The Chefs Table Society went Web 2.0 this morning with the redux of their website and the launch of ChefsTableTalk.com, a collaborative forum specifically designed for Vancouver’s professional chef and restaurant community and to further the society’s mission, which is to create “a foundation for the exchange of information between culinary professionals.”

As you know, the society supports “innovative and sustainable programs that will inspire, educate and nurture our chefs, our producers and our local food industry, all the while promoting standards of excellence with the aim of enhancing the reputation of our regional cuisine.” You can meet the board of directors here.

In addition to being a venue for the Board to keep everyone abreast of society events and news, Chefs Table Talk will be Vancouver’s primary conduit of information for those wanting to keep up to date with BC’s restaurant scene.

It is split into three forums. The first, dubbed “The Restaurant Scene”, is for industry news, while the second, called “In The Kitchen”, is specifically for cooking, and will be monitored by the best chefs in the province. The third is for technical assistance, should you ever require it.

Chefs Table Talk is designed to encourage its users to meet and stay in touch with friends, mentors, and colleagues from the trade. It is a social media platform, allowing members to create their own profiles with personal photos, web addresses, Twitter names, and all manner of contact information (you can also get society updates on Twitter by following us at VancouverCooks)

Moderating the website will be Jamie Maw, food writer, raconteur, and co-founder of the society; Neil Wyles, owner/chef of the Hamilton Street Grill and society treasurer; Owen Lightly, a cook at Au Petit Chauvignol and the blogger behind ButterOnTheEndive.com; Karen Hamilton, the new website’s chief architect and founder of TinyBites.ca; the team of gourmands at Foodists.ca; and little old me.

As of today, you can enter the forum here at Scout, at TinyBites.ca, or at ChefsTableSociety.ca. More sites are going to be joining this collaborative hosting project in the coming days and weeks. If you’d like to support the society by inserting a link button to Chefs Table Talk on your website or on your personal blog, email me at scoutmagazine [at] gmail [dot com] with the preferred dimensions and we’ll build one for you. Short of that, please add it to your blog roll.

The site officially launched at noon today, but we started letting some folks in yesterday. Whether or not you are a member of the society, please go on in, introduce yourself, and help us get started.

See you in there!

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PS. I’ve shut down Scout’s own food forum, Tablespotting, to accommodate the coming of Chefs Table Talk. Thanks to all who signed up and participated. Once you’ve taken the new site for a spin, I’m sure you’ll agree that this is a major step up.