The 3rd Annual Joy of Feeding was held at UBC Farm on Sunday June 30th. The event celebrates the creation of simple, home cooked meals from various heritages around the world. In Vancouver, we are blessed with so many diverse food options but there are still some cuisines that you can not find in any restaurant.
Whats unique about this event is that it does not feature restaurants, but it features household cooks that share their dish from their country. The countries represented were – Malaysia, Columbia, Caribbean, Fiji, Russia, Sudan, Ukraine, Basque, Canada, Turkey, Mexico, Scotland, Lebanon, and Serbia.
The tickets were $50 each, but there was a Vancity member perk offer where you could get a 2 for 1 deal. My coworker snagged me 2 tickets, so I was a happy camper.
It was beautiful day without a cloud in the sky. It was during the same week as the supposed “heat wave” that hit Vancouver. It was very hot, but tons of people gathered at UBC Farms to chow down on some amazing food. There was also lemonade, water and Vij’s Chai to go with the food.
At every single booth, there were lines up but they went pretty quickly. The cooks prepared well ahead of time to deal with long line ups.
Alfredo Perdomo served up Caribbean Jerk Chicken.
A lot of the cooks were very open about sharing their love of food with the people attending the event.
Yana Lobacheva shared her Meat Dolma from her Azerbaijan and Ukraine background.
Elena Serrano served Tortilla de Patatas from her Basque background.
There was a lot of food and I wasn’t disappointed at all. You could probably eat till you have food coma or get flustered by the heat.
There were some really cool cooking techniques used too. An old oil barrel converted into a pizza oven.
Smoked Salmon was made in a smoker by Angelina Frote and her little helpers.
It was very hot, so staying at the event for over an hour was a little bit difficult if you were not in the shade. I definitely needed a hat, but unfortunately I don’t own hats.
There was even some Mariachi dancers. Anyone can join in the fun, but its encouraged that everyone participates in the fun.
Everyone was giving a cookbook with all the recipes of dishes that were featured at the event. You can go home and recreate the dishes and instil the importance of cooking at home. Whether its cooking with local ingredients with your family or putting on a dinner party for friends. My favorite item from the event was the Tarte de Sucre by Genevieve & Patrick Robert.
Definitely keep this event on your radar for next year if you are interested in the celebration of whole foods, culture and cooking!
Website: http://joyoffeeding.com/
