The 11th Annual BC Shellfish & Seafood Festival is the largest festival of its kind in Western Canada. Held in the Comox Valley, from June 9 to 18, visitors can enjoy 10 days filled with culinary events, shellfish and seafood producer tours, celebrity chef demonstrations, wine pairing dinners that celebrate the bounty of the sea, coupled with aquaculture; seafood trade industry workshops, networking events and a trade show at the BC Seafood Expo. Here are the top five events you must attend:
1:00 - 4:30 pm on June 9 at 288 Gladstone St, Comox
Learn about growing, preparing and eating oysters on a three and half hour boat trip. Cruise down Baynes Sound to an oyster farm, and attend a 20-minute presentation on oyster farming.
Caesar Competition
3 pm on June 11 at White Whale Restaurant, Courtenay
This annual Caesar Competition brings together the best mixologists to compete for the title of Best Caesar in Town. Enjoy drink specials, buck-a-shuck oysters and more. Caesars will be judged on appearance, taste, garnish and of course shellfish and seafood relevance!
10 am - 12 pm on June 12 at Sid Williams Theatre
Join Terry O’Reilly as he talks about how marketing can help turn a negative perception into a positive one by changing the conversation. Learn how to isolate the obstacle, how to drill into that obstacle to find a leverage point and how to turn science into compelling stories. O’Reilly will break these steps down and will show you how various industries have taken what seemed like insurmountable problems and turned them into incredible opportunities.
6:30 pm on June 15 at The White Whale
White Whale’s executive chef, Aaron Rail, is bringing you an intimate dining experience with celebrity chefs working together to create beautiful courses highlighting the best seafood and shellfish the West Coast of BC has to offer, as well as BC wines, ciders and craft beers, great service and overall good times!
4 - 7 pm on June 16 at The Prime Chophouse - 1089 Braidwood Rd, Courtenay
Enjoy this three-hour boat trip and learn how to catch and prepare crab. This tour is a mix of adventure and culinary treats. As you cruise around the local waters, check out the marine life and historic sites that grace our area. Recreational crab traps will be pulled onboard with the hope of catching Dungeness Crab.