Dine Out Vancouver is celebrating its 20th anniversary from January 14-31, 2022 with a rockstar line-up of festival firsts and gastronomic adventures.
Dine Out Vancouver 2022
Authentic Indigenous cuisine is in the spotlight, as renowned chefs from across Canada team up with the culinary team at Salmon n’ Bannock for a first-of-its-kind Indigenous Canada Dinner Series. On four consecutive evenings, guests will sit together at long tables and enjoy diverse dishes and cultures shared by notable Enoch Cree, Algonquin, Inuvialuk, and Odawa chefs who will travel to Vancouver with special ingredients for this unique series, part of the Festival’s Vancouver World Chef Exchange.
The series is not the only special event on the roster at this year’s Fest. At The Acorn, chef Devon Latte welcomes chef Derek Gray of Row Fourteen at Klippers Organics Farm for a seasonal and unique farm-to-plate tasting menu. Guests will be able to experience an exclusive, plant-forward, multi-course dinner with distinctive and playful beverage pairings offered by Acorn’s sommelier, Yannick Bernaerts.
Festival-goers looking for events as interactive as they are delicious will delight in offerings like Gelato 101, a gelato-making class in which students will discover the sweet science of making artisan gelato and sorbetto in the classic Italian method. Or perhaps Sea Foraging with Chef Robin Kort will fit the bill, as they learn what can be caught sustainably in B.C. oceans without a boat, before digging into hot foraged chowder at the seashore.
More options include Chinatown tours, distillery adventures, Chinese dumpling cooking classes, brewery visits, dinner theatre and the ever-popular Street Food City, the food truck festival outside the Vancouver Art Gallery that features favourite bites from the city’s top trucks.
In its 20th year, Dine Out Vancouver Festival will also give food-lovers the opportunity to choose from hundreds of restaurants each offering three-course set menus at four price ranges: $20-$29, $30-$39, $40-$49, or $50-$59, or to enjoy tailor-made promotions offered by participating restaurants.
Make a night out of Dine Out and turn a dining experience into a delicious culinary getaway by staying at a participating Downtown Vancouver hotel and enjoy a $50 Mastercard Gift Card to be used towards a Dine Out menu or culinary experience. Reservations can be made online.
Update! January 6, 2022
The menus are up! With more than 300 restaurants participating, there is no shortage of ways to celebrate during this special anniversary year of the Festival while supporting the local hospitality industry and the city’s exceptional culinary talents.
Three-course set menus are available at four price ranges: $20-$29, $30-$39, $40-$49, or $50-$59 — or diners can enjoy tailor-made promotions offered by participating restaurants and many are offering take-out too. Diners can also indulge in a tantalizing lineup of unique food and drink-themed experiences, including a Chinatown tour, Distillery adventure, cooking class, brewery visit, the food truck festival Street Food City, or the highly anticipated Vancouver World Chef Exchange, the exclusive collaborative dinner series which returns after a one-year COVID related hiatus.
Follow along on Instagram and Facebook with tag #DOVF for culinary inspiration.
This season you can find delicious treats and holiday meals all in one place, including decadent, sweet, and savoury, gifts for everyone on your ‘nice’ list.
Meinhardt Fine Foods Gift Boxes
Meinhardt takes great care with local delivery of their beautifully wrapped “open-style” gift boxes and the products are carefully chosen for their individuality and gourmet appeal.
Whether you choose a standard box or a wooden crate, you’ll find your gift is both stylish and reflective of the quality of the products contained within.
Holiday Meals from Meinhardt
Meinhardt Fine Foods is offering a family-style holiday meal for parties of any size. The menu features butter-basted turkey or vegetarian beet and mushroom wellington with traditional festive sides and sticky toffee pudding for dessert.
The meal is made in-house and with fresh, local ingredients, prepared by Meinhardt for you and your family and friends.
Order online, by phone, or in person at least 48 hours in advance for pick-up from the South Granville (3002 Granville St, Vancouver) or Pacific Centre (609 Granville, Vancouver) locations.
In Store Holiday Items
Both locations (South Granville and Pacific Centre) are packed with holiday items that make for perfect stocking stuffers or gifts for foodies.
