Location Nu Restaurant
Call to Order: at 12:00pm – Vikram Vij
Roll Call: Mary MacKay noted attendance
Present:  Vikram Vij, Tiffany Soper, Robert Clark, Dino Renaerts, Mary Mackay, Don Letendre, Julian Bond, Tony Minichiello, Scott Jaeger, Neil Wyles, David Hawksworth, Pino Posteraro, Sid Cross, Andrew Morrison
Absent: Jamie Ma,  Robert Feenie, John Bishop, Karri Schuermans,Thomas Haas

Approval of board minutes from May 26th 2008

  1. Chris Sporer from PPFA (Pacific Prawn Fisherman’s Assocation)
    • Chris Sporer from the PPFA (Pacific Prawn Fisherman’s Association) attended the meeting to discuss the future of the spot prawn festival. The PPFA was our major sponsor this year, providing $4,000 to help produce the event.
    • The PPFA board meets September to January and sets annual budgets at this time.  Chris will report to the board on the success of the 2nd annual Spot Prawn Fest and propose future funding for the event.  Chris will recommend that the PPFA book a 5 year commitment to sponsor the prawn festival.
    • Chris suggested the board prepare a handout for the public that explains how to store the prawns at home.  This information could be posted on the CTS website.
    • Chris would like to see the CTS expand the festival outside of Vancouver to the Island and Okanagan.  CTS will invite chefs from these areas to attend the festival in Vancouver next year and the following year the Vancouver chefs could help other communities to set up and run their own spot prawn festivals.
    • Fuel hikes and strong Canadian dollar are hitting fisherman hard.  One fisherman from Duncan has purchased a sailboat and is using it to catch halibut and ling cod.
    • The spot prawn season closed June 29th.  Chris recommends purchasing frozen spot prawns with the heads removed for the best quality.  The PPFA is looking into possibilities of expanding
    • the season next year.  Spot prawns must be a minimum of 33 millimeters in size, any smaller and they are returned to the water.
  2. Growing Chefs – Presentation by Merri Schwartz
    • Merri and Andrea Carlson attended the meeting to propose the CTS support their fundraising efforts.
    • Growing Chefs has been run for 3 years now by volunteer chefs; there are presently 30 chefs involved and 8 schools with a waiting list.  The purpose of the organization is to educate young children, teach them to plant, watch the plants grow and eat the food they grow.  More information on Growing Chefs can be found at www.growingchefs.ca
    • The organization will hold a fundraising dinner in the middle of October this year in order to raise money to pay for an administrative assistant for the non for profit organization.
    • They would like to hold the dinner at PICA – Julian will get back to them.
    • They will pair chefs with growers from the farmers market and involve children from the community to create a dinner that will support community and celebrate the harvest season.
    • They would like to sell a minimum of 80 seats and include a silent auction to raise money.  Their goal is to raise $20, 000.
    • The board passed a motion to partner with Growing Chefs and to support their fundraising dinner.  The board will request a 10% cut of funds raised to go towards the CTS to cover the administration costs.
    • Tiffany will contact Merri.
  3. Les Clefs D’Or Donation
    • Tiffany proposed the CTS open this up to Northwest Culinary Academy for the first year, for their students have been involved with the CTS and volunteered at our events. Tony will create an application and essay topic for the students to apply, and have a 3 person committee to review the submissions and select the winner. The cheque will be presented to the student by members of the Clefs D’Or at our AGM in the fall. The scholarship will be open to students at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts the following year.
    • A motion was passed for the CTS to match the dollar value each year that is donated by Clefs D’Or.
    • The scholarship will be open to students who are presently in the program and have a financial need.
    • Tony will set the criteria for the essay topic and deadline.
  4. Project CHEF Update
    • Barbara submitted an update on the program and gave a proposal for further funding.  A training program is in place to train others to teach the program.
    • Board passed a motion to provide Project Chef with $1000.00 per year for a 3 year term.
    • Tiffany will contact Barbara.
  5. Fundraising

    • Board passed a motion to partner with other organizations to help fund raise events that focus on sustainability and have similar values as the CTS mission statement.  The CTS will require up to a 30 % cut in order to cover administration fees.
    • The CTS plans to hold 2 fundraising dinners for the society each year.
    • The CTS will partner with Growing Chefs, Project Chef and Terra Nova to help raise funds for these societies.  Don will prepare a proposal for future scholarship to include funding to pay for wages for chefs to work stages in restaurants after schooling is completed.
    • Don recommends that a budget be put together for 2009.
    • Next CTS dinner will be hosted by Pino in January 2009.  Pino will put together the details this week and email to Tiffany and Vikram.  The dinner will seat 120 and cost $500 per person.
  6. ChefsFor Life – September 21st, 2008
    • CTS will offer a “Best Table in the House” package as a live auction bid at the Chefs for Life dinner.  Kim Osborne has offered the bid to the CTS and funds will go directly to CTS.
    • The package offered is for a table of 8 at Pino’s dinner in January.
    • Vikram will contact Kim to go over the details.
  7. Terra Nova

    • sent in a request for funding from CTS.
    • The CTS will donate $2,500.00 to Terra Nova and will discuss setting up a fundraising dinner the following year.
    • Tony will contact Ian.
  8. Financial

    • $14,528.00 in cash account
    • $33, 000.00 in GIC account
    • Spot Prawn money still to come in.
  9. Board Nomincations

    • Mary will email all board members to find out if they are planning to remain on the board for 2008/2009.
    • Mary will send out an email with all positions available for next year.  Members send nominations to Mary by end of July.
  10. AGM
    • Will be held on Monday, September 29th, 2008 from 12 noon to 3pm.
    • Tiffany will contact the Terminal City Club to see if a room can be provided again this year for the meeting.
    • Scott offered to host a committee meeting at Pear Tree to plan for the AGM.
  11. New Business

    • Need to prepare board portfolios for new board.
    • Director of Communications is to co-ordinate educational seminars for members.
    • Andrew is going to revamp the website and get back to the board after the summer.
    • Pasted a motion to have Andrew start to conceptualize the second cookbook and to be in contact with Douglas and McIntyre.
    • Andrew will form a cookbook committee with Pino and Sid and will ask John and Rob Feenie to be involved.  The goal is to have a book ready by February 2010.  Ideas can be emailed to Andrew directly.

      Meeting adjourned at 2:05pm

    • Next Board meeting will be held Monday, September 29, location and time tbd.
    • Board meetings will be held the last Monday of every month.  Meetings will not be held in July, August or December.