Richmond, British Columbia is an incorporated city of 210,000 residents just South of Vancouver. 65 per cent of the population is of Asian ancestry.

It’s home to Vancouver International Airport and the iconic Richmond Olympic Oval. It’s nestled where the Pacific Ocean and the mighty Fraser River meet. Richmond is a thriving multicultural destination city offering a growing range of cultural, heritage, culinary and leisure experiences.

It’s known for having some of the most authentic regional Chinese cuisine outside of China. Very reasonable prices, too. The “SoCal Restaurant Show” was on assignment this week in Richmond B.C.

Joining us to delve into the vibrant Richmond food scene is local journalist and doyenne of Asian cuisine, Stephanie Yuen. She is a seasoned food and travel journalist for both English and Chinese print and online publications and a food columnist for CBC Radio (North by Northwest) and Fairchild Radio AM1470.

A self-taught chef and winner of cooking awards and recipe competitions. Stephanie loves food and considers cooking as a “delicious therapy.” As a food culture ambassador she judges both prestigious food and wine competitions regularly.

Stephanie was our guide and local commentator at a magnificent, 10-course, Hong Kong-style Chinese banquet at Hoi Tong Chinese Restaurant in Richmond on our last night of the visit. The owner/chef is Yiutong Leung (now in his 70s) who previously cooked for British Royalty and VIPs in Hong Kong during the British rule. Very special experience…

Going to the movies doesn’t have to be a lackluster experience anymore when you’re talking about premium food and beverage offerings. iPic Entertainment is redefining how people eat and drink at the movies with 13 locations Coast-to-Coast and more on the way. In Southern California there are iPic complexes in Westwood and Pasadena. The chef-driven food is created by multiple James Beard-award winning chef, Sherry Yard.

Adam Seger, the Corporate Sommelier and Executive Bartender for iPic Entertainment, is our guest. A master barman, Adam has created high profile, signature cocktails now appearing on bar menus across the country. He even has his own line of bitters and has developed proprietary spirits. Cheers.

The Tuck Room Tavern is the newly conceived destination restaurant at iPic Westwood created by Chef Sherry Yard (ex-Spago Beverly Hills.) A serious cocktail program is part of the experience.

iPic’s answer to a concession stand –features a chef-driven menu from acclaimed Chef Sherry Yard, to be delivered to guests in Premium Plus. Freshness and quality is key followed by special attention taken to craft each dish to be in-cinema friendly for guests to enjoy in a dark cinema during the movie. iPic wouldn’t forget the classics, Chef Sherry has selected an assortment of classic candies and custom treats as well as classic and gourmet popcorn flavors to satisfy your sweet, or savory, tooth. iPic Express also offers an assortment of cocktails, beer, and wine, featuring our exclusive Cocktail Shaker.

The third annual Calistoga Harvest Table® event will take place on Sunday, Sept. 11, under the harvest moon in wine country, Calistoga, CA. In celebration of a plentiful harvest season, 14 local restaurants and 30 wineries will welcome visitors and locals to 1,000 feet of tables in the center of the city’s picturesque downtown.

Calistoga AVA wines will be available for purchase by glass or bottle, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Dinner will be served at 6:00 p.m., beginning with a toast led by famed Chateau Montelena winemaker Bo Barrett in celebration of the Judgment of Paris 40th anniversary.

Tickets to the third annual Calistoga Harvest Table® event are limited and will go on sale July 18; prices range between $65 and $150 per person, enabling guests to enjoy the best cuisine Calistoga has to offer.

Calistoga’s Mayor, Chris Canning (he’s also the Executive Director of the Calistoga Chamber of Commerce), joins us with all the delicious details.

On the Visit Calistoga Web site are details for entering the contest to win two VIP tickets to the Calistoga Harvest Festival. Deadline for entering is July 17th.

Ment’or BKB Foundation Chef Founders, Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller and Jerome Bocuse hosted the 2016 Young Chef Competition at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in New York on June 8th to identify up-and-coming culinary leaders and provide them with the opportunity to work alongside Team USA 2017.

Cesar Gutierrez, Executive Sous Chef, Café Boulud, NY (and a C-CAP graduate) finished in Second Place. His assistant was Esther Ha also of Café Boulud. We’ll meet Chef Guitierrez.

The Young Chef competitors prepared one dish that featured one Veal Rack and Veal Sweetbreads and/or Veal Osso provided by Marcho Farms.

