DUMPLING-DO: Seventeen chefs tried their hand at reimagining the delicious dumpling at the third annual Golden Dumpling Cook Off and Derby in support of the Chinese Elders Community Kitchen. Fronted by founders Tannis Ling of Bao Bei and Ken Tsui, the event featured culinary talents from the Acorn, Anna Lena, Au Comptoir, Bestie, Chicha, Cibo, Cinara, Fable, Harvest, Gyoza Bar, La Mezcaleria, Pidgin, Sai Woo, Tableau, Wildebeest and The Union, who prepared their iteration of the wrapped-filled morsel to win the heart of judges and fans. Six hundred foodies gathered for the cook-off and all-you-can-eat dumpling derby, staged at the Food Cart Festival fairgrounds. La Mezcaleria’s Mexican inspired-dumpling by Armando Brown won the coveted Golden Dumpling trophy, while Lyna Eng and John Jugovic were declared the day’s biggest female and male eaters, consuming 24 and 47 dumplings respectively.
SOAP DISH: The Young and the Restless’s Kate Linder hosted her 17th annual high tea in Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»benefitting the Canadian Cancer Society. The actress, who plays Esther Valentine on North America’s top-rated daytime drama, along with castmates and soap studs Sean Carrigan (Ben Rayburn), Scott Elrod (Joe Clark), Justin Hartley (Adam Newman), Christian Le Blanc (Michael Baldwin) and ingénue Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea Lawson) were met by adoring fans who packed the Four Seasons Hotel ballroom for the meet-and-greet and autograph session. It was the third stop of Linder’s yearly pilgrimage north of the border. The afternoon affair concluded with the soap star handing over another $30,000 instalment to the $90,000 she has committed in her bid to fund research for breast and ovarian cancer — a storyline that sadly gets played out by some 30,000 women annually in Canada.
MEET THE INFLUENCERS: Jessica Thomas Cook, Hilary Chan Kent and Alex Brown recently launched Canada’s first agency dedicated to managing digital influencers, those trendsetters who influence our purchasing through beautiful pictures and breathtaking videos displayed on social media channels such as Instagram, YouTube, Tumblr, Twitter, Pinterest and blogs. More often companies are willing to pay top dollar to have online celebs with huge followings market their goods and services. The three principals, alongside the Food Gays Adrian Harris and Jeremy Inglett, one of nine talents they currently represent, recently made the launch of Australia’s Mallee Rock Wines atop PALS Vancouver’s Coal Harbour rooftop deck. The gaggle of influential millennials toasted and posted the release of the winery’s 2013 Shiraz Cabernet 2013 and 2014 Pinot Grigio.Â
