KINDRED SPIRITS: DAVID GUNAWAN OF FARMER’S APPRENTICE AND RYOMA MATARAI OF KINOME JAPANESE KITCHEN JOIN FORCES FOR DUO OF COLLABORATIVE DINNERS

Acclaimed Vancouver Chefs Host Exclusive One-off Dinners Featuring Six Courses, Sake + Wine Pairings at Respective Restaurants March 13 and 27

Two of Vancouver’s leading locavore chefs, Farmer’s Apprentice’s David Gunawan and Kinome Japanese Kitchen’s Ryoma Matarai, are joining forces to present a pair of exclusive six-course dinners at their respective restaurants on March 13 and 27.

With seating times at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. for both evenings, the first dinner on March 13 — limited to only 20 seats — will take centre stage at Kinome Japanese Kitchen (2511 W Broadway St.), while Gunawan will play host to the second, 30-seat event at his award-winning South Granville restaurant Farmer’s Apprentice (1535 W 6th Ave.) on March 27. Tickets to the dinners, which feature a unique fusion of two like-minded chefs who champion a focus on local, sustainable and organic ingredients, include wine and sake pairings from That’s Life Sake + Wine and are available for $120 per guest including tax and gratuity.

Chef Ryoma, who learned the time-honoured tradition of making handcrafted soba in Tokyo at famed restaurant Gonpachi before anchoring back-of-house teams at Vancouver’s En Cuisine and Dan Japanese Restaurants in Kitsilano, relaunched the former site in 2015 as Kinome, where — much like Gunawan at Farmer’s Apprentice — he serves up small share plates made with locally sourced, foraged and organic ingredients.

For Gunawan, who was named Chef of the Year at the 2016 edition of the annual Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards, this dinner series represents a true meeting of culinary minds and a perfect opportunity for a number of his sous chefs to further explore an inclination towards Japanese cuisine they developed while on a recent trip to the Far East in December.

“I have long been a big fan of Chef Ryoma and the traditional brand of Japanese cuisine he creates daily at Kinome,” says Gunawan, “so this is a unique opportunity for people who share the same passion and energy for local, natural and organic food to come together and combine our talents in two intimate and inviting spaces.”

TICKETS

For tickets to the collaborative dinners on Monday, March 13 at Kinome (2511 W Broadway) and Monday, March 27 at Farmer’s Apprentice (1535 W 6th Ave.), go to farmersapprentice.eventbrite.com.

For more information about Farmer’s Apprentice, go to www.farmersapprentice.ca. To make a reservation for dinner or weekend brunch, call 604-620-2070 or book online.

ABOUT FARMER’S APPRENTICE | The birthplace of innovative, artisanal and sustainable cuisine in Vancouver, Farmer’s Apprentice features ever-changing menus comprised of ingredients delivered fresh daily from local farms, pastures and providers and served in a casual, intellectually stimulating environment that encourages interactions between the chefs and guests. Launched in 2013 by acclaimed locavore chef David Gunawan, Farmer’s Apprentice was ranked No. 2 on enRoute Magazine’s annual list of Canada’s Best New Restaurants in 2014, and also swept the podium that year with nods for Best New Restaurant, Best Casual Restaurant and Restaurant of the Year at the 25th annual Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards.