Now in its 13th year, the Greater Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival will feature over 140 hot chocolate designs featured at 95 locations. Try out some new neighbourhoods, and experience as many of these exciting, time-limited flavours as you can January 14 – February 14, 2023.
(L to R) Honolulu Coffee, Super Veloce, Honolulu Coffee (Bottom) Giovane
Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival 2023
When it launched in 2011, The Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival was the first city-wide initiative in the world to use hot chocolate beverage as a way to support small, local business. Now bigger and better than ever, it features the region’s best chocolatiers, pastry shops, bakeries, cafes and ice cream makers joining forces to make the humble hot chocolate hotter than it has ever been before.
Flavours & Chocolate Creations Galore
Sort your search by gluten free, dairy free, vegan option, and by which places are open late or have takeout/dine-in. View the full List of 140+ Flavours & Location Map »
AtGiovane Caffè (1049 W Cordova St & 418 W Georgia), the modern take on an Italian coffee bar, you can try these two flavour: The Mandorlata Calda has rich cocoa powder and creamy almond butter. With a hint of cinnamon, topped with cinnamon sprinkles and crushed almond bits, the drink highlights the traditional Italian Almond flavour. Served with a side cantucci cookie. And the second option is the Amarena Calda, a dark chocolate cherry-infused hot chocolate made with plant-based milks, topped with chantilly cream and dusted with chocolate shavings. This drink is a nod to the Italian Tartofu – served with a vanilla amaretto cookie.
Super Veloce (in the lobby of the Shaw Tower) will have the Testa Arancione (shown in photo above) which features house-made sugar-free orange zest syrup with cocoa powder and steamed almond milk, topped with vegan coconut cream and fresh orange zest. The drink comes with a Coconut Rocher Protein ball for some extra energy. Their second offering is the Miura SV/ Alfa Romeo Farina, a Macadamia Maca Dark Hot chocolate topped with cocoa and maca, served with a Pistachio Power Ball.
Honolulu Coffee (888 Nelson St, 2098 W 41st Ave, 97 W 2nd) has crafted two whimsical and tantalizing creations set to whisk Vancouverites away for a sweet escape: The Donut – A donut-shaped hot chocolate using 70% dark chocolate mixed with a single shot of espresso and finished with a sea salt cream cheese frosty topping. (Can be made decaf, but cannot be non-dairy). The drink is paired with a donut-shaped fudge chocolate cake glazed with refreshing raspberry icing. And Raincouver– This fun, 70% dark hot chocolate comes with pink Himalayan salt melting a cloud of suspended cotton candy.
Enjoy these and many, many more!
Enter The Fest’s Contest
Enter into the festival’s Instagram contest for sweet, sweet prizes, consisting of gift certificates valued at $1,500 from participating chocolate makers and cafes. Tag your hot chocolate photos with #HCFphotocontest on Instagram and you could be enjoying chocolatey treats all year long. Winners will be drawn and announced on Valentine’s Day.
With a huge dragon, lion dancers, drumming, and firecrackers, Vancouver’s annual Chinese New Year Parade (January 22, 2023) attracts more than 100,000 spectators to Canada’s largest historic Chinatown. It’s the best-known display of authentic Chinese culture in this ultra-diverse British Columbia city.
Yet that’s just a small taste. This is a great time for exploring local Chinese art, food, and history more deeply. Vancouver just elected its first Chinese-Canadian mayor (Ken Sim) in its 136-year history, and close to 20 percent of the city’s growing population has Chinese heritage. Your options are endless.
Celebrate Chinese New Year in Vancouver and Richmond
Chinatown Storytelling Centre exhibit. Photo by Lucas Aykroyd.
Artifacts ranging from Chinese gold prospectors’ tools to Cantonese opera costumes catch the eye at this dynamic attraction. Get a snapshot of yourself inside a replica of pioneering Chinatown photographer Yucho Chow’s studio. The centre also recently hosted the launch of a new TELUS docuseries called House Special. Hosted by Jackie Kai Ellis, it examines the Chinese-Canadian experience via the lens of small-town Chinese restaurants.
Visit Foo Hung Curios, the gift shop at the Chinatown Storytelling Centre. Photo by Lucas Aykroyd.
Also on Pender Street, the completed Chinese-Canadian Museum – the first of its kind in Canada – is slated to open this summer.
Nearby, the 1986-completed Dr. Sun Yat-sen Classical Chinese Garden commemorates the legacy of the 20th-century “father of modern China.” This tranquil Suzhou-style scholar’s garden – facing a water lily-covered pond – showcases a pagoda, moon-shaped gates, and surreal limestone rocks imported from China, aligned on Taoist principles.
Dr. Sun Yat-sen Classical Chinese Garden. Miss604 photo.
A guided Chinatown tour with historian Judy Lam Maxwell cultivates a deeper appreciation for these gritty neighbourhood streets. “I love going to the heritage buildings and meeting the older people playing mahjong,” says Maxwell, a third-generation Vancouverite of Hong Kong and Scottish heritage.
