Victoria Taste

2010 Media Releases

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:37:00 -0700

Taste Festival Celebrates the Passion and Indulgence of Vancouver Island’s Food & British Columbia Wine : Click here to download the full Taste 2010 Media Release.

Tim Pawsey - Island Wines Worth a Trip

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:38:00 -0700

As much as skill, it takes guts to launch a wine and food festival. Even more so if your timing falls slap bang in the middle of a steamy summer in a year when tourism numbers are -- to be kind -- soft. But Kathy McAree saw no such impediment when she approached the movers and shakers of the provincial capital to launch Taste -- which turned out to be a very timely salute to the blossoming food and wine culture of Vancouver Island. Through her company Travel with Taste, McAree has developed contacts with the broad network of Island and Gulf Island producers of every kind, many of whom were showcased in the aptly named Main Event at Crystal Garden.

Click here to download Tim Pawsey “Island Wines Worth a Trip”.

Kathy and Taste in Westworld Magazine

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:32:00 -0800

The March 2010 issue of Westworld Magazine ran an article about Kathy and the work she has done to promote culinary tourism in British Columbia. Check out the article here.

Love's Labour Bears Fruit

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:44:00 -0700

Check out this article published by the Times Colonist.
Click here to download the full times article.

CHEK Video

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:02:00 -0700

Check out this video segment that CHEK News is running for our festival. Tickets on sale now for all events!

M is for McAree

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:22:00 -0700

Who: Kathy McAree

Lives: James Bay

Why she's here: Owner of the culinary tourism company Travel With Taste; organizer of Taste: Victoria's Festival of Food and Wine; director of the British Columbia Culinary Tourism Society; board member of the International Culinary Tourism Association; food writer; passionate cook.

Quote: "I love the stories. The food culture on the Island is so intriguing, so many interesting people with such dedication and such passion for what they do. You can't help but love and respect that."

Click here to view original article

Read someone's resumé and if past work included a hotel front-office job and selling cereal, it might surprise you at the end of the CV that the same person is successfully establishing Vancouver Island as a world-class culinary destination.

That person is Kathy McAree, born in Winnipeg, where family instilled a love of good food and the sharing of it.

Her mother Audrey, who died when McAree was 12, played a pivotal role.

"She shaped my whole food world from a very young age," McAree says.

Her mother made quint-essential comfort food, such as meatloaf, spaghetti and wicked apple pie.

McAree was often by her side. "When she died, I just started cooking. Years after, I asked my grandmother, when did I learn all that? She said, you watched every move your mother made," McAree says.

McAree cooked through high school, sometimes to relieve stress.

"When my father would come home and find me baking late, he'd say, you have an exam tomorrow, don't you," McAree says.

Her father, Doug, thought cooking might be her career.

"I knew even at that age that I didn't want to cook professionally," McAree says.

However, as banquet server she was in the kitchen at Winnipeg's Westin Hotel, where she also worked the front desk.

In 1987, she moved to Saskatoon to study commerce at the University of Saskatchewan, but cold weather curtailed her schooling.

"One January, I had to boost my car five times and I said I'm out of here," McAree says.

She moved to Vancouver, became a front office representative at the Westin Bayshore, put school on hold, but did keep learning. She travelled to Ecuador with a student organization.

Once home, inspired, she completed a business course at Capilano University. Her hotel work influenced what happened next.

"The most interesting and pleasant guests were the ones that worked for big food companies," McAree says.

Kellogg's in Vancouver hired her as a sales rep. She was a dynamo and was promoted to account manager in 1996.

"My boss called and said, 'Be on the first ferry tomorrow.' I was not happy," McAree says, on her transfer to quiet Victoria, not another big, bustling city.

In time, McAree discovered the Island was, gastronomically, a happening place, which interested her. Back surgery and two months off gave her time to reflect. I started thinking about what was next," McAree says.

The answer came in 2001, when she took a culinary tour in Spain, visited France and attended a cooking school in Italy.

The family running the school said she was "solo;" 9/11 had happened and the other guests, all from the U.S., couldn't travel.

"The family did the entire cooking class for me," McAree says, moved and motivated by that. "I was sitting outside, enjoying my breakfast and said, 'This is it -->Read someone's resumé and if past work included a hotel front-office job and selling cereal, it might surprise you at the end of the CV that the same person is successfully establishing Vancouver Island as a world-class culinary destination.

That person is Kathy McAree, born in Winnipeg, where family instilled a love of good food and the sharing of it.

Her mother Audrey, who died when McAree was 12, played a pivotal role.

"She shaped my whole food world from a very young age," McAree says.

Her mother made quint-essential comfort food, such as meatloaf, spaghetti and wicked apple pie.

McAree was often by her side. "When she died, I just started cooking. Years after, I asked my grandmother, when did I learn all that? She said, you watched every move your mother made," McAree says.

McAree cooked through high school, sometimes to relieve stress.

"When my father would come home and find me baking late, he'd say, you have an exam tomorrow, don't you," McAree says.

