Starting January 13th and running through February 16th, 2025 Metropolis at Metrotown is celebrating the Year of the Snake with a handful of events. This includes its first-ever Chef Series, a new lion dance workshop, free cultural workshops, and plenty of photo ops.
The inaugural year of their Chef Series is a celebration of Asian cuisine, featuring a line-up of celebrated chefs. Expect cooking demonstrations and learn techniques from the recent winner of Top Chef Canada on February 2nd and the 9th.
As taken from the press release, “Each chef will take to the stage in the Grand Court to share dishes representing their heritage and culinary philosophy, exploring the ways food contributes to memorable Lunar New Year traditions.”
Confirmed chefs include:
- Quang Dang, who has Vietnamese and Scottish heritage. Formerly the executive chef of award-winning West Restaurant and D.I.C.E.D., a culinary social enterprise organization, he is now proprietor of QD Catering & Hospitality.
- Katy Cheung, who was born in Vancouver and raised in Hong Kong. She has been a sous chef for over five years at MICHELIN Starred Burdock & Co.
- Chanthy Yen, who is originally from Cambodia. In addition to working at some of the world’s best restaurants, he served as personal chef to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and was the 2024 winner of Top Chef Canada. Chanthy is currently the executive chef at Bacaro.
- Haan Palcu-Chang, who is a Taiwanese-Romanian chef from Toronto. Haan recently appeared on the 2024 season of Top Chef Canada. He currently lives on Salt Spring Island, where he runs cooking workshops, caters private dinners and events, and runs many food-related initiatives.
Visitors can take in a traditional Lion Dance on Saturday, February 1st, where dancers will parade throughout the centre, chasing away evil with their lively music; while the God of Fortune hands out red envelopes to lucky shoppers, each containing various food offers.
And for those interested in learning more about the lion dance and how to perform it themselves, Metropolis at Metrotown will host a “Learn How to Lion Dance” workshop on February 1, 11:30am – 12:30pm. This is presented by Bak Mei Kung Fu and Lion Dance, a local business that teaches traditional kung fu and Foshan-style lion dancing to students of all ages. This will be taking place in the Grand Court, “the workshop is rooted in martial arts movements with fitness-forward lion dance moves. Participants of all skill levels are invited to join.”
There will also be cultural workshops focused on the abacus, family trees, linguistics, and calligraphy provided by the Chinese Canadian Museum. These free educational workshops will be available February 6-9th, from 12pm – 4pm, taking place on the ground level of Metropolis at Metrotown, near the Fossil store.
On February 1st, 11am – 3pm local artists will be leading craft-making workshops, including Chinese lantern making by folding red pockets.
And their annual Dumpling Eating Contest has return and I will be one of the contestants competing on February 2nd at approximately 1pm. The dumplings will be provided by T&T with the prize being two $100 gift cards for the lucky and hungry winner, (a MET gift card and a T&T gift card).
That looks like an exciting celebration! The Year of the Snake event at Metropolis at Metrotown seems like a fantastic way to welcome the Lunar New Year with vibrant decorations, cultural performances, and festive activities. It’s always great to see malls embracing traditions in such an interactive way .✨ Thanks for sharing! 🐍🧧
Thanks for sharing! 🐍🧧
Such a great way to celebrate the Year of the Snake! Metropolis at Metrotown always puts on vibrant and festive events, and this one looks no different. Love seeing traditions come to life in such a lively setting. 🎊✨Thanks for sharing! 🐍✨