She points out the restored green facade of the Mah Society of North America building and reveals how to reach the Blnd Tgr Dumplings secret back room. At the 1981-founded Treasure Green Tea Company, a tea ritual with owner Olivia Chan memorably features a tiny clay frog spurting hot water.
Chinese Food in Downtown Vancouver
For high-end Chinatown cuisine, the award-winning, 2010-launched Bao Bei entices with small plates like marinated eggplant and lamb potstickers, washed down with a non-alcoholic Hong Zhi cocktail (grapefruit, yuzu, lime, soda, ginger).
Shanghai River. Photo by Lucas Aykroyd.
Beyond Chinatown, you can enjoy an overnight getaway at the new 147-room Paradox Hotel, which offers panoramic views of Stanley Park and Coal Harbour. This swanky, 60-storey tower adjoins Mott-32. The superb contemporary Chinese restaurant, whose intimately lit booths adorned with bird cages evoke 1940’s Shanghai, shines with hot and sour soup dumplings, king prawns with garlic, and Peking duck carved tableside.
Dig Into Richmond’s Chinese Food Scene
Melanie Jue can attest to just how awesome Richmond’s food scene is. The Chinese-Canadian, Richmond-raised hockey coach, who played professionally in China, explains: “In a condensed geographical location, you’ll find all styles of Chinese food, from Szechuan-style to Hong-Kong-style to Beijing-style.”
Richmond Public Market food court (8260 Westminster Hwy). Photo by Lucas Aykroyd.
Hundreds of Chinese restaurants await near No. 3 Road. Here, the teeming energy of an Asian metropolis juxtaposes with the natural beauty of the distant North Shore Mountains. For food-lovers, it’s easy to get around on foot, by car, or via the Canada Line train. Delicacies are modestly priced as they’re mouthwatering.
Check out the pork stomach soup with gingko nuts at Bamboo Grove, the steamed pork and shrimp dumplings at Jade Seafood Restaurant, or the salted egg yolk custard double-baked croissants at Little Fox Bakehouse, to name just a few options.
The first full weekend of the new year is here, and while there aren’t many events happening, it might be a good time to check out those winter activities you haven’t got to yet like Canyon Lights, Lights at Lafarge, or skating at Robson Square. Find these and many more things to do in Vancouver this weekend listed below:
Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend January 6-8, 2023
It’s almost time for TEDxSurrey 2023! After Surrey’s speakers made waves in the TED universe last year the team has curated another stellar lineup. They also have a whole bunch of giveaways happening and as social media sponsor, I have a fun offering (total value $500) for my readers/followers as well:
TEDxSurrey 2023
When: Saturday, January 21, 2023 from 9:30am to 4:00pm
Where: Bell Performing Arts Centre (6250 – 144th St, Surrey)
TEDxSurrey will feature 12 brilliant speakers and a greater emphasis on the “E” in TED, which stands for entertainment. Attendees will be able to enjoy the music of Shale, Richard Tichelman and the Screaming Eagles along with dancers and energizers.
Your event ticket also includes lunch and refreshments, multiple prize draws (including the chance to win an ENVO Lynx 20 E-Bike), lobby activities and ample opportunities to interact and exchange ideas with the speakers.
Giveaway
Thanks to ATLAS Steak + Fish for supporting TEDxSurrey, I have five $100 gift cards to give away! You can enter to win by following our accounts and spreading the word about TEDxSurrey. Here are the details:
Miss604 is the Social Media Sponsor of TEDxSurrey 2023
Speakers
Dr. Stefanie Green: After 20 years working in maternity care, Dr. Stefanie Green is now a leader in the practice of assisted dying. A pioneering clinician, innovative educator, and author of a bestselling memoir, when Stefanie pulls back the curtain on assisted dying, it will leave you with a new perspective on life.
Carla Guerrera: As CEO of Purpose Driven Development, Carla is a globally recognized real estate developer and thought leader who has delivered over $1B in mixed-use real estate development. Combining urban planning, sustainability, and real estate development her team unlocks complex redevelopment to transform the way we live, work and thrive.
Finn Liu: Finn is an openly transgender high school student, award-winning public speaker, and neurodiversity advocate. While proud of his surrounding Asian community, he recognizes the negative cultural ties perpetuating stigma and discrimination against trans-identifying Asian individuals. Finn strongly believes in the importance of communication to address the root of queer issues.
Dr. Kai Chan: Kai is a sustainability scientist who studies the many and intimate relationships people have as components of nature. He is a Professor at UBC and Canada Research Chair committed to social and ecological justice, and to instigating bold changes to make our planet both better and wilder.
Kal Dosanjh: Kal is currently a Police Detective. He is also the CEO and Founder of KidsPlay Youth Foundation. The Foundation stretches across Canada, and internationally in Colombia and India. Over 100,000 youth have participated in free programs provided by the organization as a means of deterring youth from drugs and gangs.
Kelsey Carignan: As a wellness practitioner and yoga instructor, Kelsey Carignan is on a mission to promote mindfulness and movement as transformative tools for improving every facet of our lives. She is the founder of Vibrant Yogi, an online yoga and wellbeing community, and co-founder of the Yoga for Hockey app.
