Vancouver’s annual Brewery and the Beast returns in June

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Brewery And The Beast

Where: Concord Pacific Place, 811 Carrall Street

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When: Sunday, June 2. Main event, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.; VIP experience, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Info: breweryandthebeast.com

It’s no small feat feeding and entertaining over a thousand people at an outdoor venue, setting up some 60 kitchens staffed by the city’s best restaurants, and showcasing local, sustainable meat and poultry.

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Brewery And The Beast puts on the 11th annual event on June 2 in Vancouver at Concord Pacific Place before moving on to Calgary and Victoria.

What could go wrong, huh? Actually, not a lot. Event producer 17 Black Events has deftly pulled it off each year despite occasional surprises — such as a trailer heist one year. They were transporting equipment and goods to the Calgary event when thieves broke into the trailer and stole everything. “We had to scramble to recoup and buy it all in Calgary. The theft included baby onesies with the event logo. We laughed and said if we see babies wearing them, we’ll know where they came from,” says Scott Gurney, founder and executive director of events at 17 Black Events. “In this business, we deal with it, roll with the punches.”

Some of the chefs go big. In Calgary, a chef cooked a whole bison over 24 hours. “He slept in his car and woke up to turn it over and baste. Unfortunately, you can’t cook it with the spine in because of the mad cow issue, so he had a fabricator piece the two sides together with metal,” says Gurney. Boulevard chef Roger Ma and his brother-in-law once tended a smoked wagyu brisket during an all-nighter.

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“It ends up like a campout,” says Jason Pleym, owner of Two Rivers Speciality Meats, who delivers breakfast sandwiches to feed those hungry night owls. His company, a distributor of “clean and happy local meats,” donates almost all the meat for the event, totalling $350,000 to $400,000 worth of beef, pork, lamb, buffalo, elk, deer, turkey, duck, geese, all raised without hormones, steroids or antibiotics. They are respectfully reared with access to good air, fresh water and shelter.

“I’m such a believer in the event and what it stands for in terms of the value of the products. It doesn’t make sense for us not to be part of it,” says Pleym.

“I’ve been to every farm myself and understand their entire process.” He sources his beef from Prairie Ranchers, operated by Hutterites in Alberta. “They use a regenerative agricultural system and grow 18 to 20 different species of plants for feed,” he says. “The animals are the lawn mowers. The farm is completely self-sustaining. They grow beef out of thin air because they work the land for maximum production.”

At the Two Rivers booth, they annually feature two tomahawk steaks spinning on a spit. “It’s interesting for people,” he says. They slice up the steaks an hour before the event closes, creating a stir.

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“The event showcases restaurants committed to using great naturally raised products,” says Gurney. “The connection of farm to plate is lost on a lot of people and the stories aren’t out there. We want people to recognize the names of farms and restaurants and choose to eat there.”

Participating restaurants include highlights such as Bar Oso, Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar, Elisa, the soon-to-open Elio Volpe, Il Caminetto, Published on Main, Savio Volpe, Torofuku, and Wild Blue. To help educate festival-goers, all the booths have information on the suppliers and their products.

What about the environmental impact of raising farm animals? “Humans are omnivores,” he says. “We’re showcasing good practices and more favourable ways of raising them as opposed to mass commodity farming. We need these people and to support them.”

This year, the Vancouver event is in early June, moved from the usual July or August dates for a couple of reasons. There is less competition in June for event suppliers, and the shade-deprived venue will be cooler.

With 60 booths hustling dishes, along with wine, beer, cider and cocktails, you’d be advised to strategize. Here’s a word from Gurney himself: “I’d like to think there’s someone who could do the 60 booths, but I don’t think that’s reasonable. My thought is, always take your time. You don’t want to fill up too fast. You don’t want to come across a dish you want to try when you’re too full. We’ve made planning easier with a directory so people can plan a route,” he says.

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Tickets go on sale March 1, but if you can have advance notice by subscribing to the Brewery And The Beast newsletter. Regular tickets are $173.95 for the three-hour eating fest. A VIP ticket, for $199.95, comes with food made by guest chefs, a VIP beverage service, and an air-conditioned shaded area.

“It’s not expensive,” Gurney says. “What you’re getting is food from the best chefs and beverages, all inclusive.”

A portion of sales go to support various culinary-related non-profits, such as Chef’s Table Society and culinary scholarships. For more information and tickets, visit breweryandthebeast.com

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