2012 Exceptional Eats Results

Camille's: Best Restaurant Cooking Local (Victoria). Left to right: Francois Boule—sous, David Mincey—owner, Stephen Drolet —chef, Lindsay Walker—Diningroom manager, Paige Robinson—owner,, Katelyn Schoen, Tracy Nesom, Chris Stephens (missing: Carling Battistuzzi). Photos by Rebecca Wellman

What was on your food and wine radar last year? Did you spot a trend? Did a new restaurant, wine or beer catch your attention? Who was your food hero this year? Was there a website, tweeter or blogger that helped give you a deeper insight into the food world? In other words, what were your Exceptional Eats! of 2011?

To get the skinny on the gist EAT staff worked long into the night to come up with 42 questions designed to reflect the year that was. Then, on January 1st the virtual voting booth opened for a month. When the voting ended we tallied the  results and organized them into four groups: eating in, eating out, drinking and, lastly, giving credit to those who inspired us. Turns out we are a loyal and competitive bunch and many results were close–and in some instances a tie had to be declared.

We think readers chose a glorious group and I, for one, will be very busy in 2012 using this list as a guide to many new and wonderful eating and drinking experiences. In our opinion there were no losers only winners as we all win by shining the spotlight on a vibrant local food community.

* Sponsors and the winners of the prize draw follow the awards results. See below.

“The Results

* denotes the winner

LET’S EAT OUT

Restaurant of the Year:

It’s the best restaurant in the city. Bar none. In every way, every time – the best food, service, and ambience. End of discussion.

Which restaurant is it?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Brasserie L’école

Ulla

Zambris

Café Brio

VANCOUVER

*Hawksworth

L’Abattoir

Vij’s

Chambar

OKANAGAN

*Local Lounge & Grille

RauDZ

Waterfront Restaurant 

Best Dish of the Year:

You are still dreaming of it, pining for it, talking about it. What restaurant dish made that lasting impression?

Name the dish, and the restaurant, please.

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND 

*Steak Frites, red wine & shallot sauce, Roquefort butter at Brasserie L’école

Crispy Pork Shoulder on greens with radish, potatoes, grapes and chili mayonnaise at Zambri’s

Funghi Pizza at Prima Strada

VANCOUVER

*Wine marinated lamb popsicles in fenugreek cream curry on turmeric and spinach potatoes at Vij’s

West Coast Sablefish
miso sake glaze, baby bok choy, edamame
quinoa and shiitake mushrooms, kombu dashi with soy and yuzu at Blue Water Café

Kasu & Birch Syrup Sablefish, shaved cauliflower, brussels sprouts, Swiss chard at Edible Canada

SPECIAL MENTION: Rigatoni with Trippa alla Romana at Campagnolo Roma 

OKANAGAN

*Tie: Okanagan Cherry Spare Ribs (Local Lounge) | Blackened Prime Rib (Ricardo’s Mediterranean Kitchen)

Confit Duck Leg “Grilled Cheese” Sandwich at Hillside Bistro 

Best Place for Lunch:

Lunch is not really about replenishing energy to get on with the workday. It is an event and an excellent one at that.

Which restaurant gets the nod for best midday meal?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND 

*Devour

Hernande’z Cocina

Foo

VANCOUVER

*Meat & Bread

Cactus Club

OKANAGAN

*The Bench Market

Okanagan Street Food

Hillside Bistro

Best Restaurant Cooking Local:

If it’s in season and local, it’s on the menu. This eatery celebrates local ingredients on a grand scale.

What restaurant is it?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND 

*Camille’s Restaurant

Ulla

Devour

Sooke Harbour House

Café Brio

VANCOUVER

*Edible Canada

C Restaurant

Raincity Grill

OKANAGAN

*RauDZ Regional Table

Local Lounge

Waterfront Restaurant 

Not Downtown:

If you live in a big city, pick an eatery outside of your city center that’s worth a special trip. Or tell us the name of a great restaurant in your town, village or burg that is the best of the bunch.