Chef Guitierrez will be going to Lyon, France in February of next year to stage with Team USA (Chef Mathew Peters (Per Se, NYC) and Commis Harrison Turone) competing in the Bocuse d’Or international culinary competition.

The 3rd Annual Brew Hee Haw Craft Beer Roundup is part of opening Weekend of the OC Fair from July 15th to 17th. Attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy unlimited tastes of more than 80 craft beers with a wide selection of styles ranging from Pale Ales, IPA’s, Stouts, Saisons, Hefeweizens and many more. The 3rd Annual Brew Hee Haw Craft Beer Roundup has moved to a new location next to the Pacific Amphitheater, offering more space and a scenic view for craft beer enthusiasts.

With the addition of a new Friday evening session, guests will have their choice of 4 tasting sessions from some of the best breweries in the country. General Admission guests will receive 3 hours of unlimited tastings and a commemorative festival glass along with music. Games and more. Each session offers a limited number of VIP passes which provides an additional, more intimate hour of tasting with rare and limited release beers, and a special VIP commemorative glass. All passes include free OC Fair admission so attendees can “Come for the beer and stay for the Fair!”

Trevor Walls, the passionate Head Brewer for Pizza Port San Clemente (and a participating brewery), joins us with a thirst-quenching preview.

He studied brewing at the prestigious Siebel Institute of Brewing Science in Chicago as well as at the Doemens Academy of Brewing in Munich.

Pizza Port now cans their core craft beers (16 ounce packages) so you can enjoy them away from a Pizza Port restaurant in San Diego County or Orange County. Pizza Port continues to win important medals at the annual Great American Beer Festival in Denver. They have also won (in different years) “Small Brewpub of the Year” honors and “Large Brewpub of the Year.”

Executive Chef Andrew Gruel of the rapidly growing Slapfish empire with restaurants in Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, LAX, Irvine at UCI and, most recently, Brea, is back as today’s special Guest Host. Last month in Chicago he received Nation’s Restaurant News’ Trendsetter MenuMaster Award for Slapfish.

Now a provocatively tempting preview of Saturday’s abundant show and not, with profuse apologies, for dieters. If we’re successful we will always leave you incredibly hungry and thirsty. In our case that’s actually a pretty good thing…

The 3rd Annual Brew Hee Haw Craft Beer Roundup is part of opening Weekend of the OC Fair from July 15th to 17th. Attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy unlimited tastes of more than 80 craft beers with a wide selection of styles. Trevor Walls, the Head Brewer for Pizza Port San Clemente (and a participating brewery), joins us with a thirst-quenching preview.

Ment’or BKB Foundation Chef Founders, Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller and Jerome Bocuse hosted the 2016 Young Chef Competition at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in New York on June 8th to identify up-and-coming culinary leaders. Cesar Gutierrez, Executive Sous Chef, Café Boulud, NY (and a C-CAP graduate) finished in Second Place. We’ll meet him.

The third annual Calistoga Harvest Table® event will take place on Sunday, September 11th , under the harvest moon in wine country, Calistoga, CA. In celebration of a plentiful harvest season, 14 local restaurants and 30 wineries will welcome visitors and locals to 1,000 feet of tables in the center of the city’s picturesque downtown. Calistoga’s Mayor, Chris Canning (he’s also the Executive Director of the Calistoga Chamber of Commerce), joins us with all the crave-worthy details.

Going to the movies doesn’t have to be a lackluster experience anymore when you’re talking about premium food and beverage offerings. iPic Entertainment is redefining how people eat and drink at the movies with 13 locations Coast-to-Coast and more on the way.

Food, wine and travel writer Cori Solomon (a member of the prestigious International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association & Founder of L.A. Wine Writers) recently returned from a 10-day cruise of Italy and the Greek Isles aboard the Celebrity Reflection, the pride of Celebrity’s fleet. Her accommodation was a spacious, Deluxe Ocean View Veranda Stateroom.

This is a Solstice-class ship. Modern cruising offers a memorable vacation experience for all ages and interests with considerable value. Cori is with us to share her smooth-sailing, cruise highlights.

“Celebrity Reflection® is our newest marvel. She boasts an expanded deck, 72 additional staterooms overall, more seating in the main and specialty restaurants, more sun lounges on the pool deck, and more seats in the theatre.”

“Celebrate the flavorful joys of outdoor grilling in the new Lawn Club Grill. Enjoy more than 20 delicious options in the Main Restaurant. Unwind in your own cabana-style haven, The Alcoves, on the Lawn Club. And check out all the new spa innovations in the enhanced Canyon Ranch SpaClub®.”

“Your vacation time is precious. Time aboard Celebrity Reflection will make the most of it.”

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“The Art of Baja Wine & Beer Dinner” takers place at the newly renovated The Grill at the Lodge at Torrey Pines on Friday evening, July 15th. Baja’s Chef Drew Deckman (Deckman’s en el Mogor in the Valle de Guadalupe) has put together a four-course family style dinner highlighting traditional dishes and ingredients from this unique region, which will be prepared on the eye-popping outdoor rotisserie of The Grill (which just completed a spectacular $2.5 million renovation.)

The dinner will feature wine connoisseur and Michelin-starred Chef Drew Deckman ( Deckman’s en el Mogor) as well as Hugo D’Acosta, the premier winemaker of Valle De Guadalupe who will showcase rare wines normally unavailable in California.

For those who prefer hops to grapes, Eugenio Wendtlandt of Wendlandt Brewery, voted best Mexican Brewery 2015, will also be in attendance in addition to other craft beer selections from the Agua Mala region.

Baja’s Chef Drew Deckman is also coming to San Diego. He has a restaurant project on Bankers Hill set to debut in early 2017.

Executive Chef Jeff Jackson joins us with a preview.

The Garagiste Festival: Urban Exposure returns to The Wiltern theater on July 9th. Over 60+ artisan ‘garagiste’ winemakers from across California, including Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez and SLO counties; Napa and Sonoma counties, and Paso Robles will pour over 200 wines. Over 30% of the wineries are participating in the Los Angeles festival for the first time. Co-founder Doug Minnick uncorks the festivities for us.

Urban Exposure also presents the LA premiere of one of its signature comparison tasting seminars, “Tasting the Winemaker’s Spice Rack,” on the stage of The Wiltern. Rendarrio Vineyards owner and winemaker Ryan Render and Michael Larner, winemaker and owner of the renowned Larner Vineyard, will use side-by-side comparisons to help wine consumers understand, through their taste buds, how different oak treatments – from type to region to toast – can affect the finished product and change the profile of a single wine.

Renowned for their ‘crazy thrill of discovery,’ one-on-one interactions with winemakers, and fun ‘no-snobs-allowed’ atmosphere, Garagiste Festivals offer wine lovers their only opportunity to taste so many small-production, hard-to-find wines, from so many regions, all in one place – over 60% of Urban Exposure winemakers are without a tasting room.

The Metro Purple Line light rail station is right across the street. Talk about convenience…

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Upscale senior living facilities offering incredible amenities and delicious, healthy, chef-prepared food of restaurant quality represent a huge growth industry nationally. One of the industry leaders is Morrison Community Living. We’ll meet their Senior Corporate Chef, John Rifkin.

Chef Rifkin joined Morrison Community Living in 2004 as corporate chef. In this role Rifkin was able to support the many Morrison Senior Living communities throughout the country and help to show the value of both Morrison and Compass Groups’ robust sustainable seafood program nationally.

Chef Rifkin currently serves as Senior Corporate Executive Chef. Under his leadership he has been able to drive Morrison Community Living’s sustainable results even further, and along with his team of 10 Corporate Chefs, 24 Regional Chefs, and the over 400 plus chefs across the country to create very delicious sustainable seafood recipes.

Chef Rifkin knows that the generations entering Morrison Community Living communities have a very high expectation that they understand where their seafood and food comes from, but also that it is harvested responsibly as well.

Chef Rifkin collaborates with many food service organizations to support him to bring the very best ingredients to the seniors that Morrison Community Living prepares for. These guests have traveled the world, run Fortune 500 companies, and are master home chefs in their own right, cooking many meals for their family and loved ones throughout the years. Food Network is one of the most watched channels among Morrison Community Living’s residents.

Aging healthfully is a desire of Chef John’s Seniors. Working with nutritionists the aim is creating flavorful meals with less red meat and more seafood, whole grains and fruits and vegetables. Something to be learned here…

Freshness is key, too. More and more of Morrison Community Livings’ expansive properties in 44 states have pastry chefs and bake shops. Yum…

 

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