The Diamond Bar School, Vancouver: Rookie Seminars

The ‘Rookie’ seminars are designed for those cocktail enthusiasts who want to impress their family and friends at home. The classes are a mix of hands-on and demonstration. Students are able to sample six different cocktails and are expertly guided to make two of their choosing. Snacks are provided. Classes run for two hours from 5:30pm–7:30pm Tuesdays & Sundays. Classes include:

•Classic Cocktails 101
•Gin & Gin Cocktails
•Contemporary Cocktails & Food Pairing
•How to Stock your Home Bar & Throw a Cocktail Party
•Whiskey & Whiskey Cocktails
•Rum & Rum Cocktails
•Tequila & Tequila Cocktails
•Vodka & Vodka Cocktails
•Diamond Favourites
•Classics #2

Price: $90

More info & booking

Vancouver Food Tour: Craft Cocktail Tour

Create and sip craft cocktails with Veteran Vancouver Barman and Cocktailian, Jay Jones(formerly Pourhouse), with Melody as your host in an interactive and informative cocktail tour through 5 Gastown gems.

The hands-on tour presents fundamental cocktail-making theories and techniques in a stylish and delicious fashion.

This is one event that cocktail lovers CANNOT miss!

The Gastown All-Star Lineup includes:

L’Abattoir – “Slaughterhouse” – Homage to Gastown’s butchery district. Extraordinary concoctions, stunning interior.

The Diamond – Charming neighbourhood parlour. Distinct Gastown atmosphere. Home of “The Diamond Preparatory School for All Things Drinks”.

Pourhouse – Gastown cocktail stronghold with Oldworld charm. Fueled by passion and flawless beverages.

Boneta – Internationally acclaimed restaurant with ever-changing seasonal cocktail & food menu. Sexy, mind-blowing desserts a bonus.

Calabash Bistro – Kick it to bumpin’ Carribean jams with refreshing Summer cocktails to wind down (or up) your night.

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Tour Includes:

• Interactive and informative cocktail making session
• Enjoy 5 craft cocktails created at each destination
• Nibbles
  • Gratuities to your guide are highly appreciated

Time: 5:30 pm – 9:00 pm Next tour: to be determined

Price: $89 CDN per person

Capacity: 12 guests for public tours. Private tours can accommodate more.

Meeting and Ending Spot: The Steamclock in Gastown, Vancouver. (On the corner of Water St. and Cambie St.) – VIEW MAP

More info and sign-up

Vancouver Food Tour: Modern-Chic Chinatown Tour

Experience Vancouver’s Chinese food culture in a shiny new light with Melody, the 2010 Chinese Restaurant Awards judge, as your guide.

Chase the dragon into Vancouver’s colourful Chinatown. An unexpected restaurant and bar scene that pushes all cultural envelopes crouches inside. Slip into a renowned Chinese brasserie, followed by a sexy boutique bar, starring a multi-award winning bartender. Experience Eastern-medicine infused elixirs, bold flavours, and playful atmospheres when East meets best.

Venture just past the Chinatown gates to Vancouver’s pioneer in the modern Chinese cuisine movement. Enjoy classical Chinese delights with a twist, made lovingly with locally sourced and sustainable ingredients.

Wind up your night at a regal, yet futuristic location in the neighbouring Gastown district. The traditional dim sum chef will prepare fun and creative dishes to pair with your choice of poison.

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Tour Includes:

• 4 signature cocktails and gourmet specialties at 4 destinations
• Service fees
  • Gratuities to your guide are highly appreciated

Price: $139 CDN

• 5% off 6-11 guests, 10% off 12+ guests

Maximum capacity: 12 guests for public tours. Private tours can accommodate more.

Meeting Spot: Chinatown Memorial Monument (Keefer St & Columbia St) [map]

Ending Spot: Gassy Jack Statue, Gastown (Powell St & Carrall St) [map] – 5 min walk from Stadium Skytrain Stn, Waterfront Stn (Canada Line), and Chinatown

More info and sign-up

Vancouver Food Tour: Paint the Town Culinary Tour

Experience the best of Vancouver’s food culture in 3 neighbourhoods: Granville Island, Yaletown (Downtown), and Gastown.

