Spirit of Yum Cha: The Chinese Restaurant Awards Goes Global for Its 16th Year and Announces the Dim Sum Gala
Presented by Scotia Wealth Management, the one-night-only gala brings together chefs from Hong Kong and Vancouver as they celebrate the art of dim sum.

The 16th annual Chinese Restaurant Awards (CRA) is going global. On October 29, 2025, it will unveil its anticipated slate of Chinese restaurant standouts in not just Metro Vancouver, but across Canada and the world. In celebration, the CRA is launching a one-night-only Dim Sum Gala, presented by Scotia Wealth Management, and fundraising for a Chair in Regenerative Medicine and Inner Ear Therapeutics at the new St. Paul’s Hospital on the Jim Pattison Medical Campus, which is now a top priority in research to help restore hearing for British Columbians affected by hearing loss Tickets are now available online.

The Dim Sum Gala begins with a reception and tasting experience, followed by a multi-course sit-down dinner by master chefs and “new wave” talents presenting “Classic”, “Now” and “Future” of dim sum, paired with premium wine and whiskies by The Dalmore.

“After celebrating our 15th anniversary last year, I knew it was time to take the Chinese Restaurant Awards even further,” says Rae Kung, managing director of Chinese Restaurant Awards. “I’m excited to share we’ll now be recognizing Chinese culinary excellence not only in Metro Vancouver, but also across Canada and in select international cities. The Canada judging panel will be led by our founding judge, Lee Man, while the Asia judging panel will be led by internationally acclaimed food critic, Agnes Chee.

“To mark this milestone, I wanted to showcase something that’s dear to my Cantonese heritage – yum cha. This year’s special gala bridges two cities that value this tradition – Hong Kong and Vancouver. I can’t wait for our guests to experience the incredible dishes our talented chefs are creating in honour of dim sum’s past, present, and future.”

Held on October 29, 2025 at The Vancouver Club (915 W Hastings Street), the event is also part of Destination Vancouver’s popular Dine Out Festival – World Chef Exchange. The Dim Sum Gala chefs include:

  • Executive Chinese Chef Chan Hon-Cheong of Michelin Guide-recommended One Harbour Road at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. A seasoned chef with more than 30 years of experience, including time at the two-Michelin-starred Ming Court.
  • Dim Sum Head Chef Lai Wei of Lanxuan Restaurant, who was named Dim Sum Chef of the Year in 2024. Originally from Foshan, Lai began his career at 27 after moving to Vancouver in 1990. He values hard work, high standards, and urges young chefs to carry on the dim sum tradition.
  • Chef Steven Che of Just Pizza, who was named Rising Star in 2024. Born in Macau, Che has staged at a number of acclaimed restaurants, including the three-Michelin-starred Maaemo in Oslo. He is known for his creative use of pizza toppings, as well as reimagined Chinese dishes inspired by childhood memories.
  • Chef de cuisine Edward Cheng of Black + Blue, who has more than 17 years culinary experience, including three-Michelin-starred L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Hong Kong, Spoon by Alain Ducasse, and Rech by Alain Ducasse. Cheng is influenced by French cuisine, farmers markets, and art.
  • Chef Jay Yip is the co-founder of Petite Bao, a Vancouver restaurant that blends Asian street food with contemporary technique and ingredients. Originally from Hong Kong, Yip trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Shanghai and later worked at top Hong Kong restaurants, including L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon and Épure.

 

At the beginning of the gala, the event will also feature a live performance by Vancouver’s historic Zhen Hua Sheng Cantonese Opera, transporting guests back to a time when dim sum and storytelling were part of tea houses in Southern China.

“At Scotia Wealth Management, we believe in supporting initiatives that celebrate cultural heritage as we expand our reach in key cultural markets across Canada,” says Amit Brahme, vice president Strategic Cultural Segments, Scotia Wealth Management. “We’re proud to support the Chinese Restaurant Awards and look forward to the Dim Sum Gala, which brings together culinary excellence and charitable purpose. It’s an honour to support an event that celebrates the richness of Cantonese tradition while contributing to healthcare innovation at St. Paul’s Hospital.”

16th Annual Chinese Restaurant Awards’ Dim Sum Gala

Date: October 29, 2025 | Time: Reception at 6 p.m., Dinner at 7 p.m.

Location: The Vancouver Club, 915 W Hastings Street

Tickets: $400 per individual seat; $3,200 for a table of eight | Ticket Link: online

“Our 16th annual Chinese Restaurant Awards starts a new exciting chapter for us as we grow beyond Vancouver,” adds Kung. “It’s even more meaningful for me as we start this next phase by also giving back to our community through support for hearing research at St. Paul’s Hospital – to hopefully eliminate hearing loss for individuals in the future. This is how food and culture can connect and inspire.”

For more information about the Chinese Restaurant Awards, please visit www.chineserestaurantawards.com.

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ABOUT CHINESE RESTAURANT AWARDS

About Chinese Restaurant Awards Founded in 2008, Chinese Restaurant Awards is the longest running Chinese culinary awards event in the world. The Awards are rooted in two challenging yet humble goals; raise public awareness for quality Chinese cuisine throughout Metro Vancouver and create a platform for cross-cultural culinary exchange. The team behind the Chinese Restaurant Awards consist of food, media and marketing professionals who are Chinese food enthusiasts, with a passion for promoting regional Chinese cuisine in North America. Over the years, the team has achieved many milestones through several culinary events and campaigns such as the Chinese Master Chefs Gold Medal Dinner in 2014, East Meets West: Paris x Vancouver 2016, DINING by the Awards 2019, Chinese Restaurant Awards Scholarship and the highly popular social influential culinary tourism campaign #Taste city series in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Taipei from 2017 to 2019.

Chinese Restaurants Awards 2025 is generously supported by Scotia Wealth Management, DoorDash, Destination Vancouver, Air Canada, The Dalmore, St. Paul’s Foundation, Hyatt Regency Vancouver, Olympic Distributors,  eatFish.ca, Wingtat Game Bird Packers, CBC, GoCanada.com, Sing Tao, and Vancouver Community College.

 

Chinese Restaurant Awards | www.chineserestaurantawards.com

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Media Contact:

Sophia Cheng, sophia@sophiachengpr.com, 604-828-3102, @chengsophia