Comox Valley鈥檚 own chefs Lesley Stav and Chef Ronald St. Pierre are bringing their decades of culinary expertise to Vancouver, representing Vancouver Island at the 2025 Hot Chefs & Cool Jazz Gala in Vancouver.
The gala, set for Friday, April 11 at the Fairmont Pacific Rim, brings together top chefs from Vancouver, Kelowna and Vancouver Island to showcase exclusive, one-night-only creations鈥攁ll in support of Culinary Team Canada. Hosted by the Fairmont鈥檚 executive chef Damon Campbell, the evening promises a mix of world-class food and live jazz, with ticket proceeds supporting Canada鈥檚 top competitive culinary team.
Stav and St. Pierre 鈥� who together have more than 60 years of experience and a long history of community involvement 鈥� are retired but remain key figures in the culinary world from their home base in the Comox Valley. St.Pierre serves as treasurer of the North Vancouver Island Culinary Association (NVICA) and supports Culinary Team Canada鈥檚 management, while Stav chairs NVICA and sits on the national board of the Culinary Federation, as well as the board of Les Dames d鈥橢scoffier.
Both are also members of the Chefs鈥� Table Society of BC and regular supporters of CooksCamp, a grassroots initiative for culinary mentorship and education.
At the gala, guests can expect to sample Fanny Bay Oyster bisque, paired with a Comox Valley wild nettles tuile, spruce tip espuma and smoked seaweed dust. For a plant-based option, there will also be a braised leek and French lentil dish, with butternut squash pur茅e, pickled shallots, roasted tomato vinaigrette and microgreens from local producer Eatmore Sprouts.
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