Begin your adventure on Granville Island, our local food and art destination. Feast your senses on local seafood, produce and artisanal delights as you nibble through the bountiful Public Market.

Become a sake expert by sampling 3 premium Japanese rice wines at Canada’s first sake brewing studio. Wrap up your afternoon by wandering through Granville Island’s specialty shops and art galleries at your leisure. Beer lovers can take an extra stop to sample a few at the brewery!

Take a ferry across False Creek to Yaletown and enjoy some fresh, local oysters and mussels steamed before your eyes at happy hour. The Pacific’s chilly waters are home to the sweetest shellfish in the world and cannot be missed.

Stroll into the historic Gastown district, Vancouver’s most vibrant restaurant scene and Canada’s cocktail capitol. Meander through the neighbourhood and become acquainted with the hottest restaurants, hidden cocktail nooks, and hole-in-the-wall establishments.

First, sample 3 BC wines alongside local charcuterie and farm cheeses from an ever-changing chalkboard menu. Nearby BC farms produce fantastic, award-winning meat and cheese products.

Conclude your eventful day at a modern, Barcelona-inspired taberna. Entice your tastebuds with innovative, Westcoast inspired tapas and pintxos that pushes the envelope.

BONUS: Love whiskey? Discover a secret whiskey bar with one of the most extensive collection in the country.

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Tour Includes:

• All meals, food, and samplings
• Fun and informative guided walking tour
• Drinks: Sake tasting and wine flight.
• Ferry transportation
• Gratuities to your guide are highly appreciated

Time: 1 pm – 6 pm

Price: $199

• 5% off 6-11 guests, 10% off 12+ guests

Maximum capacity: 12 guests for public tours. Private tours can accommodate more.

Meeting Spot : Granville Island, Vancouver. Outside Kid’s Market (Cartwright St), near the entrance of Granville Island. – VIEW MAP

Ending Spot : The Steamclock in Gastown, Vancouver. (On the corner of Water St. and Cambie St.) – VIEW MAP

More info and reservations

Vancouver Food Tour: Salt Spring Island Food Tour

Explore BC’s most prized Gulf Island, renown for its spectacular natural scenery, organic wineries and farms, vibrant art culture, and outdoor adventures. On this leisurely tour, indulge in Salt Spring Island’s famed wines, cheeses, mussels, oysters, and much more.

Guests can either meet the guides on the Island, or meet Melody at the docks in Downtown, Vancouver. A float plane will take guests on a picturesque ride and arrive at Salt Spring within half an hour.

Upon gathering the group and dropping off our bags, we’re off to our first delectable destination! We first take a tour of the famed Salt Spring Island Cheese farm, followed by a trip to an artisan baker better known as “The Bread Lady”. Saturday guests are treated to an extra detour to the eclectic Farmer’s Market.

Next, we cruise to Salt Spring’s only organic winery for a tour and a guided wine tasting. Upon deciding your favourite wine, let’s take several carafes onto the patio that over looks the winery. Guests are invited dive into their chef-prepared picnic baskets, filled with organic and local fare.

After the picnic with wine-pairings, we head down to a unique organic farm that supplies the attached restaurant. The farmer shares his strategic techniques to yield an array of produce to feed the entire establishment. We then experience the farmed goods, along with renowned Salt Spring Island Mussels on the airy restaurant patio.

A Salt Spring Island tour is not complete until guests savour freshly shucked Salt Spring oysters while overlooking the waters, and that’s exactly what we’ll do. Our tour wraps up with some squeezing of lemon, grating of fresh horseradish, and a whole lot of slurping.

As we say our farewells, the guides will help guests arrange transportation or accommodations.

