Food & Drink

Toronto Sushi Festival - Don't Bother

  • Last Updated:
  • Mar 12th, 2015 1:05 pm
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Newbie
Mar 8, 2015
3 posts
Toronto, ON
Sometimes it happens with the people when event organizer does not takes care of their guests they just do it for formality.
Deal Fanatic
Sep 23, 2007
5654 posts
2168 upvotes
I watched the vid. lol WTF? Was this event even run by people who have a passing interest in sushi? Worst food festival trailer ever.

This reinforces why I don't go to food festivals anymore. Supply and demand says the food will be pricey. heck, this one even charges you an entrance fee.

I wouldn't mind paying a premium if I'm getting something special. Most food festivals I've been to serves food that is WORSE than what you can get on a regular day. From the video, this sushi festival hardly even served sushi. I saw mostly rolls. Were any of the sellers even Japanese?
Deal Addict
User avatar
Jun 26, 2011
1689 posts
399 upvotes
The festival certainly looks small, but the idea that you pay an entrance fee and then expect to pay more for food inside - that isn't a new idea and people do it all the time for food & wine expo. And there's lot of advertising there as well. What's so different about this festival versus blatant advertising at the food & wine expo?

For example at the food & wine expo I seem to recall some photographer booth and another area for photobooth - neither related to food or wine. Are people just okay with those simply because the food & wine expo is much bigger?
Deal Guru
Sep 2, 2008
12614 posts
2318 upvotes
I believe the idea of this one (and the grilled cheese) that you pay a fee and then its all you can eat inside. I might be wrong, but eitherway, the food inside is supposed to be good, unique, and interesting. Thats the major fail here. Nobody wants to go to a festival to get served avocado rolls and california rolls.

I didn't go but I heard really really really bad things from a couple people that did end up going. What a mess.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Aug 23, 2007
1298 posts
1125 upvotes
Seemed like a good concept, what a shame.
I would definitely write to the organizers of this event, make them away of the problem and some suggestions - who knows, they may send you free passes for next year's fest.

That's what I usually do and almost always receive something in return!
Deal Expert
User avatar
Sep 1, 2005
21703 posts
17377 upvotes
Markham
wachidarin wrote: Seemed like a good concept, what a shame.
I would definitely write to the organizers of this event, make them away of the problem and some suggestions - who knows, they may send you free passes for next year's fest.

That's what I usually do and almost always receive something in return!
I don't think you'd want to go again after the first fiasco. Stick to free events like street festivals is my best advice. Not that the food will be mind blowing but at least you won't have to pay an admission fee just to go in and pay for food.
We're all bozos on the bus until we find a way to express ourselves...

Failure is always an option...just not the preferred one!
Sr. Member
Jul 18, 2014
727 posts
98 upvotes
Toronto, ON
azndoughboi wrote: So I attended the Sushi Festival on Thursday evening at around 7:30 (event is Thursday and Friday only from 5 - 9pm). What a huge disappointment.

I never had much expectations going in knowing the history of other food events in Toronto. However, I expected this event to be a bit better since the venue is at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Center.

Here are the highlights of my experience there:
  • Most food booths ran out of food early
  • Found a hair in my tempura skewer
  • Long and slow moving lines
  • Maki pieces from the booth with the longest line are tiny and not special in any way
  • "Swag bag" you receive is garbage and full of flyers
Overall, it was pretty disorganized and a waste of time. Lucky for me I bought the groupon for this and didn't have to pay regular price.

So if you're thinking of attending tonight, don't bother.
http://www.sushifestival.ca/
Thats what I would have expected. Frankly they don't have all the facilities they need to do sushi well at events. With a sit down place, they have everything set up and streamlined (in a well run restaurant at least).

