EAT! Vancouver Festival: Eat to Your Heart’s Content
EAT! Vancouver Festival, BC Place Stadium, Vancouver
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!
2 Responses to EAT! Vancouver Festival: Eat to Your Heart’s Content
Tricia
on June 17, 2012
Reply
I’m really glad to read about EAT! and remind myself of gorgeous time me and my family had there. This year,it was really great event and together with delicious food, I appreciated there were many activities for kids. It’s undoubtedly one of top ten June events in Vancouver…lot of great things happening all around this month!
ange
on July 1, 2012
Reply
thanks for reading!