Posts Tagged ‘Chef Robert Clark’

2010 Gold Medal Plates: Vancouver

November 5th, 2010 admin

Coleen Christie (mc) & Chef Robert Clark (Gold Medal Winner)

On October 28th, I attended the Gold Medal Plates Awards at the Sheraton Wall Centre where the top 10 Chefs from around British Columbia competed in a Culinary Competition for Gold, Silver and Bronze in one of the most prestigious culinary events in Canada.

It was quite the event, chefs along with wineries, athletes, industry professionals, and guests mingling about and tasting the competing chefs dishes and pairing wines.

In one of the closest competitions ever in these Gold Medal Plates, all three Gold, Silver & Bronze were separated by no more than 1.5 percent between each score.

Winning the Gold medal was Chef Robert Clark of C restaurant, his dish was a demi-tasse of translucent, pure tomato consommé along with a slice of a terrine made with Fraser Canyon Rabbit, with spot prawns. The wine pairing was an aromatic 2009 Viognier from Black Hills estate winery in B.C.

Chef Robert Clark

Rabbit & Spot Prawn Terrine by Chef Robert Clark

Winning the Silver medal was Chef Dale Mackay of Lumiere, his dish was a baked B.C. black cod with morsels of smoked tomato and corn kernels, finely shredded kale and button mushroom. This dish was finished by pouring emulsion of five-spice. The wine pairing was the Petrolly 2009 Riesling from Tantalus in B.C.

Chef Dale Mackay

B.C. black cod with morsels of smoked tomato and corn kernels, finely shredded kale and button mushroom.

Winning the Bronze medal was Neil Taylor of Cibo Trattoria. His dish was a Carpaccio of wild venison with slices of superb pine mushrooms in tangy, earthy black truffle and celeriac aioli, with paper-thin shavings of red-wine-soaked pecorino and wild watercress. The wine pairing, was with Foxtrot Vineyards 2007 Pinot Noir from the Okanagan vineyards.

Chef Neil Taylor

Carpaccio of wild venison with slices of superb pine mushrooms in tangy, earthy black truffle and celeriac aioli, with paper-thin shavings of red-wine-soaked pecorino and wild watercress.

2010 Competing Chefs were:

DARREN BROWN – Coast

ROBERT CLARKE – C Restaurant

QUANG DANG – Diva at the Met

STUART KLASSEN – Delta Grand, Kelowna

DALE MACKAY – Lumière

NICHOLAS NUTTING – The Wickaninnish Inn, Tofino

NICO SCHUERMANS – Chambar

ROGER SLEIMAN – Quails’ Gate Winery, Kelowna

CAM SMITH & DANA EWART – Joy Road, Penticton

NEIL TAYLOR- Cibo Trattoria

Chef Quang Dang

Bacon Wrapped Scallop with Quince by Chef Quang Dang

Chef Darren Brown

Sablefish with parsley sauce by Chef Darren Brown

Chef Nicholas Nutting

Ribeye Steak in chocolate sauce & chocolate covered Fois Gras by Chef Nicholas Nutting

Chefs Cam Smith & Dana Ewart

Braised Oxtail by Chefs Cam Smith & Dana Ewart

Chef Stuart Klassen

dish by Chef Stuart Klassen

Chef Roger Sleiman

Quail by Chef Roger Sleiman

This exciting event was sold out, the well-dressed crowd enjoyed the excellent food and wine, along with the spectacular music of Colin James, Jim Cuddy, Barney Bentall and Anne Lindsay, stand-up by comedian Ron James. They bid on extravagant and spectacular auction prizes, raising a new record for a single Gold Medal Plates event, well over $250,000.

Gold Medal Plates is the ultimate celebration of Canadian Excellence in cuisine, wine, the arts and athletic achievement. Celebrating in eight cities across Canada in 2010, Gold Medal Plates feature superb wines and the premier chefs, paired with Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes, in a competition to crown a gold, silver and bronze medal culinary team in each city, and subsequently nation-wide.

Huge applause to all the chefs that competed in this very close culinary contest, Chef Robert Clark will be going to Kelowna in February 2011 to compete in the Canadian Culinary Championships.

By: Richard Wolak

Posted in Competitions, Latest Tags: , , , No Comments »

Dinner on the Floating Dining Room

July 25th, 2010 admin


As you can imagine I have been to many different types of dinners of the years, some of my most memorable meals had been while I was off travelling. Last night I had one of the most memorable dining experiences ever in my own city, Vancouver.

