Joy of Feeding 2022: Vancouver chef food event at UBC Farm

What are the dishes that some of the city's top chefs feel connect them to their home and family? While diners can head to Vancouver restaurants for elegant meals, oftentimes the chef's culinary roots are tied to their childhood and heritage, from treasured family recipes to comforting tastes of home.

The upcoming Joy of Feeding event, now in its 11th year, is turning the tables on the usual fare chefs create at ticketed tasting-style gatherings.

The Joy of Feeding, which takes place Sunday, Oct. 2, will feature 12 Vancouver chefs as home cooks, showcasing their heritages and family favourite dishes.

The impressive roster of participating chefs spans noteworthy Vancouver restaurant veterans, like award-winning Burdock Chef/Owner Andrea Carlson and local food luminaries Rob Clark and Julian Bond representing Organic Oceans, alongside talented up-and-coming chefs, like Andrea Alridge of Osteria Savio Volpe (who competed on last season of Top Chef Canada) who has teamed up with Farmer's Apprentice head chef Alden Ong.

Guests can roam about the event and taste the various dishes on offer, all included in the ticket price, going on a soul-satisfying journey from Eastern Europe with a German and Czech Beef Goulash to Singapore with satay and to Indigenous ancestral lands with Nlaka’pamux Interior Salish Hot Smoked Salmon and bannock with blackberry sage jam.

Featuring UBC Farm produce, Joy of Feeding is an outdoor food festival and fundraiser for the food literacy and sustainability programs at the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm and Chefs’ Table Society’s future Culinary Centre, a multi-faceted hub bringing culinary heritage and educational resources to professionals and the public.

"My sole purpose for creating this event was to link home-cooked foods from around the world to sustainability [and] climate change to our Vancouver community," Joy of Feeding organizer and Vij's co-founder and chef Meeru Dhalwala tells V.I.A. by e-mail.

Here is the full line-up of participating chefs and the dish they will be presenting:

Andrea Alridge, Head Chef, Osteria Savio Volpe and Alden Ong, Head Chef, Farmer’s Apprentice: Pork Belly Adobo
Andrea Carlson, Owner/Chef, Burdock & Co/Harvest Community Foods/Bar Gobo: Janssons Frestelse
Frank Pabst, Executive Chef, Blue Water Cafe + Private Wine Rooms: German and Czech Beef Goulash
Vikram Vij, Co-owner and chef, Vij’s Restaurant: Bombay Frankie (vegetarian)
Julian Bond and Robert Clark, Organic Oceans: Nlaka’pamux Interior Salish Hot Smoked Salmon on lightly dressed foraged greens
Dina Tavakoli, Chef & Content Creator @nooshbydina: Persian Kabab Torsh - Lamb Kabab with Walnuts and Tart Pomegranate
Regina Lee, Chef and Content Creator, Gaia Kitchen: Singapore Chicken Satay (plus vegan/vegetarian option)
Sarah Mierau, Founder, “Tradish" Plant Medicine Jams: Organic Blackberry Sage Jam with Bannock (vegan)
Darren Clay, President, Chefs Table Society, Executive Sous Chef, Resident Dining, UBC Food Services: Harrisa Roasted UBC Farm Carrot Toast/ Whipped Ricotta/ Pickled UBC Farm Fennel (vegetarian)
Jiwon Seo Sous Chef, Burdock and Co.: Korean Chungmu Gimbop (vegan)
Anton Lohvin , Owner, Westcoast Poke: Ukrainian Kulish
Eleni Fergadi and Vassilis Kerasiotis, Owner/chefs, Nostos Greek Taverna: Portokalopita (orange cake) and Galaktoboureko (semolina cake)