Growing Chefs

GROWING AWARENESS Growing Chefs is a registered charity that teaches kids about growing and cooking food by sending chef and community volunteers into the classrooms. Founded in 2005 by Merri Schwartz, the program has worked with more than 5,000 students, and 400 volunteers. Fifty elementary schools across B.C. benefited this past year. Looking to educate more kids in more schools, the charity hosted its eighth annual Farm to Forks Harvest Kitchen Party. Yours truly, along with CBC’s Margaret Gallagher, fronted this year’s staging at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. A capacity crowd piled into the cooking school exploring the academy’s eight classroom kitchens, each occupied by a team of chefs, local producers and winemakers who collaborated on delicious wine-paired, tasting plates for party guests to devour.

Among the culinary talent that participated were Karan Suri, ARC at Fairmont Waterfront; Rob Clarke, The Arbor; Jesse McMillan, Campagnolo Roma; and Stewart Boyles, Culinary Capers.

Between bites, attendees checked out an impressive array of food and wine-related auction items.

A chef’s dinner by Burdock & Co’s Andrea Carlson — a Growing Chef champion — garnered the night’s top bid of $5,000, adding to a successful affair that cooked up $40,000 for the children’s urban agricultural program.

“Tonight is a perfect illustration of chefs, growers, teachers, students, volunteers all working together to strengthen the relationship we have with one another and with the land, sea and people that so generously feed us,” said Helen Stortini, Growing Chefs executive director.

West Restaurant’s executive chef Quang Dang and pastry chef Maxine Sander provided a sweet finish to the kitchen hopping at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. The soirée cooked up $40,000 for Growing Chefs.

CBC’s Margaret Gallagher welcomed the evening’s special guest from Strathcona Elementary: teacher Jane Quong and students Isabella NavarroJones and Anthony Lu, who shared their love of veggies and appreciation of the urban agriculture program for kids.

Growing Chef founder Merri Schwartz, Fresh Roots founder Marc Schutzbank and Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts Julian Bond share a love of good food and teaching students how to grow and cook it.