Wednesday, November 14, 2012 -
- A27
IS THERE REALLY SUCH A THING AS A SWEET TOOTH? RESEARCHERS HAVE FOUND TWO SWEET-RECEPTOR GENES THAT MAY BE ABLE TO PREDICT A PREFERENCE FOR SWEETS.
INFORMATION RECENTLY PUBLISHED SUGGESTS REGULARLY EATING TOMATOES COULD HELP REDUCE YOUR RISK OF STROKE. THE RESEARCH ALSO SUGGESTS COOKED TOMATOES OFFER MORE PROTECTION THAN RAW.
PHOTO MIKE WAKEFIELD
LOCAL WATCH
PHOTO MIKE WAKEFIELD
SMALLBREWERY BIGIDEAS
Queensbury rules
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fter spending years toiling in other people’s kitchens, chef Erik Smith (pictured) says his eczema was at its worst. He taped socks to his hands before going to sleep in order to prevent what he called “psychosis fits” of scratching. (Eczema causes skin irritation and extreme itching.) To keep working, he dropped in at a wound care centre twice a week to have his hands and feet wrapped. Hoping to relieve his stress-based condition, Smith did something unorthodox: he opened a restaurant. “I needed something else in my life. With a little love, money, and a little help from a lot of places, S’wich took shape,” he says. S’wich Café is a North Vancouver lunchtime hub offering a variety of $8 sandwiches with ingredients like zucchini, goat cheese, hickory-smoked mayo, and cranberry orange confit. “The day I turned the key over was the day my skin started getting better,” Smith says. Opening a restaurant is a risky proposition in the best of times, something Smith knows well.
“The classic formula: how do you make a small fortune in the restaurant business? You start with a large fortune,” he says, laughing. The decision to open a modest Queensbury Avenue eatery has served Smith well. “I found my groove, I found my niche, and I found exactly where I need to be in my life,” he says. Starting his culinary career as a teenager in Earl’s dish pit, Smith quickly changed his career plan. “I used to want to be a veterinarian,” he says. “I never knew that cooking was my calling.” That calling has taken him to Mexico and the Okanagan, where he honed his taste for fresh fruit and vegetables. Many of the ingredients at S’wich arrive from Loutet Farm, an edible garden project just off Highway 1. As a restaurateur, one of Smith’s innovations is offering salads in mason jars. “No such thing as Styrofoam in my café,” he says. The price of the salad includes a $1 deposit that’s refunded when the jar is returned. “Remember you saw it here first because I just have a feeling it’s one of those things that’s going to catch
on,” he says. As his business has increased, Smith has had to step away from his other passion: rodeo. “I’ve wrecked myself a few times, that’s kind of why I’m sort of tapering off here. I didn’t really go hard this year because I’ve sort of broken into catering,” he says. “I’m not going to go to a rodeo the week before somebody’s wedding in case I break my arm. I’ve decided to make decisions that are best for the company and the business rather than my own personal little adrenalin rush.” S’wich has been open for more than a year, something Smith attributes to his neighbourhood. “I came in there on a severely limited budget with almost no operating capital,” he says, noting customers from the neighbourhood helped him build a sign and frame it, and an electrician helped him rig up 220 power so he could install his panini press. “It’s very much the café that Queensbury built.” –Jeremy Shepherd
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER DEE DHALIWAL PUBLISHER DOUG FOOT EDITOR ROSALIND DUANE ART DIRECTION & DESIGN ADRIAN CUNNINGHAM PROJECT & SALES COORDINATOR VICKI MAGNISON PRODUCTION COORDINATOR MARINA ROCKEY CONTRIBUTORS JEN ST. DENIS JEREMY SHEPHERD TERRY PETERS UNCREDITED IMAGES AND GRAPHICS COURTESY OF CAN STOCK PHOTO.
STORY IDEAS & COMMENTS RDUANE@NSNEWS.COM TO ADVERTISE IN NOURISH TEL. 604-980 0511 or EMAIL DISPLAY@NSNEWS.COM
It may be a small facility (just 1,000 square feet), but Bridge Brewing Company has some big ideas. The North Vancouver “nano” brewery opened for business in July, and is serving up all-natural beer with just four ingredients: barley, hops, yeast and water. Founder Jason Stratton (pictured) explains most of the commercial beer manufacturers in Canada use clarifying agents in their beer, many of which are made from fish and animal by-products. Some beers also contain high levels of corn syrup, he notes. “One thing that’s unique about our beer is that it’s unfiltered and we don’t use any processing agents,” says Stratton. A full-time accountant when he’s not at the brewery, Stratton says the idea to start the business grew out of discussions with his wife Leigh, probably over some beers. Originally from North Vancouver, the couple had been in Alberta for about seven years where Stratton was working for a large company when they decided to return to the North Shore. “When we came back we wanted to do something fun,” he says with a laugh. Stratton and his wife are joined at the brewing company by friend and brewer Patrick Doré. “Part of the whole idea was to be green and sustainable and just try to make a product that people really enjoy. I don’t think there’s any grand intentions of becoming wealthy from the business,” he explains. “If it pays for itself I think we’re all going to be very happy.” The company is also striving to achieve zero waste, and in pursuit of quality ingredients, they are sourcing organic hops and grains. When asked how much he knew about brewing beer before starting Bridge Brewery, Stratton admits with a laugh: “Absolutely nothing.” It has been a learning experience. “I may not have made beer (before) but I certainly love to drink it.” –Rosalind Duane