An award winning list of local, national and international celebrity chefs has now been announced for the 12th annual BC Seafood Festival, a 10-day celebration in the beautiful Comox Valley on Vancouver Island, B.C. from Friday, June 8 to Sunday, June 17, 2018. Tickets to select public events will go on sale starting at 9:00am PT on Friday, April 13th.
This year the 2018 event is unveiling the next generation of the festival by extending the highly anticipated BC Seafood Festival Signature Weekend to three-days featuring new events and celebrations including celebrity chef demonstrations, award-winning shellfish and seafood tastings, interactive & educational displays, and competitions including the famous Fanny Bay Oyster Shucking Competition and the OceanWise™ Chowder Challenge. Guests and visitors may purchase a Signature Weekend Day passes to enjoy some of these weekend highlights:
- Learn to Cook BC Seafood at two different Celebrity Chef Demonstration stages
- 15+ Seafood Tasting Stations – Meet the Producers and Chefs
- 15+ BC Craft Beer, Wine and Spirit Tasting Stations
- Live Music Performances
- Largest Kids Interactive Zone featuring numerous Touch Tanks and Interactive Displays, and Seafood Cooking Classes, plus the first visit to the Festival by the Vancouver Aquarium AquaVan!
Notably, an impressive group of celebrity chefs, and for the first time ever, a lineup of international culinary celebrities, are being featured that weekend and throughout the Festival.
International Celebrity Chefs include:
- Chef Tony Su, Ming Court, Cordis Shanghai, Shanghai
- Chef Mark Best, Marque, Bistro by Mark Best, Sydney, Australia
- Chef Tim Ho, The Food Gallery, Langham Hotel Hong Kong
- Chef Chris King, Roux at the Landau, Langham Hotel London
United States Celebrity Chefs include:
- Chef Scott Schneider, Al Fiori, Langham Hotel New York
- Chef Abby Ferrer, Star Noodle, Maui, Hawaii
- Chef Jose Duartes, Taranta, Boston
The growing list of regional and domestic chefs currently includes:
- From the Comox Valley – Chef Ronald St. Pierre, Locals Restaurant; Chef Nigel McMeans, Blackfin Pub; Chef Chance Wilke, Avenue Bistro; Chef Sloane Romano, Atlas Café; Laura Agnew, As You Like It; Dawn McRae, Custom Gourmet; Chef Aaron Rail, White Whale Restaurant; Chef Todd Radford, High Tide Public House; Chef Xavier Bauby, Culinary Arts; Chef Christian Arbez and Chef Melania Pearson, Thrifty Foods Truck.
- Outside the Comox Valley – From Victoria: Chef Morgan Wilson, The Fairmont Empress Hotel. From Vancouver: Chef Hidekazu Tojo, Tojo’s; Chef Pino Posteraro, Cioppinos; Chef Ned Bell, OceanWise™; Chef Chris Andraza, Fanny Bay Oysters Bar; Chef Andrea Carlson, Burdock & Co.; Chef Jenice Yu, FISH; Chef Jennifer Peters, Next Jen; Chef Eva Chin, Royal Dinette; Chef Caitlin Mark, H2 Westin Bayshore; Chef Shelome Bouvette, ChiCha; Chef Lisa Ahier, Sobo, Tofino. From Whistler, BC: Chef Melissa Craig, Bearfoot Bistro, Whistler; Chef Isabel Chung, Fairmont Chateau Whistler. From Calgary, Alberta: Chef Darren McLean, Shokurin; Chef Matthias Fong, River Café, and Sal Howell, Proprietor River Café and Deane House.
Also featuring for the first time, Culinary Team British Columbia Chefs:
- Chef Chris Braun, Chef Vincenzo Capitano, Chef Aaron Hoffman, Chef Leah Patitucci, Chef Tina Tang, Chef Kurt Waddington; and Team Manager, Chef JC Felicella.
“This year’s BC Seafood Festival promises to be the best yet for presenting a stellar line-up of famed local, domestic and international chefs, while also showcasing our renowned sustainable seafood from our pristine West Coast waters. We look forward to welcoming visitors and locals to the festival and events,” states Chef Nathan Fong, Chef Producer for the Festival.
Stay tuned for more tantalizing events to be announced in the coming days. Fun-filled dinners, Canada’s largest happy hour oyster bar, a seafood brunch cookout, and more will make this year’s BC Seafood Festival the best in its 12 year history!
For more information and tickets: Early-Bird BC Seafood Festival Signature Weekend pass ticket sales open on April 13th with more tickets being released soon for these and other Satellite Festival events at BCSeafoodFestival.com Sign up to receive updates about ticket and specials.
For more information about the Comox Valley, accommodation, tickets and the BC Seafood Festival go to BCSeafoodFestival.com or call the Vancouver Island Visitors Center 1-855-400-2882.
Join the conversation at #BCSeafoodFest.