How to Choose Between EAT! Vancouver’s Harvest and Pastry Day Events

Two very tasty events battle it out for your favour.

Fall’s most scrumptious festival, EAT! Vancouver (which runs Nov. 4 to 9), is fast approaching, and with it, two large, Oscar-calibre, signature grand tasting events that are vying for your attendance and calendar space.

It’s not going to be an easy choice between the two, if you can only make it to one, and so we will present you with the culinary merits of each and leave the ultimate decision in the battle of EAT! Harvest, vs. the new entry, EAT! Pastry Day, up to you.

 1. EAT! Harvest: An All-Star Chef Romp Through Flavour Town

Let’s Talk About the Roster
The organizers at EAT! Vancouver rounded up 15 top chefs across the country, put them in one room, and let them come up with an unparalleled menu of canapes that highlight their local ingredients, masterful techniques and signature flavours. The grand tasting hall setting naturally stokes the competition levels, as each chef will be trying to outdo their neighbours, and you, lucky guest, get to walk up and down the event following your nose to search out your new favourite dish from an award-winning chef. Local chefs from Cioppino’s, Autostrada, The Acorn, Campagnolo and Wildebeest will be there, along with Christine Sandford from Biera in Edmonton, Cathy Whims from Nostrana in Portland, Torontonians Carl Heinrich from Richmond Station and Craig Harding from La Palma, as well as Jonathan Gushue, who’s coming all the way from the Fogo Island Inn in Newfoundland. This is the opportunity to try special dishes from the best culinary masters in their field, without having to buy a cross-Canada ticket or book three months ahead for a reservation.

Let’s Talk About the Wine
Each award-winning chef canape will be paired with 20-plus expertly chosen wines from the Pacific Northwest, including Canned Oregon, Chateau Ste. Michelle, Stoller Family Estate, Elk Cove Vineyards and Precept Wine. 

When: Friday Nov. 8, 2019 – 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Where: The Vancouver Club at 915 W Hastings St., Vancouver
Tickets: $135 (Which includes EVERYTHING, a.k.a. food, wine and desserts)

2. EAT! Pastry Day: A Multi-Event Celebration of the Best in Sweet

Let’s Talk About Multiple Events
There are not one, but two special events that precede the big tasting hall-style hootenanny.

An Exclusive Demo with Thomas Haas
If you think the city’s top chefs have big egos, JUST WAIT until you meet Thomas Haas. Just kidding! This a joke, as Thomas Haas is one of the nicest pastry chefs you’ll ever meet, and even though he is so busy running a chocolate empire and multiple locations, he’s going to be doing an in-person demo for attendees wherein he is prepared to reveal three of his signature recipes for the public to learn and replicate at their impress-the-neighbours dinner parties.

When: Saturday Nov. 9 – 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
*This event is sold out, but don’t despair! Haas will also be at the Expert Tasting Panel and Grand Tasting Event.

The Expert Tasting Panel
Imagine a meeting of minds to discuss the biggest issues facing us today, only with dessert. Local pastry chefs and chocolatiers Thomas Haas, Christophe Bonzon of Chez Christophe, Chocolate Arts’ Greg Hook and Adam Chandler of Beta5 will be on hand to talk about their favourite creations and inspirations, while audiences sample their truffles, tarts and cake goods. 

When: Saturday Nov. 9 – 1:45 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.

A Grand Tasting Event for the Ages with All the Best Pastry Chefs
Listen up, sweet tooths! A total of 15 pastry chefs will come together under one roof (a.k.a. The Vancouver Club roof) for this new grand tasting hall event to serve up the finest desserts and pastries, the likes of which you’ve never seen before. At a restaurant, you only get to try one dessert at a time, that’s why this event is a cake-, tart-, and chocolate-lover’s dream, the chance to get to sample the best desserts from award-winning pastry chefs and chocolatiers. Expect to see sweet treats from: Adam Chandler of Beta5, Anup Chaubal of the Fairmont Chateau Whistler, Betty Hung of Beaucoup Bakery, Christophe Bonzon of Chez Christophe, Danny Capdouca of the Okanagan College, Dominic Fortin of the Fairmont Empress, Eleanor Chow of Cadeau, Elena Krasnova of Mon Paris, Greg Hook at Chocolate Arts, Kevin Young at Xoco West Coast Chocolates, Mark Burton of PICA, Ned Bell of the Vancouver Club, Peter Fong of Ganache, Steve Hodge of Temper and Thomas Haas of Thomas Haas Chocolates.

When: Saturday Nov. 9 – 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: All Pastry Day events are at the Vancouver Club, located at 915 W Hastings St., Vancouver
Tickets for All Events: Starting at $89

In Conclusion
We get it, both events sound delicious, but hopefully now you have a better grasp of what to expect at each and can plan your lives accordingly. Bonus: No matter which EAT! Vancouver signature event you choose, 100% of the net proceeds benefit the BC Breast Cancer Foundation, so there’s really no wrong way to spend your weekend. For tickets or more details about these events and the rest of the EAT! Vancouver lineup, visit eat-vancouver.com.