Shannon Ronalds

There is a back story that takes us back about 4 months or so when Shannnon Ronalds had an idea to start a foundation called School of Fish with its ultimate goal to raise $100,000 with the money to be used to train and educate chefs around the world about sustainability in our oceans. Shannon knew the right people, his friend and former boss Harry Kambolis (owner of C Restaurant and a leader himself in Sustainability) and Chef Robert Clark (Chef at C Restaurant and one of the best chefs in North America also a leader in Sustainability). The foundation was co-founded by Shannon Ronalds & Chef Robert Clark. The idea was born and is an amazing fete, I dined on the Floating Dining Room on opening night on July 24th with Shannon Ronalds leading the way, he was our Sommelier, Server, and Guiding Light to me and my fellow diners (in all we were 12 members of the media guests of Shannon Ronalds for the night).

Eating in the dining room

After we assembled at C Restaurant, we all made our way down the seawall, gangway to the dock and walked to the Floating Dining Room that is somewhat anchored next to the dock. The dining room measures about 20 feet long x 8 feet wide and the floor is made up of 1700 plastic bottles rescued from the ocean, the structure was designed by Matt Kirk-Buss of Loki Ocean and built by Shannon Ronalds and a couple of friends who donated their time to the project. It is constructed entirely of renewable, recycled, reclaimed and/or re-purposed materials, seats only 12 and is a fully outfitted formal dining room complete with fine china, and crystal. Clear walls and ceiling shield patrons from the elements while affording them a very unique perspective on False Creek and the views beyond.

Chef Robert Clark

The 6 courses dinner was paired with 6 wines, the menu for the dinner was created by Chef Robert Clark using sustainable seafood including BC Spot Prawns supplied by Organic Ocean. The wines were selected by Sommelier Shannon Ronalds from many wine tastings to choose the right wines for this dinner pairing.

BC Spot Prawn Sunomono Salad

1st Course
BC Spot Prawn Sunomono Salad paired with the New Zealand Mud House Sauvignon Blanc.

Ultra rare scallop

2nd Course
Ultra rare scallop finished at the table with a dashi broth paired with the Summerhill Pinot Gris.

Farmed Tilapia with a lobster saffron cream

3rd Course
Farmed Tilapia with a lobster saffron cream paired with the Twisted Tree Marsane Rousanne.

Northern BC Wild Coho Salmon

4th Course
Northern BC Wild Coho Salmon paired with the California 2008 Bensinger Chardonnay.

Tiger blue cheese from poplar grove, romala cheese from naramata

5th Course
Tiger blue cheese from poplar grove, romala cheese from naramata with blueberry and apricot compotes + honey paired with the Pacific Breeze “GSM” (or Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre)

Berry Fool with chocolate shavings

6th Course
Berry Fool with chocolate shavings paired with the Tinhorn Creek Late Harvest Kerner 2008 dessert wine.

Our group was fortunate to be able to see the Celebration of Light Fireworks (Spain) over the burrard bridge while enjoying our dessert, it was as magical as it was memorable.

Servers from Northwest Culinary Academy

Started July 24th the floating dining room will host 60 nights of exclusive dining. Each candle-lit dinner includes a six-course sustainable seafood meal prepared by multi-award winning Chef Robert Clark of C Restaurant. Mr. Ronalds, a former sommelier, will carefully choose wines to compliment each course. The price for this once-in-a-lifetime dining experience? There is a discount for ordering early ’ $195 (plus taxes) per person if ordered prior to July 31st (for any date). Starting August 1st the price goes up to $215. Group discounts will also be offered for those who wish to book the entire 12 seats for a private function. Each dinner will be personally presided over by Mr. Ronalds.

Reservations are a must and can be made by calling 778-997-6977 or emailingcontact@schooloffishfoundation.org Dinners proceed rain or shine and all ticket sales are final due to the limited time frame of the experience. If you find you cannot attend, you may transfer your ticket to someone else.

By: Richard Wolak

Posted in Great Ideas, Latest, Parties & Events Tags: , , , , , 4 Comments »

60 Nights of Floating Dinners

July 9th, 2010 admin

Don’t be surprised if over the summer months you see a different type of ’boat’ moored in False Creek. This ’boat’ is actually a very elegant 12-person dining room, floating on a base of plastic bottles. The seaworthy dining room is the first of its kind in the world and is the brainchild of School of Fish (SOFF) founder Shannon Ronalds.