Meinhardt Fine Foods carries one of Vancouver’s largest selections of authentic Italian Panettone, with many different flavours, shapes, and sizes at both locations. Some of the more unique flavours include tiramisu, pistachio, and chocolate brownie. They also have a wide selection of other seasonal products such as cookies, chocolates, specialty teas and coffee, Sugarfina holiday bento boxes, German spice cookies, stollen, and so much more.
Meinhardt Fine Foods was established in the South Granville community by Linda Meinhardt in 1996, quickly earning recognition for culinary excellence as Western Canada’s first gourmet grocery store of its kind.
Win a Gift Box
I have one of Meinhardt’s Toast of the Season Gift Boxes to give away (value $125). This delightful holiday gift box is filled with scrumptious cookies and sweets that appear only once a year! It contains:
Sweet
Meinhardt Cocoa Dusted Truffles
Meinhardt Chocolate Bar
Freddi Swiss Roll
Anna Faggio Speculoos Cookies
Aviateur Almond Square
Bonne Maman Cookies
Riegelein Chocolate Santa
Coppenrath Sekulatius Cookies Tatsan Turkish Delight
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 9:00am on Friday, December 17, 2021. Open to Metro Vancouver. UPDATE! The winner is Mydhili Singham Furtado.
Follow Miss604Holidays this season for the latest arts and culture activities, attraction and event news »
Today, four First Nations – the Lil̓wat7úl (Líl̓wat), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations – announced they have jointly entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City of Vancouver and the Resort Municipality of Whistler to begin the process of assessing the feasibility of hosting an Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Host Nations Exploratory Assembly for 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
The MOU creates a Host Nations Exploratory Assembly for the consideration of a 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games bid.
“The Líl̓wat Nation is pleased to partner with the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, the Resort Municipality of Whistler and the City of Vancouver to explore the first Indigenous led bid to host the 2030 Games,” says Chief Dean Nelson. “The Nations’ participation in the 2010 Games as a bid partner was ground-breaking, and with this announcement and our desire for this to be the first Indigenous led bid for an Olympic Games, we continue to lead the way in Indigenous participation in major events.”
“The 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games brought our four nations together in a new and exciting way. Since then, we have continued to work together for the benefit of our communities,” says Musqueam Chief Wayne Sparrow. “By exploring the possibility of bringing the Games back to our territories, we have an opportunity to create a new Olympic legacy that is grounded in our unique Indigenous perspectives – an approach that should be considered for all future Games.”
“In the spirit of Reconciliation, it is important for our Nations to understand the impact and potential benefits of hosting the 2030 Winter Games,” says Squamish Nation Councillor and Spokesperson, Wilson Williams. “Should a bid go forward, our Nations will lead and engage in all aspects of planning and hosting the Games. It is an opportunity to announce to the world that we are not invisible, we are still here and will always be here.”
My favorite time of year is finally on the horizon and I am ready for it! I am most looking forward to the coziness, celebrating with loved ones and gift giving to come. This year I have put together a guide to help us all shop with intention, a gift guide of holiday must-haves from Indigenous businesses you can shop online or in person:
Gift Ideas from Indigenous Businesses
Note: Prices are those that were available at time of publishing of this article, and they may vary. The price on the retailer’s site is always the right one to go by.
Business:Ay Lelum Browse Instagram:@aylelum Online Ordering: Direct or through a variety of retailers Featured Gift Item:3 Layer Masks $25 Ay Lelum is a second-generation Coast Salish design house in Nanaimo, recently featured in New York Fashion Week. Shop online for their original 3 Layer Masks designed in collaboration with Oddball Workshop. Oddball’s comfortable fabric combined with the breathtaking art by Joel Good and William Good creates a tasteful gift to show everyone on your list you care about their safety.
Business:West Coast Wildflowers Browse Instagram:@westcoast.wildflowers Online Ordering: Yes or in-person at 1175 Shoppers Row, Campbell River Featured Gift Item:Standing Spruce Cedar & Yarrow Balm $21 Based in the unceded traditional territory of the Ligwiłda’xw people (Campbell River) strives to stock its shelves with 75% local and 25% North American products. West Coast Wildflowers supports small shops, women in business, and Indigenous small business owners.
