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‘Epic BBQ’ on Surrey farm cooks up $20,000 for food bank

By-donation event for 200 guests held July 7 at Avante Farms
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Chef David Jorge at the recent Epic BBQ event held at Avante Farms in Surrey. (submitted photo)

One “Epic BBQ” on a Surrey farm cooked up more than $20,000 for Surrey Food Bank.

The by-donation event was held July 7 at Avante Farms, the Panorama-area property owned by the family of David Jorge, the Season 2 winner of MasterChef Canada.

The invite-only gathering was hosted by Joseph Richard Group (JRG), which employs Jorge, and also Avante Concrete, owned and operated by his family.

The barbecue, which returned this year following a hiatus in 2017, is described as “one of the Fraser Valley’s most unique summer dining experiences with an amazing array of dishes, desserts and drinks created by an all-star roster of JRG chefs as well as other local suppliers and sponsors.”

Two-hundred guests ate Cuban-style whole roasted pig, Japanese barbecued salmon, Macedonian-style whole roasted lamb, tomahawk rib eye, smoked brisket and smoked chorizo sausage, along with oysters, prawns, Alaskan king crab, oyster po’boys, lobster and caviar.

“Epic BBQ is also known for its midnight table, which offers more seafood, braised beef cheek nachos, foie gras and black truffle poutine, and Cloverdale’s hottest donuts from Black Tiger Coffee,” according to a post-event release from Surrey-based JRG, which owns and operates 21 public houses, restaurants and liquor retail outlets in B.C. and Alberta.

• RELATED STORY: Surrey’s ‘MasterChef Canada’ winner gets cooking at Langley restaurant, from 2016.

“As thrilled as we were to be back to celebrate the talents and creativity of local chefs and food producers, we were even more proud to support an organization that does so much for local families,” Jorge stated. “Supporting local charitable organizations is such an important part of who we are and what we do at JRG that we can wait to do it again next year.”

At Surrey Food Bank, donations are especially needed during the summertime.

“I want to thank Joseph Richard Group and Avante Concrete for their generous support and urge other organizations to join them,” stated Feezah Jaffer, food bank executive director. “Because we purchase food in large quantities at discounted prices, we’ll be able to stretch this donation to help feed the many people we support, 41 per cent of which are children and babies.”

Looking ahead, Avante Concrete and JRG welcome additional sponsors to provide in-kind or funding support for Epic BBQ in 2019.

“Sponsorship packages include invitations to the ‘Invitation Only’ event as well as other perks, which make it the sponsorship event of the year,” says the release. For details, call 604-841-5040 or visit the event website, davidandtanis.wixsite.com/epicbbq.

Meanwhile, Joseph Richard Group has announced “a culinary experience like never before” for July 26, in a long-table dinner designed by Jorge and hosted by JRG at Langley’s Glass House Estate Winery. The eight-course meal will include Fraser Valley beets, slow-roasted beef short ribs and a dessert of wine-poached pears and mascarpone. Tickets for the “JRG Long Table Dinner” are $199 via ticketweb.ca.



tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com

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Tom Zillich

About the Author: Tom Zillich

I cover entertainment, sports and news stories for the Surrey Now-Leader, where I've worked for more than half of my 30-plus years in the newspaper business.
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