For the very first time since 1989, Vancouver’s biggest celebration party of the restaurant industry was open to the public. Vancouver Magazine’s Restaurant Awards 2018 had welcomed everyone to purchase tickets to attend the awards ceremony at Sheraton Wall Centre, as this year’s winners were revealed for the very first time during the ceremony. All the ticket holders were able to connect with the restauranteurs, the chef, the sommeliers, the bartenders, and many others in the restaurant business over incredible food, wine, beer, and cocktails.
All the profits from ticket sales would go to Dining Out for Life, an annual fundraising event for A Loving Spoonful, supporting our very own communities.
I was invited as media to attend a series of events including the Restaurant Awards 2018 reception and ceremony, as well as a few post-ceremony parties hosted at different venues.
The Pre-Ceremony Reception, Restaurants Awards 2018
The pre-ceremony reception featured amazing dishes from some the Restaurant Awards finalists, and the host, Sheraton Wall Centre. It was amazing to spot the star chefs from all over the city. For a foodie like myself, I was over the moon.
Top wineries from BC are also offered wine tasting. Bottles and bottles of wine were open and poured into attendee glasses.
The Ceremony, Restaurant Awards 2018
The ceremony was hosted by Gloria Macrenko and Stephen Quinn, and 28 of the 41 gold awards were presented onstage.
Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar, helmed by chef Alex Chen, swept the award ceremony with three big wins over the counter anxiety medication similar to xanax including the Best Seafood, the Best Upscale, and the Chef of the Year. St Lawrence received the biggest honour of Restaurant of the Year, along with the Best New Restaurant.
Please check out the full list here.
The Post-Ceremony Ceremony Reception
More food was served at the post-ceremony reception and everyone was able to hang out a bit more with the award-winning chefs and specialists, accompanied by more tasting offered by local breweries and distilleries.
And I was lucky to share a frame with the Chef of the Year, chef Alex Chen of Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar.
Post-Party at Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar
I attended the invitation-only post-party at Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar, the winner of 3 Restaurant Awards this year, thanks to Mary of Vancouver Bits and Bites. And we celebrated their success with champagne and amazing seafood dishes including these little jewels of Sunseeker oysters.
Post-Party at Joey’s Bentall One
More food, wine, and cocktails were waiting for us at the invitation-only post-party at Joey’s Bentall One, where we spotted more award-winning restaurant owners, chefs, and specialists partying with live music and entertainment.
Final Words
What an amazing and memorable night! And a round of applause to all the all the winners, the panel of judges, and the Vancouver Magazine team who made all this happen. 2018 has been a great year for the restaurant industry and we are looking forward to a keeping it rolling for the rest of the year.
