During FeastVan, dine at East Vancouver restaurants for a good cause

Dine Out Vancouver, the city’s largest restaurant festival, starts today (January 18), but there is a second dining festival happening at the same time. From January 18 to February 3, FeastVan will highlight restaurants in East Vancouver while supporting the Strathcona Community Centre Backpack Program.

FeastVan was founded in 2012 by Joe Chaput, chef and cheesemaker at les amis du FROMAGE’s Strathcona location (843 East Hastings Street) and adjoining restaurant Au Petit Chavignol. The 17-day event enables participating restaurants to offer $20 two-course lunch and $30 three-course dinner menus, and $1 from each meal sold is donated to the SCC’s Backpack Program, which provides healthy meals and snacks for children on weekends. The Backpack Program has been in place since 2010 and supports more than 275 children at the Strathcona Community Centre and Ray-Cam Cooperative Centre.

This year’s participating restaurants include The Acorn (3995 Main Street), Au Petit Chavignol (843 East Hastings Street), Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie (163 Keefer Street), Campagnolo Roma (2297 East Hastings Street), The Cascade Room (2616 Main Street), east of MAIN (223 East Georgia Street), eight ½ restaurant lounge (151 East 8^th Avenue), El Caminos (3250 Main Street), Habit (2610 Main Street), Harvest Community Foods (243 Union Street), Les Faux Bourgeois (663 East 15^th Avenue), Nicli Antica Pizzeria (62 East Cordova Street), the Parker (237 Union Street), and the Union (219 Union Street). Vancouver beer company R&B Brewing Co. (54 East 4^th Avenue) will also donate a percentage of proceeds from sales of East Side Bitter kegs during the event.

Diners are not required to register in advance for FeastVan. Restaurants will accept reservations and walk-in customers as they normally do, and diners can call restaurants directly to inquire about the special menus.