On September 15-18, 2013, Vancouver played host city to the Distinguished Restaurants of North America (DiRoNA) Conference at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre Hotel. I was fortunate to be able to attend many of the sessions as well as the star lunch at Tojo’s. One of the sessions I attended was “The Future of Fine Dining” with Chefs John Bishop, David Hawksworth, Holly Smith and Cathy Whims.
Dungeness Crab Salad
Selection of rolls: Golden, Great Pacific, Great Canadian, Northern Light, Rainbow and Tojo.
Smoked Canadian Sablefish
I enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Tojo’s that delighted all with a multi-course meal paired with wines from Mission Hill.
Culinary Tour at Vancouver Community College
I attended a reception and took a culinary tour at Vancouver Community College with many of the delegates who were here from all over North America.
Another session that I attended was “Is Local Sustainable” with Chefs Robert Clark, Hamid Saliman and other industry leaders.
Pino Posteraro was the DiRoNA Vancouver conference chair, he is also the chef/owner of Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill & Enoteca. 20 B.C. restaurants from around Vancouver and BC received DiRoNA’s Achievement of Distinction in Dining, each establishment selected on the basis of excellence in ambience, cuisine, and service. Award recipients were nominated by Posteraro.
Founded in 1990, DiRoNA is a non-profit organization that promotes fine dining throughout Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. A comprehensive list of DiRoNA restaurants can be found on DiRoNA’s website.
By: Richard Wolak