Saturday, November 24, 2012

Vancouver Aquarium's 2012 Ocean Wise Chowder Chowdown announces winners

John Nightingale, Vancouver Aquarium President & CEO; Forage Chef Chris Whittaker; and Mike McDermid, Ocean Wise Partner Relations Manager

Just 24 hours after Chef Chris Whittaker opened his new restaurant forage at The Listel Hotel Vancouver on Robson Street, he and his culinary team took top spots at the 2012 Vancouver Aquarium Ocean Wise Chowder Chowdown. Not only did Chef Whittaker win the Critic's Choice Award for his Creamy BC Spot Prawn Chowder, he and his team also picked up the Peoples' Choice Award. The chowder included spot prawns, poached egg, smoky chicharon and featured white wine, leeks and bacon. The dozen chefs in the competition included: 
  • Nathan Tower | Savory Chef Foods | Octopus & Corn Chowder
  • Alex Tung | Cotto Enoteca Pizzeria | Cotto Dungeness Crab Cioppino
  • Warren Mercier | Vancouver Aquarium | Citrus Soy Seafood Chowder
  • Frank Cort | Show Case Restaurant & Bar | Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle | Dungeness Crab & Honey Mussel Chowder
  • Chris Whittaker | forage | The Listel Hotel | Creamy BC Spot Prawn Chowder
  • Troung Minch Xong | Kameil Royale Japanese Restaurant | Lobster Miso Chowder
  • Tom Lee | Eidble Canada at the Market | Salt Spring Island Mussel & Pulled Pork Chowder
  • Eric Pless | Coast Restaurant | Local Shores Dungess Crab & Clam Chowder
  • Derek Bendig | Hotel Eldorado | Seafood Chowder
  • Todd Bright | Wild Rice | Tea Smoked Arctic Char & Szechuan Bacon Chowder
  • Allesandro Vianello & Michael Carter | Street Meet | Sablefish & Slow Roasted Pork Belly Chowder
  • Dana Hauser | Hersons West Coast Kitchen | The Fairmont Waterfront | Roast Powell River Sturgeon Chowder
This year's judges included:
  • Rob Clark | Ocean Wise founding chef partner
  • Chester Carey | Serious Beer program instructor + certified cicerone
  • Guy Dean | VP & Chief Sustainability Officer, Albion Fisheries LTd.
  • Sid Cross | food and wine aficionado
  • Andrew Morrison | Scout Magazine founder
  • Tim Pawsey | food and wine journalist
Chef Dana Hauser of Herons West Coast Kitchen at The Fairmont Waterfront picked up the award for Best Chowder and Beer Pairing. Her Roast Powell River Sturgeon Chowder was paired with a Granville Island Brewery English Pay Pale Ale. 

This year's fifth annual Ocean Wise Chowder Chowdown was once again a sold-out event, held at the Vancouver Aquarium. Ocean Wise is a Vancouver Aquarium conservation program "created to educate and empower consumers about the issues surrounding sustainable seafood." The Ocean Wise symbol on a seafood item assures it's an ocean-friendly seafood choice. During Ocean Wise month in November, consumers are invited to join in the sustainable seafood movement by pledging to eat only ocean-friendly seafood. There are more than 3,100 Ocean Wise partner locations across Canada.

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