A handful of Vancouver’s most notable chefs will treat you to a spectacular showcase of the award winning Japanese cuisine from the top restaurants in Vancouver during the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival’s Sakura Night Gala.
Sakura Night Gala
Where: Stanley Park Pavilion (610 Pipeline Road, Vancouver) When: Sunday, April 22, 2018
Doors Open at 6:30pm, Standing Dinner Reception from 6:30pm to 9:30pm Tickets:Purchase online now for $160.
Alongside cherry blossom inspired food, wine, sake, and beer pairings, there will also be amusing libations from renowned Bartender & cocktail designer Jay Jones, who oversees Beverage and Media for Vij’s Group of restaurants. Jay will welcome you to the gala with an exciting new cherry blossom cocktail experience.
Finlandia Pharmacy & Natural Health Centre will serve you their special GABA tea to give you a beautiful sleep after a wonderful Sakura Night Gala evening.
All proceeds will go to fund the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival (“VCBF”), a charitable intra-community arts and culture festival focused on community engagement, multiculturalism, the arts, and the environment.
Participating Chefs
Chef Nobu Ochi, Zen Japanese Restaurant / Paired with Lunessence Winery
Chef Will Lew, Notch8 Restuarant & Bar / Paired with Hugging Tree
Chef Masayoshi Baba, Masayoshi / Paired with Fujiyama Imports
Chef Ken Nakano, Shangri-La Hotel Vancouver / Paired with Haywire Wine
Chef Nathan Lowry, Dosanko / Paired with Powell Brewery
Chef Takayuki Omi, Benkei Ramen / Paired with Stanley Park Brewing
Chef James Coleridge, James’ Gelato
Miss604 Reader Pricing
Special pricing for Miss604 readers! When you purchase your ticket use “Enter the Promotional Code” SNMiss604 to receive the early bird price $150 plus $2.50 GST. $100 is eligible for a charitable tax receipt.
The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival runs April 3-April 29, 2018 with events (some free, some ticketed) happening across the city. Follow VCBF on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more information and inspiration.
The Arts Club’s California Wine Fair fundraiser is an all-inclusive, social tasting event where wine lovers will have a unique opportunity to sample exquisite selections from the Golden State. It’s the largest tasting tour of California wines in Canada!
Where: Vancouver Convention Centre East (999 Canada Place) When: Monday, April 9, 2018 from 7:00pm to 9:30pm Tickets:Available online for $90 or via the Arts Club Box Office at (604) 687-1644. Discounted group tickets are available by calling (604) 687-5315, ext. 847.
This year’s event boasts a selection of over 400 wines from 150 of California’s top wineries. It’s an exclusive opportunity to savour the Napa Valley, Humboldt County, Santa Clara Valley, and more, all without leaving the city. With California producing over 90% of US wine, this is a great way to sample the best from our neighbours in the south.
The fundraiser will also include a silent auction, featuring wines only available in California: St. Supéry Estate Vineyards, Heitz Wine Cellars, and Treasury Wine Estates. Attendees will also have the opportunity to bid on over 30 auction packages, including weekend getaways and more.
For more than 50 years, the Arts Club has played a strong role in sustaining live theatre in the community, thanks in part to events like the California Wine Fair. All proceeds from the event will support Arts Club productions, youth and education initiatives, and new play development programs.
Follow the Arts Club on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more info. The California Wine Fair is in partnership with California Wines in Canada. Must be 19+ to attend.
The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC presents Afro-Cuban neo-soul singer Daymé Arocena and Havana-born piano virtuoso Roberto Fonseca in an exhilarating co-bill on April 15th at the Chan Shun Concert Hall. These shining talents who draw from Cuba’s storied musical tradition will each ignite the stage – Arocena with her intoxicating vocals, and Fonseca with his sophistication on the keys – offering a fresh and modern take on the styles rooted in their Caribbean home country.
Daymé Arocena and Roberto Fonseca at The Chan Centre
Photo credit: (L) Gabriel Guerra Bianchini (R) Arien Chang
Born in Havana in 1992, Arocena is a vocalist, composer, bandleader, and choir director best known for her unique, soulful mix of jazz, rumba, and Cuban neo-soul inspired with chants of the Afro-Cuban Santeria religion. She began to sing when she was four years old and after 10 more years of perfecting her voice, she caught the attention of Cuba’s prestigious band Los Primos, who invited her to become their lead singer.
Arocena’s star quickly began to rise after being discovered by BBC broadcaster and producer Gilles Peterson. A whirlwind of opportunities soon followed, including a collaboration with praised Canadian saxophonist Jane Bunnett alongside five other Cuban women on the self-titled album, Jane Bunnett and Maqueque. The album won a JUNO Award for ‘Best Group Jazz Album of the Year’ in 2015.
Shortly after graduating, Fonseca left Cuba to “find his sound.” Returning from a tour in Italy, he teamed up with saxophonist Javier Zalba to form Temperamento, the group that would become his creative platform for the next 15 years. Their first album, En El Comienzo, was named ‘Cuba’s Best Jazz Album’ in 1999. Following the release of a series of solo albums, Fonseca found stardom when he was tapped by Buena Vista Social Club to replace Rubén Gonzalez following the pianist’s death in 2003.
Fonseca embarked on a world tour with the Buena Vista Social Club, and joined founding member Ibrahim Ferrer to play more than 400 concerts. Upon returning to Cuba, Fonseca released the album that would bring him mainstream fame, Zamazu, merging many of his influences: Afro-Cuban music, jazz, classical music and traditional Cuban music. He followed it up with Akokan (2009), Live in Marciac (2010) and Yo (2012), the latter of which won him a Grammy nomination for ‘Best Latin Jazz Album’ in 2014.
