EAT Magazine | Issue 12-03

RESTAURANTS | RECIPES | WINES | CULINARY TRAVEL May-June 2008 | Issue 12-03

10th year

CELEBRATING THE FOOD & DRINK OF

BRITISH COLUMBIA WINNER BEST FOOD PUBLICATION

today’s menu

WHAT DOES CANADA TASTE LIKE? 32 WET, WILD & SUSTAINABLE 36 THE MAKING OF A FOODIEHOOD 38 recipes Q VERRINE CUISINE

ALSO WINE WITH TERROIR/MACCHA TEA/ PASTURE TO PLATE / THE BUBBLE DIET/ FINDING A GREAT BURGER and MORE

Q NATHAN FONG’S FRENCH RECIPES WITH BC INGREDIENTS Q LOCAL KITCHEN

EAT is an entertaining magazine for people who love food and wine. Find out more: EATmagazine.ca

PRESSURE COOKERS

Safe • Fast • Economical • Healthy • Induction Compatible

AVAILABLE AT Broadmead Village, Victoria 130-777 Royal Oak Drive 250-727-2110

for people who love to cook

Two in the Bush - Lucy Schappy

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0themenu

05-06.2008

CONTENTS

Culinary intelligence for the 2 months ahead

F E AT U R E S

What does Canada taste like?

The Canadian Culinary Championships

Pg. 32

by Andrew Morrison

The EAT interview

Chef Rob Clark of C Restaurant

Pg. 36

by Chris Mason Stearns

Grass is Greener (Part 1) Sustainable meats

Pg. 44

by Karen Platt

Marching to a New Beet A farmer / chef relationship

Pg. 48

by Chris Johns

D E PA R T M E N T S

KITCHEN GARDENS

19

COVER RECIPE

07

RESTAURANT REPORTER

22

CONCIERGE DESK

08

NATHAN FONG’S RECIPES

52

EPICURE AT LARGE

10

LOCAL KITCHEN

58

FOOD MATTERS

12

EAT TRAVELS

62

GOOD FOR YOU

14

THE BUZZ

66

GET FRESH

16

DRINKS SECTION

73

QUEST

17

CHEFS TALK

82

CONTRIBUTORS

Andrea Johnson

Jennifer Danter is a freelance food writer, food stylist and a recent new comer to Victoria. Prior to moving west, she worked as the Associate Food Editor for Chatelaine magazine for the past six years. A former chef, she worked with chef Anthony Walsh at Canoe and Au Berge Du Pommier and spent a blissful six months cooking at a resort at Lake Garda in the Italian Riviera.

Mara Jernigan is a chef and cooking teacher specializing in local, seasonal food at Fairburn Farm Culinary Retreat and Guesthouse in the Cowichan Valley.

Su Grimmer calls herself “The Urban Forager.” A writer, marketer and ex-broadcaster, since arriving on Vancouver Island in 1999, Grimmer figures she’s logged over 120,000 kilometers exploring every crevice of the island. A hardcore foodie, she leaves no farm gate unopened, market unexplored nor rumoured great noshing spot uninvestigated.

Eat | Enjoy | Share | Sanuk 4

EAT MAGAZINE MAY | JUNE 2008

Based in North Vancouver, B.C., John Schreiner is Canada’s most prolific author of wine books. He has authored 12 since 1984, including three Whitecap bestsellers: British Columbia Wine Country, The Wineries of British Columbia and John Schreiner’s Okanagan Wine Tour Guide. He also contributes regularly to www.planitbc.com and www.appellationamerica.com.

EAT

CELEBRATING FOOD & DRINK Editor in Chief Gary Hynes

Vancouver Editor Andrew Morrison, Contributing Editor Carolyn Bateman Editorial Assistant Katie Zdybel Contributors Larry Arnold, Michelle Bouffard, Jennifer Danter, Pam Durkin, Andrei Fedorov, Jeremy Ferguson, Nathan Fong, Lorraine Forster, Su Grimmer, Duncan Holmes, Mara Jernigan, Chris Johns, Tracey Kusiewicz, Tara Lee, Andrew Lewis, Ceara Lornie, Sherri Martin, Hans Peter Meyer, Michaela Morris, Andrew Morrison, Julie Pegg, Karen Platt, Treve Ring, Kira Rogers, Jennifer Schell, John Schreiner, Shelora Sheldan, John Sherlock, Elizabeth Smyth, Chris Mason Stearns, Michael Tourigny, Sylvia Weinstock, Rebecca Wellman, Katie Zdybel

Art Direction Gary Hynes Publisher Pacific Island Gourmet | EAT 速 is a registered trademark.

Advertising: Lorraine Browne, Paul Kamon, Rick McMorran, Kira Rogers, Kate Shea 250.384.9042, advertise@eatmagazine.ca All departments Box 5225, Victoria, BC, V8R 6N4, tel. 250-384-9042, fax. 250-384-6915 www.eatmagazine.ca eatjobs.ca

SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $35 for one year (plus GST) in Canada.

To subscribe, contact EAT Magazine at the number or address above or email subscribe@eatmagazine.ca 速 Published since 1998 EAT Magazine is published six times each year. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Although every effort is taken to ensure accuracy, Pacific Island Gourmet Publishing cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions that may occur. All opinions expressed in the articles are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the publisher. Pacific Island Gourmet reserves the right to refuse any advertisement. All rights reserved.

On the Cover: Verrine photo by Michael Tourigny, 250.389.1856 See page 19 for the recipe.

LETTERS Bella Italia When I pick up Eat magazine at my local wine shop, the first article I turn to is Michaela Morris and Michelle Bouffard's column on wine. They open up the world of wine in a very down to earth yet informative way. Also, you can actually find the recommended wines!! Keep up the good work and I hope to read many more interesting articles.

Pauline, North Vancouver An open letter to The Playhouse Wine Festival and The Italian Trade Commission.

Having just returned from attending my 27th Vancouver Wine Festival I am wondering if we have been discourteous to some of our Italian visitors.

Opening Plenary-Vino Italiano. The panel was very impressive but why were they there if they were unable to contribute? Barbara Tamburini covered the subject well but did the Marchese Antinori and Marchese Frescobaldi plus their fellow wine experts need to listen for 2 hours about a topic in which they surely need no education? I believe this to be a waste of world class speakers who are not in our area very often. This is at worst insulting or at best unthinking as these fine people are here to promote their respective properties not sit on a stage doing and saying nothing. A large panel is of no benefit in these conditions. I believe, having spoken to others that I am not the only person feeling this way and my comments should in no way reflect on the dedication and huge amount of work put in by all the people involved in the event and the many volunteers who freely give their time. The Vancouver Playhouse Wine Festival is, and I expect will remain one of the greatest wine events anywhere. Please believe me when I say that my criticism is well meant and is out of a very real love and appreciation of the festival, I do expect to make my 28th visit next year.

Sincerely, Michael Bullock, Wine Enthusiast/Consultant and grumpy old wine guy.

Food Magazine of the Year Congratulations on this award! It is amazing what you have accomplished over the years. I remember your predecessors trying to make things work, which at that time, seemed to be impossible. You have done a terrific job. I doubt that there is a better publication in a town of this size anywhere else in North America.

Congratulations! Sinclair, Sooke Harbour House, Hello My compliments on your magazine. It is one of the first things I seek out when I get off the plane in Victoria. You have opened many doors for me or at least guided me to those doors through your advertisers, articles and reviews. I live part time in Muskoka, Ontario and fortunately have a condo just off Cook St., Village in Victoria and your publication helps me find sensational new restaurants and food suppliers each time I am on the Island. Kent

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A NOTE { } EDITOR FROM THE

Reservations not required

A DECADE OF FOOD AND WINE

Whether you’re at the park, on the beach, or in your living room, we have everything you need to make your picnic special.

Dining out (or in) never tasted so good.

W

elcome to the 10th Anniversary issue of EAT. As founder, editor and chief paperboy I have been privileged to be part of the growing food movement in British Columbia for the past decade.

From my home base in Victoria on beautiful Vancouver Island I have toured every appellation and region of BC where food and wine is produced and enjoyed with pride and excitement. I believe a case can be made in 2008 that British Columbia is now the capital of food in our country. We have the chefs, restaurateurs, farmers, vintners and food producers in this province to thank for helping British Columbia be the best place on earth to eat.

THE SHAPE OF EAT

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his past year I have received hundreds requests from BC retailers who want to carry EAT magazine in their stores. This tells me that not only are people reading EAT but readership is growing. I wanted to give them all magazines to distribute but if I printed more magazines I would need to charge our advertisers more. I didn’t want to do that as small businesses are under enough pressure as it is. The challenge was how to print more magazines without incurring increased costs?

What I found was that each printing press has a “sweet spot” which means there is a page size that produces the least amount of paper waste.

As a tabloid, EAT was wasting paper.

The solution was to change EAT’s size to fit my printing press’s “sweet spot”. By doing this the cost would remain the same and I had also found an eco-friendly solution. More copies of the magazine without killing more trees!

By adopting the popular publishing industry standard called the "short tab"...EAT is also easier to read, easier to carry, and easier to turn every mouth-watering page. And all the reasons our growing legions of loyal readers continue loving and devouring Eat Magazine remain unchanged...every feature, every food column, and every tasty, tantalizing tidbit.

I hope you enjoy our new size and format. As you travel about the province you will now find more places carrying EAT. —Gary Hynes

Congratulations to Everyone at EAT on your Tenth Anniversary David Leigh Wine Distributor & Mt Boucherie Estate Winery

EcoLogo is North America’s most widely recognized and respected certification of environmental leadership. By setting standards and certifying products in more than 120 categories, EcoLogo helps you identify, trust, buy, and sell environmentally preferable (“green”) goods and services.

Launched by the Canadian federal government in 1988, EcoLogo has grown to serve buyers and sellers of green products throughout the United States and Canada, and around the world. In fact, EcoLogo is North America’s oldest environmental standard and certification organization (and the second oldest in the world). It is the only North American standard accredited by the Global Ecolabeling Network as meeting the international ISO 14024 standard for environmental labels.

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EAT MAGAZINE MAY | JUNE 2008

coverrecipe

West Coast Seafood Verrine A verrine is a French-style appetizer or dessert consisting of an array of fine-tasting and compatible ingredients layered in a glass. The term “verrine” refers to the glass itself. This West Coast version is obviously an appetizer, and a generous one at that. Consider serving it as a light lunch to enjoy on the patio on a warm spring day. If desired, each verrine could also be garnished with a fancy bread stick or herb-sprinkled, oven-toasted tortilla wedge.

Preparation time: 40 minutes Cooking time: A few minutes Makes: 4 servings

Michael Tourigny

For the wine jelly: dry BC white wine, such as sauvignon blanc 3/4 cup BC honey 1/4 cup plain gelatin powder, such as Knox brand 1 1/2 tsp Place the wine and honey in a small pot.

Sprinkle with the gelatin and let stand 5 minutes. Set on the stove over medium heat.

Heat through just until the gelatin is dissolved, about 3-4 minutes. Pour the mixture in to an 8-inch square dish. Cool to room temperature, and then cover and refrigerate until the wine jelly is set, about 23 hours. Use a paring knife to slice the wine jelly into small cubes.

For the cucumber/radish salad: rice vinegar 3 Tbsp granulated sugar2 tsp prepared horseradish 1 tsp large English cucumber, thinly sliced 1/2 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced 8-10 snipped fresh chives 1 Tbsp salt and white pepper to taste Place the vinegar, sugar and horseradish in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add the cucumber, radish, chives, salt and white pepper and toss to combine.

For the crab and shrimp: fresh Dungeness crab meat 175 grams fresh, cooked West Coast shrimp meat 175 grams fresh lemon juice to taste salt and white pepper to taste

Place the crab and shrimp in a bowl; season with the lemon juice, salt and white pepper.

For the top and bottom crème fraîche (see Note) 1/2 cup hot smoked salmon (see Note) 4 nuggets fresh asparagus, blanched (see Note)4 tips Spoon 1 Tbsp of the cream fraîche into each of 4, 8 oz. decorative glasses. Arrange 1/2 the cucumber/radish mixture on top of the crème fraîche. Divide and top the cucumber/radish mixture with the cubes of jelly.

Top the jelly with the crab/shrimp mixture.

Top the crab/shrimp mixture with the remaining cucumber/radish mixture. Top the cucumber/radish mixture with the remaining crème fraîche. Set the verrine in the fridge until the salmon is ready (can be made to this point at least an hour in advance).

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Line a small baking pan with parchment paper. Slice each salmon nugget into 4-5 slices and set in the baking pan with the asparagus. Heat in the oven 5 minutes. Divide and arrange the salmon and 1 asparagus tip on top of each verrine and serve.

Note: Crème fraîche is sold in tubs in the dairy aisle of some supermarkets and fine food stores. Sour cream, mixed with a touch of whipped cream, could replace the crème fraîche if you’re unable to find it. Nuggets of hot smoked salmon are available at seafood stores and some supermarkets. To blanch the asparagus, plunge in boiling water 1 minute, cool in ice-cold water, and then drain well.

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conciergedesk

We Serve Seafood by the Seashore

A “GOTTA GO” DESTINATION! Savour an unforgettable meal while enjoying one of the most breathtaking ocean views on Vancouver Island.

We are seafood . . . and so much more!

BEACON LANDING RESTAURANT & PUB

Located in the waterfront Cannery Building 2537 Beacon Ave., Sidney, BC Reservations: 656-6690

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EAT MAGAZINE MAY | JUNE 2008

Victoria May 8 - Amusé Bistro Cidermaster Dinner Chef Bradford Boisvert and Sea Cider proprietors Kristen and Bruce Jordan have teamed up to pair a critically acclaimed selection of traditional organic ciders with the locallysourced fine cuisine of Amusé Bistro. 6:30 pm. 1753 Shawnigan - Mill Bay Road, Shawnigan Lake. 250 743 3667. www.seacider.ca.

