Annual General Meeting, Heritage Park
November 10, 2009
Mel Miners, Vice-Chargé de Presse
Our AGM was held at Heritage Park this year in a novel venue – the Gasoline Alley – or at least the dinner was. The first vehicle to be spotted was Chevalier Ed McNalley’s beer truck. Also in the entry was an ice sculpture of the Chaîne emblazon neatly placed in front of a severely rusted truck chassis.
Prior to dinner, the AGM was actually held upstairs from Gasoline Alley in the Mezzanine. Please click on the following link to see the minutes of the meeting. Our Vice Chargé de Presse did not submit his report on time, so it is also attached to the minutes – my apologies to the Vice-Chargé de Missions for doing this.
Following the meeting, we gathered in the Gasoline Alley to be astounded by the collection of antique (for some) gasoline pumps and cars. For others of us with a bit more experience under our belts, we did see and work with those gasoline pumps and rode in those automobiles. Some of us actually drove the originals.
At the reception we were treated to Sacchetto Prosecco as our sparkling treat. The canapés were:
Curried pear soup with chive crème fraiche
Elk carpaccio with pineapple chutney
Smoked salmon on blini with caviar
We were also treated to the presence of Brad Camp Echanson Honoraire des Etats-Unis and Barbara Camp, who were guests of David and Joan Tetrault.
As befits an AGM. the tables were set in a simple, yet elegant manner. The cutlery arranged properly and the napkins with a proper flair. The centerpiece was a bouquet of seasonal flowers, with my spouse’s favorite Tiger Lilly highlighting the show.
Our first course (please click here to see the menu) was Pan Roasted Queen Charlotte Halibut wrapped in Prosciutto. In my (somewhat miss-spent) youth, I spent three summers as a student hydrographic surveyor in the area of the Queen Charlottes. Our Chief Steward prepared some of the most atrocious meals possible, including fresh caught halibut. Should I have tasted the dream that was presented at the AGM, I surely would be several pounds (kilograms) heavier than I am now.
The main course was a Veal Wellington done in a perfect pastry stuffed with Truffle Demi and accompanied by Jardinière vegetables and fronted by a sea of jus de veau. The wine was Shooting Star and indeed it was a star as it paired perfectly with the course.
Desert was an interesting presentation of Chocolate Chèvre Cheese Cake with Sour cherry compote and Vanilla bean gelato. I was so excited, that the picture is just a bit out of focus. It was served with a Bardolino Chiaretto which complemented it beautifully.
The cheese plate was a tasting of Canadian cheeses with a fig confiture and crisps. Although it was meant to be shared at the table, it seemed to disappear quite quickly as the chorus of “OOOoooooooooohhs” rose from the participants.
The staff was brought out at the end of service to a rousing ovation. Executive Chef Jan Hansen, Chef Rotisseur accepted the Chaîne Plate of appreciation to end the evening.
