On Saturday, October 19th, 30 different "hobby chefs" will open their homes to host simultaneous dinner parties during Social Bites Global Local, Vancouver: DinnerPartyYVR. Their guests will be gifted 100% of the ticket price which they can donate to charity via Chimp. Over the next week we'll share some of the chef's inspiration behind their delicious and do good stories. Peruse all of the menus here.
Meet friends Patty + Aarti, who met at a mutual friend's house and instantly hit it off conversing the whole night about Aarti's ayurvedic cooking, and Patty's profession as a nutritionist. When Patty caught a whiff of Social Bites + #DinnerPartyYVR, she couldn't resist asking Aarti to come along as her sous chef.
Hey Aarti, what was the inspiration for your dish?
It’s fall! The leaves are falling, they’re changing colours and so are inspiring things are the garden. It’s time to reap the harvest of all of your hard work, and so we decided to focus on pumpkins. Funny enough I’ve been trying to grow pumpkins for the last three years, and this year, my friend added some of her compost and snap, they took. We harvested them and now we’re making pumpkin soup for you!
So let me get this straight, you canned your own pumpkin and now the pumpkin from your garden made possible by your friend's compost will be the base for your meal?
Exactly. Pumpkin is very versatile, and such a meaty part of a dish: we’re making soup, polenta, hor d'oeuvres. We’re even incorporating it into a dessert, pumpkin mousse.
What can guests expect when they visit your house?
It’s a big, beautiful place that I share with my good friend Dale. He makes furniture, so you'll see a beautiful palm table created for our dining room pleasure and our coffee table that we just painted.
You've selected the David Suzuki Foundation as your charitable beneficiary. Why so?
David Suzuki, [laughing] he’s the love of my life. I’m from Toronto, and have been admiring BC from afar. David Suzuki has been my connection here. He loves the earth, he has compassion and understands what it means. And the consciousness that he’s created with his inspiration is really important to the way I, Patty, and we all live.
Hey Patty, why do you love Vancouver?
Because you can bike everywhere!
The menu: Gluten-Free Pumpkin Fest
To start:
Eggplant caviar with chickpea crackers
Stuffed endive with zucchini salsa
Marinated mozzarella
1st course
Acorn squash and sun dried tomato soup served with parmesan crackers
Main course:
Gorgonzola and pear stuffed chicken breast, pumpkin flavoured polenta, herbed Chanterelle mushrooms, concord grape reduction vinaigrette
Seats around the palm table are still available for Patty + Aarti's Pumpkin Feast. Tickets are $35 and include Granville Island beer, Serendipity Wine, entrance to HawkersMarket, and of course, dinner. Not to mention you'll receive 100% back to donate to charity via Chimp. To purchase tickets, visit socialbites.ca.
