Kitchen help

Chefs and other hospitality folk fundraise to care for their own and others

by JOY METCALFE

At the recent opening of the Peak2Peak adventure ride at Whistler/Blackcomb, veteran wine man Harry McWatters sabered a bottle of Steller’s Jay bubbly to toast the new gondola experience. But he didn’t do it with the traditional sword; he did it with a ski!

McWatters was one of the special guests at the B.C. Hospitality Foundation’s media preview dinner at the Renaissance Harbourside. The foundation, formed in 2006, offers financial assistance at a critical time of need to people who work in food, beverage and hospitality professions.

The first recipient was veteran wine agent Michael Willingham who, following a dreadful stroke, required costly surgery followed by rehab time. Michael was the evening’s special and inspiring speaker. The foundation is in place as a safety net for others as well, thanks to such determined humanitarians as Richard Carras, McWatters, Geoffrey Howes, Tim Pawsey, our own Jurgen Gothe and most especially, Dawn Donahue. Great to see the six top chefs taking part: Victoria’s Melbourne O’Brien, Kelowna’s Rod Butters, Diva’s Jeff Van Geest, Oliver’s Bernie Casavant, CinCin’s Thierry Busset and the Renaissance’s Executive Chef Kevin Greehy.

One of the most festive seasonal celebrations was hosted by the irrepressibly optimistic V.P. Fairmont Hotels in the Pacific Northwest and genial GM of the Hotel Van, Mark Andrew and his wife Kristi in the hotel’s elegant 14th floor suites. Enjoying the company, the ambience and the cuisine were CHILD’s Grace and Ray McCarthy, VPD Chief Constable Jim Chu and wife Vicky, Victoria’s new VPD boss Jamie Graham and wife Gail, former hotelier Michael Lambert and wife Sally, Bowen Island’s mover and shaker Murray Atherton, Tourism Vancouver’s Rick Antonson and Patti Smolen, Speakers Bureau’s Perry Goldsmith, CanTrav’s George Bartell, Graziella and Bruce Constantineau, Ray LeBlond and wife Nancy Chilton, and very special guest Philip Chicola, the new U.S. Consul General, who just had arrived in town from Brazil, his last posting. Hotel Van manager Rick Corcoran was beaming. He’d just received an early Christmas present when wife Virginia delivered their nine-pound, one-ounce baby boy whom they named Benjamin.

The annual Dine Out Vancouver, Tourism Vancouver’s most successful 
promotion, began with a media sneak preview at the Four Seasons’ Yew Restaurant where we were welcomed by PR Samantha Geer and Executive Chef Rafael Gonzalez before limoing off to such restaurants as The William Tell, Tropeka and Lift. Rafael also was beaming. Seems he’s just become a first-time parent with wife Toni of a little six-pound, 14-ounce baby girl they’ve named Arianna. And they’re leaving our town. The scoop is that Rafael has just been promoted to Executive Chef at the Four Seasons Philadephia.

Coming in to take his place is Executive Chef Oliver Beckert from the Four Seasons Lania in Hawaii. We met Oliver at a special Hawaiian dinner in Yew recently along with several of his colleagues who were touting their exotic menus of Ahi Tuna with Mango-Fennel Slaw, Goat Cheese Fritter, nut-crusted Mahi Mahi, Kalua Pork and Passion Fruit Pallet in their Pacific Northwest properties. Adding to the lure of the tropics was the melodic stylings of The Outriggers.

Kudos to Diane Abbott and friends who raised more than $40,000 at her annual Hy’s Encore luncheon to benefit the YWCA’s Crabtree Corner. ... Tip of the hat too to Bianca Fusco Zanatta who entertained some 70 kids from the Boys and Girls Club aged 5 to 9 at The Shark Club with a fun event called Reach for Outer Space. Bravo, Bianca! mv