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[ Pre-register now: spaces will fill up quickly]

Tour Includes:

• All meals, food, and samplings
• Fun and informative guided tour with transportation
• Drinks: Wine tasting and pairing and 1 pint of Salt Spring Island craft beer
  • Gratuities to your guide are highly appreciated

Time: 12:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Price: $199 CDN per person without flight or $259 CDN per person with flight

Meeting Spot: On Salt Spring Island or Downtown, Vancouver. Exact location provided upon confirmation

More info

Vancouver Food Tour: Gastown Tasting Tour

Taste and sip through the historic Gastown district, Vancouver’s most vibrant restaurant scene and Canada’s cocktail capitol. Expect award- winning restaurants, inventive cocktails, eccentric personalities, and inspiring decor.

We begin our evening at a proper craft cocktail bar with old-world charms. Decked out in vests and ties, the expert barkeeps shake up classical cocktails while expanding on the history and techniques. Time- honoured canapés are served, each with a story of its own. The interactive and bartenders have much knowledge to impart about the art of imbibing.

Next, follow your guide into an inconspicuous, pebble stone back alley where two hidden gems are tucked away from everyday tourists.

When your appetite is fully tickled, sample 3 BC wines alongside local charcuterie and farm cheeses from an ever-changing chalkboard menu. Nearby BC farms produce award-winning meat and cheese products that cannot be missed.

Then hop a few steps over to a modern, Barcelona-inspired taberna. Entice your tastebuds with innovative, Westcoast inspired tapas and pintxos that pushes the envelope. We pair a sherry sample with the intricate small-bites for an even richer experience.

Take a stroll in the neighbourhood and become acquainted with the hottest restaurants, hidden cocktail nooks, and hole-in-the-wall establishments.

Wrap up your evening at a lavish award-winning cocktail bar for a delectable dessert and perhaps another craft cocktail. (This is, after all, the cocktail capitol.) Tucked away above ground and overlooking Gastown Square, this vintage joint is one of the neighbourhood’s best-kept secrets.

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Tour Includes

• Four tasting courses, including dessert
• Drinks: 1 craft cocktail, 1 full wine tasting (3 wines) and 1 sherry sample
• Fun and informative guided walking tour
  • Gratuities to your guide are highly appreciated

Time: 5:00 pm – 8:30 pm or later
Price: $139 $129 CDN per person, HST included.

• 5% off 6-11 guests, 10% off 12+ guests

Maximum capacity: 14 guests for public tours. Private tours can accommodate more.

Meeting and Ending Spot: The Steamclock in Gastown, Vancouver. (On the corner of Water St. and Cambie St.)

More info and reservations

Edible Canada: Granville Island Market Tour

Guided Granville Island Market Tour

Edible British Columbia’s signature tour provides the opportunity for both locals and visitors to learn about and experience BC’s most visited and best known public market. With more than 12.2 million visitors a year,Granville Island can be a very busy place! Put yourself in the experienced and knowledgeable hands of Edible BC and learn the secrets and the best places to shop.

The centerpiece of the island experience is the Granville Island Public Market which houses a diverse array of vendors. Irresistible green grocers, butchers, bakers, fishmongers, importers, ethnic food sellers, sweets stands, and casual eateries as well as a wine shop and a micro roaster of organic coffee are some of the neighbouring tenants.

Just outside the market are many local artisans as well as the Netloft, a book store devoted solely to cookbooks. With more than fifty permanent vendors and a constantly rotating roster of farmers, culinary artisans and cottage industry food producers,Granville Island is a true cook’s treasure and a foodie’s heaven!

With everything from fresh buffalo mozzarella and live lobster to famous Oyama sausages and Terra breads, Granville Island is your one stop culinary shop. This former industrial area’s open and airy architecture is definitely distinctive and adds a flair to the Island.

