In our experience at the Ambrosia Centre, we have event planners who eagerly anticipates planning a great company party a year in advance.We also have planners that have been told at last minute that they should throw something together.

Either way, here are a few things to consider when planning this year’s event.

Holiday Planning Checklist for Companies
(modified from eventsforce.com)

Is there a committee? If so, be sure to delegate both the creative and more mundane tasks to make it as enjoyable as possible for everyone involved. And, manage which tasks are assigned to each member to ensure everything gets done on time.

Consider who’s invited. Is it just for employees or are partners welcome? How about corporate partners and clients? Also think about how you’d like to invite them, being as creative and unique as possible to get everyone in the holiday spirit.

When is the best date and time for your event? Should you have a lunch party or start later in the day. Weekday or weekend? While this may be determined by our calendar availability, try to coordinate a date that works best for the majority of your audience.

What are the event hours that work best for your event participants? You should also be aware of  event timing such as guest arrival, meal time, and bar hours. Check in advance to make sure your guests and Ambrosia’s team are on the same page.

Is the room decorated to your liking? Will you have to purchase additional décor to appropriately theme the event?

Bar Service: consider your budget. And what about one of the most eagerly sought after aspect of a holiday party, the drinks? Can you afford an open bar or bottles of wine with dinner? What’s your limit? This may be the last place you should look to skimp out.

Then, work out an agenda for the evening. Consider booking entertainment, music or speaker if budget allows. But if not, make sure you know when the food is to be served, when last orders are, who would like to speak and when, if you’d like to have any contests or games, and how everyone will be getting home.

Should you have nametags or badges? Setting up a registration table allows you to personally greet each guest and check in with them before the event. Consider having name tags if your party is for employees and clients.

And finally, think of creating memories beyond the event. Whether you hire a photographer or encourage staff to take photos throughout the evening, make sure you provide a forum for memories to be shared after the event. Creating goody bags or offering gifts is a great way to end the evening on a high note and get everyone excited about next year’s event!

Perhaps you have a wedding memory of your own that reflects this thought. Great location and great food makes all the difference in making a wedding, well.., great!

At the Ambrosia Centre, we take great pride in being a wedding venue and caterer. Some of the most fun that we have in hosting events for clients are wedding receptions. And certainly some of the most fun that Chef has “playing with his food” is in the creation of wedding menus. Last year we participated in over 40 wedding related events. This included everything from stags, to showers, to wedding ceremonies, to wedding receptions. We did catering here at the Centre as well as numerous locations such as Sea Cider, Starling Lane Winery, private residences and more.

With so many weddings going on around here, I thought you might like to see some of the work we do. Special thanks to photographers Mary Jane Howland and Melanie Seal-Jones for their permission to post their fabulous photos of our wedding work.

Just follow click on the photos below and you’ll be taken to our Flickr account.

On Feb 10, 2011 the Ambrosia Centre was host to a special fundraiser event where all proceeds from were donated to the Queen Alexandra Foundation for Children to build Jeneece Place, a home-away-from-home for sick children.

The event was dreamed up by a group of five Bachelor of Commerce students at Royal Roads University who participated in the 12th annual Venture Challenge. The premise of the project was to use $5 ($1 from each team member) of start-up capital and raise as much money as possible for a charity of their choice in only 5 weeks. Ambrosia’s Chef Steve Walker-Duncan was asked by the Royal Roads team leaders Chris Stovell & Cheryl Fraser to help create and support the event’s culinary components.

So where does the stress com into play? Imagine being asked to cook a gourmet meal, for a panel of local culinary experts all while competing against 3 other local top chefs. Oh and you have to create your masterpiece in under 30 minutes with a unknown box of ingredients!

The 4 local chefs who were asked to compete were:
from Left to Right: John Waller, Oak Bay Bistro; Jaimie Martineau, Gorge Vale Golf Course; Kyle Campbell, Mariott; Mike Dunlop, Vista 18.

The 3 Judges were:
from Left to Right: Shirley Lang; Kitchens of Distinction; Cory Pelan, Past president of the Island Chef’s Collaborative; Jonathan Lee

Each of the 4 chefs used a selection of everyday ingredients into an extraordinary three-course meal. After each course, one contestant was “chopped” until the last chef claimed victory.

Another part of the fundraiser involved each of these top chefs being auctioned off to the highest bidder. Each winning bidder was awarded a meal for 6-8 people cooked by the chef in the the bidder’s home.

And what became of all that stress? The event raised a total of $3500! Now that’s some good stress!

January 13th celebrated the 4th Anniversary of the Prodigy Group, as 120 members filled the Ambrosia Conference and Event Centre to connect and socialize in style. This group of motivated, emerging leaders began to give access to business in Victoria, and to network with like minded individuals. 4 years later, Prodigy has gained momentum and now boasts over 325 members, representative of a variety of industries and sectors. It is quickly becoming the group to be a part of if you seeking opportunity and connectedness in Victoria.

