Lifetime Achievement Award 2017: Sid and Joan Cross

Together, Sid and Joan Cross have raised the bar for what was possible for B.C.’s hospitality industry.

If you travel anywhere people love food and wine, and you tell someone you’re from Vancouver, the common response is, “How’s my friend Sid?” or “Please say hi to Joan for me.”

Long before you couldn’t visit a restaurant without a smartphone in tow or have a meal without “reviewing” it online, there was but a small cadre of people who dedicated themselves to seeking out and celebrating those pioneering folks who were changing the way we were eating and drinking. And in the then-provincial town that was Vancouver, there were two who stood out above all others: Sid, a high-powered lawyer at Ladner Downs by profession but an oenophile with an encyclopedic knowledge of the world of wine by passion; and Joan, a cookbook editor and tester who shepherded many a culinary tome from idea to fruition. Together—and even after almost five decades, they’re always together—they not only raised the bar for what was possible for B.C.’s hospitality industry, they also used their frequent travels to preach the gospel of this up-and-coming city on the Pacific to chefs, winemakers and producers throughout the world. They’ve judged almost every event worth judging in B.C., and the awards and decorations that are the result of these efforts are notable: Sid is an officer of France’s prestigious Ordre du Mérite Agricole (Jacques Pepin and Jacques Chirac are only knights) and the only Canadian to be inducted into Bordeaux’s L’Académie du Vin, and both have received the highest honour from the International Food and Wine Society. We now proudly add the Vancouver magazine Lifetime Achievement Award to that list.

https://youtu.be/Ouj5FdSeTPQ

Restaurant Awards 2017 ▸▸▸