Last week, we had the opportunity to accompany good foodie-friend (and accomplished blogger) Mijune Pak of Follow Me Foodie to the rooftop terrace of the Vancouver Art Gallery for one heck of a tasty party. It was a gorgeously sunny Thursday when we arrived to the already packed space teeming with hungry guests, friends, clients and VIPs who are familiar with Chef Louis Gervais. Wine was free flowing as were we as we made our way around the expansive space sampling olive oils, tapas and managing a bit of networking as well.
As the crowd amassed, servers promptly distributed glasses of bubbly to toast the catering business’s 15th Anniversary. Calling our attention to the front of the house, Louis’ two right-hand gals took to center-stage and engaged us in a brief retelling of how this million dollar business first gained its footing before introducing Louis Gervais himself.
As an award-winning chef with a culinary arts diploma from the Institute of Hotel & Tourism in Montreal, Gervais is a charismatic yet humble man with years of experience working his way alongside top chefs across Canada. Having moved to the coast in the early 1980s, he spent the next 15+ years crafting his skills in various top notch restaurants – most notably that housed within the Sutton Place Hotel.
These past 15 years have seen Louis work tirelessly and passionately toward building his catering business from a one man show to the widely known, used and respected operation that it is today.
Before we got busy sampling, we had a few minutes to chat with Louis after the toast had been done and guests set to work sampling the soiree options – and that passion for business and culinary creativity is very apparent – as is his very down to earth sense of warmth and openness.
On the haute cuisine celebratory menu for the evening’s event…
– White Truffle Gnocchi
wrapped with a prosciutto ribbon
– Black Garlic Infused Bison Short Ribs
served on a purple sage barley risotto
– Chocolate Timbales
filled with butterscotch ganache
Louis Gervais Fine Food Catering also happens to host a series of culinary workshops throughout the year (October’s is already sold out, sorry folks!). Next up, November 5th featuring French Bistro cuisine. And if you can’t make it to the class, fear not: Get your culinary fix at their Studio Kitchen and Bistro located at 850 Harbourside Drive in North Vancouver (open during the day).
Visit louisgervais.com for more details.