It is an honour to be amongst such passionate people, and I am excited to be part of furthering leadership in Victoria – 2011 Prodigy Chair, Janell Karst

One of the highlight’s of January’s Mingle and Anniversary celebration was the presence of Victoria’s Mayor Dean Fortin.

The Prodigy Group and its members are an important part of the professional community in Victoria. As the City launches our economic development strategy, I hope that the members plug into the project and contribute their skill, enthusiasm, and experience. – Mayor Dean Fortin

Click the links below to see the galleries from SnapVictoria

Photos courtesy SnapVictoria & the Prodigy Group

Over the past year, Ambrosia’s Chef Steve has been busy with the ICA’s Mentorship for Immigrant Professionals program. Below is an article provided by the ICA that highlights his participation.

Chef Steve Walker-Duncan and Grace Liu

Profile of a Mentorship

Meet Chef Steve Walker-Duncan, Mentor, and Grace Liu, Mentee

From a mentorship match to business partners, Grace and Steve launch a new line of Asian foods with a Canadian twist – Eh Fusion!

Grace Liu first came to Canada to follow her heart, and I do mean that in a romantic sense. After meeting her Canadian husband, Bruce, in Taiwan, she came to Canada with him to build a new life. In Taiwan, Grace was a successful culinary artist and entrepreneur. She wrote many cook books, had a radio show, owned a popular nightclub in Taipei, and worked as the Food and Beverage Manager for the Grand Hotel Taipei! Needless to say, starting all over again has been a struggle, but it has not been without its rewards.

Through ICA’s mentorship program, Grace was matched with Chef Steve, a local culinary artist. Like Grace, Steve too has had a very colourful culinary career, which includes being Owner/Manager for the Ambrosia Conference & Event Centre, teaching at Camosun College, and starring in his new TV show “Flavours of the West Coast” with CHEK-TV. Over the course of their mentorship, a business idea was born, and Eh Fusion came to be.

Eh Fusion brings ready-to-eat, Asian-inspired foods to the Canadian market. Grace credits this creative use of the Canadian “eh” to her husband, Bruce. “He is very proud of his contribution,” she says. Grace and Steve have started their business with 3 tasty products, Honey Barbeque Ribs, Japanese Ginger Miso Chicken Wings, and an Indonesian Sate with plans to add more dishes over time. They will officially launch their new products at Fairway Markets this fall.

When asked how the mentorship has benefited her, Grace says, “Before meeting Steve, I knew nothing about the market in Canada. He gave me a chance to do something with my skills. He has all the connections to make this happen.” Steve has assured me, however, that Grace would have found success without his help. It just might have taken a little longer. Grace is really the master mind behind the concept and marketing side of the business. “She has done all the leg work,” says Steve.

As for Steve, he sees mentorship as an excellent way to meet new people, learn about other cultures, and explore entrepreneurial opportunities using his new knowledge and networks. Eh Fusion is a case in point of the power of mentorship and networking.

Please contact Karolien Swaak, Host Mentoring Services Facilitator, 250-388-4728 ext 122 or kswaak@icavictoria.org for more information about how to become a mentor. Learn more and visit ICA Victoria online.

Some of you may think that I’m a bit biased when I brag to you about the Ambrosia Centre. I guess that’s understandable as I do market for them and all. And our tag line is somewhat boastful too; “Where Great Events Happen”.

So in an attempt to be more humble in my marketing approach, I’ve decided to let someone else do the bragging instead. This time Ambrosia’s very own Chef Steve Walker-Duncan was highlighted in the Times Colonist newspaper. Free press and everything. I had nothing to do with this great article, short of bring it to your attention here.

The article introduces Steve’s culinary history. Starting with his humble beginnings in the kitchen when helping his mom cook, he eventually found a calling for cooking and worked at John’s place in Victoria. If you’re a true Victorian, you’ll know that John’s place has been around FOREVER and is a dining institution in the city. Did you know he trained in Europe? Ran a hotel? Served Lady Di? Did you know he’s had SECs in Centennial Square? It’s all true!

Be sure to get the scoop on Steve here in the Times Colonist article.

And in case you’ve been living under a rock or something, take a wander over to his TV show website. (yes you read that correctly, TV SHOW!) You can see him in action episodes of Flavours of the West Coast. I suppose you could tune into the show too. Sunday nights 6:30pm on CHEK TV

Steve & Ed Bain of the Q & CHEK News

The final episodes of the brand new television series, Flavours of the West Coast were being shot in August.  I spent the summer travelling around the province meeting up with old friends and making plenty of new ones to showcase the wonderful bounty and passion for food and drink in British Columbia.

