EAT! Vancouver at BC Place 2015: New and returning features

Capping off the expanded events of EAT! Vancouver’s week-long culinary festival is the three-day tasting event and expo at BC Place. This year’s lineup includes a host of fun experiences and special programming sure to entice many of Vancouver’s enthusiastic food lovers.

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BC Place will be the destination from May 1 to 3 for bites of global cuisine from over 250 restaurants, as well as sections of the festival devoted to craft beer, wine, cocktails, and artisanal food products. Families are also welcome to participate, with many all-ages opportunities to eat, learn, and enjoy (admission is free for kids 12 and under, too).

Here’s a break down of the new features for the EAT! Vancouver BC Place expo and event:

• Intimate EAT! VIP Experiences, where a small number of participants will have the chance to interact with celebrity chef favourites Susur Lee, Mark McEwan and Anna Olson.

• The Talk & Taste Stage presented by Zwilling, where top chefs and culinary experts (such as local chefs Angus An, Ned Bell, Trevor Bird, Andrea Carlson, Jonathan Chovancek, Ryan O’Flynn, Lucais Syme, Joël Watanabe, Chris Whittaker and Wesley Young) will host demonstrations and tastings.

• The Canadian Food Artisan Pavilion sponsored by Edible Canada, which spotlights local culinary artisans and their products.

• Speed Rack, an international cocktail competition in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Society (BC/Yukon Region), featuring top female bartenders from coast to coast and brought to Canada for the first time by award-winning bartenders Lauren Mote and Dani Tatarin, along with Speed Rack’s Ivy Mix and Lynnette Marrero.

• Healthy Living and Gluten-Free sponsored by Pomme Natural Market, featuring helpful tips for those with food sensitivities or following precise dietary paths including vegan, vegetarian and paleo.

• The Craft Beer Alley sponsored by the BC Craft Brewers Guild, featuring the best local craft beers, recognized globally for excellence.

• An On-site Legacy Liquor Store, where visitors can purchase their favourite beer, wine and spirits to enjoy at home.

Attendees of previous EAT! Vancouver festivals will enjoy seeing the return of these events:

• The Celebrity Chef Throwdown presented by Zwilling, where two-time Celebrity Chef Throwdown winner and Vancouver luminary Rob Feenie — along with Carolyn Ali (Georgia Straight), Erin Ireland (It’s To Die For) and Sophie Lui (Global TV) — will judge Beaucoup Bakery owner Jackie Kai Ellis, Food Network notable Anna Olson and Café Medina executive chef Jonathan Chovancek as they face off in a fun, fast-paced culinary fight to the finish line.

• The Celebrity Chef Stage, with cooking demonstrations by celebrated chefs such as Rob Feenie, Anna Olson, Mark McEwan, Susur Lee, Ned Bell, Vikram Vij and Michael P. Clive, as well as a special interactive cooking demonstration for kids and families by Dr. Greg Chan of SuperChefs Cookery for Kids.

• Cheese Seminars presented by the Dairy Farmers of Canada.

• The World Culinary Travel Expo sponsored by Global EAT.

• Culinary Classes presented by the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts (PICA).

• SIPS and the SIPS Stage presented by Legacy Liquor Store.

• Bites, featuring bite-sized tastings of cuisine from around the world.

EAT! Vancouver 2015 at BC Place

When: Friday, May 1 (2 to 9 p.m.); Saturday, May 2 (10 a.m. to 9 p.m.); and Sunday, May 3 (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

Where: BC Place Stadium, 777 Pacific Boulevard, Vancouver

Admission: Adult $17; Adult ONLINE $15; Senior (65+) $12; Senior (65+) Friday, May 1 before 5 p.m. $6; Youth (ages 13 to 16) $9; Children (ages 12 and under) FREE.

Website: eat-vancouver.com

Vancity Buzz is proud to be the exclusive online media sponsor of EAT! Vancouver