Chefs to the Field
14 August 2007
On Sunday, August 19th, gather your friends and family and head to Terra Nova Rural Park in Richmond for an afternoon of food, festivities and fundraising with Chefs to the Field, a fundraiser supporting both the Terra Nova Schoolyard Society and Organic Friends of the Future. At this “field to plate” event, teams of professional chefs cook-off using local organic products supplemented by food they harvest from the field. Held at:
Date: Sunday, August 19, 2007 Time: 11am – 4pm Location: Terra Nova Rural Park
located at 2631 Westminster HighwayAdmission: General admission to this event is free
As parking is limited, all visitors are encouraged to walk, ride your bike or carpool. A free shuttle bus service will depart from the City Works Yard (5599 Lynas Lane) every 15 minutes. For more information, visit www.myterranova.ca.
Chefs to the Field will feature live entertainment, children’s activities, and a silent auction. While general admission to the event is free, food booths will be available from 11am – 2pm, with food items for just $3. These booths will feature some of Vancouver’s top restaurants and culinary institutions including: Aurora Bistro, C Restaurant, Culinary Capers, Diva at the Met, Dubrulle Art Institute, Glorious Organics Co-op, Northwest Culinary Academy of Vancouver, Papi's Restaurant, Quince, Raincity Grill, Terminal City Restaurant, Tomato Fresh Food Café, and Vancouver Community College.
Chefs to the Field will also feature a Chefs Competition from 2-4pm where teams of two chefs plus one culinary student will produce four different entrée plates showcasing organic local farm produce. Teams will be given time to visit the field and pick in season vegetables and greens such as beets, swiss chard, sunchokes, tomatoes, beans and more. During the competition they will use what they have gathered in addition to one “mystery ingredient”. Once the “mystery ingredient” is revealed, teams will have one hour to create and perfect their dishes before judging. Teams will be judged on their caring use of harvested ingredients, flavour, presentation, originality and organization.
Funds raised from this event will help Organic Friends of the Future in their mission to defend the rights of organic farmers and to promote local organics. Chefs to the Field will also support the Terra Nova Schoolyard Project, a non-profit, community based garden project founded in 2006 by Chef Ian Lai (Instructor at Northwest Culinary Academy of Vancouver) which operates on 5000 square feet of growing space generously provided by the City of Richmond. The program aims to promote community, local organic food, healthy eating choices and food sustainability. Currently working with 6 Richmond organizations from K – 12, Terra Nova generally sees students come out on a weekly basis in the spring and summer and twice a month in the fall. Classroom lessons and activities are also conducted indoors during the winter months in preparation for the coming season.
Of the program, Anne Morrison, a teacher at Spul'u'kwuks Elementary says “Most of the students have never had a garden, or eaten vegetables freshly picked from one. They are amazed by how quickly the vegetables and flowers grow. One of my students last year did not like to eat vegetables. However, she was so proud of the cucumber that she grew and could not wait to take it home that she ate it all the way back to school!... Sometimes students walk over to the garden with their families after dinner to show them what they’ve been doing that day. Families are connecting to the experience through the children too.”
For more information on the schoolyard project please visit their temporary website at www.esy.8k.com. More information on Organic Friends of the Future and organic farming can be found at www.organics.bc.ca.
