Media Releases

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Meet the masters at Cornucopia, presented by BlueShore Financial

Suggested Tweet: Meet the masters #Cornucopia #Whistler, November 5-15 @cornucopiawine #OnlyInWhistler http://bit.ly/1U79tUT

Whistler, B.C. – From the novice to the seasoned devotee with the most discerning of palates, Cornucopia presented by BlueShore Financial exposes patrons to the world of food and drink in a casual, intimate, and interactive atmosphere.

Over the course of 11 delectable days – from November 5-15 – the finest of local and regional gourmands, chefs, sommeliers and mixologists will gather in Whistler to share their expertise. Cornucopia welcomes guests of all walks of life to indulge in the festival’s diverse ‘menu’ of seminars, parties, luncheons, nourish sessions and culinary stage demonstrations.

Meet a few of the masters at Whistler’s 19th annual food + wine marketplace that is Cornucopia.

Samantha Rahn
A passionate sommelier and world-traveler, Samantha arrived at Araxi in October, 2007 following a tour through Burgundy. Trained at the Wine and Spirit Education Trust and with over 15 years of hospitality experience, Samantha sources exciting, value-driven wines to complement Araxi's highly acclaimed, 11,000 bottle library. In 2013, Samantha won the title of "Sommelier of the Year" at the Vancouver International Wine Festival and was recognized with the “Premier Crew Service Award” at the Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards. An accomplished musician, Samantha is also a former snowboard cross racer, certified snowboard coach and avid downhill mountain bike competitor. See Samantha at He Said / She Said, Lords of the Dirt, Whistler’s Wine “Transplants”, The Cool Kids and more.

Joanne Sasvari
Joanne Sasvari is the Vancouver-based editor of FLAVOURS magazine. She also covers food, drink, travel and other lifestyles topics for a variety of publications including The Vancouver Sun, Up! and Canadian Living. Certified by the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), she specializes in writing and speaking about spirits and cocktails. She is the author of culinary travel book Paprika: A Spicy Memoir from Hungary as well as the 2014 Frommer’s EasyGuide to Vancouver & Victoria. See Joanne at Women Who Shake, Sip & Swizzle, Hangover Cures From The Pros and Stocking Your Home Bar.

Ken Beattie
Ken’s (otherwise known as the craft beer master) passion for the beer industry began in British Columbia in 1987 when he began working as a summer student with Molson Breweries. Ken combines his passion, experience and evolution in the beer industry to pursue his entrepreneurial desire by owning his own company – Eureka Beer Guide. Ken offers beer education seminars for everyone, from beer enthusiasts to hospitality professionals. In July 2013, Ken was appointed Executive Director of the British Columbia Craft Brewers Guild, representing over sixty owned and operated craft breweries and brewpubs in BC. See Beattie at BREWED: The BC Craft Brewers Guild Winter Beer Market and the runaway hit Craft Beer For Wine Lovers.

Executive Chef Dylan Foss
With a diverse background and experience gained working at Nu Restaurant in Vancouver, Long Beach Lodge in Tofino, Whistler’s Bearfoot Bistro, Nita Lake Lodge, and Tyax Wilderness Resort and Spa as well as a 2-year culinary sojourn travelling around Europe; Chef Dylan Foss of Ponderosa Kitchen at the Fort Berens’ Estate Winery is passionate about working with quality local ingredients and helping people understand the importance of making sustainable food choices. See Chef Foss on the culinary stage at The Best of Lillooet – Ponderosa Kitchen and Fort Beren Wines.

For the full showcase of Cornucopia’s culinary specialists and their biographies visit www.whistlercornupia.com/presenters

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Cornucopia, presented by BlueShore Financial is an eleven day dazzling display of gourmet food, wines, spirits and beer catering to everyone from amateur enthusiasts to aficionados. Respected industry professionals, judges and presenters headline each event, seminar and tasting, offering the best possible opportunity to garner as much information and insight as possible. Held on the cusp of the opening of each ski season in beautiful Whistler, British Columbia; Cornucopia was designed to showcase and support the local food and drink industry. Now encompassing wineries, breweries, distilleries, chefs and restaurants from Vancouver, greater B.C. and beyond, Cornucopia has become recognized as a preeminent representation of the culinary tourism industry in Canada. With widespread appeal shown through the immense variety of events available, the festival is truly a food and drink festival with a Whistler attitude.

Whistler is Canada's premier year-round leisure and meeting destination located in the Coast Mountains 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Consistently rated the top ski resort in North America, Whistler was the Host Mountain Resort of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The resort offers an extensive range of accommodations totaling 10,000 bedrooms among 24 hotels as well as townhomes, condos, B&Bs and chalets. Whistler also boasts more than 100 restaurants and bars, 200 retail shops, 25 spas and countless activity options from world-renowned skiing and snowboarding, mountain biking and golf, to hiking, rock climbing, and watersports. The Resort Municipality of Whistler is home to a diverse community of more than 10,000 permanent residents.

Tourism Whistler is the member-based marketing and sales organization representing Whistler, operating the Whistler Conference Centre, Whistler Golf Club, Whistler Visitor Centre, as well as 1.800.944.7853 and whistler.com - Whistler's official source for visitor bookings and information. As the convention and visitors bureau for the Resort Municipality of Whistler, Tourism Whistler represents more than 7,000 members who own, manage and operate properties or businesses on resort lands including hotels, restaurants, activity operators and retail shops.

Media can visit whistler.com/media for Whistler facts, media releases, story starters, local personality profiles and access to images and B-roll.

Broadcasters: Whistler now has the capability to take you live with our enhanced fibre network. The significantly expanded network of more than 200 kilometres of fibre optic cabling throughout the resort allows instant transmission of HD signals to any location at any time. Details on how to access, and book the fibre are available on our media site.

Media Contacts

Mary Zinck
Manager, Travel Media
T: 604.938.2702
E: mzinck@tourismwhistler.com

Katie Brockett
Coordinator, Communications
T: 604.938.2726
E: kbrockett@tourismwhistler.com

W: www.whistlercornucopia.com
T: www.twitter.com/cornucopiawine
F: www.facebook.com/whistlercornucopia