Vancouver’s Hastings Mill Museum to host talk on city’s restaurants, past and present

You can learn a lot about a city by where it chooses to eat.

That’s the idea behind All Over Town: Vancouver’s Most Memorable Eateries, a two-hour talk hosted by local historian Aaron Chapman and photographer Gord McCaw this weekend.

“Gord has been taking pictures of diners and restaurants for, gosh, I don’t know how long it’s been, maybe 30, 40 years,” said Chapman in a joint interview with 1130 NewsRadio.

“Forty-six years. That’s how long I’ve lived here,” McCaw added.

“So, it’s a great excuse to get together and tell some stories and talk about Vancouver restaurant history,” Chapman said.

Chapman is the author of several books about Vancouver history. His most recent title, Vancouver After Dark: The Wild History of a City’s Nightlife, looks back at some of the city’s most popular bygone music and entertainment venues, from Luv-A-Fair to Richards on Richards.

His next book takes a similar approach, but this time by looking at the city’s restaurants.

“Everybody remembers a favourite night spot they used to go to, and a lot of people equally remember a favourite restaurant that they used to go to that maybe isn’t around anymore or amazingly still is,” Chapman said.

“It’s not just the food, it’s not just the places, it’s really the people that ran these places and the people that went to them. You can see how Vancouver has changed by the kind of food that we’ve eaten.” 

“By what was on the end of our fork, or spoon in some cases, you can see how the city’s changed.”

Chapman says the book is about a year away from completion.

McCaw is impressed by the diversity of Vancouver’s restaurant scene thanks to immigration.

“I don’t think there’s a nation on the planet that isn’t represented by a restaurant somewhere in Vancouver. We’ve got cuisines from everywhere,” he said.

“I was a driving instructor for 25 years. I had a student from Japan, she said, there’s probably more sushi restaurants in Vancouver than there is in Tokyo.”

All Over Town: Vancouver’s Most Memorable Eateries happens this Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Hastings Mill Museum on Alma Street. Entry is $25, and proceeds go to the museum.