The floating patio;’ designed by Matt Kirk-Buss of Loki Ocean, is constructed entirely of renewable, recycled, reclaimed and/or re-purposed materials, seats only 12 and is a fully outfitted formal dining room complete with fine china, crystal and soft music. Clear walls and ceiling shield patrons from the elements while affording them a very unique perspective on False Creek and the views beyond. Starting July 21st the floating dining room will host 60 nights of exclusive dining. Each candle-lit dinner includes a six-course sustainable seafood meal prepared by multi-award winning Chef Robert Clark of C Restaurant. Mr. Ronalds, a former sommelier, will carefully choose wines to compliment each course. The price for this once-in-a-lifetime dining experience? There is a discount for ordering early ’ $195 (plus taxes) per person if ordered prior to July 31st (for any date). Starting August 1st the price goes up to $215. Group discounts will also be offered for those who wish to book the entire 12 seats for a private function. Each dinner will be personally presided over by Mr. Ronalds.

“By the end of the summer, 720 fortunate people will be able to say they had a hand in shaping the way the world treats its ocean resources. All proceeds raised through the floating dinner parties will be used to continue the development of our curriculum for culinary academies everywhere,” explains Mr. Ronalds.

The use of 1,700 ‘rescued’ plastic bottles as floatation is intended to represent one of the many issues threatening marine life. Without the ongoing recycling awareness programs from organizations such as Encorp Pacific, these donated two-litre plastic bottles could have otherwise joined the rest of the trash in the ocean. Now they will serve one last purpose prior to their eventual journey to the recycling plant.

Reservations are a must and can be made by calling 778-997-6977 or emailing contact@schooloffishfoundation.orgDinners proceed rain or shine and all ticket sales are final due to the limited time frame of the experience. If you find you cannot attend, you may transfer your ticket to someone else.

“It will be an incredible experience, floating on False Creek with the magnificent mountain and cityscape views. I could see the dining room being a fabulous venue for a private party to celebrate a special occasion or a wonderful way to meet new people. The dinners will be very intimate, as there are only 12 seats available each night. Once the 60 nights are completed, the dining room will be dismantled.”

Menus will be posted on SOFF’s Facebook page. With a minimum of three days advance notice, those with seafood allergies, or vegetarians, can be accommodated with special menus.

Posted in Great Ideas, Restaurant Promotions, Stories Tags: , , , , No Comments »

Ocean Wise Mystery Tour

January 28th, 2010 admin

I was invited to take part in the amazing Ocean Wise Mystery Tour on January 21st , a unique event to celebrate 5 years of the Ocean Wise program. The event was kicked off with a champagne reception at the Vancouver Aquarium where we made a toast to the 5th year anniversary for Ocean Wise and their achievements.

Dr. John Nightingale - President & CEO Vancouver Aquarium

The “Ocean Wise Turns 5” Media Dine-Around was very well organized with 6 groups of media along with an Ocean Wise representative sent around on buses to a couple of restaurants that were Ocean Wise certified around the city. Bus transportation was courtesy complimentary from Landsea Tours (sustainable transportation).and they took care of us during the evening. We all attempted to guess on which restaurants we were being taken too. The surprises were well worth the intrigue and mystery. I learned some new things about the Ocean Wise program and why it is such a great model for consumers as well as the suppliers and restaurants.

My group was fortunate to have Dr John Nightingale as our leader for the evening, this gave me a chance to talk to John who is the President & CEO of the Vancouver Aquarium and to learn a lot about their Ocean Wise program. We also were lucky to have Chhaya Jagpal the Marketing & Promotions Manager of the Vancouver Aquarium with us. Our first destination unknown turned out to be to the Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co in Lynn Valley in North Vancouver. I hadn’t been to this location and was pleasantly surprised on how large the restaurant was and to the extent of their participation in Ocean Wise. Here we were fortunate to be able to dine with Dominic Fielden, President of Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co and to here first hand about his experiences being a part and supporter of Ocean Wise. We had an enjoyable tasting menu here that included 3 courses and pairings.

Pizza Chef - Rocky Mountain Pizza Co.