From Prince Rupert and the Okanagan to the lower mainland and of course our own island with some of the Gulf Islands included we have delved into the souls  of culinarians, growers and producers to find out where they draw their passion and dedication to create great food.  The focus has been on highlighting those who are committed to healthy sustainable and down-right delicious grub.  We have been overwhelmed by the number of people out there who commit themselves and their families to making sure that the food they produce is the very best it can possibly be with as minimal negative impact on our planet as possible.  We have had free range beef in the Okanagan, halibut so fresh it is still twitching, vegetables warm from the earth and peaches so juicy I had to change my shirt after eating one. Combine that with exquisite wines, ciders and mouth watering beers and I think you will agree, it’s been quite a summer!

Steve with Olympic Gold medalist, Adam Kreek with one of the Men’s 8 rowing Olympic gold medals from the 2008 Summer Games and the 2010 Winter Games torch.

Flavours of the West Coast is a 13 part series produced by Cedarwood Productions which will begin to air on CHEK September 19, 2010 at 6:30pm.

Without our sponsors none of this would have been possible and we are already planning for series two next year.  I look forward to guiding everyone around our great province every Sunday evening at 6:30pm on CHEK. Visit www.flavourofthewestcoast.com.

With the weather cooperating spectacularly, and the ciderhouse sharing its panoramic views of their organic orchard and the Haro Strait, the scene was set for a beautiful evening.

Chef Steve Duncan from Ambrosia Conference and Events Centre designed a mouthwatering menu with each of the five courses centering around the region that supplied fresh ingredients. The regional inspiration for the first course came from Sooke, with side stripe shrimp and wild Pacific salmon donated from Iron Maiden Seafoods. LifeCycles has been providing the apples for Sea Cider’s Kings and Spies cider, with proceeds from the sale of the gently effervescent, floral cider returning to the organization. This served as the cider pairing for the refreshing gazpacho. Click here for the full recipe published in the online edition of Eat Magazine.

The next course featured Vantreight Farms produce – a crisp salad made of buttercrunch lettuce with mizuna, French breakfast radish and pickled bull’s blood beets. I had the chance to chat with Ryan Vantreight, a fifth generation farmer on Vantreight Farms, and he explained how the family is shifting focus from daffodils to produce and is in transition to becoming certified organic.

The main course of the evening hailed from Metchosin, with Tom Henry’s succulent Berkshire pork from Sea Bluff Farm complimented by a Sea Cider apple chutney and paired with Sea Cider’s Rumrunner Cider – named for the aging process it undergoes in rum-soaked bourbon barrels. Next came the cheese plate from Parksville, with a beautiful selection from Little Qualicum Cheeseworks . Just when we thought we couldn’t take another bite, out came a tempting mint syllabub with candied lovage shortbread and a rhubarb coulis, featuring rhubarb from Bhumi Farm, donated by Share Organics and matched effortlessly with Sea Cider’s Pomona Cider, a still desert cider made from frozen crab apples.

Each course was introduced by the evening’s MC, Khalil Akhtar, whose passion for food is sure to come across in this summer’s CBC food dedicated program, ‘The Main Ingredient’  (click here for more details). Khalil also announced winners of the evening’s silent auction who got to take home baskets stuffed with goodies from Plenty, Phillips Brewery, Fol Epi, Choux Choux Charcuterie and more.  The event was flawlessly organized by LifeCycles member Rebecka Webb and overseen by Sea Cider event designer Christine Smart, who managed to weave this massive collaborative spirit into a cohesive, finely-tuned ode to local food. On the LifeCycles information pamphlet, you can find a quotation from one of their Fruit Tree Project volunteers that aptly sums up both the work that LifeCycles accomplishes, as well as what the fundraiser achieved: “ There is something truly magical about how food can bring people together. [It]’s not just about food – it’s about using food as a way to empower people, to strengthen our communities and to nourish our bodies and spirits.” And we can be confident that LifeCycles, with good friends all over the community, will keep on getting this important work done.

Photos and blog post written by Rebecca Baugniet: web editor and contributor of Eat Magazine Online

Original post here: http://www.eatmagazine.ca/article/2010-06-14/fivebyfive

Believe it or not, there are still some people who take pride in being able to prepare things “the old fashioned way.”

Today I was able to watch Lori “do her thang” in the kitchen. Real butter, full fat cream, sugar, cream cheese, fresh strawberries & kiwis and an iPhone. Ok, so mom didn’t have an iPhone. But she did use an electric hand blender!

The gallery below showcases some highlights of Lori’s cake art. She took time perfecting the taste and creating simple yet sophisticated visual elements of the finished birthday cake.

Baking and decorating cakes is a true passion for Lori. Her process was calculated and methodical. The result I think is somewhat spectacular.

What do you think?

The Centre has just under 3200 square ft. of event space. The Burnaby Room is larger than the Powell Room.

Be sure to check back as more pictures are uploaded to this page.