Linda Fawcus: Linda Fawcus is the founder of Gluu Society, a Canadian nonprofit that helps older adults use technology to stay happy, healthy, and connected. Linda has been a technology entrepreneur for over 28 years and is also the creator and host of the “How To Be Unscammable” TV show.
Marilyn Norry: Through her work as an actor, author, teacher, and editor of plays and screenplays, Marilyn has investigated the myriad of ways humans live and interact. Since 2004 she’s empowered people to write their family stories, so the stories of all people – especially women – are remembered and told.
Muhaddisa Sarwari: A Grade 12 student who is originally a Hazara refugee from Afghanistan. She has spent all of her life as a refugee with no access to formal education. As a young girl who was deprived of her basic human rights, she is passionate about advocating for the rights of refugees.
Dr. Tanya Gee: Dr. Tanya is a veteran Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine who values compassion, empathy and loving kindness. Living with her aging mother has taught her invaluable lessons on love and service and the many benefits of intergenerational cohabitation. Humour is their glue to learning to live harmoniously together.
Derek Strokon: Derek is an International Best-Selling Author, Leader and Business Consultant whose practice focuses on resilience development and process implementation. His award-winning approach to sales excellence is driven by a team-centered approach of ‘Strength Through Vulnerability’. His relentless passion for evangelizing the ‘Human Journey’, is both inspiring and contagious.
Kai Scott, MA: Kai is a social scientist whose 15-year career has focused on solving complex social issues, including those faced by transgender people. He has conducted research and delivered education on gender diversity to over 35,000 people across Canada. As such, he has deep insights into the state of gender in our society.
Add a Comment
by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Sponsored Post — Sponsored by ZenSeekers Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
Launching March 2023, naaʔuu is a ticketed cultural experience presented by Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, which will support Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks’ work in restoring and furthering the nation’s lands, language and culture. Join this unique event series for an evening of food, art, and cultural presentations.
Tim Masso & Hjalmer Wenstob – Photo by Melissa Renwick for ZenSeekers
Named after a Nuu-chah-nulth word that translates to “come together” and “feast,” naaʔuu includes a delicious dinner that celebrates traditional coastal cuisine prepared by Chef Ian Riddick, with support from his Heartwood Kitchen team and Tla-o-qui-aht food suppliers.
“I’m really delighted to get involved because I really think that it’s a story that has to be told. One of the reasons that I was drawn to this area, and friends and family are drawn to this area, is because of this deep sense of history that was here before us,” says Chef Riddick.
“The art and culture of Nuu-chah-nulth and Tla-o-qui-aht, where we reside, it’s incredible and kind of drives us every day. Living here, getting a chance to work with Tla-o-qui-aht fishers, gatherers, and chefs, it’s a huge opportunity. To me, this is a really special opportunity for us.”
Held at the Tla-o-qui-aht-owned Best Western Plus Tin Wis Resort in Tofino, ticket-holders are invited to gather inside the resort’s conference centre, which has been transformed to look and feel like a traditional long house.
“We’ve been going back and forth about how the evening will look, but it’s really about bringing people together, almost in our house. Like inviting people into our house,” says Co-Producer Hjalmer Wenstob. “naaʔuu is really about sharing together and feasting together.”
“The evening itself is going to be culture and history, but told from the our perspective. Up until now we haven’t always been able to have the voice at the forefront of telling history so being able to tell our history is what we’re really excited about. We haven’t had this opportunity yet to really invite folks in to learn from Tla-o-qui-aht perspective, with their own voices.”
Wenstob says that naaʔuu will be done with Tla-o-qui-aht presenters, Tla-o-qui-aht hosts, Tla-o-qui-aht chefs and food will come from Tla-o-qui-aht.
“It’s really about inviting you in and being able to share a bit. I think the sharing element is what’s important, it’s not just us lecturing or even presenting. It’s about the cultural exchange and the experience in that way.”
naaʔuu events will also include an art show where local artists and makers will have their works for sale.
“I want folks to come in and have an experience that they’re proud of, that we’re proud of sharing, that they’re proud of hearing, and send folks off so they know a little bit more.”
Wenstob says that while he doesn’t expect anyone to learn everything in such a short amount of time at the events, it is an opportunity to ask questions then head out on their own adventure with Tla-o-qui-aht.
“With Truth and Reconciliation, we’re at the truth point still and this is an opportunity for us to share some truth, and for folks to ask questions and learn a little bit and just know where they are. Tla-o-qui-aht has been there from a scientific perspective for over 10,000 years, from our perspective, time immemorial. This is our opportunity to open the door a little tiny bit, let a little bit of light out, and then folks have to go and do some exploration themselves.”
In the last two years, Wenstob has seen an increase in interest in learning about local history, the local nations, the language and the art. “To see that desire from the outside community means that this is the time. This is the time to start coming together and sharing, and really learning together and growing together. Up until now it’s always been at a distance – ‘us and them’ – and we have to break that down so this is an opportunity to start that work.”
When You Go
When you purchase naaʔuu tickets know that you are supporting Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks with an experience that will leave anyone with a Tla-o-qui-aht perspective on life and the lands they call home.
