Save the Date: 2010 Canadian Chefs' Congress on Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Registration is now open for the next Canadian Chefs' Congress, occurring September 11 & 12, 2010 in Duncan, British Columbia.

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 that our industry can build to help improve the health of our oceans.

Delegates will have the opportunity to sample Canadian inspired dishes from leading provincial and territorial chefs from accross the country as well as enjoy the bounty of British Columbia as chefs from around the province present the very best that we have to offer. The weekend will be a series of unique tastes and experiences as you mingle with fellow chefs sipping BC wine, or trying our ales, beers, ciders, and mead.

Beginning with the keynote speaker, Dr. David Suzuki, you will have the opportunity to learn about our oceans and how we can effect change. A series of seminars and workshops on numerous food and ocean related topics will give the opportunity for the delgates to engage one on one with a variety of speakers on the topics of their particular expertise. Workshops and seminars are designed to provoke thought and conversation.

Representatives from a wide variety of sustainable fisheries will be on hand to help you learn how to get high quality sustainably harvested seafood onto your menus, what to look for, and the questions you should be asking.

We will have a variety of local suppliers, producers, and farmers displaying unique product and demonstrating responsible stewardship of valuable renewable resources.

Register Now

The 2010 Canadian Chefs’ Congress delegate package is $200 plus processing fee. The Congress is open to chefs, cooks, apprentices, culinary students and teachers from across Canada. Group bookings over 10 people get 10% off the standard delegate price. Space is limited.

Your delegate fee covers:

• Food and drink samples for the duration of the Congress
• Two camping areas on Providence Farm with access to lavatories and showers
• Participation in all workshops, seminars and farm tours
• Scheduled shuttle buses from Victoria International Airport and the Swartz Bay ferry terminal

Register early for a special heritage hog feast

The first 200 registrants are invited to the exclusive whole roasted pork media dinner on Friday, September 10, 2010. The heritage hogs will be specifically raised and fed for the event and the entire meal will be prepared by members of the Chefs’ Table Society of BC.

Dinner will consist of foods grown on Providence Farm. Chef Rob Belcham’s heritage breed pig roast is the only event open to media. You will have a chance to mingle with Michael Stadtlander, founder and president of the Canadian Chefs Congress, food network personalities and the Canadian chef delegation from across the country.

Canadian Chefs' Congress organises GMO Free Zone: Food Professionals Against GMOs

With the 2008 annual Chefs’ Congress behind us and with the 2010 Congress scheduled for British Columbia we’re asking for your continued involvement. In response to interest shown in Jeffrey Smith’s presentation about the threat posed by Genetically Modified Organisms, we’ve taken the opportunity to organise an online group to discuss these risks.

The purpose of this group is help inform and unite us around the fight to stop Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) from landing on our plates at home and in our restaurants. You can sign up for this discussion group by going to: http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/gmofreezone

Chefs, hospitality professionals, restauranteurs, farmers, growers and fishers have the power to influence; the power to create awareness; and the power to change people’s eating habits one forkful at a time.

When you join GMO Free Zone - Food Professionals Against GMOs you also join the growing network of manufacturers, retailers, healthcare practitioners, the natural food industry and media that are already committed to informing consumers of the health risks associated with GMOs in our food supply. As food professionals we have the power to help direct the purchasing power of tens of millions of consumers through our organizations. We can help Canada reach that tipping point that will drive GMOs out of our food supply.

Please consider adding your name to the Campaign’s growing list of supporters because it not only addresses you and your community’s health concerns, but will also help influence the decisions of everyone in the food industry – restaurants, food manufacturers, distributors, and farmers. As Chefs and food professionals we interact with these people on a daily basis and therefore have the power to create change.

When you sign up to join GMO Free Zone you will receive a welcome-email with several concrete steps you can take to begin acting to stop GMOs.

Remember that we have the power to change! Take the first step and become a member of the Campaign so you can help be a part of the Non-GMO tipping point that is going on in North America. There is no fee to join. We need your help to take us to the next level in the rejection of GM foods in our food supply. Again, you can sign up for this discussion group by going to: http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/gmofreezone

British Columbia to host the second Canadian Chefs’ Congress in September 2010

This exclusive biennial event, celebrating the unique food cultures of our country is next scheduled for September 2010 in British Columbia. The BC Congress is the second in a twenty-six year series. It will focus on the health of our oceans and also have a large First Nations presence and focus. The 2010 Congress will bring together over six hundred chefs from across Canada. Participants will savour an exceptional showcase of regional cuisine, with local fisher and farmer participation, including talks and tours.

Chefs Robert Clark and Vikram Vij of the Chefs’ Table Society, Vancouver will head up the BC Steering Committee. The BC Steering Committee have suggested such keynote speakers as Dr. John Nightangal representative of Ocean Wise, and Dr. Daniel Pauly professor and director of the fisheries centre and UBC. Topics of discussion will include sustainable seafood, pollution, federal and provincial reserves, and fishing methods.

For more information, please contact:

Michael Dixon

Public Relations and National Liaison, Canadian Chefs’ Congress

phone 647.999.0012

mdixon@canadianchefscongress.com

Michael Stadtländer

Executive Director, Canadian Chefs’ Congress

phone 519.922.2645

chef@canadianchefscongress.com

Robert Clark

Co-chair BC Steering Committee

phone 778.228.6517

seaclark@telus.net