Parq Vancouver is the host resort for the Juno Awards, which means musicians will gather in its restaurants, bars, and lounges.

also have a selection of sushi. [From] Honey Salt [another in-house restaurant], we thought it would be really fun to do the bounty of what’s coming in season in B.C. now.”

The cheesesteak sliders that Blau is talking about are no ordinary feature: they are made with roasted prime strip loin, charred onion and peppers, and black-truffle cheese sauce. Other foods that will be served to the musical acts are aburi (flame-seared) salmon sushi, spicy tuna rolls, charcoal-roasted beets and turnips, and cauliflower hummus, among other tasty nibbles.

“These are items on the regular menu that have been adapted,” Blau explained. “It’s all tasting stations, [and] they’ll get to come to the stations and talk to the chefs. [We’re] trying to give a little flavour of the restaurants themselves.”

The JW Marriott Parq Vancouver culinary team will also be putting together an assortment of delicious bites for the Junos reception. Attendees will be trying everything from smoked salmon (served on rice crackers and garnished with edible flowers) to heirloom-tomato tartare (with basil cream cheese) to cashew-chicken lollipops (with chili and sticky tamarind glaze). An ice-cream cart will also be available, scooping out flavours like salted caramel, raspberry, and double-chocolate fudge.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had a partnership like this before at the Junos,” Allan Reid, president and CEO of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), the Juno Awards, and Musicounts, told the Straight in an interview at Parq. “What you’re seeing is such an elevated cuisine. The welcome and chairman’s receptions have always had nice food before, but what Parq has created here is honestly exceptional.

“I’m excited about when the industry gets here. We’ve never had a facility like this for the Junos, where we can take over the entire hotel— and have access to eight restaurants, bars, and lounges—that is right next to the facility,” Reid added. “They can just walk over to Rogers Arena for the Junos.”

Just because we didn’t get an invite to the party doesn’t mean we can’t indulge in the same things that the Junos insiders will be eating. The restaurants and bars at the Parq, where avocado-crunch rolls and sweet-potato chips can be found, are open for business.

And maybe the cheesesteak sliders will be popular enough to make it onto the Victor’s regular menu so Vancouverites can eat just like the famous.