Got a jar of old pennies at home? Put those coins to good use through YVR's Penny Drive. YVR is calling on travellers and the airport community to donate their pennies to help fund lunches for children in need this summer.

According to Quest Food Exchange, a Vancouver-based not-for-profit organization that helps those in need access affordable, healthy food, many kids rely on school lunch programs for healthy food. When schools are closed in the summer, providing lunch can be an extra burden for families that are already struggling financially.

From June 13 to 28, YVR will be collecting pennies to fund food vouchers that be provided to families to shop in Quest’s three not-for-profit grocery markets.

Check out the full release here.

One of the nicest things to wake up to on a Saturday morning is a great feature on one of our clients. Check out Saturday's piece on The James Hotel in the Globe & Mail's Savvy Traveller column: Nice to be in the company of Philippe Starck, New York, and San Francisco (and be the lead).

Hotelier magazine visited The James to speak with Corinne Lund, General Manager, about what it takes to operate a high end luxury hotel that provides impeccable guest service. Read the story here.

Elettra has been working with JOEY Restaurants to tell the story of how they are recruiting and retaining the industry's best and brightest. The JOEY Employee Investment Trust is a program unlike any other in the hospitality industry. Business in Vancouver spoke with Deni Kennedy, General Manager of JOEY Burrard, to find out why it's such a compelling offer.

Read the full story here.

Elettra Communications has recently been working on the launch of Saskatchewan's first boutique hotel, The James. The country's leading design magazine, Azure, featured the luxury property on May 2. Read the story here.

Chef Chris Mills visited Urban Rush with JOEY Restaurants farmer/supplier Brad Bellmann of Bellmann Specialty Produce. Did you know that, once upon a time, carrots were purple or yellow and not orange?

Watch a clip of it here.

Anya Levykh, aka Food Girl Friday, did a round up of all things' spring eating for Eat Magazine, including the Italian Doughnuts now on the menu at JOEY Restaraunts. Read more here.

Gary Stephen Ross, Editor of Vancouver magazine stopped by CTV Morning Live to talk about the results of the 23rd Annual Vancouver magazine Restaurant Awards. Check it out here.

Vancouver Sun's Mia Stainsby covers the Vancouver magazine Restaurant Awards.

Hawksworth cleans up at 2012 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards

It’s the year of David Hawksworth as far as the Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards is concerned.

Judges for the 2012 Awards gave him and his restaurant Hawksworth, five top awards at the annual awards partyMonday: Restaurant of the Year, Chef of the Year, Best New Restaurant, Best New Design and Best Upscale Restaurant.

The Best Sommelier award went to Terry Threlfall, who works at — where else? Hawksworth.

“Welcome back, fine dining” said one judge, of Hawksworth. “The former wizard of West roared back to top form in a “triptych of rooms so pretty they’re heartbreaking. And the food’s every bit as good as you’d expect,” enthused another.

In tune with the times, Trafalgars Bistro and the sister bakery Sweet Obsessions took a Green Award for its commitment to reducing waste. The businesses generate about one garbage bag of waste a week.

A Lifetime Achievement Award went to Kimble Chan and Nelson Yeung of Kirin Mandarin Restaurant. “Much as Umberto Menghi, Hidekazu Tojo and Vikram Vij moved their respective cuisines from easy ethnic clichés to sophisticated dining that embraces locality and seasonality, the Kirin Group has long shaped the direction of local Chinese cuisine,” judges said.

There were regular award takers like Tojo’s (Best Upscale Japanese) and Vij’s (Best Indian) and there were some newer kids on the block, Chef Hung Taiwanese Beef Noodle (Best Noodle House) and Nicli Antica Pizzeria (Best Pizzeria) — the latter two are new categories.

Re-up BBQ took the Gold for Best Food Cart.

Reflecting Vancouver’s casual nature, the whole notion of “formal” evaporated, says Vancouver Magazine editor Gary Ross.

“Our judges felt Best Upscale Restaurant, based on the price, was a better descriptor than Best Formal with its hint of stuffiness and starched linens.”

Judges declare this the year of Hawksworth,While first ever Best Pizzeria award goes to Nicli Antica

Vancouver, B.C.; April 24th, 2012 –B.C.’s top chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers, and food critics gathered yesterday at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre to pay tribute to the winners of the 23rd Annual Vancouver magazine Restaurant Awards. Hawksworth won Gold in six categories, including Restaurant of the Year, while several perennial favourites topped their categories once again.

“Hawksworth’s domination of this year’s awards proves that upscale dining is back,” said Vancouver magazine Editor-in-Chief, Gary Stephen Ross. “But equally evident with this year’s group of winners is Vancouver’s continuing love affair with comforting, casual food.”

After a three-year wait, the highly anticipated return of Chef David Hawksworth earned judges’ nearly unanimous decision for Hawksworth as Restaurant of the Year. The room also took top prize in the Best New Restaurant, Best New Design, and Best Upscale Restaurant categories. The room’s Wine Director, Terry Threlfall, was named Sommelier of the Year, while David Hawksworth was voted Chef of the Year.

A Best Pizzeria category was added this year to reflect the recent craze for Neapolitan-style pies that has swept the city. Nicli Antica Pizzeria took Gold. A second new category, Best Noodle House, was also a nod to Vancouver’s demand for casual food. Chef Hung Taiwanese Beef Noodle was awarded Gold.

Vancouver magazine’s new Mentorship Award recognizes how vital the training of new chefs is to the city’s ever-growing culinary scene. The recipient was Julian Bond of the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts, who has taught, mentored, and inspired many of the city’s top culinary talents.

This year’s Green Award went to Trafalgars Bistro, a busy Westside restaurant that produces virtually no garbage. As a result of their intensive recycling and composting program, the restaurant sends zero organic waste to the landfill, and 98 per cent of their remaining waste is recycled.

Kirin Restaurant, which is marking its 25th anniversary, was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognizes the dedication of restaurateurs Kimble Chan and Nelson Yeung, whose impeccably high standards for food, service, and décor have set a benchmark for the industry. Kirin is renowned for world-class Cantonese cuisine, the calibre of which is rarely seen outside greater China.

Other notable awards include: Thierry Busset for Pastry Chef of the Year; Danielle Tatarin for Bartender of the Year; Jade Seafood for Best Upscale Chinese; Re-Up BBQ for Best Food Cart; Vij’s for Best Indian, and Le Crocodile for Best Upscale French.

Vancouver magazine’s May issue includes a 34-page round up of all the award categories. The issue is on newsstands now and digital subscriptions are available at vanmag.com.

Watch what happens when CTV Morning Live BeanBoozles the unsuspecting citizens of Ottawa.

Ever wondered what centipede or baby wipes taste like? Or maybe you're a dare devil who will risk the taste of rotten egg or vomit for the chance of tasting popcorn or sweet peach. Ricardo of CBC Radio Canada's TouTV took the Jelly Belly Beanboozled challenge...well, to be more exact, he had his special guest take the challenge. Watch what happened to the poor guy here.

JOEY Restaurants Executive Chef, Chris Mills, stopped by Calgary's Breakfast Television to make the Italian Donuts that will be appearing on the JOEY menu as of April 18th. Who doesn't love donuts? Watch the segment here.