Overview

Time:
9-11am daily

Price:
$35 per person plus HST and gratuity

Duration :
Approximately 2 hours

Max/ Min Group size:
8 / 2

Meeting Spot:

In front of the Edible BC Retail Store, located on the east wall of the Public Market

Tour Includes:
• A 2-hour tour of the Granville Island Public Market and surrounding area
• Edible BC recycled tote bag
• Tastings of regional foods
• Tips on food selection and preparation
• EBC bottled water
• 10% off coupon for Edible BC Retail Store
• Insights on local restaurant and culinary finds

Frequently asked questions

Note: Tickets for all these tours must be purchased in advance. The cut off time for ticket purchases is 3pm the day prior to the tour. Tickets cannot be purchased the day of the tour. Ticket purchases are nonrefundable and cannot be transferred to another date. *Please note, we require a minimum of 2 people to run each market tour.  If less than 2 people are registered for a tour, you will have the option of moving to another date or having your money refunded.

Private Market Tours

Our Market Tours are also available for private groups. We can accommodate up to 64 people at one time. Interested in touring another area of Vancouver?  We can do that also.  Contact us for more details.

Private Family Market Tours

We also proudly offer Private Family Market Tours. With a minimum of 2 adults at our regular fare, we welcome a maximum of 6 children up to 16 years of age at a rate of 25% off.  Children 5 and under are free of charge.  The tour follows the same basic outline as our public tours, but you have a chef guide all to yourself, and we can incorporate the children’s pace and interests in the tour.

More info and reservations

Travel with Taste: Cowichan Valley Cuisine & Wine Day-Tour, BC

Depart at 9:00am from your Victoria area hotel. Drive 45 minutes north to the Cowichan Valley enjoying spectacular scenery. Visit local wineries and taste outstanding wines made from the plentiful vineyards of the island chatting with wine makers, strolling through vineyards, and tasting the abundance of flavors our Vancouver Island wines have to offer.

Begin with a private guided tour through a vineyard along with a private structured tasting at our first stop. Next, meet an artisan cheesemaker and sample his delicious offerings on our way to a gourmet three course lunch paired with Island wines. Try wild BC salmon, Cowichan Bay Farm chicken, or Salt Spring Island lamb.  Return to Victoria about 4:30pm.

Cowichan tours generally run Wednesday through Saturday and are a huge hit! Guests never seem to want to leave each stop as we sip our way through the valley.

All tastings, a three course lunch, wine and transportation including pick up and drop off is included $349 CAD + GST/HST per person for 4-6 persons. A private tour for two persons is $499 CAD + GST/HST per person.

Reservations and more info

Vancouver Island, BC: Island Gourmet Trails

Island Gourmet Trails offers exciting, delicious day tours on Vancouver Island, within the Comox Valley. The lush and fertile terrain of this area inspired its native name – Komox – “land of plenty.” The Valley, located at the heart of the island, is bountiful with fresh seafood, organic farms, superb wines and so much more.

Our tour might start with a stroll through a bustling farmer’s market, then visit a world-renowned cheese factory. Maybe you will roll up your sleeves to create traditional artisan pasta.

You might wander over to an oyster or scallop farm, head down to the docks to meet the fishermen coming in with the day’s catch or have a gourmet picnic. Later, you might choose to meander through an organic berry or vegetable patch. One thing’s for sure, you will experience the island!

Tours are planned to cover different culinary trails throughout the Valley. Some stops may include: farmers’ markets, bakeries, organic farms, orchards, cheese factories, chocolatiers, oyster and scallop farms, fish docks, a lavender farm, cooking classes, wineries, breweries, artisan pasta makers, gourmet picnics and restaurants. We can even explore the countryside in French!

Pricing

• Half-day tours include transportation (pick up and drop off), guided tour, appetizers and tastings starting at $125 CAD per person for a group of 4-6 people.
• Full-day tours include the above, with the addition of a multi-course gourmet dinner and regional wine pairings starting at $195 CAD per person for a group of 4-6 people.
• A private tour for 2 persons starting at $550 CAD.
• Cooking classes and gourmet picnics can be added to your ultimate culinary tour.

To start planning your culinary tour call 250-650-1956 or email info@IslandGourmetTrails.ca

More info