Our menu at Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co, 1255 Lynn Valley Road, North Vancouver

Fresh Baby Shrimp Bruschetta – warm slices of garlic brushed organic bread with fresh baby shrimp and diced marinated local tomatoes, fresh cilantro and asiago. This was paired with beer – the Howe Sound Three Beavers, Imperial Red Ale.

B.C. Pasta Special – hand cut organic pasta with garlic seared Qualicum scallops, yellow onions, portabello mushrooms, roasted B.C. beets & butternut squash in a lemon, white bear wine cream sauce & topped with crumbled goat’s cheese and chopped arugula. This was paired with a B.C. wine – White Bear, Sauvignon Blanc.

Ocean Wise Flatbread Pizza – organic handcrafted flatbread brushed with garlic oil and based with organic tomato sauce & mozzarella cheese. Topped with in-house orange maple cured wild salmon and fresh shrimp, artichokes, red onion, nut free herb pesto & asiago cheese. This was paired with a B.C. wine – Larch Hills Winery, Gewurztraminer, Organic.

Fresh Baby Shrimp Bruschetta

B.C. Pasta Special

Ocean Wise Flatbread Pizza

Back on the bus we all went onto the second stop on the tour destination unknown, all we new was that we were going higher in elevation. Down the highway we went and up the mountain arriving at a wonderful restaurant that is owned by well known Chef Wayne Martin at Fraiche Restaurant. Here we were treated to a menu prepared by Shaun Snelling Chef de Cuisine.

Chef Wayne Martin - Fraiche Restaurant

Our menu at Fraiche Restaurant, 2240 Chippendale Road, West Vancouver

Dungeness Crab Cakes with bouillabaisse, Fennel and tomato ragout

Qualicum bay scallop carpaccio with pickled fennel, preserved lemon and mustard sprouts

These 2 dishes were paired with a French wine – Chateau Guiraud, 2007, Bordeaux Blanc, France.

Dungeness Crab Cake & Scallop Carpacio

Back on the bus we were headed for C Restaurant our last stop of the evening to rendezvous with everyone at the founding restaurant partner of the Ocean Wise program. Here we were hosted by Chef Robert Clark at C and were treated to a wonderful plated dish.

Chef Quang Dang & Chef Robert Clark

Our menu at C Restaurant, 2-1600 Howe Street, Vancouver

Smoked Baynes Sound Scallop – Denman island herring “escabeche” peashoots in multiple textures, compressed cucumbers, shallot vinaigrette. This was paired very well with a wine from Germany – Selbach-Oster, Reisling, Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, 1998.

Salt Spring Island Goat Cheese and Vanilla Mousse – sapo bravo stone fruits, spiced liquid marshmallow.

These 2 dishes were paired with 2 BC dessert wines and both very good and very different.

Forbidden Fruit Winery – “iced apple dessert wine” Similkameen Valley, B.C., 2007 and the

Vista d’oro Winery – fortified port style wine with Walnut brandy, Langley, B.C., 2007.

Smoked Baynes Sound Scallop

Salt Spring Island Goat Cheese and Vanilla Mousse

On our tour the rest of the dine-around groups spent their evening prior at these other fabulous restaurants who worked so hard to treat us all so well: Aria Restaurant – Westin Downtown, Burrard Bridge Marine Bar and Grill, Revel Room, The District, The Edge Bistro, Griffins – Fairmont Hotel Vancouver; Tapenade Bistro and Zen Japanese Restaurant.

By: Richard Wolak

Posted in Culinary Adventures, Stories Tags: , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment »

C Food Cookbook Launch Party

November 4th, 2009 admin
Sockeye Salmon on Sticks

Sockeye Salmon on Sticks

The Vancouver Aquarium was the location for the book launch party that I attended with Sheryl Cohen last night for the spectacular cookbook by C Restaurant owner Harry Kambolis and executive chef Robert Clark…

C Food Book Launch 004

The book challenged executive chef Robert Clark, owner Harry Kambolis and photographer Hamid Attie to see ingredients from a unique perspective. The result is a beautiful cookbook that is makes a perfect gift for foodies in their kitchen or coffee table.

Suspended in the Aquarium water. Photo by: Marsha Munsie

Suspended in the Aquarium water. Photo by: Marsha Munsie

Books are available for purchase from C Restaurant (604-681-1164) and Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks (604-688-6755) and at other retailers including Chapters.

By: Richard Wolak

Posted in Parties & Events Tags: , , , , , , No Comments »

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