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Bistro at Merridale Cider

Sooke Harbour House

VANCOUVER

*Pear Tree

Les Faux Bourgeois

OKANAGAN

*Ricardo’s Mediterranean Kitchen

Local Lounge

Cheap and Cheerful – Best Under $10

Max $10and delicious and well made not too much to ask, is it? Where and what?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Hernande’z Cocina

Pig

Red Fish Blue Fish

VANCOUVER

*La Taqueria

Save On Meat

Pronto

OKANAGAN

*Mad Mango Café

Il Vecchio Delicatessen

Burger 55

Best Burger:

From the bar to the bistro and now top billing at a few new hot haunts: the ubiquitous burger.

Who does it best?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Pink Bicycle

Bin 4

Big Wheel

VANCOUVER

*Vera’s Burger Shack

Modern Burger

Refuel

OKANAGAN

*Burger 55

Local Lounge

Gorgeous George’s Gourmet Burgers

Best Place for Eats and Cocktails:

Work is done for the day. Now for your reward? drink (or two) and nibbles. Cinq a sept becomes the happiest hours.

Best place for after work eats and drinks?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Veneto

Clives

Stage

VANCOUVER

*Joey Restaurants

The Diamond

YEW Bar

OKANAGAN

*RauDZ Regional Table

Cabana

Rotten Grape

Wine List Smackdown (Best Restaurant Wine List):

Do you like it comprehensive, educational, big, or just beautiful? Which restaurant?s wine menu dominates?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

Stage*

Brasserie L’Ecole

Il Terrazzo

VANCOUVER

*Hawksworth

Blue Water Café

West

OKANAGAN

*Local Lounge & Grille

Waterfront Restaurant 

Keep Your Fork… (Best Restaurant Dessert):

Many diners just say no when it comes to dessert. But we have plenty of talented pastry chefs working to rise above the tried and true creme brule or molten chocolate cake.

Tell us who’s cultivating a more sophisticated sweet tooth?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Brasserie L’ecole

Ulla

VANCOUVER

*Cactus Club

Chambar

Thierry Chocolaterie Patisserie Cafe

OKANAGAN

*Local Lounge & Grille

Tie: RauDz & Waterfront Restaurant

Something healthy but fantastic. (Best Place for a Healthy Meal):

Rich foods abound these days. Where do you go to give your body a break, somewhere the food is both healthy and delicious?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Rebar

Red Fish Blue Fish

VANCOUVER

*The Naam

Organic Lives

Nuba

OKANAGAN

*Poppadoms

The Wild Scallion

The Chopped Leaf

Feeding Cart Frenzy (Best Food Truck):

Great street food has never been easier to find. At what food truck did you have a really amazing feed?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Red Fish Blue Fish

VANCOUVER

*Japadog

Roaming Dragon

La Brasserie Street

OKANAGAN

*Jeffer’s Fryzz

Under The Radar:

Give up the name of that eatery that you adore and yet no one seems to know about.

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Daidoco

Bistro28

Café Ceylon

VANCOUVER

*Campagnolo Roma

CRU Restaurant

The Pear Tree

OKANAGAN

*The Real Things Pizza

Benja Thai

Poppadoms

Top Chef:

The dining scene is shining brighter than ever and this chef is a large part of the reason.

Name your favourite local chef.

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Dan Hayes (London Chef)

Peter Zambri (Zambri’s)

Sean Brennan

VANCOUVER

*David Hawksworth

Rob Feenie

Dale MacKay

OKANAGAN

*Tie: Robert Cordonier (Hillside Bistro), Paul Cecconi (Local Lounge)

Rod Butters

Mark Filatow

Darren Mitchell

Best Place To Eat Sustainable Seafood:

Great restaurants that also serve a sustainable catch deserve an EAT award. At stake is the future of our oceans.

