"Do it different - do what you love."

This past weekend, Vikram Vij imparted some very wise words on to the attendees of the Connect Show BC. His sentiments resound for our industry - those in the hospitality world know that in order to stand out, you must be different, you must be innovative, and everything you do has to have a bit of personality in it. At the show this weekend, we saw that passion and personality shining through. Restaurants Canada paired up with our West coast friends at the Connect Show BC to bring British Columbia’s hospitality, lodging and foodservice industries together in Vancouver this weekend - and here is what we came across.

The Connect Show is a bringing together of the best and brightest in the hospitality, lodging and foodservice industries from Western Canada. While the show saw many industry leaders and well-known foodservice operators, it was a treat to see small and midsize businesses – even start-ups, join us at the show. Bringing together all aspects of the hospitality and lodging communities is the aim of the Connect Show.

This year’s event coincided closely with our own Fall board meetings, and we were lucky to have our esteemed Board Members and the Restaurants Canada executive team around to take part in the festivities! Ultimately, this weekend gave all exhibitors an opportunity to feature and showcase their contributions to our ever-growing hospitality and foodservice landscape. It was wonderful to be a part of the British Columbia scene and to learn the ins and outs of the very unique British Columbia scene. We’re also proud to report quite a strong student presence at the show – from culinary to hospitality management, students are the future of our industry, and we were happy to share how Restaurants Canada could help support them through their journey, and afterwards.

Beyond just exhibitors, the Connect Show housed different seminars (on wine pairings to a trends demo station) and held its very own Iron Chef competition. A very special congratulations to Chef Sandy of Torafuku in Vancouver for coming out on top!

Congrats to chef Sandy of Torafuku Vancouver on winning the Connect Show BC Skilled Iron Chef competition!

What an amazing 2 days full of community. Check out our photos from the show below for a peek into what you can expect when you attend our Restaurants Canada Show this upcoming February.

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