Scotiabank Passions Gala Returns to the Roundhouse

Top chefs and restaurants once again come together to raise funds for the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation.

In September 2002, a charity cooking class was held at home-gourmand mecca Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks. The event didn’t have a name, but it attracted 100 attendees who together raised $7,000 for the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation, the non-profit organization and West End care centre that helps those living with HIV/AIDS.Encouraged by its modest success, the event was reprised the following year under the name Passions, and each year since then it has grown in every way. Now officially known as the Scotiabank Passions Gala, to date it has raised more than $1 million for its cause.No longer a mere cooking class, Passions sees some of the city’s top chefs and restaurateurs gathering at the Roundhouse Community Centre to prepare and serve dishes for hundreds of attendees. At this year’s 12th annual edition, 23 restaurants are signed on, from relative newcomers Beach Bay Café and Beaucoup Bakery to perennial favourites including Chambar and Joe Fortes. As well, Lauren Mote (winner of Bartender of the Year at the 2015 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards) will be on hand to serve cocktails, alongside beer from R&B Brewing Co. and wines from New Zealand Winegrowers.Tickets are $225 (or $300 including admission to the Sparkling Reception, an hour-long pre-event social with oysters and bubbles courtesy of Tofino restaurant SoBo) from Drpeter.org or 604-331-5086.Scotiabank Passions: A Benefit for the Dr. Peter AIDS FoundationSunday, Sept. 13, 6pm(Sparkling Reception, 5pm)Roundhouse Community Centre (181 Roundhouse Mews)Drpeter.org