July 16, 2013

T H E C O M O X VA L L E Y R E C O R D

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THE COMOX VALLEY RECORD

VA L L E Y L I V I N G

Tuesday, JULY 16, 2013

❰❰ July's Food News ❱❱

FOOD NEWS from around the Comox Valley Hans Peter Meyer Congratulations to Locals on their very successful move to the Old House location – and on their 5th anniversary of serving the best the region has to offer! Thanks for your inspiring vision for local food.

LOCAL FOOD DOWNTOWN A farm fresh “pocket market” happens Tuesdays 3-6pm at LUSH Valley (1161F Piercy Ave) til mid-Oct. Wednesdays 9-noon the Comox Valley Farmers' Market is at England Ave between 5th and 6th Streets. For July 13 only the Saturday market is at the Sports Centre next to Vanier.

On July 20 it’ll be back at the Hq Rd site with a “Berries Berries Berries” festival.

Zocalo Cafe’s Chef Peter picks from the market for a new “fresh-inspired” dish every Wednesday. On ThursdaysSaturdays watch for his “catch of the day” dinner features.

BEVERAGES On July 12 popular Mount Washington Beer Fest, now called “Tapped,” features lots of breweries plus a beer seminar by Jeff Lucas of Cascadia Liquor. On August 9-10 it’s Alpine Wine Fest, with a wine tasting event on Friday eve. Saturday it’s a 6-course Wine Pairing Dinner hosted by sommelier Jason Hyde and guest chef Daniele Mereu.

“Thirsty Writer” Joe Wiebe arrives on July 19 with his new book, Craft Beer Revolution: The Insider's Guide to BC Breweries. First, a book signing at Cascadia Liquor

in the afternoon. Then, the opening of two Townsite Brewing special cask-conditioned brews at The Waverley in Cumberland later. I’m thrilled!

End of June saw Chef Aaron’s summer menu unveiled at Avenue Bistro. Ask about the 'appy hours tapas specials between 4-5pm this summer. Think refreshing seasonal cocktail classics like Left Bank, Pimms Cup, French 55. Tell them hpm sent you.

MISCELLANY On Denman the Kaffee Klatch Bistro features lots of in-season fare and is open til 8pm on Saturdays. Fine dining is open at Sea Breeze Lodge on Hornby for the summer. Again, tell them hpm sent you. Changes to the BC wine laws mean we recently enjoyed some Hornby Carbrea wine paired with Chef Vanessa Rundell’s locally sourced menu.

French cooking classes with Chef Gaetane Parlady take a summer turn with BBQ on July 24 and “Mediterranean Delights” on August 7 at Blue Moon Winery.

On August 11 it’s Garlic Festival 2013 at Amara Farm (2641 Kirby Road, Grantham) for a family-friendly celebration of all things garlic – as well as the famous Island SodaWorks products. Proceeds go to midwife Katie McNiven's legal fund.

In my neighbourhood, Prontissima Pasta is selling the “best olive oil we’ve tasted since leaving Italy,” says owner Sarah Walsh. It’s organic. Bottles are refillable. Great with fresh veg.

Celebrating 16 years of the simple things

SOME SAD NEWS Unfortunately the Courtenay VQA Store couldn’t survive it’s poor location and the BC Wine Institute won’t support a move to downtown. Big loss for all of us as the store will close July 31. Until then, weekly discounts on wine accessories, fixtures, etc and still time to benefit from Cindy’s wine wisdom.

AM I MISSING ANYTHING? Let me know. Your submissions welcomed at: j.mp/ FoodNews. Watch @BonVivantVanIsl for updates on Twitter.

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Va l l e y L i v i n g

Tuesday, JULY 16, 2013

The Comox Valley Record

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❰❰ Perfect Pairings ❱❱

Carbrea Wines A local food experience at Sea Breeze Lodge from Carbrea Vineyard & Winery

Hans Peter Meyer We were tasting Carbrea wines because we'd enjoyed them at a recent Sea Breeze Lodge dinner. Sea Breeze is owned by brothers Jeff and Stephen Bishop and their wives, Megghan and Suzie, respectively. Stephen and Suzie also own Carbrea Vineyard and Winery. Archaic BC “Tied House” legislation prohibited the Bishops from serving Carbrea wine in their restaurant.

Lucky for us this law was changed in April 2013. Chef Vanessa Rundell is now able to work with wines from the region’s oldest winery as part of her palate. With local product from Hornby shores, waters, farms, and vineyards, eating at Sea Breeze is truly a “local food” experience.

Pinot Gris Stephen calls this apricot-coloured, acidic 2010 vintage a “blush.” Leaving the juice on the skins for a short period adds the colour.

It also adds structure. "It's got more tannins, more body, than if we'd simply made a traditional Pinot Gris."

I smelled apricot. Then citrus, and even honey notes. Stephen recommended pairing it with pork, and “fish of all kinds, particularly oysters."

Pinot Noir A Silver Medalist at the Oregon Northwest Wine Summit in 2006, this Pinot is a

medium-bodied red that likes food. “It has lots of red berry notes and flavours, but also plum and cherries,” Stephen says. It’s the “earthiness” that attracts me, a taste of the soil that isn’t overwhelmed by the fruit.

At Sea Breeze’s wine pairing dinners this is always paired with either duck confit or seared duck breast.

Blackberry Port-style Across from the vineyard is a 2 acre parcel full of blackberries. “When we’ve got 1500lbs picked, I start to make wine,” Stephen says – blending blackberries with Agria, a Hungarian grape grown at Carbrea. On it’s own Agria makes a dense, tannic wine, with lots of body. Blending allows the wine to have a real berry taste without being overwhelmingly sweet.

“It’s quite dry – a 03 as compared to the usual 10 on the sweetness scale for blackberry Port-style wines. One wine writer said it tastes like ‘falling into a blackberry bush,’ and we like how it adds to the experience of strong cheeses – think very old Cheddars, Spanish Manchego, Stilton.”

At Sea Breeze they also like to make a reduction, served with either tenderloin or duck breast.

Where to experience The Bishops don’t see Carbrea growing much beyond its current capacity, though another 2 acres are available and Stephen

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admits he is sometimes tempted to put in another 2000 vines. The best place to experience Carbrea wines then is the Sea Breeze dining room. It’s open July-August every night of the week. In the off-season, the restaurant hosts monthly winepairing dinners and is an excellent retreat destination for visitors. Off the Island,

Carbrea wines can be found at the Westerly, Leeward, and Avalanche liquor stores.

Your turn Readers get 10% off their 2013 Sea Breeze dinner (including wine) using this discount code: HPMSeabreeze2013. Tell us what you think via our “good food, local food” page on Facebook.

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Va l l e y L i v i n g Run Date: July 17, 2013 Courtenay Comox Valley Record (10.25" x 10.25") Full Colour EOR#5718

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Va l l e y L i v i n g

Tuesday, JULY 16, 2013

The Comox Valley Record

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EYE BROWS…. our most important facial feature!

The eyes are the first place that everyone looks.

The eyebrows frame your eyes and your face, so achieving balance is the key.

How your brows are shaped can actually change your appearance.

All angles of the face are determined by the brows: they can lift the eyes and narrow or widen the face. When shaped properly, brows also enhance the eyes and give your face a brighter, more youthful appearance.

See a pro: an aesthetician/eyebrow specialist can view your face objectively and will shape your brows according to your particular face, and eye shape as well as bone structure. Ideally, you should come to your appointment with at least two to four weeks of hair growth—the more hair your aesthetician has to work with, the better. The most popular methods of hair removal for brows is waxing and sugaring with a bit of tweezing to finish.

Once a professional has shaped your brows, then maintenance becomes easier. Examine your brows once a week and tweeze underneath only the strays that have grown back.

Another reason to see a pro: it’s easy to overdo it on your own. If you make the mistake of removing too many or the wrong hairs, they can take a long time to grow back—and sometimes never do. Then re-visit your aesthetician every 3-6 weeks to maintain optimal shape.

Brow grooming: the look right now is a fuller brow that follows your natural arch. For definition and/or to fill in sparse areas, use a brow pencil or powder in a colour matching the base colour of the hair on your head. Use our L10 Brow Fixx (like a clear mascara) to tame, further define and hold the shape.