Who deserves to be the catch of the year?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Red Fish Blue Fish

VANCOUVER

*C Restaurant

Blue Water Cafe

OKANAGAN

*Local Lounge & Grille

Hillside Bistro

Best Place to Feed a Kid:

Praise be to the eateries and restaurants that have high chairs and servers who get that kids are people who should go out to eat, too. Who makes you welcome when you have sprogs in tow?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Pizzeria Prima Strada

Crumsby’s Cupcake Cafe

VANCOUVER

*White Spot

Little Nest

OKANAGAN

Boston Pizza

LET’S EAT IN

Best Locally-Owned (Food-Related) Store:

Need a fridge, chef?s knife, tablecloth, bag of beets or coffee? You’re not a fan of big-box shopping. Where do you go to buy it?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Cook Culture

The Root Cellar

Niagara Grocery

VANCOUVER

*Gourmet Warehouse

Ming Wo

Cookworks

OKANAGAN

*The Bench Artisan Food Market

Valoroso Foods

Chef’s Edge

Best Grocery Store:

Which grocery store has the selection, the quality, the people and the good vibes that says, We are the best?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Thrifty Foods

Market on Yates

Fairways

VANCOUVER

*Whole Foods

Stongs

Thifty Foods

OKANAGAN

*Quality Greens

Choices

Whole Foods

Nature’s Fare Markets

Best Selection of Specialty Foods:

Bread: one of life’s basic pleasures. And you need flour to make bread, right? Whether it’s whole wheat, organic, rye, rice, potato, or buckwheat so many varieties, so many options.

Who has the best flour selection in the city?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Market on Yates

Lifestyle Market

VANCOUVER

*Whole Foods

Urban Fare

Famous Foods

OKANAGAN

*Whole Foods

Valoroso Foods

Choices

Best Farm:

They just have the freshest produce! What local farm keeps you coming back for more?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Tie: Madrona & Mitchel Bros

Sunwing

Saanich Organics

VANCOUVER

*Kin’s Farm Public Market

Westham Island Herb Farm

UBC Farm

OKANAGAN

*Harker’s Organics

Quality Greens

Blossoms

Best Place to Buy Local: The Root Cellar

Best Place to Buy Local Food:

It could be a farm stand, outdoor market or a store. Where do you go to buy your local, fresh and in-season food?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*The Root Cellar

Red Barn

Moss Street market

VANCOUVER

*Granville Island Market

Trout Lake Farmers Market

Kits Farmers Market

OKANAGAN

*Kelowna & Penticton Farmers’ Markets

Best Local Food Product or Ingredient:

What local food, product or ingredient do you take great pride in introducing your visiting out-of-town friends and family to?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Cold Comfort Ice Cream | *Spot Prawns

Vancouver Island Salt Co./ Berries

VANCOUVER

*Terra Breads | *Sockeye Salmon

Spot Prawns

OKANAGAN

*Carmelis Goat Cheese | *Peaches

Little Creek Original Salad Dressing  | Cherries

Summerland Sweets | Apples

Best Place to Buy Pie:

Pies. Meat pies. Glorious fruit pies. My, oh my savoury and sweet. When you aren’t in the mood to bake your own, where do you go to buy a pie fix? (and don’t say you go to your Mom’s)

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Oldfield Orchard

Bubby Rose

Cascadia Bakery

VANCOUVER

*Savary Island Pie Company

Aphrodite’s Organic Café and Pie Shop

Thierry Chocolaterie Patisserie Cafe

OKANAGAN

*Tie: Britannia Pies, Robert’s Fruit Market & Orchard

Davison Orchards

Just Pies

Best Cookbook:

When you want a recipe for dinner with family, or to make for friends, what book do you turn to?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Rebar Modern Food

Vij’s at Home

Whitewater Cooks

VANCOUVER

*Rebar Modern Food

Vij’s at Home

Whitewater Cooks

OKANAGAN

*‘That’s Amore’ From Ricardo Scebba’s Mediterranean Kitchen

Whitewater Cooks

LET’S DRINK

Ground Control:

We want to know who’s bag of coffee beans you grind at home for your cuppa joe.

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Caffe Fantastico

Fernwood

Discovery

VANCOUVER

*Forty Ninth Parallel Coffee Roasters

JJ Bean

Salt Spring Coffee

OKANAGAN

*Cherry Hill Coffee

Backyard Beans

Kicking Horse

Best Barista:

You bow to the bean and are always on the prowl for the best macchiato, French press or Ethiopian heirloom bean. Name your favourite barista (or coffee shop) that keeps you from going cold turkey.

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Street Level Espresso

Habit

Discovery

VANCOUVER

*Caffé Artigiano

JJ Bean

Elysian Coffee

OKANAGAN

*Good Omens

Gio Bean Expresso

Beanery Coffee Company

What’s Old is New Again:

Welcome back, gin & tonic; ciao, negroni; bonjours,Sazerac. Old school drinks are one of the hot new things on the cocktail scene.

Which bar, lounge, or restaurant is doing them right?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Clive’s

Veneto

VANCOUVER

*Tie: Pourhouse Vancouver | The Diamond

900 West, The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver

OKANAGAN

*RauDZ Regional Table

Local Lounge

Waterfront Restaurant

The New Alchemists:

Bartisans (bartender artisans) are coming up with modern, edgy kinds of drinking utopias and putting astonishing ingredients in a glass in new ways.

Name your hero/heroine and the bar.

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Shawn Soole (Clive’s)

Simon Ogden (Veneto)

Katie McDonald (Veneto)

VANCOUVER

*Jay Jones (MARKET at Shangri-La Hotel )

Simon Kaulback, (Boneta Restaurant)

Jonathan Smolensky (Hawksworth Restaurant)

OKANAGAN

*Gerry Jobe (RaudDZ)

Ben Hefford  (Local Lounge)

Best Mocktail:

Don’t mock this no-alcohol cocktail has come into its own. Who has made staying sober a beautiful thing? Name your favourite mocktail and the bar where you get it.

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Cranberry Cassablanca – Ulla –

Rhubarb Shrub – Canoe

Virgin Mojitos – Cactus Club

VANCOUVER

*Virgin Vanilla Pear Ricky at Refuel

Boneta “Subtly Sweet”

OKANAGAN

*Virgin Peach Bellini (Local Lounge)

No Jito (Waterfront Restaurant)

Raspberry Blush (Milestones)

Spirited Moment:

Who gets you to raise your glass for making the best local spirit?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Victoria Gin

Frizz Vodka (Merridale)

VANCOUVER

*Victoria Gin

Schramm Vodka

OKANAGAN

*Okanagan Spirits

Urban Distilleries

Best Store for Craft Beer:

IPA, wit, stout, Belgian, porter. Where do you buy the best quality selection?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Cascadia Liquor

Spinnakers

BC Liquor Guys

VANCOUVER

*Firefly Fine Wines and Ales

Brewery Creek Liquor Store

Legacy Liquor Store

OKANAGAN

*Tie: Cannery Brewing, Metro Liquor

Tree Bewery

Heads Ups:

Impress your out-of-town host with a bottle of local beer. Name the local brew that has real beer wonks foaming over?

What would you bring?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Driftwood Fat Tug IPA

Phillips Chocolate Porter

Saltspring Winter Ale

VANCOUVER

*Granville Island English Bay Pale Ale

Central City IPA

Hurricane IPA Storm Brewing

OKANAGAN

*Cannery Brewing Naramata Nut Brown

Crannóg Ales Backhand of God

Cannery Brewing Anarchist Amber

Best Place to Buy Wine:

Wine. You want an excellent selection, a range of prices, and a personable, knowledgeable staff.

What’s your recommendation?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*BCL Fort & Foul

Everything Wine

Cascadia Liquor

VANCOUVER

*Liberty Wine Merchants

Marquis Wine Cellars

OKANAGAN

*Tie: BC VQA Wine Info Centre, Discover Wines

Metro Liquor

Best Local Wine:

Impress your out-of-town host with a bottle of local wine. What would you bring?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Zanatta

Averill Creek

Alderlea

VANCOUVER

*Burrowing Owl

Blue Mountain

Painted Rock

OKANAGAN

*Sumac Ridge Estate Winery

La Frenz

Tantalus Vineyards

Fruit of Their Labours:

Apples, pears, blackberries – whose cider or fruit wine do you groove to?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Merridale (apple)

Sea Cider (apple)

Rocky Creek Blackberry Dessert Wine

VANCOUVER

*Elephant Island Orchard Wines

Forbidden Fruit

OKANAGAN

*Elephant Island Orchard Wines

Rustic Roots Fruit Winery

Forbidden Fruit Winery

Best Local Beverage:

This local beverage was, in a word, remarkable. Be it wine, beer, cider, tea, coffee you name it. What really impressed you this year?