May 8 – Chef Heidi Fink’s Cooking Classes Taco Party: A fun class devoted to producing authentic Mexican flavours. Use traditional ingredients to make a variety of delicious dishes, with a focus on preparing tacos with several different fillings, including flank steak, chile chicken and spiced beans. Also included in the class instruction are homemade green and red salsas as well as some fabulous side dishes, such as Mexican Green Rice, and Mexican Chocolate Brownies. $55. 6:30-9:30pm.

Fairfield Community Place. For more info and classes: dominink@telus.net May 10 - 2008 Deerholme Farm Dinner Series Japanese Kaieseki Dinner - Mothers Day Weekend. Join knowledgeable BC food personality Bill Jones in his innovative series of dinner events that combine the pleasure of a dinner party with an educational program - to create a unique culinary experience. It’s also a great way to meet new friends, entertain your brain or impress your stomach! $90. 5-9pm. Deerholme Farm, Duncan. 250 748 7450 For more events and info visit www.magnorth.bc.ca May 10 – Fine Wines & Fine Cheeses The great gals at Charelli’s are going to wine and dine you at this event, supporting Hospice Palliative Care Programs. 6:30-9pm. Goward House. 2495 Arbutus Rd., $45.00. limited space - ticket sales in advance only. 598 4794. www.charellis.com May 12 - The BC Wine Institute's annual "Bloom" Spring Release TRADE ONLY. Taste newly-released wines from over 30 BC VQA wineries. 2-4:30pm. Hotel Grand Pacific. Entry is restricted to restaurant and retail trade only. Please RSVP to: tdeman@winebc.com and bring a business card for admittance. www.winebc.com May 31 – Sooke Harbour House Wine Tasting Series Taste some of the amazing wine from the Wine Spectator Grand Award cellar. The popular series continues with Red and White make Green - Sustainability and environmental impact are more than mere marketing terms in the wine world. $50 per person.

Reservations required. 3:30 – 5pm 642 3421. www.sookeharbourhouse.com June 5 - Iced Teas at Silk Road Tea Nothing quenches thirst like a refreshing cup of iced tea. Homemade iced teas are also healthy and cost effective. Learn new twists on your old favourites, such as lemonade or fruit juice with iced tea. 7-8:30pm. $10. 1624 Government St. 7-8pm. For more events & info visit www.silkroadtea.com June 6-8 - Ultimate Test Drive Weekend on Vancouver Island Join Edible British Columbia founder Eric Pate-

man on a three day culinary adventure behind the wheel of a new high performance Audi.

Groups are limited to 12 lucky people (6 couples). www.edible-britishcolumbia.com.

June 11-15 - TLC Conservation Holiday on Michael Ableman's Foxglove Farm and Grandview Farm on Salt Spring Island This year The Land Conservancy is offering the opportunity for you to roll up your sleeves and come out to learn about sustainable food practices by immersing yourself in the fields of Saltspring Island at Michael Ableman’s Foxglove Farm. www1.conservancy.bc.ca/conservationholidays 250 479 8053

Broken Group Tour Announced The Broken Group Islands is one of the most famous sea kayaking destinations in the world, unmatched for its natural beauty and diversity of wildlife. Join James Bray of Blue Planet Kayaking for the ultimate gourmet 4day trip. Eight trips from June 13 - Sept 22. www.blueplanetkayaking June 12 - One Year Anniversary at Cafe Mela at The Belvedere Celebrations, refreshments and an exhibition of photographs of the cafe's cherished patrons by Clive Levinson. 8am-4 pm.

June 21 – A Day in France at Ottavio (they do Italian 364 days a year!). Come see, sample, taste & experience their French market in Oak Bay Village. Artists, wine tastings, music, cheese & olive tastings, baguettes, crepes, brie & joie de vivre. 11-3pm. Ottavio Italian Bakery & Delicatessen. 592 4080. www.ottaviovictoria.com June 24 – IVSA Victoria TRADE ONLY. Bring a business card as proof of employment.

2-4pm. Ambrosia Catering.

July 5&6 - Organic Islands Festival and Sustainability Expo Over 120 Exhibits, Interactive Displays, Presentations, Natural Food Demos, Entertainment. Live Green. Do Good. We’ll show you how! www.organicislands.ca" , or call 250 658-8148.

September 28 - The 10th Annual Salt Spring Island Apple Festival This year’s theme is Celebrating Red-Fleshed Apples – The Apples of the Future! www.saltspringmarket.com/apples/ October 24 – Paris to Prague Join Victoria sommelier Stuart Brown on an intimate 12 day culinary and wine journey though the regions of central Europe. For more information contact Rick at 595 1181 or

Defending our Backyard May 25. 2008

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he Island Chefs Collaborative is holding the first annual “Defending our Backyard”, a celebration of Vancouver Island food and the people that bring it to us. A combination tasting and educational event, guests will be able to sample a taste of the Island with ICC chefs while watching food demonstrations and local food info sessions about how local food makes its journey to our plates.

Features of the event include a demonstration seafood market displaying seafood from the waters around Vancouver Island, oyster shucking and samples served fresh from the shell, a west coast style pig roast and pizza spinning and baking. Guests will also taste a variety of Vancouver Island wines, beers, ciders and mead.

Live music will be playing throughout the day and speakers will present on topics related to local food, such as a day in the life of a farmer. There is also a silent auction.

The festival runs from noon to 4 pm at Fort Rodd Hill. Tickets are $45 per person and are available at Mattick’s Farm VQA Wine Store, The Wine Barrel, BC Wineguys Cadboro Bay Road, 6 Mile Liquor Store and Spinnakers Spirit Merchants.

See www.iccbc.ca for more information and updated event details.

Vancouver May 3 - Spot Prawn Festival Fresh Live Spot Prawns available for sale at False Creek Fishermen’s Wharf for 6-8 weeks May 6 - New Zealand Wine Fair, Vancouver 34 wineries, 7-9:30pm, Fairmont Waterfront, $50, www.nzwineevents.ca May 14 and June 11 - Wild Sweets Theatre Chocolatiers Dominique & Cindy Duby will be offering "Chocolate Tasting & Appreciation" www.dcduby.com May 24 - Luncheon with Daniel Brunier of Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe 12-2pm, $40 (all inclusive, Mistral French Bistro, 2585 West Broadway, Vancouver, For reservations call 604-684-0445 or info@marquis-wines.com Every Friday ‘til Aug. 30 – Tailored Lunch Fridays Main Street fashionistas will enjoy an effortless, seamless lunch and shopping experience in an hour at Lark Fashion Salon and Aurora Bisto. $20 604-873-9944 www.aurorabistro.ca May 26 - Tools and Techniques Cooking class at Coast 604-9251835

seafood

sunsets

sushi

Koko Restaurant + Bar Opens at Opus Hotel Montreal

rick@totemtravel.ca November 2 - Bread and Wheat Festival at the Da Vinci Center, 195 Bay St., Victoria 10am - 4pm. $10 www.breadandwheat.com Wine Tastings at the Empress - On the last Wednesday of every month The Fairmont Empress will host a wine tasting in one of our amazing restaurants. Executive Chef Takashi Ito will prepare some fine foods to enjoy as well.

From 3pm-5pm $10/person RSVP to jennifer.woppenkamp@fairmont.com Eclectic Wine Society - At Tuscany Liquor Store, 1660 McKenzie Ave at the new Tuscany Village Mall. 250 384WINE (9463) Nanaimo/Oceanside May 27 – Inniskillin Estate Winery Dinner at Tigh-NaMara The wines of Okanagan Inniskillin Estate Winery will paired with a specially designed Cedar Room dinner menu focusing on fresh, seasonal ingredients. Five course dinner & wine pairings - $75 plus taxes and gratuities. Space is limited and advance reservations are required. 250 248 2333. www.tigh-na-mara.com >

The most anticipated restaurant and bar in Montreal is set to open its doors on Friday, May 9 in Montreal’s newest boutique property - the chic Opus Hotel. Executive Chef Don Letendre of Vancouver’s internationally-renowned Opus Hotel has created an innovative pan-Asian menu to be served sharing-style that’s as provocative to the senses as Koko’s fantastical setting. Letendre’s culinary experience in Tokyo, including cooking at popular Soba Ni Umazake Yoshimura, left an indelible impression and influenced his style of clean and innovative cuisine.

Says Letendre, “My experience in Japan taught me about balance between cooking, tasting, and seeing, and gave me a foundation for my senses. It helped me to trust in my hands.”514.843.6000 at Sherbrooke and St.Laurent.

eat fish. drink wine. live long.

Brentwood Bay Lodge & Spa • 849 Verdier Ave • Brentwood Bay Reservations 1.888.544.2079 • SeaGrille Hours: 5:30pm-11pm

seagrille.ca www.eatmagazine.ca MAY | JUNE 2008

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epicureatlarge —by Shelora Sheldan

SAP RISING, CHEESE MELTING Shelora Sheldan finds the perfect oven mitt, sautés a scallop in birch syrup, and gets seriously cheesy the Swiss way.

Sap Happy Maybe you’re just wrapping your head around the idea of grand fir or spruce syrup as an edible product. Maybe you’ve even heard about maple syrup production on Vancouver Island. Either way, the newest product trickling its way into the hands of chefs around B.C. is birch syrup. The sap, tapped from the paper birch (Betula papyrifea), produces a lighter syrup than its maple counterpart, with a deep molasses colour and flavour some say is akin to dark coffee or licorice. It has historically sustained pioneers in northern Canada as well as First Nations and is now inspiring budding entrepreneurs. Approximately 11 birch syrup producers are operating across Canada (someone in Newfoundland is even making birch sap wine), and the B.C. contingent is strong.

Moose Meadows Farm, one of several producers in the Caribou-Chilcotin, is owned and operated by farmers and professional foresters Heloise Dixon-Warren and husband Ted Traer. Wanting to increase the diversity of their agri-tourism-recognized farm and to find another use for the forest (in particular, the more than 165 birch trees on their 65-acre property), they began producing the syrup three years ago.

Dixon-Warren then wrote the first-ever manual on birch syrup production for other farmers and consequently became the recipient this year of the Award of Excellence for Innovation in Agriculture and Agri-Food by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of B.C. (IAF).

Production is still small and occurs each spring when the trees produce their edible elixir.

This is very much a niche market and demand exceeds supply so get your order in early. Most of Moose Meadows’ sales are at the farmgate, but they will ship. Only 250 mL bottles are available along with a birch caramel spread Dixon-Warren makes and refers to as “wicked.”

She suggests using the syrup in vinaigrettes along with balsamic vinegar or as a glaze for roasted vegetables. She’s also using it in pecan pie.

Another fan of the syrup is chef de cuisine Colleen McClean of Vancouver’s Rare restaurant.

“Rare’s mandate is to use local products, but also things out of the norm,” says McClean, “so birch syrups fits right in.” She prefers the product’s subtle sweetness over that of its sister syrup, maple, and she feels it translates well as a substitute.

In a dish of foie gras beignets, McClean mixed honey vinegar with the syrup, which the foie gras was dipped into before being battered and fried. They were served with a cranberry and ginger compote.

For Rare’s charcuterie program, bacon was cured in birch syrup and bourbon. “The colour was really dark, like molasses,” McClean notes, “but it didn’t have the flavour of molasses, which I find slightly bitter. It had a delicately sweet smokiness.” She also uses the syrup as a glaze for scallops and small game birds.

I’ve tried the syrup with scallops, and for first-timers, this would be an accessible way to start cooking with birch syrup. Pan-sear two or three scallops. Once seared, add 1 teaspoon of butter and 2 teaspoons birch syrup to the pan and bring to a boil. Tip the pan at a 45-degree angle—off the heat—allowing the syrup mixture to co-mingle with the pan juices. Baste the scallops until evenly coated. This is a very quick process, so be on your toes; you don’t want to overcook the scallops. I also enjoyed a birch soda by mixing about 2 Tbsp syrup to a glass of soda with ice and lemon. Refreshing!

Robert Belcham at Fuel Restaurant was first introduced to the syrup while working with Robert Clark at C and has used it ever since. “It has a smokiness and a minerality to it, much like a white Bordeaux,” he points out, adding that he feels the syrup adds complexity to dishes. During one of the restaurant’s whole hog dinners, Belcham made a birch syrup pie— his take on the iconic maple sugar pie of Quebec—serving it with candied bacon and Gravenstein apple sorbet. “It was expensive to make,” he remembers, “but damn tasty!”

Both chefs purchase one-litre-size containers from Sweet Tree Ventures through Edible B.C.’s Granville Island store.

Moose Meadows Farm, 2821 Nazko Rd., Quesnel, B.C., 250-249-5359, www.moosemeadowsfarm.ca Edible B.C., 1-888-812-9660 The Birch Syrup Production Manual is available through www.quesnelinfo.com or by calling 250-992-3522.

Melting Moments

Once upon a time, I waited tables in a Swiss restaurant. It was my first introduction to that country’s traditional cuisine, and—gratefully—I wasn’t required to wear an alpine costume.

Raclette cheese, with its big fruity aroma, was served bubbling hot and dotted with the required sour pickled onions, gherkins and steamed potatoes. I administered the required turns from a pepper grinder to diners along with bread to scoop up the pungent fromage. The restaurant also offered cheese fondue, another big hit. There’s something about gooey melted cheese that makes people happy. Just add good bread, wine and serve. Or perhaps it’s the fondue’s communal concept, with diners gathering around the pot of cheese, long forks in hand, that inspires a spirit of conviviality.

