HOUSE OF CARDS: A capacity crowd filled the Stanley Park Pavilion for the first ever All-in for Arthritis Poker Gala presented by the B.C. and Yukon chapter of the Arthritis Society and fronted by party chair Dave Turner, tournament chair Sameer Ismail and executive director Christine Basque. Two hundred guests convened for a chance to play a hand to send kids with arthritis to summer camp. Celebrating its 35th year, the Arthritis camp provides a unique opportunity for children to meet others who understand what its like to grow up with the disorder. Keynote Adrienne Dalla-Longa knows firsthand the magic of the camp. Diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis, she had to wear ankle, knee and wrist braces in school and was prevented from participating in many activities. Bullied by her peers who did not understand why she was unable to play, the camp introduced her to others with shared challenges and highlighted she was not alone in her journey. Dalla-Longa’s compelling story helped table $85,000 for the program.
RIDING HIGH AND LOWS: Normand Latourelle returned to the city with his acclaimed $35-million spectacle Odysseo, Calvalia’s newest production here for a five-week run. Sponsored by B.C. billionaire Jimmy Pattison, the equine performance saw a capacity crowd gather opening night to behold the large-scale, multimedia, horse and acrobatics show housed under the world’s largest touring tent in the Olympic Village. A somber note opened the evening when LaTourelle took to the stage last Tuesday to reflect on the recent shootings at a mosque in his home province of Quebec. Clearly weighing heavy on his mind, the artistic director and Cavalia creator spoke highly of his family — the 65 magnificent horses and 120 talented riders and acrobats who hail from different parts of the world. They are family, said Latourelle. We get along well together and we can be in peace, he added. The latter sentiment further reinforced in Latourelle’s mesmerizing two-and-a half-hour show that everyone should gallop to see. By opening night, the horse show had already sold out a week’s worth of performances.
HOME TO ROOST: More than 800 guests packed the Hyatt Regency Hotel ballroom to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Mount Saint Joseph’s signature Chinese New Year gala. Since 2008, the Scotiabank Feast of Fortune, sponsored by the Vancouver Courier, has raised more than $3.9 million for priority equipment needs at Mount Saint Joseph Hospital. Emcees Lisa Wu, William Ho and yours truly fronted the dinner and auction steered this year by party chairs Margaret Chiu and Heather Pei Huang. As usual, a lively and raucous lion dance kicked off the festivities, but the biggest noise came when healthcare supporters opened their hearts and wallets, donating gifts ranging from $250 to $20,000 to help purchase vital equipment to support the surgical rooms at the hospital. The Lunar New Year efforts generated an impressive $847,500.
TOP CHEFS REUNITE: Dine Out Vancouver’s second annual World Chef Exchange program concluded with a delicious reunion between two long-time Vancouver friends who worked together more than 17 years ago at the Pacific Palisade’s ZIN Restaurant, a once popular Robson Street favorite. Chef Chris Whittaker, Vancouver’s champion of local food, welcomed back chef Ryan McIlwraith of Bellota, the popular Spanish-influenced restaurant in San Francisco, to Timber for an epic five-course collaboration dinner paired with whisky-based cocktails. The family-style multi-course feast attracted a capacity crowd to the Robson street eatery that saw its courtyard transformed into a cooking space complete with smokers, open coal grills, and spits for the Fire and Whisky royal repast.
