You may not know it, but Vancouver Foodie Tours is Vancouver’s only multicultural food tour. We’ve designed both the Guilty Pleasures Gourmet Tour and the World’s Best Food Truck Tour to highlight the impressive cultural diversity of our chefs, their food, and their restaurants. In the case of our Vancouver food blog, we are constantly covering all types of cuisine, but we make special note of places to visit in Vancouver that hold cultural & historical significance.
This week, we are thrilled to speak about Sakura Night and Vancouver’s 9th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival.
Cherry Blossom season in Vancouver is a beautiful one. It signifies the beginning of Spring and adds a blush of pink to the city. Like in Hokkaido, Paris, and San Francisco, cherry blossoms have become a tourist attraction in Vancouver. What the public may not know is that the Cherry Blossom Festival is actually organized by a non-profit organization. As many of Vancouver’s 40,000 cherry trees originated as gifts from Japan, The Festival was created to express gratitude for the offering and celebrate the beauty and joy that cherry blossoms bring to the city. This following excerpt is from vcbf.ca:
The underlying purpose of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival is a simple one embracing all citizens of all ages: we are blessed to have these trees and the more closely we look at them and the more we learn about them, the more enjoyment they give us. And, likewise, the more we are motivated to care for and nurture them. Vancouverites, who already enjoy an active outdoor lifestyle, now, through the efforts of the Festival have even more choices.
This brings a new level of meaning to the festival; we not simply enjoying nature, but we are actively fostering, growing, and supporting an integral piece of Vancouver’s history. Over the years, The Cherry Blossom Festival has become an opportunity for expression and appreciation through music, poetry, photography, art, design, craft and cuisine.
The highly-anticipated culinary showcase, Sakura Night, is looking more extravagant than ever before.
The standing dinner reception is held in Tojo’s Restaurant on W Broadway. As a quick foodie point-of-referral, Chef Tojo is accredited with creating the California Roll and the Dynamite Roll – staples in literally every sushi joint. But Tojo’s repertoire is anything but everyday; known for his impeccable technique, quality and innovation, he continues to be an award-winning industry leader.
Over 14 different dishes will be served throughout the evening, in addition to a cherry blossom martini. The night will feature an impressive line-up of chefs (Tojo included), from Vancouver icons like RawBar at the Fairmont Pacific Rim, Seventeen89, and two Vancouver Foodie Tour favourites: Miku Restaurant and Bella Gelateria. If you haven’t had a chance to try Miku’s flame-seared sushi, this might just be the perfect opportunity. I’ve heard that Salmon, Ebi, and Saba will all be on-site! As always, Gelato Maestro, James, is gearing up for the occasion in style with a Sakura (salted cherry) gelato (using cherry blossoms from Tokyo) and Japanese plum wine sorbetto.
Photo Credit: Miku Vancouver – Sakura Roll
Sakura Night is sure to be an impactful one, as it is $150 to attend. However, it’s not often that the public is invited to enjoy an experience filled with such culinary acclaim and cultural significance, and it’s clear that The Cherry Blossom Festival intends to deliver. If you are making an appearance, don’t forget your pink tie! (Just kidding, they’ve specified that “pink tie attire” is simply more casual than black tie attire!)
For a full listing of Cherry Blossom Events, click here.