It’s been years since I’ve indulged in the dish, until a recent lunch at Bistro Suisse in Sidney. Run by Swiss-born chef Lucien Frauenfelder, the bistro serves a mean fondue along with raclette, hearty schnitzel, roesti and bratwurst fare. Young chefs take note: he’s been cooking for more than 54 years and trained by a protégé of Escoffier. Frauenfelder’s version of fondue is Neuchâteloise, in honour of Neuchâtel, the region where the dish was invented, and uses the traditional Emmenthal and Gruyere cheeses. On that Saturday afternoon, fork in

OPEN MAY 2008 Same parking lot / No trailer 10

EAT MAGAZINE MAY | JUNE 2008

hand, and a bottle of Blue Grouse Pinot Gris at the ready, I experienced happiness incarnate.

Curious to try the dish at home, I asked Chef for advice and he graciously shared a recipe.

Vintage thin-walled fondue sets from the ’70s and ’80s can still be found at most thrift stores, many of them looking as pristine as when they were first probably given as gifts.

Modern versions available from Emile Henry and Le Crueset are heavy-weight. “The pot has to be heavy,” Frauenfelder advises. “It holds the heat better than anything else.” I followed his advice and replaced my vintage set’s thin pot with a small Le Crueset and melted away.

Bistro Suisse’s Fondue (Serves two) By permission of chef Lucien Frauenfelder.

100 grams Emmenthal, grated 100 grams Gruyère, grated 1 Tbsp flour 100 mL white wine 1 garlic clove Pinch salt Pinch nutmeg 1 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp Kirsch Rub clove of garlic around the inside and bottom of pot. (Alternatively, chop some of the garlic and add to the pot).

Add wine, salt and nutmeg and bring to the boil. Add grated cheese all at once and sprinkle the top with flour. Stir until it’s all melted and smooth. Add the cornstarch-Kirsch mixture, bring to the boil and serve immediately with the required long forks and cubed bread.

(I prefer House Bread’s boule.)

If using a fondue burner, adjust to maintain an even heat. You don’t want to have the cheese sticking to the bottom of the pot. There is also a bit of a technique to dipping: skewer the bread cube and sink it to the bottom of the pot, swirling it around before lifting up your cheesy prize.

If you want to up the cheese ante—and why wouldn’t you—Paige Symonds of Choux Choux suggests using Appenzeller, a Swiss cow’s milk cheese with a similar flavour to Gruyère and a similar texture to raclette. The cheese is matured using a herbal brine that brings out fruity, nutty characteristics when melted. She likes her fondue with half Appenzeller and half Comté, another fabulous melting cheese made from alpine milk. No costume required.

Bistro Suisse, 2470 Beacon Ave., 250-656-5353

A Bite of Vancouver in Victoria Victoria’s savvy food purveyors are bringing us a piece of Vancouver’s foodie action.

Thomas Haas’s sparkle cookies, a cross between a chocolate truffle and a cookie, are in the fridge at Choux Choux. Just pop in the oven and enjoy warm with ice cream—or just eat the dough. The exotic spice and herbs of Granville Island’s South China Seas Trading are awaiting you at Plenty along with C Restaurant’s brand of crackers (the Fig & Black Pepper are my recent favourite). At Charelli’s, find Vij’s line of Indian takeout meals. The Punjabi lamb, Kalonji chicken and—if you’re jonesing for vegetarian fare—Punjabi daal and paneer with red bell peppers all vie for topping billing. You can always find an ever-changing selection of meaty treats from Granville Island’s Oyama Sausage Company at both Choux Choux and Ottavio. Bon appetit!

The Gloved One With a clever name and a promise to withstand temperatures of up to 480ºF, the Ove Glove is the latest “as seen on TV” invention to come our way.

The five-fingered glove is made from heat-resistant Nomex and has a strong backing of Kevlar and cotton-poly for a touch of softness. The thing has a serious industrial look to it, works like a charm and kicks those chilli-pepper-print mitts of mine right in the keister.

And my partner, a leftie in a right-hand world, found it fit his hand perfectly. The only drawback is they are sold individually so, once you’re hooked, like me, you’ll have to go buy another. I love the Ove Glove. It’s much better than a chia pet.

Available at most hardware stores.

www.eatmagazine.ca MAY | JUNE 2008

11

foodmatters —by Julie Pegg

The Summer Kitchen In the days before air-conditioning, a separate “summer kitchen” kept the heat of cooking out of the main house during hot weather. Modern folks just move the kitchen outside and centre it around the versatile backyard barbie.

Come May we west coasters move out. The deck, the balcony and the backyard have become as vital as any spot in residence. These days, wobbly tables and cracked, plastic chairs are banished in favour of sophisticated and stylish outdoor dining furniture. (The occasional bit of weather-beaten wicker, however, is rather chic. And under the magnolia, a well-used bench is ideal for a shady read.)

My balcony offers only space for a natty compact bistro set with comfy mesh seats instead of the usual hard wrought-iron ones. The table can be cranked down to coffee-table height. My sister, on the other hand, has added a netted “room” leading off the French doors from the kitchen. It is festooned with swag curtains, pendant lamps, cushioned sofas, a large glass table and outdoor café heater. The whole thing looks like a harem. But however modest or immodest the décor, the grill garners the lion’s share of attention—whether a gas behemoth complete with side burners and more chrome than a ’58 Edsel, or the far humbler Weber kettle. My money’s on one of the efficient new propane Weber Q series.

These powerful and portable grilling “pods” come small, medium and large and have foldin side tables. The Performer is the traditional Weber kettle gussied up with charcoal catcher and a gas cylinder to kick-starts those coals (www.weber.com for all models and prices).

All this firepower doesn’t necessarily mean that a 32 oz. porterhouse is the only thrill on the grill. Or that barbecuing is only an evening affair. The grill performs any time of day— starting with eggs, veggies and a cast iron skillet. Consider cast iron as the grill’s best friend. What other culinary vessel could withstand 600º F heat?

A breakfast frittata couldn’t be easier. Allow two eggs per person. Beat briskly (the eggs not the people) with a dash of cream or whole milk. Pour into a well-oiled, pre-heated skillet. Add some previously grilled veggies. Spring for asparagus, leeks and a few morels if available. Sliced nugget potatoes are also nice. Bung the whole lot into the egg mixture.

Add a handful of grated Reggiano, Asiago or other crumbly cheese. Place the pan on the rack and lower the grill lid. Check every few minutes until egg sets (but not too firmly) and puffs up soufflé-style. Once off the heat, the frittata will collapse but will still taste airy and eggy. I have four six-inch skillets, not easy to find but marvellous for individual omelettes or frittatas. Don’t forget to use heavy-duty oven mitts when grasping the handle. Tack on grilled fresh sardines, herring, mackerel and sablefish, smoked or not, and thick slices of grilled bread. There’s your ultimate balcony brunch.

Grilled soup for lunch? Well, not exactly. But gazpacho made from grilled-then- chilled vegetables has a sweet richness. Perfect if your vegetables aren’t. Throw halved tomatoes, skin-side down, quartered yellow or red peppers, and chunks of red onion on the grate.

Substitute one-inch slices of zucchini for the cucumber. For a zippy gazpacho, sear a jalapeño or other hot pepper. Cook until all veggies are tender and toffee-striped and tomato skins pucker. Remove and pick off any super-charred bits. Cool and proceed as you would with any gazpacho recipe. Serve chilled.

Brit chefs Jamie Oliver (Jamie at Home, Hyperion, 2008) and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (active member of the U.K.’s organic movement and author of River Cottage Cookbook, Ten Speed Press, 2008) love to char romaine and radicchio. Here’s how Hugh does it. Halve four lettuces, leaving the base of the stem intact to hold the leaves together. Brush the lettuces with olive oil. Salt and pepper the greens. Place cut side down on a preheated barbecue rack. Cook for three to five minutes. They are ready when the outer leaves are well charred and striped from the grill, and the thick stems are just becoming tender. Arrange lettuce halves in a dish and lay over them thin slices of fresh goat cheese. Add a few more twists of pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Lower the grill lid and cook until the cheese starts to bubble. Serve immediately two lettuce halves, smothered in bubbling cheese, per person.

Think way beyond barbecuing burgers, chops and steaks. No need to shuck if you grill oysters. Lay as many as will fit onto the grill. Remove when they pop open. Sweet and smoky, briny mollusks prepared this way are sublime. In the words of M.F.K. Fisher: “Take advantage of their being open to pop in a little butter, CONT’D BOTTOM OF THE NEXT PAGE

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EAT MAGAZINE MAY | JUNE 2008

community —by Katie Zdybel

Food Security On March 14th, Victoria organization CR-FAIR, the Capital Region Food and Agriculture Initiatives Roundtable, held its annual Regional Food Security Forum —this year with a call to arms to those in support of eating locally produced foods. Or as keynote speaker, David Mincey put it to the audience, “how can I make it easier for my neighbour to get access to local food?� As the chef of Victoria’s Camille’s restaurant and co-founder of the Island Chef’s Collaborative which aims to bring locally grown, high-quality ingredients to Vancouver Island’s restaurants, Mincey has no problem finding local foods for himself. He stressed that what must happen to ensure local food sustains its popularity is that it becomes easy for everyone to find the goods. Mincey along with Lyle Young, who has been farming his great-grandfather’s farm in the Cowichan Valley for twenty years, acted as keynote speakers with a message of urgency to act now if we want the rise of eating local, or ‘locavorism,’ to survive on the island. “Local food is the new organic,� Young observed and asked his audience, “where are the farmers who are going to meet this demand?� The concern of both the speakers and attendants of the conference is that Vancouver Island simply does not produce enough food to meet the demand of folks who are interested in buying local. Fifty years ago, the CR-FAIR Final Report notes, Vancouver Island farmers produced an estimated 85% of the Island’s food supply. Today only 10% of the food consumed on the island comes from the island.

So how do the farmers and food suppliers ensure that demand is met as the movement to eat local reaches its peak? The suggestion for a seven-day-a-week, twelve-month-a-year market featuring fresh produce, dairy, eggs, and meat from the island was met with cheers, as was Mincey’s off-the-cuff remark that if islanders were buying only 25% of their food locally we’d have to tear down a few condos to make room for growing gardens just to meet the demand. Young posed the idea of a logo identifying all local foods and that people need to be able “to recognize that logo better than the Nike swoop or the golden arches.�

CR-FAIR representatives designed the conference to discuss solutions to this challenge, but also to celebrate the success of the past year’s initiative to encourage islanders to eat local. Young and Mincey, bringing to the table the perspective of farmer and chef, both assert the demand for local food is alive and well. The challenge now posed to islanders — farmers, chefs, shopkeepers, and consumers alike—is to meet that demand before enthusiasm wanes by providing access to local foods. In other words, support island-made goods, then spread the word and tell your neighbours where they can find local food too. some pepper and some bread crumbs. Then close them up again. They will be too weak to resist you. Let them cook a little and serve them very hot. Some people like this very much.� Clams and mussels warm up to the grill in like manner.

If steak is the meat of choice, try searing that hunk o’ beef (or venison or bison) in a sizzling-hot, salted cast-iron skillet preheated on the barbie. A friend swears by it, preferring this method to cooking directly over coals. Don’t do this on the kitchen range. You’ll alert the local fire brigade. I know.

As for barbecuing pork and/or poultry, Cuban-American journalist and fiction writer Ana MenĂŠndez, in her poignant article “Celebrations of Thanksgiving: Cuban Seasonings,â€? offers an uncomplicated recipe for mojo—“enough to marinate a whole turkey. Or a small pig.â€? It sounds wonderful. I have halved the recipe in case your pig or bird is very small. I suggest subbing pork chops and chicken parts (thighs grill better than breasts in my view). For the marinade, toast 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cumin seeds in a skillet then pound in a mortar and pestle. In the same mortar and pestle, mash peeled cloves from a head of garlic with a little salt (and a smidgen of oil if you wish) into a paste. Measure 1 cup each fresh squeezed orange and lime juices.

Measure 1 tsp. dried oregano or substitute a couple of bay leaves and a few rosemary sprigs (not traditional but preferred). In a saucepan, heat the oil with spices until fragrant. Do not boil the oil. Remove from heat.

Let cool. Remove bay and rosemary if using.

Into a blender, combine spiced oil, citrus juice and garlic paste. Blend until smooth.

Marinate meat overnight. Grilled meats gain even more flavour when served cold. Cook ahead of time and serve room temperature between sliced, toasted ciabatta. Serve with piquant chutneys, onion jam or mayo spiked with herbs, garlic and/or chopped red pepper.

A word about wines for my grilled offers: think outside the Chardonnay/Cabernet box. Vinho verde, the youthful, low-octane Portuguese white with a hint of prickle on the palate, is the perfect frittata/grilled fish wine. (We hope to see a few brands of vinho verde on wine shop shelves soon.) Spanish Albarino partners perfectly with shellfish.

Spicy Zins and Grenache-based reds work well with grilled red meats. And try dry Riesling, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc with pork and poultry.

As the days get warmer, we lucky wet coasters get a jump on the rest of the country. We get to flex our grilling muscle from morning till night in our new outdoor kitchens.

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13

goodforyou

—by Pam Durkin

The Magic of Maccha Maccha, the exquisite emerald tea of Japan, is many things: a sacred ritual, a health elixir, even a tasty ingredient in cooking.

2

3

—G. Hynes

4 1 5

Clockwise from top left: 1. The making of a cup of maccha is an artisan process—from the growing, picking and stonegrinding of the tea to frothing the tea using a bamboo whisk. Even the drinking bowl is hand-made by Harvumi Ota, a Victoria craftsperson.

2. Tea is perfectly prepared by Miyuki Nyberg of Jagasilk (www.jagasilk.com). 3. Each cup has been made from a different grade. Lower grades tend to be earthier, thinner and have a rusty colour. Medium grades exhibit “silky” body and are more apt to be dry and tannic. The highest grades are a vibrant green colour with a smoother texture, a fuller mouth feel and a longer, sweeter finish. 4. A tray of of various menu items at Khona café using green tea as an ingredient: maccha shortbread cookies, maccha and red bean filled pastry, maccha truffles. Maccha also pairs well with chocolate in desserts. Inset is pizza with a green tea crust. 5. Green tea latte. 6. Close-up of a beautifully made yet functional bamboo whisk.