The only sushi I eat are all you can eat anyway. I don't like a la carte. I can order two california rows in some places (which BTW doesnt even get me full) and all of a sudden I'm looking at AYCE prices.
Deal Expert
Feb 9, 2012
21709 posts
9001 upvotes
Toronto
Here's a good question: How many present are regulars to this sort of thing??
How many will be back next year??
I'm just guessing there's a sucker born every minute and that's how they make their money-no regulars needed! :lol: :twisted:
Deal Fanatic
Sep 4, 2009
6575 posts
726 upvotes
playnicee1 wrote: Here's a good question: How many present are regulars to this sort of thing??
How many will be back next year??
I'm just guessing there's a sucker born every minute and that's how they make their money-no regulars needed! :lol: :twisted:

They might be taking this across Canada... so once they run out of Toronto suckers they will go to a different province.
Deal Addict
May 16, 2005
3283 posts
869 upvotes
rageking wrote: They might be taking this across Canada... so once they run out of Toronto suckers they will go to a different province.
Actually this festival might work better in the other provinces like Manitoba or Saskatchewan where sushi is not as common as Toronto. Toronto has so many options for sushi, why would anyone bother with this festival. But if it was in some town where people aren't exposed to sushi, then it 'May' work better.
Newbie
Feb 12, 2015
52 posts
3 upvotes
North York, ON
,,so cute,,I can only find out the beautiful eyes of that quiet dog.. :o
Deal Addict
Jul 28, 2014
1251 posts
120 upvotes
Toronto, ON
I saw this event on Yelp. I remember seeing the price, $30 i lthink?, which gets you a few sample pieces, and thought it was NOT a good deal. Sounds like it should have been called something else. Seems it was hard to find the organizers, but there are some saying it is the same people behind the grilled cheese festival. I assume these people are not Japanese, and are just looking for ways to scam people.

http://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2015/03 ... vent_ever/
Sr. Member
Mar 17, 2006
738 posts
203 upvotes
Markham
Nah it wasn't the same organizers as the Grilled Cheese Festival. That group that did that event disbanded and is no longer around. Anyways, I doubt they would organize another food festival after what happened in the past.
Deal Guru
User avatar
Sep 19, 2006
11664 posts
6565 upvotes
Toronto
http://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2015/03 ... _festival/


What went wrong at the Toronto Sushi Festival?

Posted by Liora Ipsum / MARCH 10, 2015

Toronto's first two day sushi festival was a major letdown for many and a cause for concern for anyone organizing food events in this city. Events like this, as well as previous fiascos like Grilled Cheese Fest, can't help but make Torontonians think twice about attending future food festivals.

To sum up this sentiment, one need merely scroll through these comments which feature plenty of general frustration. "Buyer beware," says one commenter. "Food festivals are generally garbage and if you wanted to try sushi, go to a sushi restaurant."

On the flip side, there are event organizers who know how to run festivals that don't feature long lineups and food shortages.

"Ticketed food events (clearly) aren't everyone's cup of tea and it's really *****ty that there are so many badly run ones determined to ruin things for the people genuinely interested in some fun food experiences and for the hard working people dedicated to throwing them," Spotlight City organizers offer in response to the doom and gloom brought on by the Toronto Sushi Festival.

It isn't difficult to find examples of food festivals that are worth attending. Toronto Taste, The Stop Night Market and Spotlight City's Yum Cha are three that have proved popular. So bearing in mind that not all food events are organizational disasters, let's examine what went wrong at the Toronto Sushi Festival.

The first thing to note is that despite some initial confusion and misinformation about the availability of refunds, Toronto Sushi Festival spokesperson Vincent Villanis https://ca.linkedin.com/pub/vincent-villanis/34/b46/29 confirms that none will be forthcoming.

Meanwhile, host venue The Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre is simply trying to put the whole ordeal in the rear view mirror and has taken pains to let everyone know it had no affiliation with the event, other than rental of its space. In its wake, staff feel embarrassed that the event that was initially proposed did not materialize, and was not in line with their values or mission to promote Japanese culture in Toronto.

Staff at the JCCC also told us that there's still an outstanding balance on the rental space, and that they've incurred extra costs for clean up and security because of the actions taken by the organizers.

