thank you

Magik Moments Await at our Trivia Party!

Our annual appreciation party for volunteers, donors and members of our Champion Radish club is coming up on June 12th. We're giving thanks to all the folks that support Growing Chefs by contributing the time, expertise, and funds that make our work possible.

Here’s what we have planned for this year’s party:

Elevate Your Selfie:
Magik Moments will be at the event! Bring your smile (and your silly) and capture the fun!

Trivia:
The quiz-tacular party begins at 4:30pm and we'll be hosting two rounds of family-friendly food trivia at 5:00pm and 5:45pm!

Food & Drinks:

We’ll be snacking on:
Aiyaohno Cafe: vegan gyoza and edamame hummus with crudité.
Salmon n' Bannock & Earnest Ice Cream: Signature Bannock served with Jam and a scoop of Earnest Ice Cream. 
We hope you will leave our party having tasted some fantastic flavours. Our offerings will be appetizer-size portions, please make plans for dinner after the event.

We’ll be sipping up:
Phillips Soda Works, Sheringham Gin, Lumette!, wine, beer and more! 

Prizes:
Trivia and Door prizes generously donated by Bruno Feldeisen, Earnest Ice Cream, East Van Jam, HerbaLand Naturals, House of Knives, H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, Sea Cider, Tacofino, and West Coast Seeds.  

Details:
Date: Wednesday, June 12th
Time: 4:30-6:30pm
Location: Gladstone Secondary School  - Cafeteria

Registration:
If you are a donor, volunteer, or enthusiastic supporter of Growing Chefs, this event is for you. We ask that all attendees are registered for the event. Please reach out to afton@growingchefs.ca to receive a registration link. Kids are welcome to attend!

Special Thanks to our Event & Prize Sponsors

Donor Shoutout: Culinary Cache

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We soared through the From Farms to Forks Food Series, but we want to take a moment to look back and spread the love to our amazing sponsors and donors. Today we will be acknowledging those who contributed to our Culinary Cache, a complimentary gift bag that was delivered to our Food Series pass holders filled with tasty treats and products celebrating local food producers and businesses.

A big thank you to: Biota Fermentation, Dageraad Brewing, Davis Bay Tea Company, Earnest Ice Cream, East Van Jam, Edible Vancouver Magazine, Fresh Prep, Fresh Roots, Tempo Gin, Helmer's Organic Farm, House of Knives, KICS Lemonade, Klippers Organics, Legends Haul, Mission Hill Family Estate, Nature Bee Beeswax Wraps, Ono Vancouver, RISE Kombucha, Shaketown Brewing, Spread'Em Kitchen, The Preservatory, and Whole Foods Market.

An extra thank you to J. Josue Photography for capturing all of these images, Il Centro, Italian Cultural Centre for providing a safe space to pack our caches, our amazing volunteers from Traction on Demand for helping to pack everything, and Modo for zipping us around town! Below are photos of our team hard at work, and our donors LOVING their caches!

Volunteer Spotlight: Krista Ettles

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To continue celebrating National Volunteer Appreciation Week, we would like to introduce you to Krista. She is a longtime volunteer who has taken the last few years off of volunteering in the classroom to build her food entrepreneur career via Nourished & Whole, but now she is back and ready to plant some seeds in the classroom.

Tell us a little bit about yourself. What do you do? Where are you from?
My name is Krista and I’m an entrepreneur, cook, teacher, recipe developer, and food blogger. I teach people how to cook better at home and make food fun again! I’m passionate about food and love to inspire people to get back into their kitchens. Besides food, I love hiking, beach volleyball and anything outdoors really. I’m a born and raised local and grew up in White Rock.

Why did you decide to volunteer again in the classroom with us?
I’ve done the program before and absolutely love teaching the kids about food. It’s so great to see them get excited about growing their own food and trying different things. It’s such a fun experience!

What is your favourite seasonal vegetable?
There’s so many to choose from but I’d have to say asparagus for Spring.

If you could cook and share a meal with anyone (living or dead) who would it be and why?
Hands down Julia Child. I’d love to sit down and hear about her life in person. She was such a pioneer in the food world and as a woman. She’s someone I admire and is definitely a role model for me.

What is your favourite meal to prepare for yourself?
Again so many choices but I’d probably say some sort of salmon dish. I do a really good maple balsamic marinade. Simple but delicious! My brother is also a fishing guide so I’m lucky to get out and catch the fish myself!

Why do you feel programs like Growing Chefs! are important?
I think it’s so important kids are taught the importance of cooking and where our food comes from. It’s something that’s definitely getting lost in our world of fast food so I think cooking is a life skill that we need to be teaching kids…..and ourselves. Being conscious about our food choices and where it comes from has a huge impact on our health, our planet and our communities and I think it’s a must that we teach our kids this for future generations. 

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Thank you Krista, and thank you to all of our volunteers!