AQUACULTURE – Top international and local celebrity chefs and oyster shuckers will be leveraging their skills and swagger to win top prizes and epic bragging rights at a myriad of cooking competitions during the BC Seafood Festival Signature Weekend.
The event, ranked among the top Seafood Festivals in North America, will be held June 15-17 in the Comox Valley.
Ticketholders will sample and savour the freshest seafood while enjoying featured BC wines, ciders and live music performances along with festival competitions.
The BC Seafood Festival Signature Weekend 2018 offers up new seafood competitions combined with events and celebrations including chef demonstrations, award-winning shellfish and seafood tastings, and the largest Kids Interactive Zone featuring the Vancouver Aquarium AquaVan.
Here are some of the competitions to ignite the passion and ingenuity of chef and seafood competitors, while providing festival participants with a front row seat to the action on festival stages throughout the weekend:
FortisBC BC Seafood Festival Chef Competition – New!
Featuring a fantastic line-up of past Festival chefs who will duke it out in black-box heats to present the most unique and scrumptious BC seafood dishes to a group of discerning Judges. The top prize will be $5,000, second place $1,500, thanks to generous sponsorship by FortisBC. All of the cooking equipment is being proudly provided by Garland Canada.
Fanny Bay Oysters Shucking Championship – June 16
Guinness Book of World Record Holder, Shucker Paddy, returns to host some of the fastest shuckers in British Columbia to compete for the top prize of an all-expense paid trip to compete in the PEI Shellfish Festival Raspberry Point Shucking Championship. Seeing is believing in this “must-attend” event!
Ocean Wise Chowder Challenge – June 17
Restaurants and their seafood-lovin’ chefs serve up the best sustainable seafood chowder for a chance to win an OceanWise annual membership and attendance to the big leagues of chowder competitions, the Vancouver OceanWise Chowder Chowdown.
Best Caesar in Town Competition – June 17
This spicy competition, presented by the White Whale Restaurant and Bremner’s will see top bartenders compete for a $1,000 cash prize generously supplied by Bremner’s and awarded to the sexiest, seafood inspired Caesars around. Attendees will also get to try tastes of the range of Caesars.
June is also BC Seafood Month. During the festival dates, June 8-17, top participating British Columbia restaurants will be showcasing their favorite seafood dishes to celebrate BC’s bounty at part of the BC Seafood on Your Plate contest, and compete for a $1,000 prize by earning the most votes.
Tickets:
Early-Bird BC Seafood Festival Signature Weekend pass ticket are on sale now at www.BCSeafoodFestival.com, where seafood-lovers can also sign up to be a volunteer and Friend of the Seafood Festival to receive special deals and advance tickets.
For more information about the Comox Valley, accommodation, tickets and all the incredible events, go to BCSeafoodFestival.com or call the Vancouver Island Visitors Center 1-855-400-2882.
About the BC Seafood Expo
Before the BC Seafood Festival Signature Weekend there is a BC Seafood Expo. The Expo features over 50 Trade Show exhibitors, leading speakers in their fields and provides a venue to network with industry leaders, international buyers, distributors, and educators for every type of fish, seafood, and seafood related products and services. (bcseafoodexpo.com)
The 2018 keynote speakers include; entrepreneur, lawyer and best-selling author, Calvin Helin and president of the Seafood Nutrition Partnership, Linda Cornish. Attendees can indulge in the two networking lunches as well as the International Buyers Reception, which features top domestic chefs, the best of BC seafood, and a delegation of 30+ international seafood buyers, all taking place within the Expo trade show area.
– By SeaWest News