Everyone, young or not so young, can benefit from a professional brow shaping. At Level 10 we will also teach you how to maintain your ‘perfect brow’ at home between visits.

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Often when we buy a product we comparison shop. This is a great way to save a few dollars on everyday essentials but is there something we forget to place value on? Do we forget to place value on service? When buying cornflakes, this may not matter much, but when buying more personal items, service may be what makes the difference between leaving the store satisfied with a purchase or having yet another annoying shopping trip. Service matters.

For example, have you ever stood in front of the change room mirror and wondered, “How do I look in this?”

We pretty much all have. And yet at a busy chain store there may be no one there to help you answer that question, suggest alternatives, or provide you additional sizes. You’re left sending your accompanying friend on a mission to see if that pink sweater you like is available in a large while you wait, semi-dressed, in the change room.

But all is not lost. Service still exists.

But you’re unlikely to find it in the big box stores; you’re more likely to find it in your locally-owned, private shops. These are places that don’t serve hundreds of people a day. These are places that don’t carry 75 sock designs. These are places where the retailer knows their customer and the customer knows their retailor.

In these stores you build a history and might just be called by your name as you walk through the door. In these stores the owners are on the floor and intimately know what is available. In these stores they might even be able to recommend to your husband what it is you want for Christmas. It’s not that these retailors are magical; it’s just that they focus on you and on service before sales.

And so, when you try something on in one of these stores and the salesperson says, “That would look great in blue,” you can take her word for it because she knows her product, she knows your name and she knows you.

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Tuesday, JULY 16, 2013

The Comox Valley Record

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❰❰ Comox Valley Farmers' Market Producer Profile ❱❱

cottage Farm ~ Paul and Rose Chalmers Hans Peter Meyer Paul and Rose Chalmers own and operate Cottage Farm on 10 acres of land in “west” Merville. They arrived on this rocky, tree-filled property in 1993 after several years of trying out “small towns” like Langley and Vancouver. Merville is a long ways from industrial Birmingham with it’s 6 million. “We were looking for more space,” explains Paul.

Farming, however, was not part of the plan. “When we bought the land the house, barn, pasture, and fencing was all in place. But at first we were just boarding some horses.” Eventually they were growing vegetables. Then raising pigs and chickens. More food than they could eat. They’d been habitual shoppers at the Comox Valley Farmers' Market and saw an opportunity. They could grow and sell food. In 2009 they signed on, bought more pigs and chickens, and have been active ever since, recently adding blueberries to their product list.

WHAT THEY GROW Cottage Farm sits on a rocky ridge.

Where it isn’t swampy and peaty, Merville tends to be like that. Great for Douglas Fir. But also, it turns out, for the kind of food they’re growing. They’ve got vegetables in raised beds. The pigs are spending much of their time foraging in recently-logged land. The chickens have a huge run with lots of caterpillars at their disposal. And blueberries are at home in these soils. After tasting the eggs and bacon I’m inclined to think that this is the terroir for perhaps the best bacon and eggs I’ve ever tasted.

“Best bacon and eggs ever? Must be that Merville terroir” WHERE TO FIND THEM Cottage Farm produce is available at the Comox Valley Farmers' Market on Saturday mornings. They also sell direct from the farm and welcome visitors. “We’ve had a lot of people ask us if they can bring their children or grandchildren,” Rose says. “When these children see where the food comes from – well, it’s a sudden realization.

Wonderful to see.” Visits to the farm are more than sales. For Rose and Paul it’s also about education: “Seeing where their food comes from really brings it home to people, the reality of farming.”

COMOX VALLEY FARMERS' MARKET The market gave Paul and Rose an inspiration and an opportunity to sell food from their small farm. Paul notes that the social aspect of the market is also very important to them. “Other farmers have been very helpful.”

Rose says that being able to listen to their customers is very important – and is sometimes surprising. “It surprised us that customers wanted more, that we had to produce more. It is also good to hear that people are looking for good quality food, at a fair price.” She says that concerns about food security and health are the biggest thing she hears about. “People want to know where the food is from, how the animals are treated, how the vegetables are being grown. We hear it every day at the market.”

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