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Sinbad flies into Vancouver to salute the BC Restaurant Industry

Vancouver, June 3, 2010 – Vancouver, a true foodie's paradise, with everything from the best ethnic and burger joints, to some of the finest restaurants in the world it's seems only fitting that it's also home to the world's only Restaurant Hall of Fame.

The British Columbia Foodservices Association announced today that their 6th Annual Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will be held at the River Rock Casino, in Richmond, Monday, September 27rd. In a bold move to take the gala to another level, one of North America's best loved and funniest comedians, Sinbad, will perform for the guests.

Over 800 members of BC's culinary scene will gather to salute ten individuals in five categories; Active, Industry (front and back of house), Pioneer and Friend of the Industry. Each year the Association recognizes and celebrates individuals who have made significant contributions to the BC restaurant industry.

The restaurant scene in BC is one of the most outstanding in the world in terms of diversity, unique concepts, exceptional food quality, excellent wine, professional service and value to the customer. Since its inception, the Hall of Fame has inducted 82 individuals representing a broad range of food and concept diversity.

Chairperson for the fourth year, Heidi Romich, owner of Heidi's Restaurant in Cranbrook says this year's event will again honor the best in the hospitality industry from across the province. Heidi said, in announcing the evening "This is a wonderful opportunity to salute those individuals who have shaped BC's vibrant and unique restaurant industry. We are fortunate in this province to have such depth in our hospitality field."

Partial proceeds from the event will be donated to the Canucks for Kids Fund. Tickets for the September 27, 2010 gala ($225) are now available for purchase online or by phone: (604) 669-2239.

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Background Information

About the BC Restaurant Hall of Fame

Together, Bing Smith and Don Monsour, Directors of BCRFA at the time, took their vision from conception to reality. The BC Restaurant Hall of Fame was conceived in 2004 and the first groups of inductees were honored in March of 2005. This is the first, and remains the only, Restaurant Hall of Fame in Canada. The BC Restaurant Hall of Fame was established to recognize the individuals in the restaurant industry who have made significant contributions to the BC restaurant scene; making it the finest in Canada. Our active inductees are designing our future. Our friends of the industry assist us in making our present time a success and supporting us to our future successes. The incredible changes in the BC dining scene were made possible by the vision, creativity and unbelievable hard work of the individuals recognized through induction into the BC Restaurant Hall of Fame. The inaugural group of sixteen inductees was led by Erwin Doebeli and Umberto Menghi and included legends such as Nat Bailey, Hy Aisenstat, George Tidball, Bruno Marti and Harry McWatters. In 2008 some of the inductees that joined this illustrious group included David Hawksworth, Anthony Gismondi, and a special lifetime achievement award to the late James Barber.

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