Pre-Show Talk with Roberto Fonseca – Sunday, April 15, 2018 at 6:00pm at the Chan Shun Concert Hall. Percussionist and Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Provost and VP Academic Sal Ferreras hosts a conversation with Roberto Fonseca. Free for ticket holders.
Win Tickets
The Chan Centre has offered up two tickets for a lucky Miss604 reader to see Daymé Arocena and Roberto Fonseca. Here’s how you can enter to win:
Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
Click below to get another entry by posting on Twitter:
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win tickets to see Daymé Arocena and Roberto Fonseca at the Chan Centre April 15th @DaymeArocena @ChanCentre http://ow.ly/9y1k30j7TrG” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Thursday, March 29, 2018. Follow The Chan Centre on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more information about upcoming shows.
Vancouver’s alleys and laneways seem to be more prominent than any other major city’s. Ours appear in movies and television shows all the time (from the Neverending Story to Deadpool), they get a fun pink and yellow makeover complete with basketball court, and they feature some amazing art.
Eihu Lane Between Alberni and Robson
With his family, Eihu was one of the original settlers at Kanaka Ranch on the shore of Coal Harbour, an informal settlement of native Hawaiians.
Rosemary Brown Lane Between Robson and Haro Rosemary Brown (1930-2003) First Black Canadian woman to be elected to a Canadian provincial legislature. After departing politics, she became a professor of Women’s Studies at SFU and was later appointed Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission.
Stovold Lane Between Haro and Barclay
Kathleen “Kay” Stovold (1911-2001) Community advocate and volunteer for seniors and people with disabilities. In 1979 cofounded and was president of the West End Seniors Network (Barclay Manor). WESN Kay Stovold Memorial Fund was established on her death in 2001, managed by VanCity Community Foundation. Kay’s Place is a drop-in centre in Denman Place Mall.
ted northe. Photo from the Empress of Canada Foundation/DailyXtra.
ted northe Lane Between Barclay and Nelson
ted northe (1937-2014) A leader in the fight against AIDS and in defining the modern LGBTTQ+ community and human rights movement in Canada. Founded many organizational “firsts”: Gay Businessmen’s Guild, gay sports league and others. Was involved in organizing the first Pride Parade in Vancouver.
Henshaw Lane Between Nelson and Comox Julia Henshaw was an accomplished writer and botanist who spent part of her life in the West End. She originally came to the Lower Mainland in 1890. She was a founding member of the Canadian Alpine Club, the Vancouver Musical Club and the Georgia Club, was involved with the Imperial Daughters of the Empire and Women’s Canadian Club, worked as a newspaper columnist and literary and theatre critic, and served in the First World War.
1915. Julia Henshaw. Vancouver Archives# Port P1073.
Jepson-Young Lane Between Comox and Pendrell
Dr. Peter Jepson-Young (1957-1992) Medical doctor in Vancouver, diagnosed with AIDS in 1985. Created TV series “Dr. Peter Diaries” which did much to educate the public about HIV and AIDS and put a human face on the disease.
See-em-ia Lane Between Pendrell and Davie
Mary See-em-ia was the granddaughter of Chief Capilano and wife of Indigenous Hawaiians Eihu and Joe Nahanee. She and her family were residents of Kanaka Ranch, a settlement on the south shore of Coal Harbour, near Stanley Park.
1927 Peter Pantages. Vancouver Archives# CVA 99-1786.
Pantages Lane Between Davie and Burnaby
Peter Basil Pantages (1901-1971) Restauranteur and Polar Bear Club founder. The proprietor of the Peter Pan Café at 1180 Granville Street, Pantages established the Polar Bear swimming club and served as its director for 51 years.
Maxine Lane Between Burnaby and Harwood
Maxine MacGilvray (ca 1892-1952) Originally from Wisconsin, ran hairdressing salon at Spencer’s Department Store from 1914, then established very successful salon and beauty school; products locally manufactured with help of chemist husband. Facade of Maxine’s Beauty School preserved at 1209 Bidwell (now a coffee shop).
1936 Maxine’s Beauty School. Vancouver Archives# CVA 99-4477.
Jung Lane Between Harwood and Pacific
Vivian Jung (1924-2014) was the first Chinese-Canadian teacher hired by the Vancouver School Board. During her teacher training Vivian was required to obtain a lifesaving certificate. City policy at the Crystal Pool at Sunset Beach prevented Vivian from entering and swimming with her fellow students and teachers. In response, the group refused to enter without Vivian and, with that action, the long-standing colour bar at the City’s only public swimming pool ended. With her teaching certificate she was hired at Tecumseh school where she taught for 35 years.
You can see the City’s Reserve List of names here, to get a glimpse at approved names that might be used in the future. Want to browse more namesakes? Check out these Stanley Park Trail Namesakes 1, 2, 3.
The Juno Awards are in Vancouver this weekend, Spring Break is in full swing, and Easter activities are hopping onto the calendar as well. Here’s your big list of things to do on Vancouver this weekend:
Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend
Events that run for longer than three days in a row are highlighted in green.
Alongside cherry blossom inspired food, wine, sake, and beer pairings, there will also be amusing libations from renowned Bartender & cocktail designer Jay Jones, who oversees Beverage and Media for Vij’s Group of restaurants. Jay will welcome you to the gala with an exciting new cherry blossom cocktail experience. 
