A no messing around guide to the coolest things to eat, drink and do in Vancouver and beyond. Community. Not clickbait.

DINER: Local Bartenders To Be Tested For Knowledge At “The Diamond” This Monday

The written exam component of our bartending tournament goes down at The Diamond in Gastown this Monday, June 4th at noon. Many of our top barkeeps will sit for the 50 question, multiple choice test. Among their number will be the four most recent recipients of Vancouver Magazine’s prestigious Bartender of the Year award (Dani Tatarin, Simon Kaulback, Shaun Layton, Josh Pape), and heavy hitters like Steve Da Cruz, Ron Oliver, and Trevor Kallies. Several Vancouver Island bartenders will also be taking the test, albeit at a different venue in Victoria (many thanks to Shawn Soole and Simon Ogden for setting that up!). Though the tournament is a serious one – designed by bartenders for bartenders with much glory and bragging rights up for grabs – it is first and foremost a means for fun and fellowship within the trade. Everyone is invited to compete, so if you feel that you know your booze and your restaurant/bar scene pretty well, take the test! The one hour exam should prove to be the easiest part of the tournament, and if you ace it, you’ll find yourself among the elite 16 who will advance to the finals at The Keefer Bar on July 2nd. Email Keenan Hood at [email protected] to let him know you’re coming.

NOTE: This is a BYOP exam, so bring your own pen!

Field Trip: Tagging Along for a “Glorious” Tomato Appreciation Feast

Inspired by their love of tomatoes and everything that farmer Mark Cormier and his farm crew put into growing them, the team from Say Hey Sandwiches head out to Aldergrove on a mission to cook a feast for the Glorious Organics team...

Reverence, Respect, and Realization: What The Acorn Taught Me

At 21 years old, I'm still just a kid and relatively new to working in restaurants, but I grew up umbilically tied to the hospitality industry. My father was a food writer, and my mother is a photographer. Their careers meant that most of my early years were spent in kitchens and dining rooms instead of on playgrounds and soccer fields; consequently, I learned my table manners before I could count past one hundred.

Amanda MacMullin Talks Seeking New Challenges and Becoming a ‘Grizzled Old Bartender’

Rhys Amber recently sat down with The Diamond bartender to catch up, swap 'war stories' and discuss the minutiae of the crazy, hospitality life.

On Expensive Hobbies, Title-Chasing & Getting ‘Rinsed’ in the Kitchen, with Josh Stel

The veteran Vancouver pan jockey and recently appointed Chef de Cuisine at The Mackenzie Room possesses a slew of attributes harder and harder to come by these days, so Rhys saw it fitting to reach out and see what makes him tick.