When asked about the alleged unpaid balance, Villanis wasn't forthcoming. "Our contract with the JCCC...is a private transaction and I cannot comment further about that situation," he wrote in an email.

We've (Blog Toronto) got some egg on our faces too, and I'm not talking the tasty tamago kind. We included this event multiple times in our event listings citing press releases that were supplied to us, as well as info publicly advertised on the official website (which has since been revised multiple times to scale back the event).

It's perhaps worth noting that no money was paid to us. We did not engage in any contract with the Toronto Sushi Festival for advertising on the site. We wrote about the event because, like many of you, we thought it sounded like a pretty good time.

Per the info provided, the event seemed promising. Initially it was billed that 20+ authentic Japanese sushi vendors would be present along with headliner Susur Lee. The change of venue from Roy Thompson Hall to the JCCC because of the overwhelming response from sushi chefs seemed to suggest there would be plenty of vendors and credible Japanese food to be had.

When we reached out to event spokesperson Villanis for comment, he acknowledged that there were "logistical mistakes made on the first day," but he claims they were "corrected...on the second day... [fixing] the lineup woes." He didn't, however, comment on my request for insight into how the event was curated or on the disparities between what was initially advertised and what was ultimately delivered.

He has since downplayed his involvement, claiming that the organizers are Hamilton-based would-be food truck, The People Panda's led by Chef Young Son - though we can confirm that Villanis was the one who booked the space and he has been our sole contact in the lead-up as well as in the aftermath of the event.

For his part, Chef Young Son has supplied the following statement via email:

"We are proud of the event we've organized. Despite not having any corporate sponsors we were able to give Toronto its first and largest sushi festival, having served over 30,000 pieces of sushi in two days to over 3,000 people."

Young also acknowledged the logistical challenges experienced on Day 1, adding that this was promptly addressed on Day 2. "This was the first sushi festival we've organized and we're very receptive to feedback. We listened to Toronto and gave our guests a totally different experience on Day 2."

We also reached out to some of the participating vendors for their impressions of the event. Penthouse Catering reported that the 2,000 pieces of sushi they were told to prepare for the first day was clearly not enough (they were sold out by 7:15pm on the Thursday) and so they rectified the situation themselves by quadrupling their stock on the Friday.

Roll This Way, called our coverage of the event "more than spot on," and went on to say they got a bad vibe as soon as they got there to set up but that it was too late to back out. They too were expecting twice as many vendors and had costed their offerings based on $1 food tickets, only to find afterwards that guests were being charged $1.50 per.
Deal Fanatic
Nov 25, 2010
6256 posts
3216 upvotes
Abbottabad
too much people. sounds just about right for toronto.
Deal Addict
Jul 28, 2014
1251 posts
120 upvotes
Toronto, ON
Pochacco wrote: http://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2015/03 ... _festival/

Staff at the JCCC also told us that there's still an outstanding balance on the rental space, and that they've incurred extra costs for clean up and security because of the actions taken by the organizers.
Would like to know what actions happened. Seems like these people are like teenagers, that just threw a big party and left a big mess. Not only the customer got screwed, but the JCCC as well. Even gave their name a bad vibe.

You advertise 20 vendors but there were only 10 there from what I have read. How would you not know how many vendors signed up? It is true, for the number of sushi restaurants in GTA, it looks pretty bad only 10 were there. And for a festival, I would expect at least a few popular/big name places.
Deal Fanatic
Sep 4, 2009
6575 posts
726 upvotes
milhouse611 wrote: Would like to know what actions happened. Seems like these people are like teenagers, that just threw a big party and left a big mess. Not only the customer got screwed, but the JCCC as well. Even gave their name a bad vibe.

You advertise 20 vendors but there were only 10 there from what I have read. How would you not know how many vendors signed up? It is true, for the number of sushi restaurants in GTA, it looks pretty bad only 10 were there. And for a festival, I would expect at least a few popular/big name places.

Sounded like a fast money grab to me. Anyone willing to burn bridges with Japan Foundation on their very first event cant be thinking long term, unless they go with a different food theme next year.

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