EAT Magazine 24-05 October|November 2020

CAFÉ| LUNCH | DINNER

handcra ed pizza, custom cocktails, local wines

1175 Beach Drive | 250-940-0302

Join

Reservations Strongly Recommended

1964 Fairfield Rd. Victoria

Open Tuesday to Sunday 11am–4pm

Complete menu online: www.abkhaziteahouse.com

Welcome

I love the fall. Always have. Those sunny yet cooler days with the promise of fires in the woodstove, sweaters while tending the BBQ, and slow simmering dishes. This year, though, the cooler weather brings new challenges for our industry, but we have seen them rise to meet the obstacles of the last seven months, and I am confident any new ones will be met with the same creativity, originality, and resilience shown before.

We all have a part to play to support them, whether it’s ordering in, dining out, or picking up (I’m thinking of gift cards as presents for the upcoming holiday season). As EAT contributor Rebecca Baugniet said recently, “I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but there has never been a more important time to show some love to the small, independent food and beverage businesses in your community.”

Since it seems we’re all spending more time in the kitchen, I asked Shelora Sheldan for some of her favourite hacks. Cinda Chavich takes a look at the take-out landscape these days, and we went out and about to find you places to try—some new, some you may just not have been to yet. Bake Isabelle Bulota’s flavour-filled bread this month, fire up the grill for Rebecca Wellman’s skewers, and keep things easy with a sheet pan dinner from Jennifer Danter. On a sad note, one of our own, Good for You columnist Pam Durkin, has passed away. We have appreciated her contributions over these many years. She will be missed. Stay safe. Stay well.

Cynthia Annett-Hynes

CYNTHIA ANNETT-HYNES EDITOR

CITY EATS

Despite everything happening in our industry right now, there is still such resilience. Businesses are changing their service models, and some are even growing! One such example is on Fort Street, where Bruce Gillespie, the owner of Little Jumbo has taken over the space next door (formerly Picnic) with plans for an early fall opening of a French-style café. Check out eatmagazine ca for the First Look. littlejumbo ca

Other good news includes Victoria’s Superbaba expanding operations and opening a location in the Mt. Pleasant neighbourhood of Vancouver, on Main St. near Broadway. Superbaba opened in Victoria in 2017 and has had a food truck in Vancouver since 2018. eatsuperbaba com

The Palms has opened in the space at the Rialto Hotel (formerly Veneto) with chef Kyle Damsy at the helm in the kitchen. The Palms offers approachable, locally sourced global cuisine and is open for happy hour from 3-5.30pm Wednesday-Sunday, followed by dinner until 9pm and a late night menu until midnight. hotelrialto ca

The Adamopolous family and team at Ithaka Greek Restaurant are excited to announce that they will be re-opening this fall at 716 Burdett St. (formerly Millos). Ithaka opened on Yates St in 2013. ithakagreek ca

REBECCA BAUGNIET

let’s get local

Enjoy fantastic views and local avours from ingredients raised, grown and baked right here on Vancouver Island.

Parry Bay Sheep Farm Metchosin, BC

Parry Bay Sheep Farm along with Stillmeadow Farm sells lamb, pork and roasting chicken to restaurants and butcher shops in Victoria and through our on-farm market in Metchosin. We truly appreciate those who “walk the talk” and support local producers. From picturesque pastures to backyard barbecues Parry Bay lambs make people smile.

John & Lorraine Buchanan

250.478.9628 instagram: @parrybayfarm contact@parrybaysheepfarm.com facebook.com/parrybaysheepfarm www.parrybaysheepfarm.com facebook.com/ParryBayFarmMarket

Dumpling Drop has opened a new pickup location and storefront at 556A Pandora. It’s still a good idea to pre-order online as they continue to sell out at the speed of light. dumplingdrop.ca

Paradise Parfait is a new pop up serving Japanese-style parfaits from 1-3pm on the first Sunday of the month. Each month feature parfaits are made with fresh fruit, Avalon organic dairy, Japanese matcha, nuts, and local free-run eggs. Ingredients vary month to month and they strive to use local and organic ingredients wherever possible. paradiseparfait com

January Gin Joint and Eatery is planning a fall opening at 1820 Government Street. januaryinvictoria com

Bubby Rose’s Neapolitan Pizzeria & Café is opening in early fall at 2571 Quadra Street. bubbyrosesbakery.com

We are sad to share that Mo:Lé announced the permanent closure of its two locations at the end of June. Glenrosa Farm Restaurant on Rocky Point Road in Metchosin also closed its doors in September.

Part and Parcel made the decision in late summer to offer takeout only and recommend placing your order by phone, Tuesday-Saturday, 12-8pm. partandparcel.ca

Fall is foraging season and mushrooms are not stopping for Covid. Bill Jones of Deerholme Farm is continuing to offer his wild mushroom foraging workshops throughout the month of October and into November. The course is a fun day exploring and tasting the wild foods of the Cowichan Valley. deerholme com

For the past three years, the Oak Bay Beach Hotel has hosted its iconic Winemakers Long Table Dinner series. As a result of new health guidelines, the hotel has had to change the way they organize their long table-style dinners, removing the shared table setting and creating a more intimate, exclusive winemaker’s dinner with individual tables in the Grand Lobby. Guests are invited to experience the culinary delights of local BC winemakers in a socially distanced oceanside setting. Throughout the evening, guests will enjoy four courses prepared by Executive Chef Kreg Graham with British Columbia wines presented

On the cover: Sheet Pan Jambalaya

Recipe + Styling: Jennifer Danter

Photography: Jacqueline Downey

Recipe on 28 FOUNDER

Gary Hynes

PUBLISHER

Pacific Island Gourmet

EDITOR

Cynthia Annett-Hynes

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR/COPY EDITOR

Carolyn Bateman

VANCOUVER CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Julie Pegg

SENIOR WINE WRITER

Larry Arnold

LAYOUT AND DESIGN

and poured by guest winemakers and/ or winery owners. Dinners are scheduled for October 29 and Nov 12 2020, with doors opening at 6:45pm and the winemaker’s welcome beginning at 7:00pm. Tickets for each dinner are $149 Cdn per person, plus tax. Checkmate Artisanal Winery (Oct 29), Noble Ridge Winery (Nov 12). oakbaybeachhotel com

The London Chef is now offering virtual cooking classes as well as smaller, socially distanced in-person classes at their space on Fort St. The virtual classes include an option to have ingredients delivered to your door. You can prepare the dishes anytime with a pre-recorded video or follow along with a scheduled live-streamed class. thelondonchef.com

Without the possibility of any international travel on the horizon, I've been turning to books and cookbooks to satisfy my wanderlust. For this reason, I am eagerly awaiting the early November release of Bisous and Brioche: Classic French Recipes and Family Favorites from a Life in France. Local author Laura Bradbury, author of the Grape Series memoirs, teamed up with EAT's own Rebecca Wellman to create a stunning cookbook that is the next best thing to a trip to France. With evocative recipes and anecdotes, Bisous and Brioche will be perfect for lovers of French cuisine and anyone needing a little vicarious escape right now.

November 27-28, Rancho Vignola hosts its annual Vancouver Island Harvest Sale at Sidney’s Mary Winspear Centre Friday 9am-7pm and Saturday 9am-5pm. Take home the best nuts, dried fruit, seeds, and confection and fill your pantry with this year’s new crop! www ranchovignola com

Cynthia Annett-Hynes

PRODUCTION AND DESIGN

Amanda Batchelor

REGIONAL REPORTERS

Victoria, Rebecca Baugniet

CONTRIBUTORS

Jarusha Brown

Isabelle Bulota

Nate Caudle

Cinda Chavich

Jennifer Danter

Jacqueline Downey

Gillie Easdon

Kyle Guilfoyle

Amish Jain

Kris Klug

Elizabeth Monk

Daniel Murphy

Elizabeth Nyland

Izzy Pullen

Stephanie Roussinos

Adrien Sala

Shelora Sheldan

Johann Vincent

Rebecca Wellman

REGIONAL/NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER

Susan Worrall

ADVERTISING ACCOUNT MANAGERS

Ron Metella

Lorraine Browne

CONTRIBUTING AGENCIES

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Patio Sippers Perfect

Eating Well for Less TAJ AND XIN

Artfully blending the savoury flavours of China, Korea and India.

Taj: Taste of India

852 FORT ST. AT QUADRA, 778-265-1468, www tajtasteofindia com

I was pulled in by intriguing menu headings such as “Delhi Street Food” and “Indo-Chinese Cuisine,” and I’ll be back to Taj: Taste of India to check out the weekend singers in this Bollywood-themed restaurant. The street food menu is available from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every day, and boy, is it fun. Vada Pav for $4.99 looks like a cute mini-burger—granted, one with a wilted green chili draped on top of it. The “burger” is actually a puffy, fluffy, deep-fried potato and pea dumpling inside a “pav”, which is a bun. Rather than ketchup, chutney adds a sweet and sour hit to this savoury treat.

Gol Gappe, also from the street food menu, is a playful item for $8.99. Six little hollow, crispy, deep-fried balls made of wheat and semolina unleavened wheat

flour dough, called puri, are stuffed with a mixture of chickpea and potato. But the fun is just beginning. Each one has a little hole in the top into which you pour the tamarind mint sauce accompanying the dish. Pop the whole thing in your mouth and wait for the flavour explosion. I have not seen this dish on any other Victoria menu.

Owner Deepak Trehan hails from Delhi, and his wife Premlata is from Uttarakhand, a northern state bordered by both China and Nepal. The Indo-Chinese dishes from here have a fascinating blend of flavours. The Vegetarian Manchurian Gravy for $13.99 contains deep-fried carrot and cabbage vegetable balls, which lean toward India, but the sauce combines soy sauce, Szechuan sauce, and chili paste. Flavours in this dish move from sweet to sour to a bit of heat.

Another dish that seems to have a 50/50 blend of cultures is the Vegetarian Noodles for $12.99. It looks like a Shanghai noodle dish you would get in a Chinese restaurant, complete with the green onion garnish. But the golden-brown sauce has Indian spices and big juicy chunks of garlic.

This restaurant is offering some brand-new flavours to Victoria, and even some brand-new entertainment— on weekends your fascinating food is accompanied by live singers performing Bollywood songs.

GOL GAPPE IS LITTLE HOLLOW, CRISPY, DEEP-FRIED BALLS MADE OF WHEAT AND SEMOLINA UNLEAVENED DOUGH STUFFED WITH A MIXTURE OF CHICKPEA AND POTATO.

ELIZABETH NYLAND

823 BAY ST. AT DOUGLAS, 250-978-9328 XIN-KOREAN-RESTAURANT.BUSINESS.SITE

Blending food traditions is also a theme at Xin, a Korean restaurant that offers lots of Korean-Chinese dishes.

Chinese immigrants to Korea in the 1800s opened up Chinese restaurants, some of which acquired a Korean twist. In fact, Korean-Chinese food is a favourite choice for takeout in Seoul—and may soon be in Victoria.

Tangsuyuk, a .k.a. #39 on the menu, is “Korean soul food” according to chef- owner Josh. This Korean-Chinese dish is hearty, with a small mountain of deep-fried pork and chunky, roughcut peppers, onion, and purple cabbage all tossed in a sweet and sour glaze. It does not have the famed Korean heat, but fear not, that can be found elsewhere on the menu. This is a dish you would order for sharing, so the $23.50 price tag is fair.

Jajangmyeon, #10, is another classic in this blended cuisine. This simple dish of wheat noodles coated in a rich black bean sauce is all about the textures: the noodles’ slight firmness pairs nicely with the soft, wilted onions and the silky sauce. This dish is only $10.

For a purely Korean dish, try the Gal Bi Tang, #57. This soup has tender beef short ribs and sweet potato noodles in a flavourful, peppery broth. The toppings are lovely to behold: the pretty white and yellow strips are made from separate egg white and yolk pancakes that have been sliced up. Green onions top off the bowl. This goes for $16.

Korean cuisine always offers diners so much, whether you’re in a group or solo, because meals come with side dishes included. So I also got to enjoy kimchi, as well as a sweetened potato dish, a bean sprout salad, and steamed broccoli. This place is great, and the food is plentiful.

TANGSUYUK, WITH DEEP-FRIED PORK AND CHUNKY, ROUGH-CUT PEPPERS, ONION, AND PURPLE CABBAGE.

ELIZABETH NYLAND

Wanderlust FISH TALES

Julie Pegg has fond travel memories about the ones that didn’t get away.

FOR MORE THAN 40 years I have seldom been at home for more than a couple of months at a time. In the past six months I have rarely ventured beyond 15 km from the front door. Over recent weeks I’ve been recapturing those decades of travel in my mind’s eye just as if I had snapped a photo. With little choice in travel at the moment, I treasure the memory rush, much of it rather fishy.

Like the kipper breakfast and strong cuppa at an ungodly hour in the Piggy Café after stomping the chilly concrete of London’s Billingsgate Market, where the fishmongers set up shop at 3 a.m. and most of the catch is snapped up by eight. Or passing a splendid afternoon with a friend and his young sons fishing for glistening mackerel on a cliff north of Galway, followed by a good fry-up of the silver-blue fish and local spuds. I’ve spent sundown feasting on a medley of wine-and-garlic steamed mussels and prawns in an ancient trabucco-turned-restaurant in Abruzzo (a trabucco is a large wooden structure that supports a fish net suspended out over the sea, usually the Adriatic). And sunup on a lobster boat off the Magdalen Islands in waters so choppy I had to wait for my stomach to settle before cracking a boiled one open, dipping it in melted butter and eating with squishy white bread. I happened upon a fellow grilling sardines to a perfect char over coals on a quiet sidestreet in Oporto, Portugal. He charged me a euro for one. In Halifax, Nova Scotia, I’ve indulged in the sweet taste of scallops plucked from the sea and shell. And on this coast I’ve partaken of seaweed and wild salmon slow-roasted First Nations style on a beach north of Sooke. It’s been years since I thought about a helluva boisterous evening of crawfish and corn downed with buckets of beer and zydeco in New Orleans.

I was born in Aldeburgh (pronounced “all-bruh”), a town in the UK, about a fisherman’s cast from the water’s edge. The sea was in my father’s blood. I inherited his love of the water and his love of fish, particularly cod.

One memory of Aldeburgh visits keeps occurring—chowing down on piping hot fish and chips while strolling the village’s North Sea shingle beach. If you miss the frying times at the Aldeburgh Fish and Chip shop, you forego cod that is fried in batter so light and crisp it snaps like a wafer, and crunchy chips cut from local potatoes. If the queue is long and it usually is, you can grab a pint from the pub next door. There’s always a briny bite to the breeze, which lends an extra flavour note. Little wonder this fishing and arts community on England’s Suffolk coast is renowned for fish and chips. Cod, to my taste, is a beautiful fish. When cooked properly, a mere prod of a fork yields tender, firm, moist flakes. What’s more, it clocks in at about half the price of halibut and Alaska cod, which, in fact, is not cod at all.

In the 1990s, the Atlantic cod trade collapsed as a result of overfishing. Vigilant management, however, resurrected the industry and cod is once again sustainable, particularly in Icelandic waters. The Pacific cod industry is fortunately alive and well. Line-caught fish is the best to look for when shopping.

Cod is best cooked simply. For a quick meal, wedge fried cod (about 10 minutes in a hot pan) into a taco shell and top with avocado, homemade slaw and a good squeeze of lime, or try it stuffed into a mayo-slathered torpedo roll, po’boy style, with a sprinkling of chili flakes. Or make cod cakes eggs benny for brunch. Cool weather evenings call for cod roasted in olive oil and served over a winter ratatouille made with squash, turnips, parsnips, beets, and carrots. Poached in

court bouillon with peas, the flakey fish conjures up images of spring. Its affinity for the allium makes cod-and-leek chowder an ideal comfort potage. If weather permits barbecuing, I like to grill cod and par-boiled potatoes. But I keep the deep-frying to the experts.

I was in Iceland in March. As the news of Covid escalated, I was faced with a quandary of how to get home. I sorted out my dilemma over local lager and a thick flakey filet of cod, poached and served with parsley potatoes in a simple café.

When my next visit to Aldeburgh will be is anybody’s guess. Meanwhile a 30-minute drive gets me to the seaside village of Steveston for a cod and chips fix at Pajo’s or Dave’s and a stroll by the water in Garry Point Park. Not a bad substitute at all. When Dad came to visit he thought so too.

rhubarb too

810 catherine. vic west rhubarb too

The Palms Pilgrimme Tractor Foods Café Hànội

WORDS

Gillie Easdon

Daniel Murphy

Adrien Sala

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Johann Vincent

@r hu ba r bd e si gn s UNC O MM O N GOOD S

@r hu ba r bd e si gn s UNC O MM O N GOOD S

810 catherine. vic west rhubarb designs.com

The Gary Hynes Foundation

Thank you to all who have donated in his memory!

The Gary Hynes Foundation continues Gary's lifelong goals of giving people chances, mentoring, supporting the food and beverage industry, believing in the power of the printed word, and loving a good bass line in a song.

All donations will go to scholarships for students studying in culinary, journalism, or music disciplines.

Please donate to keep his dream going using the url link below.

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Gary Hynes–EAT M agazine founder and publisher/editor-in-chief for 19 years

Feeling the Breeze at The Palms

The Hotel Rialto dining room gets a warm and refreshing redesign.

MORE THAN THREE DECADES AGO, Rob Ekstrom and Darren Cole met while working at Fogg n’ Suds—a couple of young employees commiserating over the inadequacies of the Squirrel touchscreen technology that was everywhere at the time. They became fast friends and always talked about opening their own restaurant one day. In early August, that day arrived.

The Palms is the result of those years of preparation. Located in the former Veneto restaurant at the Hotel Rialto, it is a welcoming and spacious venue adorned with compelling art from a French-Canadian artist called Rio. The room is warmly lit, with booths for physical distancing, bench seating along the opposite wall, and a bar/lounge where you can enjoy some of the cocktails coming from bar manager Meghan Cheney. “We’re really lucky to have several amazing people helping pull everything together,” says Cole. “Meghan has created awesome cocktails named after the artwork.”

One of the most interesting is Crazy in Love, a refreshing blend of gin, Campari, Aperol, and pineapple juice shaken on ice with a prosecco float. The Happy Hour menu doesn’t

disappoint either, with Now Let’s Play—muddled fresh strawberries and basil, with red or white sangria, house-made lemonade, and a splash of sparkling for just six bucks.

Chef Kyle Dampsy (Hawksworth, Blue Water Café, Wickaninnish Inn) has joined the team as well and his connections with local suppliers ensure menu ingredients are local and fresh.

“One of the first things I did was start exploring the local farms to figure out what kind of techniques they were using,” says Dampsy. “The menu is basically all organic, local food that is packed with nutrients.”

He’s put together a nice balance of classic fare like The Palms Burger ($16) with a 6 oz organic beef patty, alongside dishes like a green Thai curry loaded with fresh veg called the Goddess Bowl ($18). Crispy Lois Lake Steelhead ($26) and a Double Chop Rack of Lamb ($32) round out the mains, while starters create a nice offering for sharing or sampling. A Celebration of Local Tomatoes ($16) and the Tuna Poke ($18) are personal favourites—as well as the Truffle Parmesan Frites ($5).

The Palms is a refreshing redesign of a room with a deep history in Victoria and has a little something for everyone.

ADRIEN SALA

Images courtesy of The Palms.

The Palms Burger

Double Chop Rack of Lamb

This bucket list restaurant is well worth the pilgrimage to Galiano Island this fall.

CERTAIN MEALS ETCH THEMSELVES onto your memory. My recent nine-course with pairings at Pilgrimme on Galiano Island is etched on my mind, taste buds, emotions, and heart.

I’d been hearing about Pilgrimme ever since it opened to immediate national acclaim in 2014. Chef and co-owner Jesse McCleery worked in several top restaurants in his hometown of Winnipeg as well as in Clayoquot Sound and the Great Bear Rainforest. He also spent a winter at Denmark’s Noma, one of the world’s top restaurants.

Pilgrimme occupies a rustic farmhouse nestled in the trees. The dining room is welcoming and carefully decorated with a rusted two-person saw, local textile wall hangings, and varied ceramics.

Our first bite was a chickpea tostada with seaweed, bull kelp powder, fava beans with seaweed aioli, and nasturtium petals. I admit whenever I’m presented with a colourful and visually busy dish I’m skeptical it won’t tie together. But the thin tostada held its structure, and the flavours and textures merged into a creamy, slightly salted, exquisite kickoff.

Next we had koji and salmon fish bone broth with tomato, kohlrabi, and hyssop paired with Rigour & Whimsy’s orange Roussanne Marsanne. Jesse’s koji is cooked barley that has been inoculated with a fermentation culture. This dish was luscious but also had a brightness from the tomato. The menu shifts daily, depending on available ingredients, tweaks, or new inspiration. Jesse conjures recipes on his weekly solo driving day to Vancouver and Vancouver Island but admits when he manages to write things down on scraps of paper, he often loses them.

Potato and heritage grain sourdough rolls with burnt onion, roasted tomato powder, and whipped butter studded with hyssop blossoms arrived next. The bread’s pale browns and yellows, with the shock of bright purple, was stunning—warm, crusty, soft, singing with the butter and prominent onion. Jesse is building a wood oven for a sister business, “Charmer,” out the back. It will offer sourdough pizzas, desserts, and a few drinks to cater to a more casual and family-friendly crew. “People can sit on the grass and relax. It will be nice to have the energy of people out there.” At the time of writing it was slated to open in October 2020.

Chef/owner Jesse McCleery

Grilled Chicories with a paste of smoked herring and fermented chilis

Grilled fish bone and barley koji broth with tomatoes, salmon roe and hyssop

Duck yolk and fruit vinegar tart with fresh milled neepawa wheat pastry and food forest berries

The next dish, cucumber with grilled cream, salmon roe, and kelp, was paired with Anthony Buchanan Viognier and sent the animated crew I was dining with into reverent silence. To grill cream, you add white wine, steep local herbs, then throw in piping hot coals. I was dumbfounded how the crisp lemon cucumber could fuse with the cream while the spike of the roe popping and the pickled bull kelp all combined to create this distinct, incredible flavour.

When the alkaline noodle, charcoal, and black garlic arrived, two servers poured sour dashi (a stock commonly used in Japanese cuisine) in a seamless dance. Their palpable excitement and understanding of each dish made the service memorable. The manilla clam, badger flame beet, peas, and escarole was next. The beets are dehydrated then rehydrated, and their texture matched the clams’ sweet and savory.

The smoked chicken with Mt. Sutil carrot and mulberry arrived as a shared plate, paired with Ursa Major Cabernet Sauvignon. The charcoal-grilled chicken glazed in a rye grain malt rested on a bed of charred fir needles and hay. The jus was made with chicken skin and mulberry. That’s when I noticed we hadn’t had any meat yet. The bulk of the menus are vegetarian and pescetarian. Jesse prefers game for its lower impact on the environment, though they sometimes serve local lamb.

At this point, I was hoping for a dish that did not blow my mind. Then the duck yolk and fruit vinegar tart arrived. The pastry was perfect and the tart was exceptional. I only had a single bite of the kamut cake with walnut and sunshine farm fig. It was tasty, but the weight of even a small cake was more than I could manage. Our last bite was a loonie-sized salted shortbread with roasted cooked barley koji, served on a bed of raw barley. The flavours wove chocolate and coffee hints, then we all sipped a comforting and fermented blackberry leaf and calendula tea, a welcome digestif. We left awed, full, and at peace, and slowly made our way back to the lovely and rustic Garden Gate Cottage to digest every facet of this gem. Jesse McCleery, co-owner Leanna LaLonde, and the team have created a restaurant that is sublime and more than worth the “pilgrimage.”

GILLIE EASDON

Images courtesy of Pilgrimme.

JARUSHA BROWN

JARUSHA BROWN

The welcoming dining room at Pilgrimme

SUSTAINABLE, ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY INVESTMENT SOLUTIONS

Tractor Foods

Fresh healthy meals quickly and expertly prepared without that cookie-cutter feel of a large chain.

CONSISTENT FOOT TRAFFIC is perhaps the greatest accolade in today’s restaurant climate. On a cool, sunny, late-summer’s stroll to Government and Wharf Street, the abnormality of this year is stark and obvious; the lack of bustle and noise is tangible, heavy. That’s why—against this arid backdrop—the steady, socially distanced queue at Tractor Foods speaks volumes.

Patrons are greeted immediately by strikingly red, ceramic cauldrons of simmering soups and stews. This instantly invokes a strong sense of transparency, as you’re basically in the middle of the kitchen—an invitation to watch as real, fresh ingredients are prepared and cooked for the day. Depending on your timing, you might see the prep cooks sweating the mirepoix or rolling falafels.

The Tractor Foods concept, and first store, originated in Kitsilano in 2013, under their full banner: “Tractor Everyday Healthy Foods.” The Victoria location is now one of eight physical venues (with an additional West Vancouver site underway), which are all stylishly designed to provide fresh food, quickly and conveniently. While the execution is methodical and systematic, the food delivers on this promise, without the cookie-cutter uniformity of a large restaurant chain.

The menu is fairly straightforward but expertly encapsulates today’s popular notion of “healthy” food: the aforementioned soups and stews, sandwiches, wraps, an extensive salad selection, grain/rice bowls with a range of proteins, a few baked snacks, and some additional egg-centric breakfast items.

SERVED FRESH RIGHT HERE ON VANCOUVER ISLAND.

Want to make a difference and still meet your financial goals? Let us show you how using proactive Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) standards can do just that. We’ve been doing it for years. Right here in Victoria.

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Neil Chappell and Graham Isenegger are Investment Advisors and Portfolio Managers with the Blue Heron Advisory Group of CIBC Wood Gundy in Victoria BC. CIBC Wood Gundy is a division of CIBC World Markets Inc., a subsidiary of CIBC and a Member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund and Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. CIBC Private Wealth Management consists of services provided by CIBC and certain of its subsidiaries, including CIBC Wood Gundy, a division of CIBC World Markets Inc. “CIBC Private Wealth Management” is a registered trademark of CIBC, used under license. “Wood Gundy” is a registered trademark of CIBC World Markets Inc. If you are currently a CIBC Wood Gundy client, please contact your Investment Advisor. Past performance may not be repeated and is not indicative of future results.

Tractor Foods’ menu might be best represented by their rendition of hipster staple Avocado Toast: thick-cut, airy multigrain toast with a generous smearing of rich avocado, a hint of chili-seed heat, topped with seasonal greens and an olive oil drizzle. Simple, fresh, familiar—and well-executed. The Southwest Breakfast Wrap also delivers a great value for a quick breakfast pit stop: scrambled eggs, red pepper, black beans, onion, roasted butternut squash and corn, cilantro, Cheddar cheese, and lime juice—wrapped tightly in a whole wheat tortilla, and toasted crisp. Lunch is where the salads really take centre stage: from the familiar (Kale Caesar) to the exotic (Mushroom Ditalini) and a few in-between (Snap Pea, Potato, and Mint). For something hearty, try the horseradish-rich Shaved Beef Sandwich with a bowl of classic tomato-fennel soup. For simple, clean flavours, dished fast and done well, take a seat in Tractor Foods’ Gastown-esque ambience and watch the strangely quiet Victoria day pass by.

DANIEL MURPHY

White tile walls and wood define the space at Tractor Foods

Café Hànội

784 HUMBOLDT ST.

250-383-0288 | CAFE-HANOI.BUSINESS.SITE

CAFÉ HÀNỘI BRINGS TO ITS TABLES what too many Vietnamese restaurants in this part of the world lack: freshness and authenticity. Crisp, aromatic herbs and vegetables. Phở broth that’s light and subtly complex. Delicate, soft noodles. The sauces and spiced vinegar are clean, balanced, and refined.

Let’s face it—the average Vietnamese meal can be a fairly formulaic experience in North America: stark decor with inflections of thrift store and hospital cafeteria; service bordering on reluctant; a menu so encyclopedic that dishes need to be numbered to avoid total confusion. At times the food itself—while tasty and filling—feels like it was built from an instruction manual, rather than crafted with passion.

But on the ground floor of the Belvedere building—across from the old church on Humboldt and Blanshard—sits Café Hànội’s cosy, unassuming space. The interior feels more comfortable than many others in town—choosing cushions and wood furniture over the utilitarian ambience of a Vietnamese hawker centre. (If the weather is still conducive at time of publication, there’s even a sunny outdoor patio space with vivid red umbrellas for shade.)

The menu focuses on select North Vietnamese staples, making it refreshingly small: four soups, salad rolls, bánh mì, specialty coffee and pastries—with a weekly special. While the menu may be on the diminutive side, the dishes are formidable. The traditional beef phở, is especially impressive: it sent me immediately back to the beaches of Da Nang, where the phở, is light and fresh enough to be a great breakfast option.

For a more intense flavour profile, try the lesser-known Phở Bo Sốt Vang (Beef Stew Marinated in Red Wine.) A heavily French-influenced dish, it’s essentially a combination of French-style beef stew and phở noodle soup—resulting in a richer, deeper flavoured broth that’s still complemented by traditional phở spices and broad noodles.

While the salad rolls were deliciously fresh, the creamy house-made peanut sauce stole the spotlight. Like all the dishes on offer, the balance and complexity are truly exceptional. As we ate, variations of traditional Vietnamese coffee preparations whisked by, smelling rich and potent.

Impressed by every dish I saw and tasted, I briefly considered a pork Bánh Mì, confident that it would rival those of the inimitable street vendors of Hội An… but my full stomach begged for a postponement. I’ll save that for another visit—of which there will be many.

For both hard-core Vietnamese food fans and those with only a casual interest—Café Hànội is a must-try.

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Tony Nguyen at Café Hànô i

GREAT LOCAL FOOD DESERVES OUR SUPPORT. SAY HELLO TO THE TASTE OF LANGFORD!

With the fall and winter months fast approaching, our local restaurants need your support. The City of Langford is behind a local initiative designed to encourage Langford residents to support local restaurants when that support means more than ever.

Say hello to Taste of Langford!

LOOK FOR YOUR FAVOURITE LANGFORD RESTAURANTS AS THEY SHOWCASE THEIR SPECIAL MENUS & PROMOTIONS.

Our restaurants will still have capacity for eat-in, but if you prefer to order directly that works too!

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR OUR LOCAL RESTAURANTS

LOOK FOR SPECIAL PROMOTIONS ON:

OR +

EAT-IN RESTAURANT ORDER DIRECT PICK UP

OCTOBER 1ST to DECEMBER 21st

SKIP THE APP. ORDER DIRECTLY from your favourite restaurant. PICK IT UP. This ensures all of your support stays with the restaurant and you get to enjoy great food whenever you want to.

tasteoflangford.com

Rosemary & Feta Potato Loaf

Isabelle Bulota

Serves 8-10.

A delicious homemade bread is always a welcome treat that can really set the mood for a good day. This is an approachable recipe to bring to holiday gatherings, or simply enjoy with whipped butter, a hot soup, and a glass of wine.

2 Tbsp active dry yeast

2 tsp sugar

½ cup warm water

3 cups (450 g) all-purpose flour, sifted

2 tsp salt

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp chopped rosemary leaves, plus a few sprigs

1 medium potato (175 g), peeled and grated

4 spring onions, finely sliced, optional ½ cup milk

2 eggs

½ cup olive oil

1 tsp grain mustard

200 g feta, cut in cubes

Place the yeast, sugar, and water in a bowl and stir to combine. Allow to stand in a warm place for 10 minutes.

Sift the flour into a large bowl, holding the sieve up high to give it a good airing. Then add the salt, cayenne pepper, and chopped rosemary and mix to combine. Gently mix in the grated potato, and the spring onions, if desired.

In another bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, oil, and mustard.

In the flour mix bowl, add the yeast mixture and egg mixture and stir well to combine. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and let it stand in a warm place for 1 hour or until the dough is doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F). Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or you can use a lined Dutch oven to keep the loaf in a round shape.

Press pieces of the feta over the surface of the bread, add a few sprigs of rosemary and dust generously with flour. Bake the bread on a shelf near the centre of the oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove it to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Serve it still slightly warm.

RECIPE + STYLING + PHOTOGRAPHY

TRY WITH:

• Avalon Dairy cold sweet butter on warm slices

• Drizzled with Babe's honey and scattered walnut pieces

• SaltSpring Kitchen Co. chutneys or relishes—perhaps Onion & Thyme, Spicy Tomato, or Candied Jalapeño

• Pickles’ Pantry Traditional Pork Rillette

• Dip in Victoria Olive Oil Co. Infused Olive Oil and Dark Balsamic Vinegar

SUBSTITUTE / ADD TO THE DOUGH:

• Add roasted pumpkin or roasted sunflower seeds

• Add marinated Kalamata olives

• Add freshly roasted garlic cloves

• Substitute the feta and rosemary for Salt Spring Island Cheese Ruckles and thyme

• Substitute the feta and rosemary for old cheddar cheese and jalapeños

• Substitute the feta for Little Qualicum Cheese Works Monterey Jill–grate some and add to dough and top loaf with lots of green onions prior to cooking

Eating Out—at Home

Take-out, a lifeline for restaurants in the early days of the pandemic, now seems here to stay.

WORDS

Are you missing those romantic date night dinners, a favourite dish from a local chef, the fluffy brunch pancakes of your dreams?

These days, everyone has something they’re craving, but thanks to our creative chefs, there are new ways to take away those addictive flavours and enjoy dining in the safety and comfort of your own space.

Takeaway gave shuttered dining rooms an immediate lifeline but even as restaurants reopen, it seems here to stay.

“I definitely did a lot of in-home meal kits,” says Rob Cassels, chef/proprietor at Saveur Restaurant, describing his pre-cooked, sous-vide dinners for two, available to pre-order and reheat at home. “It’s been quite up and down, but it helped us stay afloat.”

Though demand for take-out dropped as restaurants reopened, Cassels says he will

continue his weekly, three-course meal kits, ranging from local ling cod with corn velouté, crispy polenta, Silver Rill Corn ragout and Mason Street Farm greens, to spicy soy-glazed Cowichan Valley chicken with sesame Silver Rill carrots, miso-dressed cold soba noodles, and braised cabbage with mushrooms. Staples “to stock the fridge” include his house-made sesame dressing, Korean barbecue sauce, and bone broth to go.

At the House of Boateng, chef/owner Castro Boateng switched gears quickly, too, adding take-out pantry foods, three-course “take and bake” meals, and barbecue dinner kits for four. As well, he’s been grilling his jerk chicken on the outdoor patio for takeaway lunches.

Boateng leaned on his catering skills with weekly “date night” dinners to take home—including a multi-course Japanese dinner, a vegetarian feast, and a family picnic. At the same time, he expanded the HOB Pantry, with take-out à la carte salads, proteins and side dishes, plus house dressings, jerk marinade, pickled fiddleheads, eggs and gourmet greens from his local farm suppliers.

Cinda Chavich

JACQUELINE DOWNEY

Provisions from 10 Acres

Takeaway kept kitchen staff employed and “the supply chain open for the farms selling their vegetables,” he says.

And though creating an ever-changing takeout menu requires more work, there’s an upside. By the time restaurants re-opened, Boateng had a raft of new customers for his Langford café and was able to expand beyond his popular brunch offerings into regular weekend dinner service. Now the three-course Take and Bake meal changes weekly—think ancient grains salad with sea asparagus, harissa baked eggplant with halloumi and berbere fried chicken—with a new HOB Dinner Kit (for four) every month. Recent menus for the latter included a southern fried chicken, jambalaya and cornbread feast, and a vegetarian burger meal with grilled naan, potato, and roasted beet salads.

While stressful, the pandemic has been a blessing in disguise, says Boateng. “We always thought about catering to go, but never really acted on it,” he says. “Now it’s part of the business.”

With social distancing rules limiting the number of diners in restaurants, takeout has helped small independents compensate for dwindling receipts and may remain in place for some time.

Little Jumbo put its menu online, with curbside pickup orders of food and cocktails, and created a special takeaway picnic with rabbit rillettes, chicken liver parfait, charcuterie and cheeses, complete with a branded canvas tote and fleece blanket. 10 Acres built an online

market for fresh produce from their farm and pantry staples, Cook at Home chicken curry, shepherd’s pie, and family meal kits. Agrius reopened with a pared-down weekend dinner menu, while continuing to offer its new organic pizza-to-go daily.

At Nourish Kitchen + Cafe, the online market for house-made “provisions”—from cashew cheese and seed bread to bone broth and vegan hollandaise sauce—flourished, and owner Hayley Rosenberg re-imagined her post-pandemic business model to emphasize this service.

“Initially, it’s the survival instinct—‘How do we keep going?’—but then it’s, ‘Where do we want to go?’” she says.

The answer has been to return to the concept of nourishing her customers with a focus on takeaway, from ingredients to takeout picnics and brunch “bundles” with their famous Sleeping Beauty pancake breakfast for two. Half the dining room is now a market, the shelves and coolers filled with herbs from their gardens, house-made food products, and those from other local makers. There’s also online ordering—and delivery via local HeartBeatSupply.ca—whether you need healthy baking supplies or a bottle of Unsworth Sparkling Rosé.

“What was a little part of our business became our business while the restaurant was closed, and now it’s the focus,” says Rosenberg.

JACQUELINE DOWNEY

JACQUELINE DOWNEY

JACQUELINE DOWNEY

KYLE GUILFOYLE

Little Jumbo Picnic

Saveur offers take home Meal Kits, sauces, and dressings

A sample of the take home food and pantry staples available at House of Boateng

There have always been popular spots for takeout food in Victoria— whether it’s La Pasta in the Victoria Public Market, Superbaba, Tacofino, or Foo—but now there are new businesses designed entirely around takeaway.

Cube Food Box is the latest innovation from restaurateur Anton Ihl and Nubo Group— chilled, Japanese-style takeout meals, from sushi to unagi poke and karaage chicken with rice, packed in simple black boxes and ready to grab from the cooler and go to the office or the beach.

For stocking the fridge with restaurant-style meals, there’s YouChefYou.com. It’s the brainchild of Darren Cole and features proteins and sides that are vacuum-sealed and cooked sous-vide, ready to heat and eat. Choices range from grilled prawns and pork tenderloin to jumbo scallops or flat-iron steaks, with fingerling potatoes, risotto, and cauliflower mash.

“It’s not the cold burger and soggy fries,” says Cole, who is running the You Chef You! business out of the restaurant kitchen he now oversees at the Hotel Rialto.

“The goal is to deliver restaurant-quality food options directly from our chef’s kitchen to your kitchen,” he says. “We have reinvented the takeout food industry.”

Though takeout is not a substitute for the restaurant dining experience—or a long-term solution for independent operators—it may be a big part of how we enjoy our favourite chefs’ creations for some time.

Pickup or Delivery?

According to the BC Restaurant and Food Service Association (BCRFA), take-out restaurant food sales are projected to grow by 20 per cent annually over the next four years.

Online ordering and delivery apps like Skip the Dishes and Door Dash fuelled the take-out trend, but in the current crisis, the cost is too high for many small independents.

The third party apps make it convenient for consumers to peruse menus and order home delivery from a single site, but restaurants may pay commissions of up to 35 percent of sales to some of the platforms. With many restaurants now dependent on take-out sales for the majority of their revenue, that fee level is not sustainable. Some have dropped the services entirely and are urging take-out customers to order directly, by phone or online, for pickup and delivery. Others are turning to new ordering platforms like Moduurn, which charge restaurants a flat monthly fee. Tutti is another option, a Victoria-based delivery app that offers restaurants lower rates.

In July, the City of Portland passed an ordinance to cap the fees delivery apps can charge restaurants at 10 per cent. Other cities, including New York and San Francisco, have also ordered commission caps to support local restaurants at this time.

Early on in the pandemic, the Canadian food service industry launched a #TakeoutDay campaign, encouraging consumers to order take-out from a local restaurant once every week to help keep the industry afloat. Restaurant sales jumped by 15-40 per cent across the country in a single week.

The BC Restaurant and Food Service Association says take-out services can also help the local tourism industry.

“Using takeaway in very different ways can be very exciting, turning a day trip or family holiday into an outdoor adventure,” says Samantha Scholefield, BCRFA marketing manager. “Make a day of it—a takeaway day.”

Road trippers can call ahead for take-out meals and meal kits, or pick up house-made sauces, marinades, soups, and breads to enjoy on the trip or at their destination.

Take-out is the new normal, at least until the old normal is normal again. So order in your next meal and support your favourite restaurants—just be aware when choosing how to order.

Just one of many CUBE Food Box's take out offerings

The Nancy Sinatra Cocktail

A cool weather sipper inspired by those boots made for walkin’.

During the colder seasons, we tend to crave a cozy room, candlelight, and a stiff drink next to us that warms our soul. In a restaurant landscape, where literally everything from tea to tiger stripe ice cream is being used as a cocktail ingredient, sometimes it’s nice to take off the “gee whiz mixology” hat and enjoy a simple, classically styled beverage. (Big thanks to bar legend Simon Ogden for that term.)

As much as guests expect a degree of theatre and unique craftsmanship for the $16 price tag, it is inversely valuable to have a cocktail that travels well. I call these back bar cocktails. This simply means that pretty much any decent cocktail bar can whip up said cocktail with a standard curation of bottles.

This sultry sipper is awesome because you don’t need any volatile ingredients like vermouth or citrus. It is slightly smoky, deep, and nostalgic. The name was inspired by three elements: Cynar and Maraschino, both from Italy or “the boot,” and Johnnie Walker’s famous slogan: “Keep walking.”

The Nancy Sinatra

1⅔ oz (50 mL) Johnnie Walker Black Label (smoky in profile from Islay malts)

⅔ oz (20 mL) Cynar (an Italian amaro)

⅓ oz (10 mL) Luxardo Maraschino (a liqueur that adds texture and sweetness)

2 dashes Orange Bitters (preferably Regan’s or Scrappy’s)

Glass: Small cocktail coupe

Method: Stir with ice and strain neat

Garnish: Pickled cherry

Nate Caudle is co-owner of the Nimble Bar Co.

Nate Caudle

Skewered

RECIPE + STYLING + PHOTOGRAPHY

Rebecca Wellman

Spicy Chicken and Shiitake Skewers

Serves 4

½ ripe Asian pear, grated, with any juices

2 Tbsp red miso

1 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

3 Tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp chili flakes

2 Tbsp minced garlic

2 Tbsp minced ginger

¾ cups water, divided

2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts chopped into 1.5-x1.5-inch pieces

20 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed

12–24 scallions

Olive oil

3 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp honey

Fresh cilantro and lime wedges to serve

In a large bowl, combine pear, miso, tamari, sesame oil, fish sauce, chili flakes, garlic, ginger and ¼ cup water. Add the chicken, stir to coat well, and let marinate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.

Thread the chicken, interspersed with the mushrooms, on 4 metal

skewers. Keep the marinade. (If you are using bamboo skewers, be sure to soak them in cold water for at least 30 minutes before using.)

Heat a grill to high heat.

Brush the skewers and the scallions with a bit of olive oil, ensuring you coat the mushrooms well.

Grill skewers for 15–18 minutes, rotating occasionally, until chicken is cooked through. Grill the scallions for about 3 minutes until slightly softened and browned.

While skewers are grilling, pour the reserved marinade into a small saucepan and add the remaining ½ cup of water, the rice vinegar, and the honey. Bring to a complete, rolling boil and continue boiling for at least one minute (this must be done to kill any bacteria from the raw chicken), then reduce to a simmer and cook for another 4–5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Plate skewers and top with cilantro. Serve with lime wedges, sticky rice, roasted broccolini, and the hot marinade.

Hacking Your Kitchen

Shelora Sheldan collected her own favourite kitchen hacks, then reached out to chefs, passionate home cooks, bakers, bartenders, poets, and even an heirloom bean grower, for more innovations. Ready, set, hack!

FACE IT, WE’RE ALL LOOKING FOR SHORTCUTS to save on time, energy, or effort, and hacks, those innovative solutions to tricky problems, are the order of the day. Often they’re common sense advice, but at their finest, hacks reflect a person’s inventiveness. My kitchens, for better or worse, have always been minuscule and plagued with lack of storage, so coming up with solutions to make cooking life easier has become second nature.

For example, pulling open a cutlery drawer and setting a cutting board on top adds extra prep room, and chairs always become extra space for setting down mixing bowls or plates. My go-to cooking hacks include: peeling ginger root with the edge of a teaspoon to make it quick and easy, and sprinkling a clove of garlic with salt to make mincing more efficient—it breaks down the garlic faster yielding a wonderful, salty, mash. Whether it’s a whole chicken or thick-cut steak, my dry aging hack involves simply leaving the meat, unwrapped, in the fridge for 24 hours, ridding the protein of excess moisture. It renders crisper skin on roast chicken and a good even sear on steaks. On the extreme end of the hack scale twisting up a wire coat hanger for a makeshift toasting rack to set over an electric stove’s element has worked wonders in the past. And a clothing iron really does make a serviceable grilled cheese sandwich—minus the steam setting. Just press the sandwich in between tin foil and voila!

Jennifer Cockrall-King, food writer, author, co-author of Tawâw: Progressive Indigenous Cuisine, Naramata

• Use a damp cloth under the bottom of a bowl to keep it from spinning as you stir or whisk.

• Choose lemon and limes with smooth skins, not deep pores, as they seem to be juicer.

• To get way more juice from citrus, pop them in the microwave for about 10 seconds before juicing.

Heidi Fink, chef, culinary instructor, Victoria

• Substitute the peanut butter in cookies with an equal part of tahini plus a tablespoon of toasted sesame oil.

• Keep some of the pasta’s cooking water to thin pasta sauces or pesto. It provides a bit of starch to help sauce cling to noodles.

• Pretend kale is cabbage when you cook it. That means low and slow for a more tender, flavourful side dish.

• Limes juice better and faster by cutting them in straight wedges around the core/center instead of cutting like a lemon wedge. https://www.chefheidifink.com/blog/thai/ how-to-cut-and-juice-a-lime/

Evan Jensen, craft bartender and consultant, Columbia Tower Club, Seattle

• When using a three-piece cocktail shaker, invert the middle top, as opposed to the lid, and invert, so the holes are facing down over the tin, and use it as a pulp strainer.

• In lieu of a shaker, use a mason jar.

• In a pinch, a wooden spoon makes an adequate muddler.

• To save time, Jensen suggests making batch cocktails by using this simple bartender ratio: equal amounts of citrus and sweet with double the base spirit. For example, one part lime juice to one part triple sec to two parts tequila.

Bill Jones, chef, author, owner Deerholme Farm, Cowichan Valley

• “In the spring I pick lots of stinging nettle and blanch and freeze in cubes. It adds instant wild flavour to sauces and stews.”

• Running a cup of pickling vinegar through an empty dishwasher cycle removes scaling and refreshes the interior.

• To bake frozen loaves of bread, run the loaves (frozen) quickly under cold water. Bake in a hot oven until the crust is hard. The centre will be moist and the crust crisp like freshly baked bread.

Yve Kosugi, artisan baker, Farmersdotter Organics, Cawston

• To eliminate the need for measuring spoons, cut a pound of butter into quarter sticks and freeze them wrapped in parchment paper. There are eight tablespoons to a quarter pound and you can easily measure by the tablespoon by just cutting off what you need.

• For accurate oven temperature calibration, use a baking stone and thermometer. The stone evens the heat and the thermometer tells you the correct temperature.

• When using a springform pan, invert the bottom so that the cake is easier to remove.

• Put whole garlic cloves in a stainless bowl, top it with another slightly smaller bowl, and shake vigorously. Most of the skins fly off, making quick work of peeling.

Denise Marchessault, cooking instructor and cookbook author, Victoria

• Use a microplane zester when mincing garlic or ginger—it’s quick and easy.

• Whenever making a big batch of stock, reserve half to reduce to a syrup-like consistency. Freeze the concentrated stock in ice cube trays and add the cubes (a.k.a. flavour bombs) to everything from soups to stews and pasta sauces. The cubes also make quick and flavourful chicken or beef pan sauces.

• When a recipe calls for room temperature eggs, place the eggs (in the shell) in a bowl of warm tap water for a few minutes.

• Need room temperature butter in a hurry? Grate the butter with a cheese grater.

“If I have a vegan request and no time, I use miso and diced potato to make a quick soup base - just add diced vegetables or mushrooms for a quick and savoury soup or sauce.”

— BILL JONES

Autumn Maxwell, owner Cold Comfort Ice Cream, Victoria

• Zest a bunch of citrus, add an equal volume of sugar, and puree the mixture to a paste. It stores for a long time in the fridge and is easy to add by the teaspoon whenever you need to add a citrusy burst to ice creams, smoothies, pies, custards, or crumbles.

Colleen McClean, chef, artisan baker, Hearth & Grain, Powell River

• Wrap half a lemon in cheesecloth before squeezing. No need to strain out the pips.

Susan Musgrave, poet, author of A Taste of Haida Gwaii, owner of Copper Beech House, Haida Gwaii

• To stop cheese from going moldy, put a sugar cube in the bag you keep it in.

• To keep a bottle of Prosecco or champagne bubbly for quite a few days after it’s been open, put a teaspoon in the mouth of the bottle. No need to re-cork. Just refrigerate.

Steve Sando, cookbook author, heirloom bean grower and founder Rancho Gordo, Napa

• “A plain old vegetable peeler is my favourite tool. For slicing cabbage, you get super-thin slices and you can do just enough for your bean taco. You get nice razor-thin slices of radishes as well. And for carrots, after you get the skin off, keep peeling and you get nice very thin strips of carrot, which are perfect for salads.”

Ron Shewchuk, barbecue evangelist and cookbook author, Vancouver

• To tell if a knife is sharp, run it across your thumbnail, like you’re trying to shave it. If the knife sticks, it’s sharp.

• To tell if a pan is hot enough to fry something, lick the tip of your finger and then touch the surface really quickly. If the pan is hot enough it will make a quick hissing sound. To prevent anything from sticking to a hot grill, wait before flipping it. As the food chars, it naturally releases off the cooking grate. Test by just trying to gently lift it with the bottom lip of your tongs. If it doesn’t release from the grill, wait another minute or two.

Solomon Siegel, cocktail aficionado, GM, and co-owner Pagliacci’s, Victoria

• Adding a pinch of salt to any citrus cocktail, or any cocktail, makes flavours taste more like themselves, essentially speeding up the activity of your taste buds.

Nancy Wong, PR professional, passionate baker, Vancouver

• Use buttermilk in anything that includes baking powder or baking soda as the acid in the buttermilk activates the leavening agents resulting in a lighter texture. As a substitute, adding a bit of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to the liquid in the recipe creates the same process.

“When making anything with chocolate, I always add a bit of espresso coffee to the recipe as it enhances the chocolate flavour and makes it richer.” — NANCY WONG

Quick Creole Spice Blend

Makes 1 cup.

Combine ¼ cup paprika with 2 Tbsp each of onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano and basil leaves with 1 Tbsp each of dried thyme leaves, cayenne pepper, coarsely ground sea salt, black pepper and ½ tsp sugar.

Tip: Swap in 1 Tbsp smoked sweet paprika for regular paprika if you have some.

Sheet Pan JAMBALAYA

An untraditional take on a classic recipe using local West Coast ingredients, leftover rice, a few kooky twists and just one pan. Hooked yet?

Jennifer Danter

PHOTOGRAPHY Jacqueline Downey

West Coast Jambalaya

Serves 6.

Plan ahead; if you don’t have leftover cooked rice languishing in your fridge, make some the night before. It will help streamline this to a one-pan meal.

If you need to cook rice, choose basmati. It cooks quickly and is extra delish simmered in coconut milk with generous pinches of turmeric.

1 each green and red or orange bell pepper, coarsely chopped

½ large red onion, thickly sliced

Olive oil

2 Tbsp Quick Creole Spice Blend, divided

2 smoky sausages Tip: We’re loving Haus Smoked Duck Andouille sausages

12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

16 cherry tomatoes, halved

2 cups finely chopped kale

1½–2 cups cooked rice

¼ cup each tomato sauce and water

1 cup green sauce Tip: Available at The Root Cellar

Toppings (optional) chopped fresh herbs or chopped green onions

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Place peppers and onion on a large sheet pan. Generously drizzle with oil; sprinkle with 1 Tbsp spice blend. Slice sausages into thick rounds; place on pan and toss to mix. Roast for 15–18 min.

Meanwhile, place shrimp, tomatoes, kale and rice in a bowl; drizzle with more oil; add remaining 1 Tbsp spice blend.

Carefully remove the sheet pan from the oven. Scatter shrimp and rice mixture over top. Drizzle with tomato sauce and water; stir to mix.

Bake until shrimp turn bright pink and kale starts to wilt, about 8–10 min.

Drizzle with green sauce, then sprinkle with toppings.

Playing the Long Game

By focusing on quality, Hoyne Brewing has been riding out the storm.

Let’s face it, it has been a weird year. Our best-laid plans were put to pasture at the beginning of March, and for many of us, that pasture continues to have an ever-expanding horizon of unknowns. Our usual evenings out turned to evenings in as restaurant and pub service came screeching to a halt. And when most were confused and a little (or a lot) scared, many dove headfirst into projects at home, baking bread, comfort eating, having conversations on selfie sticks, before giving in to the reality of this uncertain era. The whole thing has been very, very strange. But, hey, at least we had beer.

One of the breweries helping keep us emotionally balanced was Hoyne Brewing Company, the Victoria-based brewery that over the past 10 years has grown to become the seventh largest craft brewery in the province. Run by Sean Hoyne and his wife, Chantal O’Brien, the company has quietly been expanding through a philosophy of playing the long game, focusing on quality instead of trying to squeeze every penny out of a pint. Evidence of this can be found all over Hoyne’s

new website (hoynebrewing ca), which has a number of articles and tidbits that point toward this philosophy being effective.

Quality over Profits

“I’ve often joked that if there was a more expensive way to make beer,” says Sean Hoyne, “we’d find it.” And he means it. A brewmaster since the late ’80s in Victoria, Hoyne has seen the craft brewing industry explode around him over the years, with dozens of small companies fighting to claw some of the market share away from the big corporate breweries. Some have succeeded and some have not, but Hoyne’s view is that if you make a quality product using quality ingredients, you’re more likely to find success.

He has always believed that a beautifully balanced pilsner is the highest expression of the brewmaster’s art. And while many brewing companies will seek out the least expensive hops or malts for their creations, he has chosen to go directly to the source for his beers. Hoyne Pilsner, for example, uses Pilsen Malt from Bestmalz in Germany, giving it an authentic quality and taste. Dark Matter, another of Hoyne’s flagship beers, uses traditional floor-roasted malts from Thomas Fawcett in the UK, one of the last remaining floor roasters on the planet, along with BC-grown Willamette hops, to create something truly unique.

All of this results in beers that cost more to make but are arguably superior to a lot of what is on the market. Of course, Hoyne has to sell at competitive pricing, meaning the company absorbs the cost of these high-end ingredients, but they’re likely to sell more once people discover the difference, which is proving to be true.

Expanding in Uncertain Times

“We held off on putting beer into cans until we could afford to do it properly,” says Hoyne. Just before the pandemic hit, he’d put down some hefty deposits on a sophisticated machine from Italy that gives his canned beer a prolonged shelf-life by removing any exposure to oxygen. “To be honest, if we’d known the pandemic was coming, I don’t think we’d have done it yet.”

But once the deposits are paid, you’re not getting them back—even if there is a global health crisis. So the team forged onward, working out how to piece the massive machine together without the help of technicians who usually fly in from Europe to do the installation.

“It actually turned out to be good for us,” he explained. Since they were flying solo, he was able to keep a good number

of staff employed in a tough time. That’s not to say it wasn’t tough on the brewery—nearly 50 percent of their sales disappeared overnight when pubs closed—but at least it kept them occupied while things slowly opened up again.

“My biggest hope is that restaurants and pubs are able to get through this,” he says. “Without them, our community isn’t as vibrant—and what is beer about if not community?”

As things slowly find their way toward what everyone is calling the “new normal,” a lot of companies are seeking new avenues for success. For Hoyne Brewing Company, the shift into bottles last year and now cans is their hopeful lifeline, with several of their core beers already available in cans in retail stores.

It will likely take everything returning to normal to stabilize the craft beer industry, but by focusing on quality and playing the long game, Hoyne Brewing looks like they’ll be able to ride out the storm.

Images courtesy of Hoyne Brewing.

Sean Hoyne at work in his brewery

A towering symmetry of cans

STEPHANIE ROUSSINOS

Adrien Sala

Breathtaking

DINING IN THE SKY

Rated as having one of the best views in all of Canada, enjoy sweeping views overlooking Finlayson Arm and the Olympic Mountains while dining at Alpina Restaurant. Treat yourself to a world-class culinary experience featuring classic European dishes with a modern West Coast twist.

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Located at the Villa Eyrie Resort, only 15 minutes north of Langford

600 Ebadora Lane, Malahat, BC | 250.856.0188 | villaeyrie.com

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