An eye on grace-gallery, and 12B, before, and after-shift, on the weekend of the 40 Hours of Food and Flicks: Big Night: Friday (July 11, 10:45 pm): The gallery windows are papered over to inspire a sense of perpetual night. The total of 20 tops are white linen covered, and the candelabras stuffed with long candles illuminate the tone set by gallery curator Rachel Zottenberg, and the committed staff at grace.

And the winner is… the Vancouver Folk Music Festival. The only way we could steal a vacation together, with our friends, at the same time, this season, was to get all in wish, on the kitchen volunteer roster for 2008 fingers and toes crossed.

Staring down a scant couple of months left on this ‘friendly heat’ and let’s see some skin and check those tats! Restaurant's Patio open for the season in Vancouver.

Starting Friday, July 11 at 8 pm until Sunday, July 13th at noon, Rogue Chef Todd Baiden of 12B, deliciously located, somewhere in the down town east side, will stand at his makeshift kitchen/ pass, built along side a film-art installation at the grace-gallery, to tackle a 40 hours straight up, alone, 20 seats every 2 hours turn-over dance, to prove a point.

IB spent the day with Chef John Jensen, Executive Chef of Kitchen Angels, a branch of the Team Building Program, with Inspire Canada! Mise-en-place: A corporate team meets up in the kitchen facility at the First Baptist Church, located at the corner of Burrard and Nelson, to meet with Michael Samson, leader of the Kitchen Angels program to put their team effectiveness to the test. Du-jour: Budget of $300, to shop, prep, cook and serve a multi course hot meal using both ingredients in the black box, for upward of 200 people in need, in just a few hours.

Books to Cooks was presented as one of the top ten cook book store in the famous Saveur magazine April 2008 edition. I wanted to know more about the respected author and avid contributor to the food community, Barbara-Jo McIntosh. We met for coffee last week and she shared some background about her history, vision and inspirations.

I have met with Executive Chef Marc Andre Choquette formerly from Lumiere. Over the last year, Choquette has been working on various projects for the Kor hotel group in L.A and Miami but the main focus is to get Vancouver's location set up and launched. The task is not an easy one to say the least as there is a lot that needs to be taken care of: kitchen plan, buying equipment, hiring staff and testing new menu recipes. Choquette's new restaurant Voya is much anticipated by Vancouver foodies.

With a strong belief in fair trade, fair pay, and providing a quality service, they developed a professional cleaning service, using only biodegradable cleaning products...

Shanghai Dumpling or A Taste of Shanghai. Xiǎolóngbāo (literally "little basket bun also known as soup dumpling) is a popular dinner staple in Shanghai. These buns usually have a meat and soup filling and are traditionally steamed in bamboo baskets.

Wild mushroom and seaweed harvesting season is on the way…. With excitement and anticipation, the British Columbia based Lesosky family, braces itself for the rigors of harvesting the wild, where harsh weather conditions, difficult terrains, ravenous insects, snakes and the occasional avoidance of bears are the norm.