It’s hard to believe something as comforting and ordinary as a cup of tea could protect you from disease, lift your spirits and help you lose weight, but it’s true. However, the specific tea in question is anything but ordinary—it’s matcha, the oldest and most celebrated variety of Japanese green tea. Since the 12th century, matcha tea has played an integral part in Japanese culture, and it is still used in the famous Chanoyu tea ceremony first introduced by ancient samurai warriors. Now a growing body of evidence suggests drinking this potent brew is one of the healthiest habits you can adopt. Not surprisingly, baby boomers looking for an anti-aging health elixir are making it one of the hottest beverages on the planet. Let’s take a closer look at the matcha phenomenon.

Matcha, like all green (and black) teas, hails from the Camellia sinensis plant. What makes matcha unique is the way in which it is grown, processed and prepared. Matcha tea leaves are only harvested once a year, in spring, when the leaves are young, sweet and tender. A month before the annual harvest, the tea fields are covered with tarp-shading to block any light from reaching the leaves. The tea plants compensate for this loss of light by increasing production of chlorophyll, certain amino acids and sugars—hence matcha’s emerald green colour, nutrient density and enhanced taste. Only the best, hand-picked tea leaves are then steamed, dried and cut to remove veins and stems. These leaves are then stone-ground to make the fine, talcum-like powder that is matcha. When you drink a cup of matcha, you are actually drinking the whole tea leaf, which is not the case with a “steeped” cup of regular green tea.

It is precisely this “whole-leaf goodness” and the abundance of chlorophyll and amino acids that make matcha superior in taste and nutrition to other green teas. By now, most consumers are aware of the amazing health benefits of green teas in general. Countless studies over the years have illustrated green tea’s ability to help protect you from cancer,

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EAT MAGAZINE MAY | JUNE 2008

ward off heart disease and stroke, keep you slim and increase mental clarity. The nutrient responsible for most of this protection is EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate); an antioxidant scientists have hailed as an outstanding immune booster and cancer fighter. And here’s what’s amazing about matcha: a new study from the University of Colorado shows that matcha contains 137 times more EGCG than regular leaf green tea. But that’s not all.

Matcha also contains more L-Theanine, an amino acid that can actually impart a meditative, blissful state by increasing alpha waves in the brain. Though matcha does contain caffeine, it does not induce the jitters like coffee, thanks in large part to the counteractive effect of L-Theanine. So what else is in matcha? It has respectable amounts of vitamins A, C, and E, B vitamins, minerals, flavanoids and nine times the beta carotene of spinach.

To take full advantage of matcha’s healthful properties and produce an aromatic, flavourful tea, it is essential to prepare it properly. “Matcha should never be prepared with boiling water,” advises Jared Nyberg, owner of Jagasilk, a matcha importing business in Victoria. “The water should be boiled then cooled down for two to three minutes (to 7080ºC) to enhance the flavour profile and nutrient retention.”

Immediately after pouring the hot water over the matcha powder, it is traditional to break up the powder with a special bamboo whisk called a chasen. The tea is then whisked briskly using a back-and-forth motion until the surface of the matcha becomes frothy. If you’re really after an authentic texture and taste, forget about using a wire whisk—it will not whip up the palate-pleasing froth that is the hallmark of the matcha experience. Special matcha bowls called chawan, with high vertical sides and rounded bottoms are also required to brew an authentic matcha. “You could just mix it with a spoon in a regular cup,” says Nyberg, but the finished product will be entirely different—nowhere near as pleasant in taste or texture.”

The Japanese have two basic ways to prepare matcha: koi cha and usu cha—or thick and thin tea. Quite simply, koi cha uses twice as much powder per cup as usu cha. “Koi cha is great for making matcha lattes and frappes,” enthuses Andrew Khoo, owner of Khona café at Fort and Cook streets. “Its syrupy-like texture and pronounced flavour blend beautifully with artisan milks.” Khoo is so passionate about matcha and its incredible health benefits that he has enlisted Nyberg and his wife, Miyuki, to host monthly educational evenings at Khona. Their “Fellowship of the Matcha” evenings are held the third Wednesday of every month at the café. According to Khoo, the evenings are designed to “create an opportunity for people to learn, share and/or tweak their technique and knowledge of this ancient tea.”

The good news for foodies is that neither these evening nor matcha itself is just about making tea. Matcha can also be used to produce mouth-watering food. “In Japan, matcha is used almost more for baking and cooking than it is for making tea,” explains Japanese native Miyuki Nyberg. Indeed, matcha is extremely versatile. It is delicious sprinkled over vanilla ice cream, added to muffin, cookie or quick-bread recipes, mixed with sesame oil and rice wine vinegar to make an Asian salad dressing or blended with sea salt to make an exotic rub for seafood.

It is quite usual to pair the tea with food. In fact, matcha can be used like a small midcourse amuse-bouche or palate cleanser, creating a great flavour bridge from one course to the next. More important, when paired with a specific dish, it can help enhance its flavour. “Matcha pairs beautifully with both white chocolate and seafood,” says Daniela Cubelic of Silk Road Tea Co. in Victoria’s Chinatown. “Actually, anything sweet seems to pair beautifully with matcha—the contrasting flavours enhance one another.”

If you want to experiment with matcha at home, it’s important to know what to look for when purchasing the tea. Due to the increased demand for the healthful brew, some poor quality teas from Taiwan and China have crept onto the market. Remember, if the tea hasn’t been shade-grown, steamed, deveined, de-stemmed and stone-ground, it isn’t matcha.

So how can you tell? Truly fresh matcha will have a bright, brilliant, almost cool-green colour,” says Cubelic, “and a natural sweetness with just a slight bitter quality. If your tea doesn’t taste like that, it probably isn’t authentic matcha.”

Purchasing your matcha from a reputable supplier is the most expedient way to go. A premium quality matcha will list things like the harvest and grinding date on the label, in addition to the region in Japan where the tea was grown. Once you’ve opened your matcha, it should be used within two weeks to a month for optimum freshness. And to retain its flavour, store it in a cool dry place away from other foods or strong spices.

If you’re a first-time buyer of matcha, you may initially balk at its price—it’s relatively expensive compared to regular leaf green tea. But remember, maccha is an artisan product and its production process is extremely labour intensive. Its price is justified. And as Susanne Gregory, owner of Good Health Teas [[what is this? shop in Victoria? importer? online store???? I couldn’t find any match for this on Google so Pamela is going to have to give us this information.]] points out, “Sure matcha is slightly more expensive than other teas, but it is also significantly better for your health. The scientific evidence is irrefutable and it just keeps coming. I consider drinking it the cheapest form of health insurance in existence!”

For information on Victoria’s Fellowship of the Maccha, go to www.khona.ca.

www.eatmagazine.ca MAY | JUNE 2008

15

getfresh

Fennel Apricot Tomato Salad

By Sylvia Weinstock

1 tsp. SAFFRON THREADS Use CHERRY plant’s feathery 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil TOMATOES in bargreenery is used in Finely grated zest and juice of 1 LIME becued kabobs, for cooking and as an 1 1/2 tsp. white wine vinegar bruschetta, salsa, elegant garnish for 6 fresh MINT leaves, julienned salads or as a sweet salads, soups and Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black and sour squirt-insmoked salmon. pepper 2 small FENNEL BULBS, trimmed, thinly Aromatic fennel your-mouth snack. sliced on a mandoline Did you know that seeds are used as a 2 pitted fresh APRICOTS, thinly sliced LIMES are berries, spice and in reme1 cup CHERRY TOMATOES, halved not fruits? Like all dies. FENNEL 1 Tbsp. EDIBLE FLOWER PETALS citrus fruits, LIMES SEEDLINGS are 1 Tbsp. FENNEL SEEDLINGS are hesperidia, newly sprouted 1 Tbsp. DAIKON SPROUTS 1 Tbsp. PURPLE BASIL SEEDLINGS berries with juicy FENNEL plants. sectioned flesh It’s time to start In a small pot, heat 2 tablespoons water. Remove from heat, add saffron, harvesting early covered by leathery and allow to infuse for 10 minutes. Strain EDIBLE FLOWERS rinds. “Tahiti” or “Persian” LIMES are saffron and reserve liquid. Whisk olive oil, from your garden lime zest and juice, vinegar, mint leaves and planting more oval-shaped, thickand saffron water. Season with salt and for summer taste skinned and seedpepper. Toss remainder of the ingredients sensations. Nasturless. Their peak with the vinaigrette. Taste and adjust tiums, calendulas, flavour season is seasonings if needed. from May to August. chamomile flowers, I use lime juice daily chicory flowers, to perk up salad dressings, drinks, soups, cornflowers, dandelions, English daisies, sauces and desserts. Lime juice “cooks” gladioli, rosemary flowers, pineapple sage ceviche, adds zing to salsa fresca and flowers, carnations, chrysanthemums, makes lip smacking margaritas. Anything hollyhocks, marigolds, honeysuckle, roses sprinkled with LIME ZEST sparkles with and sunflowers are only a handful of tangy taste. A cheesecake topped with EDIBLE FLOWERS you can grow and eat. strips of LIME ZEST is a beautiful thing.

Before indulging, be sure flowers are The heavenly taste and fragrance of edible and organically grown.

KAFFIR LIME LEAVES marries brilliantly SAFFRON THREADS are the dried with coconut milk and turns rice or broth stamens of the saffron crocus. SAFFRON into sensational creations. Look for small, has been used as a spice, a yellow dye, a round KEY LIMES, yellow thin-skinned perfume ingredient, a remedy and a limes with a distinctive fragrance and tart stimulating aphrodisiac since ancient taste. times.

Delicate, sweet APRICOTS are available DAIKON SPROUTS (kaiware in Japanfrom May to September, but their peak ese) are the spicy, green young shoots of season is right now, in May and June. the daikon radish, a foot-long white APRICOTS, peaches, plums, cherries and radish that has crisp, juicy, pungent flesh. almonds are stone fruits in the rose famDAIKON SPROUTS are used to make sushi ily. Try APRICOTS in a salad of shallots, rolls, and as a soup and salad garnish. roast duck, arugula, watercress, and baby DAIKON SPROUTS from Eatmore Sprouts greens, with a dressing of sherry vinegar, in Courtenay are available in local superpeanut oil, soy sauce, sugar, fresh thyme markets. and black pepper, sprinkled with roasted One of the perks of growing your own peanuts. APRICOT kuchen, an egg-rich PURPLE BASIL (a.k.a. opal basil) is being cake, pairs the tart-sweet taste of apricots able to enjoy tender PURPLE BASIL with almonds. Kuchen can also be made SEEDLINGS when you thin out the plants. with plums, pears, mangoes or peaches.

This herb has a delicious licorice/clove Preserve APRICOTS by making a big batch taste and radiant colour. I grow a variety of APRICOT chutney, with oranges, ginger, of basil in the kitchen year-round garlic, raisins, vinegar, brown sugar, including Thai basil and sweet basil. cayenne and cinnamon. Use the chutney Tweak the basil concept by growing lemon in chicken salad made with chopped basil or cinnamon basil. cooked chicken, dried apricots, onions, Cooling, refreshing MINT is a must for Italian parsley, mayo, lemon juice, slivered spring and summer meals. Use it in almonds, fresh herbs and baby lettuce. dressings, in fruity tabbouleh (made with Refreshing, crunchy FENNEL BULBS bulgur, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, tomahave a succulent licorice-taste. FENNEL toes, green grapes, cucumbers and green BULBS can be eaten as a raw salad vegonions), in green papaya salad, and in etable. Braising or sautéing them enbeverages like the classic mint julep. hances their delectable flavour. The

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EAT MAGAZINE MAY | JUNE 2008

traditionalculture

by Jeremy Ferguson

Baingan Bharta This smoky, silky, spicy dish from the subcontinent sums up the full potential of the versatile eggplant down through the ages.

O

f all the dishes in the vastness of Indian cuisine, none has my number like baingan bharta. Silky in consistency, smoky on the nose and roaring with the full arsenal of Subcontinental spices, it sends me into fits of constant craving.

I’ve eaten it in the dining palaces of Delhi and Mumbai, on the Bay of Bengal, in the Rajasthani desert, in Ladakh in the high Himalaya, in London (where Indian reigns supreme among the Empah’s cuisines)—and can’t recall a bad one. It’s the crown prince of eggplant dishes.

Which is saying something. If eggplant were an actor, it would be Gene Hackman, or maybe Chris Cooper, marvellously versatile and always willing to perform. If they gave out Oscars to food, eggplant would walk away with Best Supporting Actor every other year.

Eggplant is a member of the nightshade botanical family that includes tobacco and the potato. Technically, it’s a berry and a fruit, not a vegetable. Native to the Subcontinent, it’s a staple in Mother India’s kitchen and likely has been for the whole 5,000 years of trial-anderror.

It journeyed the Silk Roads, gathering fanfare en route. In remote Sichuan Province, the Chinese defence against mist and drizzle is eggplant howling with garlic and chillies.

Afghans also infuse it with garlic, then sauce it with yogurt and, we hope, share it with Canadian troops. The Lebanese puree it, pan-fry it, pickle it and meld it with pepper, garlic and lemon as babghanouj.

But the great eggplant innovators in history were the Ottoman Turks. The kitchen of Suleiman the Magnificent boasted 130 recipes for eggplant. I warm to the sentiment of imam bayidi, a stuffed eggplant dish translating as “the imam fainted.” It refers to a religious leader who fainted with pleasure at first sniff.

Eggplant rode west with the Arabs in the ninth century, fanning out through the Mediterranean world. The Greeks embellish it with cheese, onions, ground lamb and béchamel for moussaka. Italians make roast eggplant soup with goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes.

The French trumpet ratatouille.

Only the English didn’t take to it and even declared it the cause of epilepsy. In 1597, the English were advised by John Gerard in his Historie of Plantes to forget eggplant “for doubtless these apples have a mischievous quality; the use thereof is utterly forsaken.” To this day, the English have contributed nothing to eggplant’s canon.

Eggplant requires no justification these days. If anything, it’s the perfect choice for current correctness. It has few calories, loads of fibre, calcium and potassium. It’s easily affordable. You can dress it up and take it to a barbecue, a ball, anywhere at all.

It’s a willing accomplice in any culinary intrigue: French chef and restaurateur Georges Blanc gives vegetarianism desperately needed glamour when he writes about eggplant caviar wrapped in smoked salmon and eggplant quenelles with zucchini petals. Either dish is fine enough to call for champagne.

Around the world, the marvellous fruit comes in white, tan, lavender and green, but here two varieties dominate: the purple-black globe eggplant from Europe and the smaller, trimmer, vibrantly purple Japanese eggplant commonly found in Asian supermarkets. I’ll take the latter anytime: it’s sweeter-tasting, without residual bitterness. Its skin is so tender, there’s no need to peel it. In cooking, it absorbs far less oil.

For baingan bharta, find yourself some firm, unblemished Asian eggplants. Roast them until the skin blackens under a broiler or over charcoal for smokier effect. When blackened, run it under cold water to cool. Peel away the skin.

Mash the flesh evenly. Toast a handful of spices—cumin, cardamom, coriander, black pepper—until the fragrance fills the kitchen. Grind them to a powder and fry them in oil with grated ginger, chopped onions and garlic, and plenty of garlic. Now add the eggplant and also tomatoes and chillies to taste. Simmer for at least half an hour. Garnish with chopped coriander.

A rip-snorting bharta has a kind of hallucinogenic effect on me. Last time, I wound up asking my wife what she thought of, maybe, a baingan bharta ice cream. “Great idea,” she told me. Whenever you’re planning to make it, I have to be out of town that week. In Delhi, apologizing.”

The Queen's Table has moved. The new address is: 304-5800 Turner Road, Nanaimo, BC, V9T 6J4, 250 751 7967. They carry artisan cheeses, pates as well as unique dry goods.

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17

The beginning and the root of all good is the pleasure of the stomach; even wisdom and culture must be referred to this.

- Epicurus

specialty foods organic · fair trade · ethnic · artisan · local

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shop online at www.shareorganics.bc.ca (250)595-6729

LADY MAE UNIFORMS 1815 DOUGLAS ST., VICTORIA 382-3342, TOLL-FREE 1-888-807-7111 www.ladymaeuniforms.com 18

EAT MAGAZINE MAY | JUNE 2008

KITCHEN GARDENS

In the Sooke Harbour House kitchen garden, culinary inspiration in the form of edible flowers, roots, shoots, tubers, bulbs and needles bursts from the ground all year. By Lorraine Forster

Photo by Rebecca Wellman; Inset by Andrei Fedorov

On the first day of December, a bone-chilling wind numbs our fingers and toes as a few snowflakes land tentatively on the overturned beds of rich, dark soil. I have stood here before on a warm, gentle August day, enchanted by the tangle of colour and scents twisting up from the warm earth. This is the Sooke Harbour House garden, where culinary inspiration bursts from the ground year round—even if it does decide to snow.

The previous August I had met them on an overgrown garden path on a dazzling late summer day: Sinclair Philip, co-owner of Sooke Harbour House, Byron Cook, head gardener, and Edward Tuson, head chef, the three men behind the unique flavours of award-winning Sooke Harbour House cuisine.

Sooke Harbour House sits at the end of Whiffen Spit Road on a stretch of rugged terrain. This low-lying point of land defines the southwestern edge of Sooke Harbour. To say it is exposed to the whims of Mother Nature would be an understatement as wind, sea spray and downpours can have their way with anyone who attempts to cultivate on this unsheltered bit of coastline. So how do they manage to meld the vision of a unique, organic kitchen garden with the realities of west coast gardening?

Byron Cook has been gardening here for 20 years, 13 of those years as head gardener. Experience has led him to know what works and what doesn’t. “We don’t grow tomatoes or basil or peppers. It’s too cool.” Greens love the weather and a profusion of herbs thrive.

Having been a west coast gardener myself for the past two decades, I know the challenges of cool damp days, heavy soil and an exploding population of hungry deer and aggressive banana slugs.

In August, Byron had let me in on some of the secrets of managing a garden that has scores of culinary herbs, more than a hundred varieties of edible flowers, as well as fruit trees, kiwi vines, berries and figs. It is mainly a perennial garden, and some plants are left to reseed themselves. Plants grow where they like. No one tries to use discipline to make them stay in beds or grow in orderly rows. The soil is conditioned with dark, rich compost produced on site from organic material recycled from the garden and the kitchen. Seaweed is gathered from the beaches and

Grilled Trap Caught Sable Fish with a pickled tuberous nasturtium tuber purée and grand fir paprika oil, polenta with thyme and leek, broccoli and snap peas.

added to the beds at various times throughout the year.

The four of us had continued our tour of the garden where shrubs, vines, flowers, trees and herbs pushed their way towards the sun out of beds, pots and containers filling every corner of the property. The plants seemed to be climaxing in a last late summer show of glory in anticipation of the shorter days of autumn. Byron asserted that there would still be a wide selection available through December.

Every plant must be at least partly edible to qualify for a coveted spot in this garden. The chefs use flowers, roots, shoots, tubers, bulbs, stems and even needles in the case of the grand fir. While the showy, deep-hued petals of tuberous begonias, salvias, sages, roses, tulips and nasturtiums might be playing a major role on summer menus, other plant flavours can be preserved for later use in infused oils, vinegars and pickles.

I asked Byron about deer causing damage to all the tender, tempting edible plants. He chuckled. “The most damage to the garden is caused by the chefs.” He walked with me over to a stand of grand fir with very naked-looking trunks on the bottom few feet. Apparently, the lower branches had been over-harvested by zealous chefs.Long shears are now used to distribute harvesting in a more even manner among the upper branches.

CONT’ ON THE NEXT PAGE

Head gardener Byron Cook with fresh-picked salad greens at Sooke Harbour House

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FRESH INSPIRATION Edward quickly filled me in on the popularity of the grand fir. It can be defused in brines.

It thickens and flavours sauces and adds an unusual note to bouquet garni. Grand fir is an excellent source of vitamin C. In the spring, its tender new shoots can be chopped and added to dishes directly. Subtle hints of grand fir work well with fish, while meat can support a stronger introduction of the flavour. It can even be used in sorbets, ice cream and apple pies!

Not everything here is cultivated deliberately. Sometimes delicious things just happen.

According to Sinclair, several varieties of wild mushrooms such as shaggy mane, inky clubs, bolets and fairy wings make a seasonal appearance on the property providing further inspiration to the chefs. The same holds true for chickweed, ox-eye daisies and dandelions.

Sinclair is totally committed to local ingredients. “We will work with whatever grows here or we can get locally.” He noted a loss of local suppliers as older people retire and the younger generation cannot afford to purchase land to continue farming. This makes the kitchen garden all the more important as the years pass and local producers disappear.

Considering the gardening staff outnumbers the kitchen staff, one does start to wonder about the financial viability of such an extensive garden. The reality of the situation is just the opposite. There is no way these unique ingredients could ever be brought in, even with the increase in availability of organic produce. The variety of plants is prodigious. Many have been grown from seed and are rare to this part of the world, such as les fraises des bois. Sometimes only small quantities are needed to produce a truly memorable blend of flavours.

Edward put everyone’s sentiments into words, “It would be unbelievably hard to cook without this garden. We never take it for granted. The garden inspires the menu.” I asked Edward if he had any favourites considering the broad selection of plants. He likes the Nootka rose that blooms in late spring. Historically used as an important indigenous source of vitamin C, its petals are petite, fragrant and beautiful in a salad. Sweet Cecily is another of his favourites, a most versatile plant as leaves, flowers, seedpods and root can all be used.

The mystery lingered as to how this bounty and variety could possibly extend beyond the first frost. Byron confirmed that the garden was used throughout the four seasons thanks to the mild west coast climate. I have to admit I was skeptical, having personally failed miserably at keeping my own small herb garden alive during the winter months. A return trip would be necessary when the sun hung low in the sky and wise Canada geese had winged their way to Florida for the winter. Lucky for me, I was invited for dinner—when inclement weather brought a lull to the high-season rush.

Nishka Philip greets the small group of guests brave enough to face the west coast wind in December and tour the garden. I suspect Sinclair, Byron and Edward are keeping warm indoors.

The gardens are different, of course. The colours are more sedate under the low, steelgrey sky. However, new green vegetation are poking out of the soil even as more fairweather plants are withering back to muted tones of brown and returning to the earth.

Pineapple sage is still producing its cheery yellow blossoms. Bright orange calendula flowers bloom erratically about the garden. Nishka tells us it will grow through snow. The flowers have a mild flavour and were once used to colour Cheddar cheese. They turn rice a lovely hue and make a beautiful garnish. Tuberous nasturtiums are a few weeks from harvest as their marzipan-flavoured tubers are dug in January.

Borage, mustard, chickweed and miners lettuce, native to Vancouver Island, are all producing new growth despite the blustery weather. In fact, mustard grows best in winter.

The menu on that August day had been an assemblage of the best that could be expected at peak season from such a well-tended and well-loved two acres. The salad blended organic greens, edible blossoms and lemon verbena. The soup introduced blackberries, sage and Johnny jump-up flowers. Seafood was embellished with nasturtium leaf and scallions. The duck presented sage, nodding onion and garlic. The pork was dressed with blackberry, marjoram and mint. The sorbets were glorious in their array of exceptional flavours: salal berry, fruit sage, strawberry, nasturtium, mint and yellow plum.

December’s menu reflects the change of season but continues to be graced with a subtle nuance of garden flavours. Sage oil scents the parsnip broth, Jerusalem artichoke accompanies the duck confit, pickled nasturtium tuber purée and grand fir oil are perfect with trap-caught sable fish, Mable-Grey-scented geranium, pickled garlic shoot sauce and wild mushrooms work in harmony with roasted chicken. The maple walnut tart is served with fennel ice cream.

Chef Edward Tuson is absolutely right. Without this garden, the Sooke Harbour House menu could be virtually impossible to produce. “We never take it for granted,” I remember him saying. “The garden inspires the menu.” And on this December day, I find the garden inspiring more than just the menu. Its abundance of gifts, even under the threat of snow, is life-affirming.

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| introducing‌ Uva 21 | neighbourhood hot spot Spitz Burgers | lunch at the Noodlebox | restaurants in Vancouver, Victoria, Tofino & Courtenay

RESTAURANT REPORTER DINING OUT

VA N C O U V E R

by Andrew Morrison

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Tracey Kusiewicz

Fraiche Fish: Arctic Char with caramelized onion and chicken jus on bacon and brie ravioli

A ROOM WITH MORE THAN A VIEW West Vancouver's New Fraiche The Best On The North Shore Fraîche Restaurant | #2-2240 Chippendale Rd. | West Vancouver | 604-925-7595 fraicherestaurant.ca Bankrolled by deep pockets and with a kitchen led by veteran chef Wayne Martin, Fraîche is perched on a bluff in the Canterbury neighbourhood of West Vancouver’s British Properties, the wealthiest postal code in Canada. It’s nowhere near as casual as Martin’s other restaurant, the east side’s celebrated Crave (3941 Main St., 604-872-3663, www.craveonmain.com). Instead, it echoes his executive chef years at Vancouver’s Four Seasons hotel. His elegant and thoroughly comforting food is backboned by uncomplicated technique and spruced with local, seasonal ingredients. A simple roasted celery root soup, for example, so earthy and rich, is lit up by a nipple of truffle pesto, a dark dot of bold flavour that treads the bowl’s centre. An organic chicken noodle soup, so seemingly ordinary, is so dense with wonderfully aromatic stock that it makes it impossible not to slurp it in the most indecorous way. Mains are equally straightforward: massive veal chops, milkfed and meaty, lounge on horseradish and potato galettes under ruffled canopies of black trumpet mushrooms; bone-in New York steaks come shotgunned with hand-cut frites and French-served cauliflower gratin.

It’s not exactly cheap (dinner for two greatly exceeds $100), but execution on all fronts is of a standard high enough to ease the pain. The loft-like 70-seat room is sparsely but tastefully decorated and gives off an airy, modern feel. The music is as gentle as the mature service, and the khaki-linen-swathed tables are set far enough apart to afford guests the kind of intimacy that seems no longer in vogue. What truly takes the breath away, however, is the setting. It looks out over the twinkling lights of the city by night and is dazzled blue by the ocean view in the day. The two dinners I enjoyed during their first month cemented an easy opinion: Fraîche, both literally and figuratively, dominates the North Shore’s other dining options and is well worth the road time to get there.

italian inspired woodfired cucina

THE DETAILS Menu: 19 items with main courses hovering just above the $35 mark. It might be the most expensive restaurant on the North Shore, but without a doubt it’s also the best.

Wine cellar: General manager and sommelier Mary-Ann Masney has constructed a tony list of recognizable big guns for the big spenders, but the dozen “by the glass” options are uncommon, well-priced and geared to pair.

Service: Well-led, unobtrusive, professional and immaculately groomed. Not a face under 30.

Most memorable dish: An exquisite filet of arctic char resting on little raviolis stuffed with bacon and Brie that soak up caramelized onion and chicken jus flavours.

Q

A SEXY WORK IN PROGRESS Though Unfinished, Uva Still Delivers On All Fronts Uva Wine Bar | 900 Seymour | Downtown | 604-683-4251 | modahotel.ca

Tracey Kusiewicz

Sommelier Sebastien Le Goff readies for the night crowd at Uva Wine Bar, new to the Moda Hotel

Uva (Italian for “grape”) is the refurbished Moda Hotel’s first salvo in what is ultimately a multistage food and beverage revamp for the entire property (a separate Italian fine dining restaurant and a Euro sports bar will arrive later in the year).

Sebastien Le Goff, a past Sommelier of the Year, was tasked with its conceptual development and maintains an omniscient presence on the floor with the same French charm effortlessly displayed when he was the general manager of West Broadway’s Lumière and Feenie’s. A bracket-shaped bar with butt-enveloping black leather high chairs anchors the sexy, modernly appointed room. An old mosaic floor has been restored to a dull, aged sheen that changes hues as the overhead mood lighting morphs from red to blue. Peripheral white leather chairs and pristine white walls receive similar treatment, shifting imperceptibly from pink>

private wine room available

valet parking

cincin.net

604 688 7338 1154 Robson Street between Thurlow + Bute

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Uva continued to aqua and back again. An industry crowd has already slipped comfortably (and predictably) into place, milking the late-night liquor licence for all it’s worth and supping postshift on Italian charcuterie (served with tarragon pickles and grainy mustard), fresh oysters and rare artisan cheeses sourced from B.C. and abroad. Hot food might be in the offing soon after this goes to print, as the full kitchen (to be shared with the hotel’s new restaurant) is scheduled to go on line this summer. The wine list is a work of well-considered art: Le Goff has 20 by the glass available, most of them European (not including a Lebanese rosé from the Bekaa Valley). The bottle list goes further and is supported by a deep selection of European beers as well as cocktails and martinis of no meagre invention (recommended: prosecco and Chilean brandy sweetened with green apple puree and cinnamon syrup).

Though just one facet of the evolving Moda Hotel vision, Uva is nonetheless a strong confidence-building and brand-cementing step in an impressive direction.

THE DETAILS Menu: Until the full kitchen hot shoe drops, it’s just cured meats, cheeses and other simple snackables like rocket with paper-thin bresaola and Parmesan. We don’t mind if they take their time.

Wine cellar: An outstanding selection that is only a shadow of what it’ll eventually be. An air-controlled wine dispenser complete with taps will prove a novelty of envy for visiting oenophiles.

Service: Personal, professional and led by one of the best in the business.

Most memorable dish: Prosciutto di Parma with fresh parsley and Marcona almonds Q

CHAMBAR PART DEUX Day-Time Only Medina Café Opens Next To Beatty St. Icon Medina Café | 556 Beatty St. | Crosstown | 604-879-3114 | medinacafe.com

Zagat-rated for Top Eclectic Cuisine Proud member of OCEAN WISE, a Vancouver Aquarium conservation program

2603 West 16th Ave, Vancouver | Tel 604 739 0555 ext. 1 | www.trafalgars.com

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THE DETAILS Menu: Extremely limited for the time being, Belgian calling card: perfect waffles at but we can expect more when the kitchen Chambar's little cousin, Cafe Medina gets its green light on June 1.

Tracey Kusiewicz

Fresh, adventurous and seasonal cuisine ~ Affordable wines with a focus on BC ~ Award-winning desserts by sister pâtisserie, Sweet Obsession Cakes & Pastries

It took the better part of nine months to put together (the City strike didn’t help), but Medina Café launched quietly this past January, the product of Chambar Belgian Restaurant owners Karri and Nico Schuermans, together with one of their veteran servers, Robbie Kane. It’s right next door to their critically acclaimed Beatty Street eatery, its relaxed old world vibe oozing through the original brick walls as if by osmosis. Instantly popular with the area’s office crowd and the many work-from-home loft dwellers nearby, it offers free wifi and an atmosphere-heavy respite from the look-alike coffee houses that have overrun this caffeine-fuelled town with their humdrummery. As was the case with its big brother next door, obvious care was taken with the look of Medina, from the oversized boxes of branded matches (free) and eclectic art to the gleaming white tableware and cute, wire-suspended lights. The coffee is extraordinarily good with beans coming from 49th Parallel, the local roasting company that Vince Piccolo launched after he sold Caffe Artigiano. Chai, matcha, excellent hot chocolate and a selection of loose-leaf teas round out the hot liquids, while smoothies optionally infused with hemp protein refresh and restore. On the food front, they’re another of a handful waiting for their full kitchens to open (for hot breakfasts and lunches), but they make do with granola served with fruit and yogurt, baklava and fluffy Belgian waffles sided with a variety of dreamy, housemade toppings like lavender milk chocolate, pistachio white chocolate, raspberry caramel, fig and orange marmalade, and rich dark chocolate. It costs just $6 for a coffee, a waffle and one topping—a deal, to be certain, but also a singular moment, long and worthwhile.

Drinks: Smoothies are a must for the anti-caffeine set, but if any bean could inspire converts it’s those from 49th Parallel.

Service: Brisk counter service and a deft touch on both the waffle and espresso machines keep wait times to a minimum.

Most memorable dish: The best Belgian waffles this side of Liege. Don’t skimp on the sides. These things hug flavours tightly and take them to better places.

Q

EVERYWHERE AN OINK OINK The Greedy Pig Arrives In Gastown The Greedy Pig | 307 West Cordova | Gastown | 604-669-4991 | thegreedypig.ca

Tracey Kusiewicz

Gastown continued its revivalist march out of the tourist weeds with the winter introduction of this new find on Cordova. The work of husband-and-wife team Cam (ex Il Giardino) and Allison (ex Brix) Mackinnon, The Greedy Pig is a reflection of a young and gritty Vancouver at rest: a place to hear live music, drink wine with friends and be comforted with carefully wrought and rustic sandwiches, hearty soups, stews, salads, charcuterie, artisan cheese Charcuterie, great plates and delicious pâtés. The sandwiches, and wine kitchen is the size of a closet, mop up the gritty atwhich explains the limited menu, mosphere at but it churns out what it’s capable Gastown's newest of with admirable dexterity. Some eatery, the Greedy Pig. of the more body-warming dishes on the menu (“prairie stew” of beef, barley, dark stout, kale and root vegetables; Alsatian-style white bean and salt pork “pig soup”) were developed by one of Pino Posteraro’s former souschefs at Cioppino’s, while the cocktail list was done pro bono by one of Vancouver’s most celebrated bartenders, The Cascade Room’s Nick Devine. The old wooden bar sits a baker’s dozen and is topped thinly with just room enough for a plate, a glass and a pair of elbows. Above the bar back hangs a discrete flatscreen television for the occasional Canuck game and messy chalkboards listing the handful of wine offerings. A long banquette on the opposite wall seats more, but the best real estate in the house are the twin alcoves on either side of the front door—cozy, bright and private in an otherwise dark, open-concept space. The Mackinnons, musicians in their own right, have secured plenty of square footage in the rear for a stage and an audience, but at the time of writing they were still booking acts for their first shows. It’s an old building with an antique feel, and it has gone through many guises over the years (most recently The Annex Café), but with the clear support of the neighbourhood and a safety net of restaurant industry patrons and cool kids, it looks like it’s here to stay.

THE DETAILS Menu: Though hamstrung by the Lilliputian size of their kitchen, they do good turns with meats and cheeses, either set together cold on a “butcher’s block” plate or combined in stellar sandwich form. Don’t expect to pay more than $25 for a glass and a satisfying meal.

Wine cellar: Five whites and five reds, all available by the glass. Look for the Caymus Conundrum at $12 and the quality Argentinian Malbec at $6.

Service it’s a tag team husband-and-wife affair. Nothing fancy, but they’ll get to you in good time.

Most memorable dish: Grilled barbecue pulled pork sandwich with fennel and apple slaw (on a level with Victoria’s revered “Pig” on View St.).

Q

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RESTAURANT REPORTER

Now, you’ve got plans.

NOTHING NEW NOR BOHEMIAN Kitsilano Welcomes The New Bohemian The New Bohemian | 3162 West Broadway | West Side | 604-736-7576 thenewbohemian.ca

Tracey Kusiewicz

This new spot from Ivo Staiano, former owner of the west end’s popular Balthazar’s Hideaway (now a burlesque joint called Maxime’s Hideaway), landed deep in Kitsilano this past March. It’s the old Fiction Wine Bar location, completely remodelled, rebranded and reborn. A projector uses the entrance wall as its canvas, in the case of my first visit for a vintage episode of The Avengers. The bar is backed by an elaborate mural depicting a pre-Raphaelite woman in blissful repose. The open kitchen window remains, now beneath two flat-screen TVs (Food Network on top; sports on the bottom). On the back wall, lowercase letters made of polished steel and backlit with neon blue spell the word “icon.” Why, I haven’t the slightest.

The dividing wall between bar and dining room is gone, making it one loud polyglot, not unlike the menu (we’ll get there soon). It’s a slave to fashion with a shelf life of minutes, but this is the new republic of Kitsilano and that stuff Knowing their market: sells big here right now (witness Browns and the coming New Bohemian of Pinkys Steakhouse). It doesn’t look bad, but it looks owners Ivo Staiano contrived, so over-considered I could have been anywhere and Paul Gibbons roll and nowhere at all. It so achingly wants to be hip.

As for the food, the only theme is salability, a nod to the dice in Kits knowing what the market likes. Case in point: the five deep-fried macadamia and coconut-battered prawns (that tasted of neither) next to a plop of pointless, underdressed greens and a sweet chili coconut mint dip that suggested zero of mint or coconut but did resemble the cheap Sambal chili sauce usually paired with downmarket chicken fingers. Served on the kind of pristine white rectangular plate one would expect in an au courant, fancy-pants place (with the Food Network on TV), it sounded fascinating but was really just a transparent exercise in making money (not that there’s anything wrong with that). It’s just that I could have done without all the prose, and $12 for this cruel joke was a laugher. A member of Oceanwise, they neglect to include the little “O” logo denoting which seafood dishes are ethically kosher. Everyone else does it, but they don’t. I asked if my prawns were Oceanwise-approved. Nope. For a main, I followed my well-meaning server’s recommendation and ordered the organic beef sirloin, thinking it was such a sweet deal at $20. It was, in the interest of clarity, terrible: overcooked, tough in the most displeasing way, and a trial to cut with the dull, serrated toy they were passing off as a steak knife (about as efficient as a pencil). Next to this exhausting slab was a massive mound of sweet potato purée, some sort of shrivelled green thing that may have been asparagus, and an oily mess of red peppers that gave the meat its only taste. If there was any brightish light on the food front it was the pizza. There were several options; I settled on the “unbohemian,” capicola, salami, pepperoni, mozzarella and havarti. There was good sting to the sauce and the crust was thin and crispy, slipping it into the realm of the “passable” There was good sting to the sauce and the crust was thin and crispy. It slipped into the realm of the “passable”, but beyond this I can’t think of a single reason why I'd return, save perhaps to watch the Avengers. The service was friendly and very casual, like at a friend’s house party, but it wasn’t enough to make me stay any longer than I needed to.

The real crime was the absence of passion from the plate. It was as if someone in the kitchen was reading instructions from a clipboard. Lest my palate forget.

www.planblounge.com info@planblounge.com 1144 Homer Street 604 609 0901

THE DETAILS Menu: Very well-written and pretty, but executed without any interest in the meaning.

Drinks: Cocktails circa 10 years ago. Six beers on tap. Affordable wines.

Service: Friendly, eager and excellent—like frat brothers at a kegger.

Most memorable dish: Take your pick and good luck.

Q

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Common Purpose | Finding A Great Burger in a Good Burger Town Splitz Grill, the reigning king of Vancouver burgers

Splitz Grill | 4242 Main Street | East Vancouver | 604-875-9711 | SplitzGrill.com

Tracey Kusiewicz

Who has the best burger in Vancouver? When West Broadway's Feenie's closed for good this past March, leaving a big hole in the pantheon of local burgerdom (the Feenie Burger was oft-celebrated as the best), the title has been up in the air. Many think that Moderne Burger will be a shoe-in once it reopens this Spring after its year-long renovations, or hope that Feenie's replacement, DB Bistro Moderne (opening this summer), will bring its much-touted $100+ burger to town with its truffles and such, but until then we must deliberate on what's available.

I still love the taste of Brown's hickory BBQ burger with Canadian bacon ($12 with fries), but have a softer spot for the exhausting options available at Vera's Burger Shack ($5.69-$8.99). The Ocean Club in West Vancouver does phenomenal little mini burgers made of prime rib and molasses-braised short ribs with blue cheese sauce ($12 for two), but it's too frou frou to count. Fatburger's offerings are juicy and hyper-seasoned, their buns soft and pliable, but it might be too kitschy an operation for foodies to stomach (like a 50's themed McDonald's with a jukebox). Save on Meats on West Hastings offers much better burger bang for the buck than all of the far more fashionable above ($4 with fries), and deserves special recognition for its lack of frills. But if there is to be a regent reigning while we await the battle of the Modernes, it must be the 5oz Splitz burgers at the newly arrived Splitz Grill on the east side ($8.50 for a basic combo with fries and a drink). These plump and juicy lovelies are dressed "as you like it" with 20 different condiments and assorted toppings. I like mine with bacon, shredded cheese, a layer of sauteed onions, and an unhealthy dollop of their sweet and savoury Splitz sauce. It's just as a burger is meant to be, a delicious and messy handful that doesn't break the bank. — A. Morrison

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VICTORIA

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Rebecca Wellman

Yum Talay (Seafood salad – ‘Yum’ means salad) – Fresh scallops, black tiger prawns and squid tossed with mint leaves, cilantro, chilies, red and green onion with fresh squeezed lime juice and roasted chili paste at Sabhai Thai Restaurant

RESTAURANT REPORTER Elizabeth Smyth’s Budget Gourmet Sabhai Thai Restaurant | 2493 Beacon Ave, at 2nd Street, Sidney | 250.655.4085 Sabhai Thai Restaurant in Sidney also offers something a little different: playful appetizers, a stunning snapper dish, and a refreshing lack of condescension about the palates of its clientele. I fell in love with two dishes on the appetizer menu. Gratong Taung, or Golden Cups, are charming little pastry cups like blossoming flowers that you fill with a ground chicken and corn mixture fragrant with cilantro, and top with a sweet plum sauce from a little heart-shaped dish. These are light, delicious, and, importantly, practical – they are an excellent device to feed and entertain small children while the adults go for the spice.

Specifically, with the children busy, this means the adults can eat all the Peeg Gai Tod, otherwise known as chicken wings in a sweet chili garlic sauce. Nothing is from a bottle here – this recipe was created by the young owner’s mother, who works in the kitchen, and is a family favourite that they are sharing with their customers. The entrees are mostly a fair price of $12, and include well done classics like Pad Thai and Chicken Curry, but a small splurge on the $16 snapper is worth every penny. Initially, my spirits fell when the platter came out with what looked like deep-fried British-style fish without the chips, but my spirits rose as soon as I tasted it. These golden morsels of snapper are draped in a sauce of basil, onions, and red peppers, with the aromatic basil as the pillar of the sauce – a really special dish. This feeling of getting something special, something personal, something authentic, is supported by the attitude of the owner, Ae Sirimalalak. When he was assessing Sidney as a location, he did not fall into the condescending attitude that the locals would want dishes that were bland and “Canadianized.” Instead, he had the vision and positivity to see his market as educated world travelers who would want authentic food. His perceptiveness has paid off, and his restaurant is full every night by 5:30, so come early.

The Roost | 9100 East Saanich Road, at McTavish | 250.655.0075 You’ve got to love a place where you sit at a table gaily decorated with a red and white tablecloth, all the while looking at sheep in a field out of the back window of the bus you’re dining in. Yes, bus. An ancient bus, a stationary bus, a bus with a scarecrow in the driver’s seat, but still a bus. The Roost café and bakery at McTavish and East Saanich offers a simple menu of sandwiches, soups, and baked goodies. For all its classic simplicity, their meatloaf sandwich for $9 deserves the kind of attention usually bestowed on a Beef Wellington.

I didn’t have a meatloaf kind of a mum, so I wasn’t at all prepared for how delicious something so prosaic-sounding could be. This thick, messy, flavourful sandwich consists of an enormous slab of moist mealoaf embraced by the perfect amount of melted cheese, barbeque sauce, and mayonnaise. It is encased in soft wholewheat bread that is not only made there, but includes wheat grown on the premises – why do the 100-mile diet when you can do the 100-yard diet? The Montreal smoked meat sandwich is another dramatic statement in a casual location. The Russian rye bread it is served on is not a tentative tone – it is a rich, russety black, soft and porous. The filling is a two-inch mound of classic smoked meat topped with melted Swiss cheese and brushed with mustard. The arc is clear when you arrive at The Roost – skip the soup, gorge on an over-the-top meat sandwich, enjoy any of their excellent cookies and pastries, and above all, snag a seat in the bus.

Soup Etc. | 2-G 1001 Douglas St., near Broughton | 250.360.4028 Also busy, busy is the lunch hour rush at Soup Etc. Soup Etc is a Vancouver-based company with several shops there and one in Victoria. It is built for speed, and caters to a large takeout market, and is popular because its prices are almost as low as you can go for decent food. $7.95 buys you a “feature sandwich” and any soup or stew. Eight to ten soups and stews are offered each day, two to three of which are always vegetarian. On the day of my visit, a winning soup was Thai chicken noodle, a witty cross-cultural mélange of creamy coconut and Thai spices with classic North American soup noodles – perfect for a person with both a cold and a yen for something Asian. The other winner was Mom’s Vegetable Soup, a hearty, healthy soup with a base of root vegetables and onion and a bite of chili pepper. The soft multigrain baguette that comes with the soup is fantastic, and is made in town by Portafina bakery. The feature sandwich that impressed me most was “The Nutty Chicken.” This toasted sandwich could have used a few more moments on the grill to warm up, but the combination of ingredients still made for a delicious sandwich. Chicken is combined with sundried cranberries, candied pecans, chili aioli, and the surprise of honey – a very happy marriage. Overall, Soup Etc offers a hearty and healthy meal that can be served up quickly. Q

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RESTAURANT REPORTER Edible Exoticism Tropical Island shakes up timid Asian restaurant scene Tropical Island | 1-3690 Shelbourne St. | Victoria | 250.477.2536

589 BAY STREET, VICTORIA T 250.384.2554

WWW.GABRIELROSS.COM

Transforming a former Taiwanese eatery of little distinction into Wong’s first restaurant, chef exPius Wong, Szechuan City, jumps on the pan-Asian bandwagon with a peripatetic menu. His kitchen gallivants from Malaysian satays and Singapore noodles to Thai curries and crispy chicken in the style of China’s tropical Hainan Island. DodgSpicy Basil Ribs – marinated pork back ing torturous overhead fluorescents ribs with spicy basil sauce served on a and tacky chinoissizzling hot plate. erie—to hell with the dragon—the room is comfortably appointed with soft lighting, leather banquettes and rattan chairs. Gracious, attentive, English-speaking servers complete the picture.

Chef, who trained in Hong Kong and Vancouver, demonstrates a way with edible exoticism. His sauces seethe with mystery: to wit, spicy basil ribs ($12.95), the cascading-fromthe-bone pork ribs rolling in a dark, sweet, spicy, sticky sauce infused with Thai basil.

Similarly, stir-fried eggplant ($9.95) woos the pleasure points with silken aubergine in a pungent meld of garlic, dried shrimp, chili and onion. These two powerhouses should make Wong’s reputation in a town where gastronomic timidity can pass for talent. Otherwise, one might dally happily with the likes of the buttery, flaky Malaysian flatbread roti canai ($4.50); juicily grilled beef or chicken satays ($5.95, four skewers) with soy-chilli-peanut sauce; racy Thai green curry ($10.95); and lemongrass chicken fried rice ($9.95), the ungreasy rice short on lemongrass but long on five-spice. Three-course lunches are $7.95 six days a week, closed Tuesdays. A welcome newcomer to the city’s mostly retro-Asian restaurant scene. — Jeremy Ferguson Q The Great Escape Cumberland in the Comox Valley | 2744 Dunsmuir Ave. | 250.336.8831 Chef Nicola Cuhna and her partner in The Great Escape, Jean-Francois Larche, are symptomatic of what is happening in this former mining boom town. Chef Nicola draws her inspiration from the cooking of Gujarat (Northwestern India), Owner-Chef Nicola Cunha and Jean-Francois Larche Karnataka (Southwest), and > with kale in the kitchen. photo by Sharon Macdonnell

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> Goa. This is lighter fare than Punjabi and Bengali-based cuisine. She also pays homage to the modernizing influence of Vancouver's Vij. This is evident in the lightness and the combination of flavours and colours that make eating at The Great Escape such a treat.

We started with intense little chicken samosas served with in-house plum chutney. "The best chutney I've ever had," opined my friend, somewhat of a chutney fiend. We also enjoyed the Papadam Cigars, a kind of "Indian spring roll" served with tamarind chutney, and Masala Wadas, subtley flavoured lentil patties served with in-house organic pumpkin chutney. These were accompanied by Chef Nicola's special variation on naan - a moist flat bread rich with flavour. For our main courses we ate smoked local lingcod cakes in a fenugreekfennel curry; Pathrade, a Gujarati specialty of spinach, ground rice, and lentils, steamed and sliced, served in a clinging cocount-tamarind curry; and a pork vandaloo flavoured with cinnamon, clove, ginger, and chilies. For dessert we shared the cardomom studded marshmallow – a bouyant and chewy concotion – and the chocolate patÊ drizzled with red wine andpear sauce. Both very nice ways to ice the cake. — Hans Peter Meyer

Lunch Solution

Is a 125,000 BTU gas-fired wok fast enough for you?

Longtime fans of the Noodle Box will remember the cart in the parking lot on lower Fisgard where it all began. From those humble origins the Noodle Box has grown to three locations: two in Victoria and one in Vancouver. One thing that hasn’t changed is the quality of the food.

I dropped into their Douglas street location in Victoria for lunch and ordered my usual—the Spicy Peanut sir fry—a large bowl of ribbon noodles tossed with peppers, Asian greens, crushed peanuts, herbs, sprouts, lime and chicken chunks tossed with Indonesian style peanut sauce and topped with crispy green onions.

Superb—and fast!

Wildside Grill | 1180 Pacific Rim Hwy | Tofino | 250.725.9453 Local fisherman Jeff Mikus and Chef Jesse Blake (formerly of Shelter Restaurant), make a great team for Tofino’s newest eatery, the Wildside Grill. Tucked behind Chocolate Tofino, Live to Surf and Beaches Grocery, Wildside Grill offers a fresh and seasonal menu, using free range poultry, organic produce and wild seafood (provided by Mikus’ other business, Wildside Seafoods). Amongst the mouthwatering house made items listed on the chalkboard, which sits beside a classic Tofino-style handmade covered outdoor seating area, complete with a driftwood fish skeleton atop the roof, (by local artist Jan Janzen), you’ll find items such as tempura battered fish and chips, bbq pulled pork on ciabatta bun, yam fries and my personal favourite, a homemade chicken stock-miso broth soup, with Pink shrimp, veggies and Dungeness crab wontons. Great burgers are on the list as well, wild salmon, halibut, tuna and free range bison, as well as breakfast items, smoked chorizo and egg ciabatta, with fresh coffee, herbal teas and tonics next door at Tofitian. While you wait for your food, don’t forget to check out local artists in this bustling complex, (which you’ll likely remember as the original home to SoBo’s purple bus) including wood turner Keith Plumley, and glass blower Sol Maya, and of course dessert by local chocolatier, Gordon Austin. —Kira Rogers

Victoria: 626 Figard St. 818 Douglas St. Vancouver: 1867 West 4th Ave.

Sherri Martin

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What Does Canada Taste Like?

O

ur Vancouver editor went searching for answers at this year’s Canadian Culinary Championships in Toronto.

by Andrew Morrison

An email I received last summer asked if I’d participate in the Canadian Culinary Championships, an annual contest that raises money for Canadian athletes by pitting Canada’s top chefs against one another in their own edible Olympiad.

The “Gold Medal Plates” gala competitions would come first that November. These provincial challenges, big deals in and of themselves with all the requisite media attention and dandy attendees, would take place in most of the major cities—from Vancouver all the way to Halifax—with the aim of narrowing the field down to one chef per region.

The end game would see a single individual crowned as the best chef in Canada.

I fired off an affirmative, keen to see which way talent lay beyond the Rockies and taste what they’d bring to the table. Along the way I hoped to get an answer to a question I’d long asked but never answered: is there such a thing as Canadian cuisine?

The CBC wondered this back in a 1957 radio broadcast, asking Colonel Harland Sanders, founder of the KFC chain, if there was any dish in Canada that he enjoyed. The Colonel was stingingly frank: “No, there’s no specialty that I’ve run into.”

“None whatsoever?”

“None whatsoever.”

After the Colonel went on to call Western Canadian food “plumb tasteless” and our cooking “listless,” CBC commentator James Bannerman mostly agreed with him, saying that blandness defined Canadian food, and that the only way one could distinguish roast pork from roast veal in Canadian restaurants was that the former was “a little soggier” and served with apple sauce. We may have come a long way in the 51 years since, a very long way indeed, but the Colonel was prophetically bang on. We’re still having trouble. Tim Hortons would be the only thing that everyone could agree on today. Truly, if we have a national dish at all, I’m afraid it might be chili in a bread bowl paired with a double-double.

Aside from the jingoist juices released when our national sporting teams are sent out to do battle, I’ve long thought our country was held together by the glue of memory. Quiet, polite, and perennially circumspect, we’ve always been regional navel gazers whose loyalties lie more with the local than the national. I wondered if our top chefs fighting it out for a national “best” title would prove this.

Teams of judges were assembled across the country, and I was honoured to be the head judge representing BC. The list outlining the formidable competitors arrived a few weeks later: Rob Feenie (then independent, now Cactus Club); Pino Posteraro (Cioppino’s); Nico Schuermans (Chambar); Robert Belcham (Fuel); Melissa Craig (Bearfoot Bistro); Lee Parsons (Bacchus at the Wedgewood); Jay Lynn (Hilton Whistler Resort); Scott Jaeger (Pear Tree); Stefan Pimenta (Le Gavroche); Javier Alarco (Hyatt Regency Vancouver); Kevin Doucette (The Westin Bayshore); and David Hawksworth (then of West, now the Georgia Hotel). Naturally, I looked forward to the day.

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Judges from across Canada gather to inspect competitor's ingredients in the kitchens of Toronto's George Brown College.

November 14, 2007 | Gold Medal Plates | Vancouver On this clear, cold night, hundreds of local glitterati, sports legends and miscellaneous bigwigs piled into Coal Harbour’s Westin Bayshore hotel with their cheque books open and gullets ready. Each chef was allocated kitchen space and a booth from which to dish. Our local chefs outdid themselves. Scott Jaeger, last year’s Canadian Bocuse D’Or competitor, won the bronze by plating perfect squares of B.C. Berkshire pork belly enhanced by tiny discs of cipollini onion jelly, thin swipes of celeriac purée and miniature coronets filled with pear butter. Melissa Craig took the silver with four small seafood morsels arranged on a wooden plank: Cortes Island Black Pearl oysters dressed with pickled daikon and cucumber mignonette; barrel-shaped B.C. spot prawn mousse wrapped in sesame jelly and capped with false caviar made with miso and squid ink; albacore tuna sashimi flavoured with yuzu bonito mayonnaise and covered with soy “pop rocks” (literally exploding on the palate); and miniature ice cream cones stuffed with cured wild salmon and horseradish cream. The gold went to Pino Posteraro’s hot soup of porcini mushrooms and chestnuts fortified with melted foie gras and textured with truffled brioche croutons, all served in a cappuccino cup on a saucer. The side spoon balanced a small square of chilled mushroom jelly and a garnish of minced roasted mushrooms. It was the kind of thing one would hope for at God’s café.

