Vancouver International Wine Festival honours John Bishop with 2023 Spirited Industry Professional Award
Fest also announces Wine Program Excellence Award winners, including L'Abattoir, AnnaLena, Chambar, and Nightingale
John Bishop. Photo by Yukiko Onley
VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL WINE FESTIVAL (running to April 30) has announced winners of its annual Celebrating Excellence awards.
Chef and restaurant veteran John Bishop receives the 2023 Spirited Industry Professional Award, which goes to someone who has made a significant contribution to the sales, service, or promotion of wine in British Columbia.
The British-born, Welsh-raised culinary luminary got his start in the restaurant industry at age 15, filling creamer jugs and delivering breakfast trays. Following a decade as a chef in Kinsale, County Cork, Bishop came to Canada, going on to launch the eponymous iconic dining establishment in 1985. He was serving local “farm to table” fare long before it ever became a tenet of dining eminence and is well-known for his genuine hospitality, as the ultimate host.
The author of four cookbooks, Bishop was ready to retire after 35 years when COVID hit. He pivoted, launching his Bishop’s at Home menu, in part to keep his staff employed throughout the pandemic and also to keep feeding loyal customers. Bishop’s closed its doors in early 2022 due to an exorbitant rent increase, the restaurant vet choosing to spend more time with his family and write.
VIWF also honoured Kelcie Jones, the 2023 Sommelier of the Year. (Read Stir’s article about Jones here.)
The 2023 Terry Threlfall Scholarship goes to Chris Turyk, sales and marketing director of Unsworth Vineyards on Vancouver Island. The scholarship—a shared initiative of the family of its late sommelier namesake, VIWF, the BC Hospitality Foundation, and Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers—is awarded to an individual seeking to make a difference in mentorship and leadership in the British Columbia wine trade.
Turyk helped found Unsworth Vineyards with his father and has been been involved in all aspects of the business. A committee member of the UBC Wine Research Centre, Turyk is enrolled in the Master of Wine Study Programme.
AnnaLena.
Celebrating the best food and wine pairings in the business, VIWF’s Wine Program Excellence Award winners are determined through a multistep process. First, restaurants submit their wine and menu lists, then judges (who include Tom Doughty, DJ Kearney, Bryant Mao, Iain Philip, and Maude Renaud-Brisson) make an in-person visit.
Vancouver’s platinum winners are L’Abattoir, AnnaLena, Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar, Chambar, Elisa, Hawksworth Restaurant, and Nightingale. Gold winners of the Wine Program Excellence Awards are Bar Gobo, Botanist, CinCin Ristorante + Bar, Dachi (Community Hero), Elephant (Best New Entry), Published on Main, and Yuwa Japanese Cuisine. Earning silver are Burdock & Co and Savio Volpe, while bronze goes to Forage, Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House, and Tap Urban Café. Ancora Waterfront Dining and Patio, Ambleside, earned an honourable mention.
