More than 500 chefs from around the world are converging on Vancouver this weekend as the city prepares to host the largest chefs conference ever held in the province.
More than 2,000 people are set to attend the 48th annual National Chefs Conference June 12 – 15 – an event that Vancouver has not hosted since 2002.
Four major competitions anchor the conference:
- the semi-final of a global chefs challenge;
- a Canadian national chefs challenge;
- a world junior chefs challenge; and
- a Canadian junior chefs challenge.
Local celebrity chef and Cactus Club food concept architect Rob Feenie is expected to speak about the business of being a chef, while C Restaurant chef Rob Clark will discuss sustainable seafood.
“That discussion will address what’s next with sustainability and what our responsibility is,” said conference director Dawn Donahue. “So there will be some hard questions.”
Three local Asian chefs associations merged on March 22, when the Chinese Canadian Chefs Association, Hong Kong Chefs Club and Dim Sum Chefs Association became the Asian Culinary Team.
Members of that new association will host a luncheon at the conference featuring food prepared by a group of 15 local “dragon” chefs from China.
The conference’s glitziest event will be a posh black-tie gala – although tickets for that event, much like the delegate fees, are affordable enough for up-and-coming chefs to attend.
“The value of a delegate pass for the conference is well over $1,500 now,” Donahue said. “Because delegate fees are subsidized by the British Columbia Chefs Association, the early bird rate for junior chefs is $300 and it is $500 for a regular chef. That price won’t even cover the cost of their food, so we really have reached out to our sponsors.”
Glen Korstrom
Twitter: GlenKorstrom