Her father, Doug, thought cooking might be her career.

"I knew even at that age that I didn't want to cook professionally," McAree says.

However, as banquet server she was in the kitchen at Winnipeg's Westin Hotel, where she also worked the front desk.

In 1987, she moved to Saskatoon to study commerce at the University of Saskatchewan, but cold weather curtailed her schooling.

"One January, I had to boost my car five times and I said I'm out of here," McAree says.

She moved to Vancouver, became a front office representative at the Westin Bayshore, put school on hold, but did keep learning. She travelled to Ecuador with a student organization.

Once home, inspired, she completed a business course at Capilano University. Her hotel work influenced what happened next.

"The most interesting and pleasant guests were the ones that worked for big food companies," McAree says.

Kellogg's in Vancouver hired her as a sales rep. She was a dynamo and was promoted to account manager in 1996.

"My boss called and said, 'Be on the first ferry tomorrow.' I was not happy," McAree says, on her transfer to quiet Victoria, not another big, bustling city.

In time, McAree discovered the Island was, gastronomically, a happening place, which interested her. Back surgery and two months off gave her time to reflect. I started thinking about what was next," McAree says.

The answer came in 2001, when she took a culinary tour in Spain, visited France and attended a cooking school in Italy.

The family running the school said she was "solo;" 9/11 had happened and the other guests, all from the U.S., couldn't travel.

"The family did the entire cooking class for me," McAree says, moved and motivated by that. "I was sitting outside, enjoying my breakfast and said, 'This is it -- I'm going to make culinary tourism my life.' "

She left Kellogg's, travelled some more and started Travel With Taste, described as Vancouver Island's first culinary tour company dedicated to providing fun and indulgent culinary adventures.

Her first tour was of the Cowichan Valley and was highly successful. The group of U.S. entrepreneurs who hired her showered her with accolades and fattened the amount owed.

"They made me feel I was on the right track," McAree says.

Since that food-and-drink-filled tour, which she still does, McAree has expanded her offerings, open to corporate and private groups, to include, among other things, tours of the Saanich Peninsula and Saltspring Island, and a culinary walking tour of Victoria, where individuals eat and drink their way around downtown. The tasty details of all her tours can be found at travelwithtaste.com.

McAree says the best part of her work is introducing people to the talented folk, from farmers to chefs to vintners, showcased on her tours.

"I love the stories. The food culture on the Island is so intriguing, so many interesting people with such dedication and such passion for what they do. You can't help but love and respect that."

Note: July 16 to 19, McAree is organizing Taste: Victoria's Festival of Food and Wine. There's an incredible array of events, such as gala dinners, cooking classes and wine tastings. For a list of events and to buy tickets, go to victoriataste.com.

Eric Akis is the author of the best-selling Everyone Can Cook book series. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.

Taste Festival Celebrates the Passion of Vancouver Island’s Food & Wine

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:24:00 -0700

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Victoria, BC – The province’s capital will host a new festival focused on Vancouver Island cuisine and British Columbia wines this summer. Local culinary aficianado, Kathy McAree is pleased to announce the launch of Taste: Victoria’s Festival of Food and Wine from July 16-19, 2009 around Victoria and the Saanich peninsula.

Taste will feature more than 15 events led by British Columbia food and wine personalities including Chef David Mincey and culinary olympian Chef Brad Horen, as well as John Schreiner and David Scholefield. Festival guests will experience British Columbia wines and the coveted offerings of Vancouver Island’s artisan producers, growers, farmers, fishers, and chefs.

“Many qualities make Vancouver Island a special place,” says wine writer John Schreiner. “That certainly includes the quality of wine and the cuisine. Both residents of the island and those lucky enough to visit can count on being surprised and delighted with the distinctive flavours of the island.”

The weekend kicks-off Thursday, July 16 with the The Main Event, an evening of BC wine tasting along with samples of Vancouver Island cuisine at the Crystal Garden in downtown Victoria. This event will feature the characters behind the wines and the hospitality of Island chefs with live, local sounds from jazz singer Emily Braden plus the funky rhythms of Greenlaw.

Wine and food seminars include “Women of BC Wine”, “Riesling Rules” and “Rosé Revival – Eight Delicious Reasons Why Rosé is on the Rise”. Other presentations include “Chocoholics Anonymous”, “Tea and Terroir” and an inside look at BC’s seafood industry at Finest At Sea along with fun events like “Pig and Pinot on the Patio” hosted by the Hotel Grand Pacific with a pig roast paired with a variety of BC pinots and a “Tuscan Table” with Island producers and wine makers in the Italian Garden at Butchart Gardens.

A special trade tasting of British Columbia wines will take place prior to The Main Event. All food and beverage professionals wishing to attend must register in advance at www.VictoriaTaste.com.

For more information about Taste: Victoria’s Festival of Food and Wine, contact Kathy McAree directly at Kathy@VictoriaTaste.com
Media Contact: Kathy McAree, 250.385.1527