June 21, 2011

It’ll be a seafood celebration and more at the 2011 Taste festival

June 21, 2011, Victoria, BC - With just one month to go until the third-annual Taste: Victoria's Festival of Food and Wine, things are heating up for the event's organizer, Kathy McAree.
"Taste, from July 21 - 24, is all about celebrating flavours and ingredients from our British Columbia backyard - both land and sea," said McAree. "Imagine being served organic tea by a Tea Master or dining in the middle of a field at a local family farm - the experiences at Taste are just as special as our culinary landscape."

And with Vancouver Island known around the world for its bountiful seafood, this is the third year that McAree has collaborated with Inn at Laurel Point and Finest at Sea to devote an entire evening to celebrating local fishers and ocean delicacies. Sips and Seafood, held on the hotel's stunning seaside terrace amongst hand-tended Japanese gardens, will take place on July 22, from 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.
"This is truly our flagship culinary event of the year," said Avril Matthews, director of sales and marketing at Inn at Laurel Point. "Show up in your jeans and pearls and fill up your plate - and wineglass - at the numerous seafood and beverage stations. From "Kissing the Crab" to getting up close and personal with our culinary team, this is an evening not to be missed."
One of the event's biggest supporters, Finest at Sea, a commercial fishing business based in James Bay, Victoria, is set to supply Sips and Seafood with a range of delicious seafood products. Prepared by Inn at Laurel Point executive chef Takashi Ito and executive sous chef Patrick Gayler, some of the ocean treats that will be showcased at the event include smoked salmon, tuna, fresh oysters, crab, scallops, hand-peeled shrimp, mussels and more.

Bob Fraumeni, owner of Finest at Sea, has been an advocate for sustainable fisheries since the '70s and his business is Canada's only provider of 100 per cent known-origin sustainable seafood.
"Our seafood products are the only of its kind in Canada where my staff can tell you when and where any particular seafood was caught - I can even pinpoint which exact vessel was used," said Fraumeni.
And when it comes to beverages, Sips and Seafood has a number of partners in place to ensure guests' wineglasses (or teacups) never run dry. The event will showcase wines by Nichol, Serendipity Winery, Therapy Vineyards, Hillside Estate Winery, Red Rooster Winery and Averill Creek Vineyards; beers by Phillips Beer; organic teas by Silk Road; and gin by Victoria Spirits.
"This is the first year Sips and Seafood has almost exclusively focused on wines from the Naramata Bench in BC's Okanagan, a region known for producing excellent wines," said McAree.
Tickets for Sips and Seafood are $99 each and can be purchased by visiting www.VictoriaTaste.com or by stopping by the front desk at Inn at Laurel Point.
For more information on Taste and to read about the festival's full roster of events, visit www.VictoriaTaste.com.
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Media Contact:
Kathy McAree, Taste: 250-385-1527 or kathy@VictoriaTaste.com

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