Also worth mentioning from West Coast Wildflowers is their scholarship to assist Indigenous, Metis and Inuit students to pursue post-secondary education in BC. Applications are open December 2021 and August 2022. Contribute yourself by adding to your cart or donate in someone’s name as a gift, from $5 to $100.
Business: Stó:lō Gift Shop Browse Instagram:@stologiftshop Online Ordering: Yes or in-person at 7201 Vedder Rd, Chilliwack, on the Coqualeetza grounds Featured Gift Item:Ceramic Nesting Measuring Cups $22 Shop in-person from 9:30am to 4:30pm on weekdays or online anytime for local, one-of-a-kind, authentic Indigenous and Indigenous-inspired arts, crafts, paintings, prints, glassware and cards. A practical, and beautifully designed gift is the set of nesting measuring cups featuring artwork by Haisla, Heiltsuk artist Paul Windsor. Pick up your online order at the store in Chilliwack or have it shipped directly to your door.
Business:Skwachàys Gallery Browse Instagram:@skwachayslodge Online Ordering: Yes or in-person at 29 W Pender St, Vancouver Featured Gift Item:Beige Eagle Flocked Tote $38 The first Indigenous boutique hotel in Canada. Skwachàys hosts an in-house gallery with online shopping services featuring Indigenous artwork, including original paintings, framed limited edition prints, jewelry, pottery, wood carvings and giftware. A social enterprise owned and operated by Vancouver Native Housing Society. Their Beige Eagle Tote with flocked fabric designed by Kelly Robinson is the perfect gift for the fashionable recipient always on the go.
Business: Bill Reid Gallery Browse Instagram: @billreidgallery Online Ordering: Yes or in-person at 639 Hornby St, Vancouver Featured Gift Item:Wool Blanket, Strength of our Ancestors $100 Bill Reid Gallery features traditional and contemporary artwork and accessories, including hand-painted sculptures, fine jewelry and art prints. This charitable organization also has two street-level locations. Proceeds from all purchases support local Indigenous artists and artistic and educational programs. Their new Wool Blanket, suitable for ceremonial gifting or any household, is a cozy and thoughtful gift. Royalties are always paid back to the artist, Terry Horne, Stó:lō/Yeqwyeqwí:ws.
Business:Squamish Lil’ wat Cultural Centre Browse Instagram: @slccwhistler Online Ordering:Yes or in-person at 4584 Blackcomb Way, Whistler Featured Gift Item:Mug Glass – Eagle’s First Flight $35 Authentic and exclusive handcrafted Northwest Coast First Nations art and merchandise. The glass mugs on their site immediately caught my eye as a tea and coffee lover. This intricately designed piece by Ernest Swanson, Haida Nation, makes a wonderful holiday gift for anyone. If you wish to purchase a gift card on their website, they are also available at any time.
Business:I-Hos Gallery Browse Instagram: @ihosgallery Online Ordering: Yes or in-person at 3310 Comox Rd, Courtenay Featured Gift Item:Finger Puppets in Canoe $35.90 I-Hos carries traditional and contemporary Indigenous art from the Northwest Coast, including masks, prints, gold and silver jewelry and wood carvings. The physical gallery is located on the original K’ómoks Village site, open Tuesday – Saturday. This soft, plush, finger puppet set it a lovely gift for children on your list, featuring Hoppy the Frog, Valdy the Eagle and Moka the Spirit Bear by artist Bill Helin.
Business: Crowfoot Collective Browse Instagram:@crowfootcollective Online Ordering: Yes or in-person at 1725 Cowichan Bay Rd, Cowichan Bay Featured Gift Item: Sterling Silver Bangles $38 An Indigenous-owned boutique in the heart of Cowichan Bay carrying local and global goods. All handmade, Fair Trade and ethically sourced and 10% of profits are always donated to Indigenous Organizations. Crowfoot Collective’s Sterling Silver Bangles are a classic gift and can be adjusted to fit any wrist. They will look great paired with other statement pieces, as well.
We’ve got theatre, choirs, pop-up markets, and quite a few free activities happening this weekend in Metro Vancouver and beyond the holiday season. Miss604 is proud to sponsor Heritage Christmas at Burnaby Village Museum and you can find more fun things to do in Vancouver listed below:
