Tour of Canada to Promote Trade and Tourism to and From Japan
Japanese Chefs' Gourmet Sensation Marks 25th Anniversary of Joint Centre for Asia Pacific Studies at York University and U. of T.

TORONTO, September 28, 1999 -- To celebrate 25 years of scholarly cooperation and achievement, the Joint Centre for Asia Pacific Studies at York University and the University of Toronto is hosting a distinguished group of Japanese chefs, along with Toronto's own champions of the epicure, who will cater a gourmet extravaganza on Sunday, October 3, 5:30 p.m. at the University Club of Toronto, 380 University Ave.

The five visiting chefs are in the midst of a federal government sponsored cross-country tour to help stimulate Japanese tourism to Canada and promote Canadian food exports to Japan. They will work with five Toronto chefs to prepare five different cuisines, both Oriental and Occidental, for about 150 guests. The event will be reminiscent of Japan's wildly popular Friday night cooking show Ryori no Tetsujin or Iron Man Chef. Some of the Japanese chefs have appeared on the show, which can now be seen in Toronto on Fridays at 10 p.m. on the Food Channel.

This culinary spectacle is characteristic of the dynamism that established the Joint Centre for Asia Pacific Studies 25 years ago. Since then, the Centre has acquired a major national and international reputation. It has recently expanded its presence at both universities, and is supporting a wide range of innovative activities, such as research on issues in the Asia Pacific region pertaining to collective security, peacebuilding, economic development, and environmental management.

The Centre also focuses on the integration of Asian immigrants into Canadian society, and Canadian relations with the countries of the region. This year, the Joint Centre received a private donation of $500,000 to expand the work of its Canada-Hong Kong Resource Centre. Housed at York since its inception, the Joint Centre will soon move to a new location in the Munk Centre for International Studies at U. of T.

"The Joint Centre has been a unique experiment in inter-university cooperation and most of Canada's leading scholars on Asia Pacific have been associated with it," said York political science Professor Bernard Frolic, who is the Director of the Centre.

York Professor and Associate Director Mitchell Bernard, a political scientist who specializes in Japan, is currently investigating the transformation of work and labour markets in Japan and Japan's role in Asian development. Donald Rickerd, an associate of the Centre who helped launch it while he was president of the Donner Canadian Foundation in 1974, is facilitating the Japanese chefs' Toronto visit.

Prominent scholars and dignitaries assembled for the anniversary banquet will be sampling an array of exquisite delicacies prepared by these masters of the culinary arts from East and West. Reporters are invited to attend the culinary demonstration and stay for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

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For further information, please contact:

Prof. Bernard Frolic
Joint Centre
York University
(416) 736-5784
bfrol@yorku.ca

Donald Rickerd
Joint Centre
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 20561
drickerd@yorku.ca

Lynne Russell
Event Organizer
Joint Centre U. of T.
(416) 978-6945
lynne.russell@utoronto.ca

Susan Bigelow
Media Relations
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22091
sbigelow@yorku.ca
YU/095/99

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Japanese Chefs

Hiromi Yamada (Italian cuisine)
Kenji Sugawara (International cuisine)
Matsuo Nagasaka (Chinese cuisine)
Masataka Kamiya (Japanese cuisine)
Akio Kamata (French cuisine)

Canadian Chefs

Nobuyo & Michael Stadtl”nder (Eigensinn Farm)
Jamie Kennedy (Royal Ontario Museum)
Hiro Yoshida (Hiro Sushi)
Didier Leroy (The Fifth)
Chris McDonald (Avalon)

Sommelier
Andrew LalibertÈ (Crown Plaza Hotel)