “Sharing our Indigenous and Afro-Latin American roots. Let’s shine together.”

Plaza highlights include the following:

  • TIM HORTONS KIDS PLAZA: Hands-on creative activities for youngsters, including face painting, storytelling, games and music.
  • ARTS PLAZA: From sculpture and fashion to photography and handicrafts (including “live” painting, often accompanied by music), browse hundreds of brilliant artworks from talented Latin American artists.
  • YVR TRAVEL PLAZA: Vancouver International Airport brings you dance, music, games and prizes.
  • EXPERIENCES PLAZA: Witness authentic Latin American fare created before your eyes at a variety of live cooking demos
  • DRIFTWOOD BEER PLAZA: From noon to 9pm, unwind while enjoying delicious food and live music in this 1,000 seat, adults-only zone.
  • FOOD PLAZA: Some of British Columbia’s best Latin American restaurants and food trucks bring the flavours of Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Spain, Argentina, El Salvador, and Cuba.
  • FAMILY PLAZA: All ages will be captivated by live music and DJs, an exclusive fashion show, and much more to be announced. 
  • JOSE CUERVO LOUNGE PLAZA: An exclusive area for SuperPass holders, media, artists, and government officials.

Carnaval Del Sol takes place at Concord Pacific Place, 88 Pacific Boulevard, Saturday, July 6 and Sunday, July 7. Gates open 11am to 10pm. 
Admission is $2 per adult (free admission for kids under 12). The $15 two-day SuperPass offers admittance to the Jose Cuervo Lounge Plaza, front-of-the-line access to the Driftwood Beer Plaza, festival souvenirs, discounts on select vendors, and more.
Find details and tickets at carnavaldelsol.ca

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6 Canadian Food Inventions To Help Celebrate Canada Day

Happy Canada Day! While you’re out celebrating the nation’s birthday let’s take a look at a few Canadian foods that will make you proud of the place we call home.

McIntosh Red: long before Apple Inc debuted their Macintosh computers, Canadian John McIntosh cultivated the Canadian apple in 1811, perfect for a Canada Day Apple Pie!

Butter Tart: an integral part of Canadian pioneer life, the Canadian pastry tart has expanded from its eastern roots to reach all parts of the country.

Poutine: one of the best known of Canadian cuisine, beyond our borders, the Québécois staples of french fries, cheese curd, and brown gravy, has become a beloved source of national pride as its gained acceptability.

Nanaimo Bar: while it may have other origins, the no-bake, layered bar was first recorded as the “Nanaimo Bar” in a 1953 recipe enshrined in the Nanaimo Museum.

Canada Dry Pale Ginger Ale: Ontario chemist John J. McLaughlin created a ginger ale that was dry, or less sweet, than other ginger ales on the market at the time, which became popular during prohibition to mask the taste of homemade alcohol.

Caesar: celebrating the 50th anniversary of its invention by Calgary bartender, Walter Chell, the Caesar cocktail has become the staple of brunches and ‘hair of the dog’ mornings everywhere!

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Discover Robert Rauschenberg at Vancouver Art Gallery.

Robert Rauschenberg 1965–1980
Robert Rauschenberg 1965–1980

This summer, the Vancouver Art Gallery dives into its permanent collection to present Robert Rauschenberg 1965–1980, an exhibition of important but rarely seen works by the prolific twentieth-century American artist. The presentation features billboard-sized prints, intimate drawings, collages, sculptural works and large-scale fabric constructions from one of the most experimental periods of Rauschenberg’s career.

“The Vancouver Art Gallery is fortunate to count many significant works by important international artists in its permanent collection, and our considerable holdings of Robert Rauschenberg are a highlight,” says Daina Augaitis, Interim Director of the Vancouver Art Gallery. “Rauschenberg’s radical approach to art making blurred the lines between mediums, demonstrating his incredible ingenuity in mixing materials and imagery. We are pleased to share a selection of influential works by this artist, with a focus on his collages and mixed-media pieces from the 1960s and 1970s, many of which paved the way for his own thoughts around art making and inspired others to follow his experimental trajectory.” 

This exhibition at Vancouver Art Gallery features a number of significant examples of Rauschenberg’s collages and multi-faceted prints. Such works combine newspaper and magazine clippings, material salvaged from the streets of New York, and his own photographs to create fragmented, layered compositions that unravel the cultural and political milieu of the time. Key works include Autobiography (1968), a monumental three-panel composition from the Gallery’s collection that represents the culmination of the aesthetics and methodologies that occupied Rauschenberg for a decade. The work, which details his biographical history through overlapping self-portraits and objects of personal significance, was the first fine art print made on a billboard press. Another important print is Sky Garden (1969), also from the Gallery’s collection, the largest work in his Stoned Moon series, which emerged from an invitation by NASA to witness the launch of the Apollo 11 Mission. Also included are examples of work Rauschenberg produced after relocating to Captiva Island, Florida, in 1971, when he began to investigate the natural and the handmade, and embrace a more overtly abstract aesthetic, as well as works that use fabric as a support for printed imagery.

See these works and more when Robert Rauschenberg 1965–1980 opens July 6th, on show at Vancouver Art Gallery, 750 Hornby, until October 27, 2019.

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Celebrate the Solstice at HR MacMillan Space Centre & MOV

The recent weather makes it hard to believe, but we still have one more week of spring. The Summer Solstice, next Friday, is a significant day for many cultures worldwide, and the Museum of Vancouver and H.R. MacMillan Space Centre welcome you to celebrate and learn about solstice with a 19+ summer kick-off party; Perspectives on the Solstice.

