Vancouver, BC – Executive Chef Chris Whittaker is in a pretty happy place today. 24 hours after opening his new restaurantforage on Robson Street, Chef and his team took both Peoples’ Choice and Critic’s Choice for their Wild BC Spot Prawn Chowder at the Vancouver Aquarium’s Chowder Chowdown. This is the 5th annual competition, with 12 Ocean Wise restaurants serving their best chowder to 550 guests. Other competitors included Edible Canada, Wild Rice, Coast Restaurant and the Eldorado Hotel from Kelowna.

Judges such as local critics “the hired belly” Tim Pawsey, Scout Magazine’s Andrew Morrison, and the infamous Sid Cross, with others, weighed the content and consistency of the chowder, pairings with beer, and overall composition of the chowders. The Peoples’ Choice was all about the guests at the event and what they liked best – and in both cases, forage took home top honours. The dish – a smoked pork hock and wild BC spot prawn chowder, finished with a soft-boiled quail egg and pork crackling, will be available at forage for the next month.

Casual, comfortable and affordable, forage celebrates all things BC. The menu is locally focused in both food and beverage; service is attentive yet never fussy, and its approachable West End location (1300 Robson Street in The Listel Hotel) makesforage a local’s “local”. It’s an ideal destination for breakfast seven days a week, brunch on weekends, and nightly for dinner.

Says Whittaker, “forage represents everything I care about: respect for our food sources, using what we need without excess waste and bringing a community together around good food. This is the restaurant I have dreamed of since starting my career as a chef.”

Chef Whittaker’s vision features dishes that are unpretentious and innovatively prepared using products sourced from local and organic farmers, fishers and producers whenever possible. These combine for a menu featuring snacks such as “crackling & popcorn”; a variety of creative “boards” and “irons” to share; tasty “plates” to nosh on together or enjoy solo as a main; and desserts for a sweet (and a bit savoury) finish.

About Chris Whittaker and forage
Chef Chris Whittaker has been the driving force behind the philosophy of forage. Teaming up for this project with the Green Table Network, BC Hydro and LiveSmart BC, Whittaker has ensured that forage is also a showcase on how to reduce environmental and achieve financial savings through high efficiency, leading-edge technologies. From front to back, forage is a dream come true for this motivated and conscientious chef.

To make a reservation emailreservations@foragevancouver.com or call 604 661.1400.

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Media contacts:

Sue Alexander l Alexander Ink Public Relations
sue@alexanderink.com l 604.331.0907

Lise Magee l Regional Director, Marketing & Communications
lise@thelistelhotel.com l  direct: 604.661.1415