Tell us what it was and which company made it.

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Driftwood Fat Tug IPA

Silk Road Tea

VANCOUVER

*Driftwood Fat Tug IPA

OKANAGAN

*Poplar Grove Cab Franc

Burrowing Owl Cab Franc

Tantalus Riesling

Painted Rock Syrah

PEOPLE

Food/Drink Experience of the Year:

Events, festivals, and seminars on food and drink were everywhere the past year which one really did it for you?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Feast of Fields

Culinaire

Great Canadian Beer Festival

VANCOUVER

*Playhouse Wine Festival

Feast of Fields

Vancouver Craft Beer Week

OKANAGAN

*Feast of Fields

Similkameen BBQ King

Best Cooking Class or School:

Knife skills 101? Advanced pasta making? Bread basics? What cooking school or class really sparked your culinary education?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*The London Chef

Cook Culture

Heidi Fink

VANCOUVER

*Dirty Apron

Books to Cooks

Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts 

OKANAGAN

*Mission Hill Culinary Workshops

Sandrine Pastry Classes

WSET-Rhys Pender

Behind the Counter:

Who impressed you with their amazing customer service this year?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Ottavio

Cook Culture

Charellis

VANCOUVER

*Revolver Coffee

Village Wines / Kitsilano

OKANAGAN

*Local Lounge & Grille

Terrafina at Hester Creek Winery

Codfathers Seafood Market

The Next Big Thing (Best Trend of 2011):

Food fashions come and go. Remember blackened fish? Cupcakes? Hibiscus flowers? Is it time for pork to stop hogging the spotlight? Say hello to the next big thing.

What is it?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Was there ever any doubt? Burgers of course.

Gluten Free

Raw Food

VANCOUVER

*Macarons

Pork

Gluten-free

OKANAGAN

*Eating local

Raw foods

Worst Trend of 2011:

New, but simply awful, trend. Help us weed it out!

What is it?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Cupcakes

Pulled Pork

Burgers

VANCOUVER

*Foam Sauces

Cup Cakes

Macarons

OKANAGAN

*Foam Sauces

Cake Pops

Gluten-free

The Foodie’s Foodie Award:

Who do you turn to learn from, keep you in the know or ask advice?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*EAT Magazine (blush)

Tie: Dan Hayes (The London Chef) and Heldi Fink

Elizabeth Smyth

Mary Carmack

VANCOUVER

*Scout

Follow Me Foodie

OKANAGAN

*Jennifer Schell-Pigott

Robert Cordonier

Paul Cecconi 

I Eat, Therefore I Tweet:

Which food or drink tweeter, hyper-local blog, online magazine, app or website is your best friend.

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Double blush…EAT Magazine Online

Guilty Kitchen

Urbanspoon

VANCOUVER

*Scout

EAT Magazine Online

OKANAGAN

*Vinevie.com

All She Wrote

EAT Magazine Online (thanks!)

Leave No Footprint:

What business, association or non-profit best promotes a sustainable food system?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Red Fish Blue Fish

Downtown Market Society

Island Chefs Collaborative

VANCOUVER

Tie: Vancouver Farmers Markets, Ocean Wise

Eat Local

Farm Folk City Folk

OKANAGAN

*RauDZ Regional Table

Penticton Farmers’ Market

Urban Harvest Organic Delivery

The 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award:

Give recognition to the person who has spent their lifetime committed to exemplary, sincere, and passionate culinary excellence. The ripple effect of this person cannot be easily measured. Grazie.

(Note: past winners David Mincey and Greg Hays are ineligible)

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*Peter Zambri (Zambri’s)

VANCOUVER

*John Bishop (Bishop’s)

OKANAGAN

*Bernard Casavant (Wild Apple)

BEST NEW

Best new addition to the food and drink scene in 2011

It could be a new restaurant, shop, café or product. Your pick?

VICTORIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND

*The London Chef 

Bin 4

Black Hat

Vis a Vis

VANCOUVER

*Hawksworth

Nicli Antica Pizzeria

Thierry

OKANAGAN

*Okanagan Street Food

Saint-Germain Café and Gallery

Terrafina at Hester Creek

Miradoro at Tinhorn Creek Winery

THE EE SPONSORS & DRAW WINNERS

Congratulations to our 40 prize winners.

And a big thank-you to all the sponsors who donated such wonderful prizes.

VICTORIA

Aura Waterfront Restaurant & Patio (2 x $25*) laurelpoint.com/dining/aura

Sandi Heal

Black Hat (Wagyu Tasting Dinner for Four $250*) theblackhat.ca

Ian Yeung

Cafe Brio ($75*) cafe-brio.com

Bridget Minishka

Canoe Brewpub ($75*) canoebrewpub.com

Sarah Thornton

Cascadia Liquor ($100*) cascadialiquor.com

Lori McKenzie

Chateau Victoria (Dinner at Vista 18 and One Night in a Suite) chateauvictoria.com

Elissa Frankham

Cook Culture ($200*) cookculture.com

Mackenzie Wheeler

Flavour Restaurant (3-course dinner for two – $250*) 590-7787

Barbara Kahlo

Hotel Grand Pacific (One night stay and dinner for two in the Mark)

hotelgrandpacific.com

Karen Symmes

Lifestyle Market ($50*) lifestylemarkets.com

Tony Cheong

London Chef  (2 Interactive Classes*) thelondonchef.com

Stephen Lee

Lure at the Delta Victoria ($100*) lurevictoria.com

Robin Gary Hicks

Matticks Farm VQA ($30*) matticksfarm.com

Lynne Carlson

Niagara/Fairfield Grocery ($50* & Gift Basket) getfreshwithalocal.com

Diane Maclachlan

Ooh La La Cupcakes (3 x$30*) oohlalacupcakes.ca

Jayne Embree

Root Cellar Village Green Grocer ($75*) www.therootcellar.ca

Jess Howard

Silk Road (Tea Cocktails & Mocktails Workshop – $250*) silkroadtea.com

Glen Campbell

Slaters Meats ($25*) 250-592-0823

Lisbet Rygnestad

Village Butcher ($25*) thevillagebutcher.ca

Tanya Kirkland

Wannawafel (2 x $25) wannawafel.com

E. B. Klassen

VANCOUVER

131 Water ($50*) www.131water.com

Landon Young

BC Wine School Voucher for the WSET level 1 Course* bcwineschool.com

Melanie Stitt

Browns Restaurant Group ($100*) brownsrestaurantgroup.com

T Pipes

Diner No.1 ($50*) www.dinerone.com

Alan Rae

Edible at the Market ($100*) ediblecanada.com/bistro.php

Barbara Borchardt

eight 1/2 restaurant lounge ($50*) eightandahalf.ca

Wing Hui

Joey Restaurants ($100*) joeyrestaurants.com

Eddy Tan

Simply West Coast Sauces (10 sauces, t-short, ball cap) simplywestcoast.com

Lonnie Temereski

Teahouse and Seasons in the Park ($100*) vancouverdine.com

Marjorie Stevens

OKANAGAN

Bench Market ($25*) thebenchmarket.com

Valencia Curken

Hotel El Dorado (Romance Package) hoteleldoradokelowna.com

J Hopper

Joie Farm (Magnum of Rose) joie.ca

Tanis Sergeew

Medici’s Gelateria ($20*) medicisgelateria.ca

Jessica Stelkia

Okanagan Street Food ($50*) okanaganstreetfood.com

Val Jenner

Pentages (Sauvignon Blanc 08, Gamy 2010, Merlot 2006) pentage.com

Kara Price

Poppadoms ($50*) poppadoms.ca

Harmonie Basso

RauDZ ($25* + 2 martini cars) raudz.com/RAUDZ/home.html

Stewart Glynes

Theos Greek Restaurant ($50*) eatsquid.com

Alena Zamorano

Tree Brewing ($50*) treebeer.com

Marilyn Lawton

Waterfront Wine Bar & Restaurant ($100*) waterfrontrestaurant.ca

Eve Layman

*denotes gift certificate value