In honour of the longest day of the year, the two Vanier Park venues open the doors of their unique building for an engaging partnership event filled with activities, lectures, traditional storytelling, Star Theatre shows, exhibitions, drinks, games, music, food and so much more. 

First Nations knowledge holders Woody Morrison and Latash Nahanee will perform Solstice themed storytelling. Participants will learn how the Haida and Squamish approach and celebrate Solstice on this day, one that is now recognized as National Indigenous Peoples Day. Knowledge holders will be joined by Dr. Cecil Konijnendijk, Professor at the UBC Faculty of Forestry and Keely Langford, Park Interpreter at Metro Vancouver Parks to animate biological interpretations of Solstice and seasonal change in our city. 

Grab a drink, wander through MOV feature exhibitions, drift into the Space Centre where you will learn more about why our planet has seasons, how seasons affect other planets in the solar system, and how we will search for life on other worlds in the galaxy. 

Enjoy the featured Planetarium Show, Solstices in the Solar System. H.R. MacMillan Space Centre Astronomer Kat Kelly will take you on a visual journey through with a cosmic perspective on solstices and seasons through the solar system, and what that may tell us in our search for life in the universe.

Demonstrations on how we have exoplanets, their orbits, seasons, solstices, and which of these might be suitable for life will be shown at GroundStation Canada and the Cosmic Courtyard will be animated with art stations and interactive displays.

Tickets includes admission to all this plus access to the special Solstice Planetarium show and all MOV exhibitions. The 19+ event will also feature music, a cash bar, and on-site food truck options, like Roasted Revolution and Taste of Heaven. Do not miss out on this memorable premiere event celebrating the start of Summer!

Perspectives on the Solstice takes place Friday June 21, 2019 from 7pm to 12am, at H.R. MacMillan Space Centre + Museum of Vancouver, at Vanier Park. Tickets are available online at Eventbrite. Today, June 14th, is the final day for early bird $25 tickets, regular fee is $30.

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Vancouver Foodster Best Taco Challenge 2019 Results

The results are in! People have tasted and voted for their favourites in the 6th Vancouver Foodster Taco Challenge .  Over the past weeks, public and a panel of media judges, including myself, have been tasting and voting for our favourite tacos from a selection of participating eateries around Metro Vancouver.

As with other Vancouver Foodster challenges, chefs were invited to be as creative as they like in order to highlight an already existing menu item or they could create a completely unique dish for their Taco Challenge entry.

Little Mexico Cantina’s
Tacos Gobernador Estilo Sinaloa

For the 2019 Taco Challenge, four chefs rolled into action and wrapped up some tasty tacos, resulting in an array of flavours to sample.  The tacos were served at six different eateries from all across the region, from Chilliwack to Steveston, to North Vancouver and Cambie Village.  The public was encouraged to try any or all the Taco Challenge entries and then vote on Vancouver Foodster’s website for their favourites to be crowned People’s Choice Taco.  The media judges were also busy trying all the selections to choose the Judges’ Choice Winner.  Steveston’s recently reopened Little Mexico Cantina came out on top of both polls with their Tacos Gobernador Estilo Sinaloa , a creative combination flavours familiar to Sinaloa, Mexico.

Check out all the results of the Vancouver Foodster Best Taco Challenge and see make you mouth water by following #TacoChallengeYVR to see the tasty tacos on social media, then head to the eateries to get your own!

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Take a bite out of June with a trio of Tasting Plates

Vancouver Foodster has a planned a tasty June for fans of Tasting Plates, with three delicious events lined up for the month.

If you don’t already know, Tasting Plates are roaming food tours, visiting diverse neighbourhoods around the city, or focusing on one style of cuisine served in diverse ways. Tasting Plates patrons are sure to find something to savour when they roam the cafes and eateries that Vancouver Foodster has curated. Guests will check-in at the central registration location then head out with Tasting Plates map in-hand to try each restaurant, which will serve up a ‘tasting plate’ or ‘tasting cup’ from their menus. Since everyone has a love of food in common it’s easy to meet some new foodie friends in the line-ups or at the next table, also often the chefs and proprietors are on hand to answer questions and help visitors learn about their establishments.

For June, Vancouver Foodster Tasting Plates is exploring three neighbourhoods, North Vancouver – Lonsdale, Richmond, as well as an all vegetarian edition in East Vancouver.

June 12, 2019 – Tasting Plates North Vancouver Lonsdale
Explore the new Shipyards District and surrounding Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood in North Vancouver. The ever changing area is filled with great restaurants, cafes and markets waiting to be explored.

June 19, 2019 – Tasting Plates Richmond
The heart of Richmond can be overwhelming for choice, so take some time to visit the Richmond area, centered around Westminster Hwy and No. 3 Road to see what’s on offer.

June 26, 2019 – East Van Vegetarian Summer Edition
After a successful all Vegetarian tasting tour last fall, Tasting Plates brings a Summer all Vegetarian edition to the plant-based restaurants in East Vancouver between Commercial Drive and Main Street

Tickets for all three editions of Tasting Plates are on sale now via Eventbrite (click links above).
If it’s your first visit, get an idea of what’s in store for your Tasting Plates experience from a recap of the recent Tasting Plates Main & Fraser Street
On Social Media follow along with @tastingplatesyvr #tastingplatesyvr to see what the bites are all about!.