Salmon farmers taking their fish to food show
The B.C. Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA) and a group of volunteers will be showcasing the industry’s products for the estimated ~30,000 visitors to the show (that’s the average number of people attending the Eat! Vancouver festival over the past 5 years). According to its web site, “EAT! Vancouver is Canada's largest consumer food, beverage and cooking festival taking place at BC Place Stadium, Vancouver, BC on May 24, 25 & 26, 2013. The festival features hundreds of food, beverage and kitchen goods exhibitors along with wineries, breweries, restaurants, cooking demonstrations, wine and cheese seminars, cookbook authors, and chef competitions. Celebrity chefs, popular local restaurants, wineries, food and beverage manufacturers, cookbook authors, retailers, artisans, and many others from the culinary world will come together for a three day public extravaganza at the newly refurbished BC Place Stadium”.
At its exhibit stand at the show, the BCSFA will be providing samples of salmon prepared in various ways, and estimates for the number of visitors to the booth has ranged in the 18-20,000 numbers, with many coming back for a second taste. In a recent release, the BCSFA describes how the Eat! Vancouver festival sets off a busy period of interaction with the public and visitors;
Each year, industry employees and friends donate their weekend to grill fresh farm-raised salmon, share samples of smoked salmon, and to talk about how farms in BC operate and the importance of salmon as a healthy food source. “This is a great opportunity to showcase our product and our industry,” said Mary Ellen Walling, Executive Director, BCSFA. “We often get many people coming to our booth eager to sample our salmon and ask questions about our industry and our operations.”
Eat! Vancouver also marks the kick-off to a busy season for the industry with a number of upcoming events including Oceans Day in Campbell River, hosting the Van Isle 360 yacht race, our annual salmon farm tours, and our exhibit at the PNE. “It’s important for us to get out in the community and talk to people.” Walling said, “I think it really makes a difference when people can talk to those who work in the industry to get the true story of salmon farming on the BC Coast.”
