If you love to eat, love to cook, love to entertain, love your kitchen and just love to shop for unique specialty items and foods, then this is the one annual event you must attend!

This annual event features celebrity chefs, popular local restaurants, wineries, food and beverage manufacturers, cookbook authors, retailers, artisans and many others from the culinary world. EAT! Vancouver brings together unique food experiences, opportunities to learn behind-the-scenes culinary magic from professional chefs, dynamic entertainment through celebrity chef cooking demonstrations and intense culinary competitions, diverse food, beverage and cooking related exhibits; and of course fantastic shopping opportunities.

Here are the ten top things you need to know to get the most out of EAT! Vancouver:

(1) Take the SkyTrain -- parking rates can be sky-high.

(2) Bring cash for treats and samples: Although entry is only $14 a ticket, you'll want to sample some of the high-end restaurants offering a Bite of Vancouver at nominal prices. And if you want to shop for gourmet delicacies, cash is definitely the way to go. Better still, buy your tickets online, in advance, and save.

(3) Wear comfortable clothing: BC Place is pretty spread out, and with seven different stages of cooking events and countless booths of kitchen goodies, food and groceries, you'll want to wander around and see everything.

(4) Bring a camera: Nothing records the kitchen ideas you discover at a show like this better than a snapshot -- and if it's digital, you can share your memories with friends online.

(5) Bring the kids: Children are more than welcome at this event. In fact, many activities are areas are designed just with children in mind.

(6) Arrive hungry: There's so much to sample and taste, that you'll want to have room for it all.

(7) Visit the official EAT! Vancouver website before you arrive, so you'll really know the lay of the land.

(8) Put your name in for the great contests and draws on-site. Do you feel lucky today?

(9) Tell your friends to meet you at EAT! Vancouver -- it's a great neighbourhood meeting place. Better still, suggest they meet you at evalu8.org's booth, where you can even leave a chalkboard message for them.

(10) And lastly, come and visit evalu8.org at EAT! Vancouver. (evalu8.org's booth number is 205, right around the corner from the Bite of Vancouver Restaurants, and smack in the middle of the second annual World Culinary Travel Expo.)

Location is BC Place Stadium; Show hours are: Friday, 4 pm to 9 pm; Saturday, 11 am to 9 pm; and Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm.

Tickets available at the door for $14.00
(advance purchase price: $12.00)
Ages 6 - 14 = $6.00
Ages 5 and under = Free
Seniors (65+) = $8.00 (Friday Only)
GST is included in all prices

Oh, another thing: Bring lots of cash to speed up. . .everything. There's lots to buy at evalu8.org's booth in support of the Canadian Food Museum, so please drop by.