Make no mistake, says Chef Ken Nakano. Vancouvers chefs may be laid back and highly supportive of one another, but that doesnt mean they arent competitive. They just want to make sure that Vancouvers food culture is the ultimate winner.
Nakano is co-ordinating the Taste of Talent Benefit Dinner on March 26. The citys top chefs are volunteering their formidable talents to raise money for all the local chefs who will be representing British Columbia and Canada in international competitions over the next 12 months.
Joining him in the kitchen at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia will be Bocuse dOr competitor Alex Chen, the Canadian Culinary Federations national culinary team, the, culinary team British Columbia and Tobias McDonald of La Belle Auberge, the WACS Global Challenge chef. Guests of honour Michael Stadlander and Paul Harber are flying in for the event.
Nakano laughs. Talk about too many chefs in the kitchen. Its going to be crazy. But if you want to see and taste what we offer the world, this is the night.
Tickets are a healthy $290 each but patrons will be able to enjoy a dinner par excellence and join Vancouvers entire food industry in supporting star chefs.
Its everyone who makes this happen local producers, suppliers, our employers, Nakano says. Chefs will cook in the middle of the woods but to put on something of this magnitude, its bigger than we are.
He gives part of the credit to this nurturing attitude to Chef Bruno Marti of La Belle Auberge in Ladner. Hes all things culinary. Hes everyones dad.
Marti has striven to cultivate and generate excitement about our food culture. Food matters to us, Nakano says, and the competitions helps raise the profile of local chefs.
The Taste of Talent benefit dinner is March 26 at Rosewood Hotel Georgia. Tables of 10 are available at $2,750. To reserve, go to
