Celebrating the Sprouts and the Arts

The Fourth Annual Sprouts cookbook awards will soon be upon us. On Thursday, April 8 at 6 p.m. we honour Tender Volume 1 by Nigel Slater (Judges' choice) and The Tastes of Sonora Resort by Matthew Stowe (People's choice) with a festive evening of good cheer, hors d'oeuvres prepared by Vikram Vij and Meeru Dhalwala and the presentation of the much coveted silver Sprouts award. Since April is Poetry Month, we will be entertained with recitations of poetry by local actress, director and teacher, Joy Coghill, including Lorna Crozier's The Sex Lives of Vegetables. All proceeds from this evening's event will be donated to the Vancouver East Cultural Centre.

Tickets to this festive fundraiser are $75.00 and are selling quickly. Don't miss this unique opportunity to support the arts and to celebrate the best in culinary writing. To purchase tickets call 604-688-6755.

Third Annual Sprouts Awards

Barbara-jo's Books to Cooks was proud to hold our 3rd Annual Sprouts Awards last evening. The winner of our coveted award this year is Jennifer McLagan for her inspirational book, Fat. John Bishop, last year's recipient of the Sprouts Award for his book Fresh, was on hand to award Jennifer with the beautiful silver Brussels sprout designed by local artist, Robert Chaplin.

The festivities of the evening included delectable catering by Fuel Restaurant that truly honoured fat with items such as their house-cured charcuterie, wild mushrooms sauteed in butter and frites cooked in horse fat. Wines from Farmstead Wines were enjoyed by all.

The Sprouts Award evening was important in recognizing this important book but it also served as a fundraiser for the Vancouver East Cultural Centre. Proceeds from the ticket sales have been donated to the Cultch's Capital Campaign fund. As well, sales from our vibrant raffle contributed to their efforts to renovate and expand this important cultural hub.

Thank you to all those who were able to come out for this fabulous evening!

More photos of the evening can be found here.