Sept 14 - 2 PM to 9 PM | Sept 15 - 10 AM to 8 PM | Sept 16 - 10 AM to 5 PM @ TRADEX, Abbotsford
Food Network Celebrity Stage
The central focal point of The Fraser Valley Food Show is, without a doubt, the Food Network Celebrity Cooking Stage where Food Network Canada's superstars will dazzle the audience with their amazing talent, wit and humour.
PRESENTING LIVE ON STAGE:
Star of The Real Housewives of Vancouover
Reiko MacKenzie
Real House Wives of Vancouver star Reiko Mackenzie will appear live on the Food Network Celebrity Stage to celebrate harvest season in the Fraser Valley, where much of our local food originates. A local and sustainable food advocate and cooking enthusiast, Mackenzie explores what’s new and fresh from the cranberry bog as we head into the Thanksgiving season.
The real housewife, Reiko Mackenzie has many interests and hobbies, but she is especially passionate about cooking. When her mother was diagnosed with high blood sugar, she really became inspired to take on baking and cooking with a delicate hand. She wanted to help her mother by choosing the right combination of foods but soon discovered that she loved the creative side of food.
When her younger daughter engaged in a local gardening program, food took on an increasing importance in her life. It has resulted in Reiko growing her own food (she can't imagine her life without her vegetable garden) and experimenting with gluten-free baking and low-carb recipes. She is always looking for new and interesting ingredients to add value both in nutrition and flavour. Being a mother to two young girls, she wants to help them learn nutrition in a way they can enjoy. Follow Reiko on twitter http://twitter.com/reikomommy
Bal Arneson
The Spice Goddess
Bal Arneson is a mother, an author, an educator and an advocate for healthy Indian cooking. In 2010 her series, Spice Goddess, was launched on the US Cooking Channel and Food Network Canada; it was nominated for a 2011 James Beard Award. In 2012, Spice Goddess was nominated in the lifestyle category by NAMIC Vision Awards.
Bal has appeared as a Judge on Iron Chef America. She judged Cooking with Fire which will begin airing on Shaw across Canada in October 2012. Her second season of Spice Goddess starts in September 2012 on the Food Network.
Both of her cookbooks, Everyday Indian and Bal's Quick and Healthy are bestsellers. Her second cookbook, Quick and Healthy Indian, in 2012, won the Asian Cuisine category prize for Canada by the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. She is the West Coast correspondent for National Post Appetizer section and she writes monthly recipes for The Province Newspaper. She has a Masters Degree in Education and has taught in a public school for more than 7 years. She lives in Vancouver with her daughter and son.
Twitter @balarneson
Executive Chef William Tse
Sandbar Seafood Restaurant – Granville Island
Following in his father’s footsteps, William developed a passion for food and the culinary arts at a very young age. While working alongside his father, he learned the fundamentals of Asian cuisine.
William’s first formal position in the restaurant industry was at the Delta Pacific Hotel and Conference Centre and Resorts where he worked under the tutelage of Chef Wolfgang Leske. During his time here, William was exposed to Culinary Team Canada and the world of culinary competitions, earning his Red Seal as well as silver and bronze medals at various culinary shows.
Goldfish Pacific Kitchen marks William's first foray as Executive Chef, where he spent 6 months developing menu items before its opening. Goldfish helped define William’s food and his creative flare. In August of 2010 William decided it was time for a new challenge, at which time he assumed the role of Executive Chef of the Sandbar Seafood Restaurant. Sandbar embraces the ultimate Vancouver food destination: a multitude of cultures from Japanese, to Chinese, to West Coast. This lends well to William’s style, the blending of cultures yet keeping the integrity of tradition.
Food creation is one of William’s passions, and attending local food events and culinary competitions; William’s goal is to expose Vancouver to his food. Doing his part to help define the food scene in Vancouver, William is an active member of the Ocean Wise program.
Executive Chef Chris Remington
Penticton Lakeside Resort
Chef Chris Remington began his career in cooking at age 20 with EarlsRestaurants. He soon found that cooking was his passion when he went travelling around theworld working in the kitchens of various upscale restaurants across Europe andthe South Pacific.
Chris returned to Vancouver and enrolled in the renowned Pacific Institute ofCulinary Arts. While there as a student, he entered the BC 'Iron Chef Competition. Chris won the Iron Chef title, beating out several of Vancouver's top chefs. The following year he returned to defend his title, this time beating out one of his culinary instructors to win the competition.
Chris then worked in an array of Vancouver's top restaurants-The Beach Side Cafe in West Vancouver, Sous Chef at the award winning 'C' restaurant before becoming the product development chef for Earls. Later he helped to open and create the menu for the award winning Chi restaurant. Once Chi was opened, Chris and his family moved to Penticton to run the kitchen at the 'Hooded Merganser'.
Since that time he has taken over the culinary development of the Penticton Lakeside Resort, where he continues to create fresh, innovative and delicious food today!
Executive Concept Chef Patrick Dore
Frankie's Italian Kitchen & Bar
Returning to Vancouver in 2009 marked the completion of a circle for
Patrick. After leaving Vancouver he has been working in some of the
finer hotels and restaurants on both the West and East coasts of the
United States and the Caribbean for the Four Seasons, Fairmont and the
Kimpton Hotel Group.
Upon returning to Vancouver he most recently headed up the
kitchen as Executive Chef at The Fairmont Waterfront and after a brief sabbatical is excited to dive back into Vancouver's dynamic restaurant scene as Executive Concept Chef for Frankie's Italian Kitchen & Bar.
Cops for Cancer Tour de Valley - 6:30 pm Saturday
This year, from September 27 to October 5, our Cops for Cancer Tour de Valley team will be cycling over 800km through the Fraser Valley. They will spend their time visiting local schools and businesses to raise money and awareness for pediatric cancer. The funds that are raised through Cops for Cancer are used by the Canadian Cancer Society to fund the best pediatric cancer research in Canada as well as important support programs for children living with cancer. One of these programs is Camp Goodtimes, a Summer camp located at Loon Lake in Maple Ridge where campers attend free of charge thanks to the generosity of our donors. These children are able to experience an enriching and empowering Summer camp experience, and thanks to the team of doctors and nurses who are onsite 24 hours a day, this means that even those children who require additional medical supervision to maintain their treatment are able to attend.
As a pre-cursor to our official Tour, Tradex and the organizers of the Fraser Valley Food Show have kindly donated staging space to us during their event for us to do an official jersey presentation to our riding team. This event is an informal gathering for our riders and their families, our Jr team members (children who are currently undergoing, or who have undergone cancer treatment) and their families, as well as key sponsors of our event. It will be an occasion where we have the chance to recognize these individuals for their key roles in making our event happen each year, and we’re very thankful to the Fraser Valley Food Show and Tradex for agreeing to host this event for our group.
