Feastival

add to outlook add to google calendar remind me

Saturday, September 26th, 2015
10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

“FEASTIVAL” -- Nanaimo’s newest annual festival and a unique celebration of the Island’s culinary culture. FEASTIVAL is the biggest one-day food festival in Nanaimo’s history.

Food Trucks, a Farmers Market, Celebrity Chef Demonstrations, Family Cooking Lessons, a trade show profiling growers, producers, processors, distributors, value-added products, appliances, kitchen goods and culinary accompaniments. Then there’s our “Sips” section featuring tastings of Island wines, craft brews and spirits and an on-site retail outlet. Finally, the 2nd Annual Seafood Chowder Competition will be decided by a panel of celebrity judges and, ultimately, a People’s Choice vote.

Four celebrity chefs will choose recipes from their own cookbooks to demonstrate and share with the audience. Hilary Malone of Sea Salt Food Co, one of the trio of family caterers and cookbook authors, will feature dishes most popular with their customers at 10:30 am. At 12 Noon, Don Genova, of CBC fame, will highlight items from his first book, a BC-best seller, Food Artisans of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Cory Parsons (1:30 pm), a Nanaimo chef and author who happens to be quadriplegic will show you how he gets around a kitchen to produce some amazing dishes. Daksha Narsing, spice master and author of numerous Indian inspired cookbooks will spice things up takes the stage at 3 pm. 

Free Family Cooking Lessons will be held in three sets during the day. One each for families with children (10:30), teens, and seniors hosted by the chefs at FoodShare. The focus will be on preparing local, natural, nutritional foods for your family that please the taste buds and cut the bottom line on your grocery bill.

Our Seafood Chowder Competition debuted last year to much popular acclaim for the Nanaimo restaurants participating. This year, 2014 champion “Bold Knight” returns to challenge all comers -- namely Simon Holt, Origins on Long Lake and Pirate Chips. Open 11:30 - 2 pm.

Up to 30 trade show booths will present a range of food-related products and services from a variety of Island exhibitors selling on-site. From food specialties to appliances, flatware and dishware, artisan creations, caterers, restaurants, and value-added products like spices, seasonings, and locally-prepared packaged goods and more.

Half a dozen Food Trucks will be on-site on Gordon Street across from our Farmers Market featuring a dozen booths of fresh local produce, fruit and value-added products..