EAT! Vancouver Festival: Eat to Your Heart’s Content

EAT! Vancouver Festival, BC Place Stadium, Vancouver

EAT! Vancouver Festival

June 1 to 3, 2012

BC Place Stadium, Vancouver, Canada

Looking for something to do this weekend? Check out the EAT! Vancouver Festival at BC Place running until Sunday, June 3, 2012. Over 100 food and food related vendors show off their wares, there are lots of food samples, cool stuff for purchase at a discount and of course Food Network celebs hitting the main stage all throughout the weekend.

EAT! Vancouver Festival, BC Place Stadium, Vancouver

Take the Pepsi challenge at their tent near EAT! Vancouver’s entrance.

EAT! Vancouver Festival, BC Place Stadium, Vancouver

EAT! Vancouver Festival, BC Place Stadium, Vancouver

I know it’s tacky but I headed straight to the Mcdonald’s booth as soon as I arrived. They have smoothie samples and I was parched! There are three flavours made from fruit and yogurt. I tried the mango, which was sweet, refreshing and totally hit the spot.

McDonald's at EAT! Vancouver

Mango smoothie, McDonald's at EAT! Vancouver

Smoothies, McDonald's at EAT! Vancouver

Smoothies, McDonald's at EAT! Vancouver

Beside the McDonald’s booth was a Japanese food vendor, DWay Foods, serving up some of the spiciest hot sauce with the cutest name, Yuzu-It. Thank goodness I had that mango smoothie in hand to cool off my tongue.

Dway Foods, EAT! Vancouver

There were also some deliciously salty edamame beans at the Dway Foods stand.

Yuzu-It, DWay Foods, EAT! Vancouver

Edamame beans, DWay Foods, EAT! Vancouver

One of my favourite booths, year after year, still remains the BOSA stand, with their fully stocked cheese shelves, giant wheels of parmesan, display cases chock full of brie, cream cheese and fresh mozzarella.

BOSA, EAT! Vancouver

BOSA also has the best food samples, platters of their famous brie, delicious cream cheese and meats. I admit I circled back to their booth twice.

 BOSA, EAT! Vancouver

BOSA, EAT! Vancouver

BOSA, EAT! Vancouver

BOSA, EAT! Vancouver

BOSA, EAT! Vancouver

Right beside BOSA is another cheese booth – Swiss cheese, Fromages de Suisse. At their booth, there was a man making parmesan roses using a spinning blade. This sample was one of the items that required a ticket. Tickets can be purchased at EAT! and traded throughout the festival for higher end food samples.

Fromages de Suisse, EAT! Vancouver

Fromages de Suisse, EAT! Vancouver

Fromages de Suisse, EAT! Vancouver

The Gourmet Warehouse, EAT! Vancouver

One of my favourite stores is also at EAT! Vancouver, the Gourmet Warehouse. They’re selling a pretty cool product called Crispearls, basically cereal with flavoured coating. The little beads kind of tasted like the pearl version of Pocky. I liked the strawberry flavour over the chocolate.

Crispearls, The Gourmet Warehouse, EAT! Vancouver

Crispearls, The Gourmet Warehouse, EAT! Vancouver

Crispearls, The Gourmet Warehouse, EAT! Vancouver

Rob Feenie at EAT! Vancouver

I caught a bit of Rob Feenie’s show at the end of Friday night. Other Food Network celebs hitting the stage later this weekend include David Rocco and Top Chef Canada winner, Dale McKay. A complete schedule of shows can be found on the EAT! Vancouver website.

EAT! Vancouver

More importantly, directly to the right of the main show stage is a ticketed area (tickets must be purchased to try these food samples), where Vancouver’s high end restaurants and caterers are serving up special items created especially for the EAT! Vancouver Festival. I tried the sliders from Society, which were tender and delicious! Also, in the same booth is Coast Restaurant serving up some creamy and addictive spot prawn and lobster filled brioche buns. The buns are freshly baked.

Spot prawn and lobster brioche, Coast, EAT! Vancouver

Society Sliders, EAT! Vancouver

Further down in the ticketed area is Salmon n’ Bannock. I tried their incredible smoked salmon, which was silky and delectable. Also at their booth are some sweet, fluffy and fresh bannock. Nobody loves bannock more than me, and I can tell you that these bite sized morsels covered in cinnamon sugar are one of the best little bites at EAT! Vancouver.

Salmon n' Bannock, EAT! Vancouver

Salmon n' Bannock, EAT! Vancouver

Salmon n' Bannock, EAT! Vancouver

Salmon n' Bannock, EAT! Vancouver

Salmon n' Bannock, EAT! Vancouver

Green & Black’s organic chocolate is also at EAT! They offer a variety of chocolates, one of the most popular being the Maya Gold dark chocolate. I don’t care what all the chocolate connoisseurs say, my favourite type of chocolate is still creamy and sweet white chocolate.

Green & Black's organic chocolate, EAT! Vancouver

Green & Black's organic chocolate, EAT! Vancouver

Green & Black's organic chocolate, EAT! Vancouver

There are seating areas throughout EAT! Vancouver so you can gather all your food samples, plunk yourself down and pig out!

Pop-up cooking classes, EAT! Vancouver

Another cool thing is the pop-up culinary school. You can either sign up on the EAT! Vancouver website or sign up on the spot for classes.

Pop-up cooking classes, EAT! Vancouver

Blenz Coffee is serving up complimentary lattes and offering wonderful freshly brewed tea samples.

Blenz, EAT! Vancouver

Blenz, EAT! Vancouver

A new company called Churn is also serving up some of the most delicious homemade butter. I tried the matcha and dark chocolate butter. There’s nothing I love more than salty and sweet so this butter really hit the spot. Churn is selling a cute package of three beautiful little buttons of their butter. Check them out here at EAT! or at the local farmer’s markets throughout the summer.

Churn, EAT! Vancouver

Churn, EAT! Vancouver

Churn, EAT! Vancouver

A food festival is not complete without macarons. Kitchening & Co. are selling their macarons at EAT! It would have been nice if they had some samples though, considering that other vendors were shoveling out samples to sell products.

Kitchening & Co., EAT! Vancouver

Kitchening & Co., EAT! Vancouver

It’s not just food vendors at EAT! Vancouver, there is an eclectic mix of food related vendors too, like the Louisiana tourism board, plate and cutlery distributors and restaurant equipment vendors.

Pets eat too, EAT! Vancouver

Pets eat too! There are a few booths to the right of EAT! Vancouver’s entrance where you can check out organic pet food for your furry friends.

EAT! Vancouver

Don’t forget to pick up your EAT! Vancouver goodie bag when you leave. There’s a tiny bottle of Frank’s Original Hot Sauce inside. Happy Eating!