It was a fine evening, to be sure, but it got me no closer to understanding what Canadian

food was. Rob Feenie, considered an arbiter of our country’s culinary identity, served up simple short rib burgers. They were delicious and possibly the most Canadian offering that night, save perhaps for the speeches from the Barenaked Ladies, but they didn’t figure in our scores.

Defining our cooking has always been as problematic as defining ourselves. In both, we can either be tips of a post-modern sword that cuts through the mayonnaise of what it means to be a nation, or we can continue to search for something that has never been there in an exercise of philosophical self-strangulation.

Our body politic may suffer this identity crisis, but our cooks rejoice in it. An Italian immigrant was named the best chef in B.C. that night, and life went on.

February 8, 2008 | Canadian Culinary Championships Black Box Competition | Toronto Three months later, shortly after learning that Posteraro had had to drop out on doctor’s orders (therefore pushing Whistler’s Melissa Craig of Bearfoot Bistro to the fore at very short notice), I boarded my flight to Toronto to judge the Canadian Culinary Championships. En route I suffered through Air Canada’s answer to the quintessential Canadian meal: a ham and egg sandwich from Harvey’s, a stunted cylinder of Pringles potato chips and a cold can of beer. Landing an hour late at the tail end of a blizzard (with a belly bubbling full of nationalistic fervour), I was whisked to the Soho Metropolitan Hotel, not that far from where I used to live during my last stint in the city.

Though a B.C. boy born and bred, I did a lot of growing up in Toronto and like to think I still know its dining scene well enough to venture the occasional unsolicited opinion. As a youth, my father would take me

to all the fancy joints where chefs seemed more satisfied in mimicking what was coming out of New York than trying to develop a regional cuisine of their own. Ideas, like most of the ingredients, were imported from far afield, and the city’s food culture evolved as an amalgam of otherness.

The customers didn’t seem to mind a bit. My last job in the city was as a waiter at a sleek and unapologetically expensive Italian restaurant, a den for fat cats and movie stars on the corner of Avenue and Bloor. Apathy towards food was just the way it was, and nobody ever ordered the very few Niagara wines available on our thick list, let alone the one bottle of B.C. red. We ran through Super Tuscans, Brunellos and old French wines like water. The local stuff was too cheap and far too close to home to be celebrated. The customer base at the high end always seemed more concerned with demanding a better table and being recognized by the maitre’d than they were about the quality and sourcing of the ingredients or the creativity and expertise that went into their preparation. Dinner was a show, not an education.

These aren’t the ramblings of an ex-malcontent. I loved my work, but the only passion I ever witnessed was in the kitchen. In the dining room, it was more about who commanded the bigger expense account. There were exceptions, absolutely, but the culture of dining was completely different from what I later came to know in B.C. I was keen to do some exploring to see if anything had changed in the few years that I’d been gone, but the first of three competitions swept me out of my room before I could even unpack.

Chefs and judges were gathering for our first meet and greet inside George Brown’s Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts on Adelaide Street.

In addition to Melissa Craig, the competitors were Paul Rogalski of Calgary’s Rouge, Judy Wu of Edmonton’s Wild Tangerine, Michael Moffat of Ottawa’s Beckta Dining and Wine, Roland Menard of Montreal’s Manoir Hovey, and Martin Ruiz Salvador of Halifax’s Fleur de Sel. A fearsome brood. The favourite to win was homeboy Anthony Walsh of Toronto’s Canoe, and not just because a full third of the judges worked for Ontario publications. His reputation as one of the best chefs in Canada preceded him, and he’d beaten out the legendary likes of Jamie Kennedy, Susur Lee, Claudio Aprile, Marc Thuet and Michael Stadtländer, all huge names in Toronto.

We moved on to find a large group of media and foodies awaiting us in a makeshift reception room. After a few speeches, in walked the head of the school with a heavy container. This was the black box event, and the chefs would not know what they’d be working with until it was revealed. With great fanfare and in the full glare of camera lights, he pulled out the mystery ingredients: Lake Erie whitefish, flank steak, Ontario peanuts, local honeycomb, celery root and plantains. The gulps from the chefs, tasked with creating two dishes with these, were audible above the oohs and ahhs of the well-heeled crowd.

Walsh impressed with a whitefish tartar flavoured with coriander, basil and fresh ginger encased in its own thin fillet. His honey-cured and seared flank steak buttressed by a plantain chip spoon holding a dollop of celery root pureé was a knockout, too, but Melissa Craig wowed the most. On top of her honey-and-peanut-glazed beef sashimi, she’d set curly plaintain crisps and leaves of cilantro and mint. It was light, lively, and colourful, but it was what she did with her Ontario whitefish that became the talking point of the evening (poor Craig didn’t even know what species it was. She kept calling it “fish,” and when pushed she settled on “Arctic Char”). It was fast seared and then soaked in basil and olive oils in a bowl shallowed by celery root whip and ringed with spinach pureé. With just the right toothiness of texture from crisped leek and little kicks of acidity from tiny cubes of tomato, it gave her the opening lead.

More often than not that night, the creations were Asian-inspired (peanuts and honey led that way). None whispered even faintly of Canada.

Still hungry after tasting 14 different dishes, I found a donair place around the corner and then jumped into a slushy cab that smelled of feet. Ah, that’s more like it.

February 9, 2008 | CCC Wine & Food Pairing Competition | Toronto I awoke the next day and skipped an organized trip to a Niagara winery in favour of lunch with my father at Canoe (competitor Anthony Walsh’s restaurant on the 54th floor of the TD Tower). The food was exemplary, as good as one could get in Vancouver, but what struck me the most was how busy they were. The lunch crowd at restaurants like this in the West is minimal and seems to be getting worse. Robson’s CinCin, sadly, >

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no longer serves lunch at all. Every seat in the house was full, and the bar was standing room only.

After several other quick visits to equally busy restaurants, I made it to Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar off Front Street. At 4 p.m., they were still busy, too. The menu was a love affair with Ontario suppliers, with all the ingredients—save for impossibilities like lemon—raised or harvested locally. If this restaurant had a conceptual dopplegänger on the coast it might be Vancouver’s Aurora Bistro. I talked with Jamie Kennedy and chef Tobey Nemeth (a longtime EAT fan, incidentally) to find out who, if anyone, was following their lead.

Local sourcing and s u s t a i n a b i l i t y, watchwords that seem to have come to define the best cooking in B.C., fall on largely deaf ears in Toronto. “Lots of places do it a little for show,” Tobey offered, “but doing it full on, I think, is just too hard for them.”

I walked all the Whistler's Bearfoot Bistro chef Melissa Craig and her team way back to the prepare for the Black Box battle. hotel to work up an appetite for the next competition, a wine and food pairing hosted by The Century Room, a King Street lounge. The chefs had been given a mystery bottle of wine the night before (an Ontario Chardonnay from Closson Chase winery in Prince Edward County) and needed to build pairing dishes for 200 guests, spending no more than $400 on supplies at the St. Lawrence Market.

Walsh pulled level with Craig, his doughnut of skate and salt cod with its tartar sauce of lobster edging out her pork hock and lobster sandwich dusted with bacon powder. Menard of Montreal’s Manoir Hovey won it for me, though, with pillowy black cod marinated in vanilla oil and gussied up with a foam of sweet corn.

If I took anything away from the night, it was surprise at seeing Walsh serving skate, a species listed by conservation groups as a “fish to avoid.” Stranger still was Edmonton’s Judy Wu doling out fillets of Chilean sea bass, a species widely acknowledged as strictly verboten (if this had been in hypersensitive B.C., I fear they both would have been booed).

Nothing that evening came across as being especially Canadian. Colonel Sanders, that cheeky bastard, was right.

Afterwards, several of the judges and I retired for pints and a variety of deep-fried foods at Gretzky’s, a restaurant owned by the most famous Canadian of them all. But only the snow reminded me of the country in which I stumbled, and I went to bed remembering the words of Stuart Keate, long ago the publisher of the Vancouver Sun: “In any world menu, Canada must be considered the vichyssoise of nations, it’s cold, half-French, and difficult to stir.”

On the eve of the grand finale, it was Anthony Walsh and Melissa Craig virtually tied, with Menard not far behind in third.

February 10, 2008 | CCC Grand Finale Competition | Toronto I spent most of the day wandering some of my old haunts and remembered that the scent of the subway comes steaming up from grates in the sidewalks to mingle with the smells of the many hot dog stands. Hot dog in hand, I wistfully watched families skating the rink in front of City Hall, a sight as Canadian Gothic as the Calgary Stampede or Bonhomme waving to snow-suited kids at Quebec’s Winter Carnival. I walked across Queen Street and into the ancient Hudson’s Bay Company building. It was fitting that this would be where the grand finale would take place. If the food couldn’t decide what country it was from, the setting would.

I walked up to the eighth floor and into a cavernous Art Deco space called the Arcadian

Court. The 90-year-old chandeliered room was already abuzz, though none of the guests were due for another hour. I wished luck to the chefs who were busily setting up their stations. All were nervous and excited, especially 28-year-old Melissa Craig. Quiet and softspoken, for the duration she seemed more surprised than anyone else that she was where she was. A part of me wanted to tell her that she was tied for the lead, but I didn’t.

The room began to fill shortly after. Television crews and photographers went straight for the chefs, while Olympian athletes like triple-medalist Marnie McBean and local grandees like Justin Trudeau sipped at wines from Canadian vineyards. After a series of opening speeches, the final competition began, with hundreds of people queuing up at the seven stalls dotting the perimeter of the room. Chefs were given free reign this time, tasked only with prepping any dish paired with any wine of their choice. To make things easier for the judges, each of us was given a volunteer runner. And so we sat, ate, squabbled, opined and drank behind a rope line, removed from the swirling mass.

Each dish was exquisite. Martín Ruiz Salvador of Nova Scotia’s Fleur de Sel presented the most perfectly seared scallop I think any of us had ever eaten. Around it was a crescent purée of salt cod, while smoked pork hock, shallots, chervil and streaks of pea shoot oil and veal jus gave it the earthy components needed to stand up to an Inniskillin Pinot Noir. Anthony Walsh of Canoe did a fine slice of caribou leg with onion and caribou neck ragoût next to maple-roasted squab breast on artichoke tarte Tatin. Between them was spiced chocolate, a perfect foil for the Jackson-Triggs Delaine Vineyard Cabernet Merlot. Michael Moffatt of Ottawa’s Beckta banked on what he called “snails and tails”: an open-face ravioli topped with escargot and oxtail ragoût set off by leek, pear and sun-dried tomato sauced with blue cheese fondue. Delicious, but I thought the Black Sage White Meritage was just a little too meek a pairing. Roland Ménard of suburban Montreal’s Manoir Hovey knocked us down with his sublime “log” of Quebec foie gras next to a tiny plop of wild ginger purée and a tight dice of beets decorously interspersed with “pearls” made with apple cider. Execution across the board was perfect.

The dish of the night, however, belonged to Craig. Next to a golden croquette of king crab resting on a sticky dot of basil and mango coulis and an espresso shot of hot crab soup layered with coconut milk and flavoured with lemongrass and chili lay a bamboo leaf rolled into a cone. Inside was a rectangular piece of rare claw meat covered with tobiko roe and Craig's winning dish: King crab soy sauce pop rocks. We lifted the cones to our croquette, lemongrass infused ears and listened as if to a spastic seashell— crab bisque, and bamboo wrapped pop, crack, pop—before pinching it out and popcrab claw meat covered in soyping the flesh into our expectant mouths. flavoured pop rocks.

Incredible. Each component was immaculate on its own, but when taken together with sips of Tantalus Vineyards’ Riesling, the game was over.

She had won.

Trudeau and Olympic medalist Curt Harnett kept the crowd busy with speeches as we retreated with our individual score sheets (and a bottle) to our green room. Toronto Life food editor James Chatto, our lead judge, opened his laptop while we circled around him. After a few inputs, he looked up and smiled. “Well,” he paused, “Melissa won.” It took a moment for it to sink in. My first reaction was pride, not in being a Canadian but rather in being a British Columbian. It was an irresistible feeling, and that, I told myself, was fine.

The overall final scores revealed how very close they were. Craig’s was 80.16 percent and Anthony Walsh’s was 79.92 percent. The battle for bronze was even closer, with Ménard beating out Salvador by an almost comical 0.03 percent.

When we returned to find the huge crowd waiting for us, it was difficult not to smile.

When Craig’s name was called, her face exploded into the kind of joyous expression one only sees in children. Press-ganged into participating at the last moment due to Pino Posteraro’s late withdrawal, she had done her best and found it was the best.

In the end, I thought, maybe that was all there was to it. Perhaps being a great Canadian chef meant doing your best with whatever it was that you could bring to the table. Chacon à son goût, as the French say, to each his own—or in this case, her own. As I flew home the next morning, racing the sun as it rose, I decided that the key to understanding Canadian cuisine must be to never mind the ingredients and look at who was doing the cooking. If Canada is too large, too young and too wise to rally around much beyond a national anthem, much less a national cuisine, we can afford to relax a little and concentrate on the plate in front of us. In other words, we can just EAT.

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At C restaurant, where Rob Clark is Executive Chef, you can order what is called the “Ethical Luxury” Tasting Menu— 10 petit dishes all containing sustainable ingredients sourced locally. Pictured above: Bamfield Pinto Abalone both raw and prepared with shaved watermelon, radish sweet onion and soy dressing.

Abalone is so controlled by the DFO to foil poachers that the meat can only to be served with its shell attached. Then, that same shell must be returned to Bamfield for reconcilliation.

Rob Clark

VISIONARY CHEF TALKS SUSTAINABILITY with Chris Mason Stearns

Above: When doyenne Martha Stewart ate at C she requested a special order. Chef Quang obliged and made up a plate using various dishes from the “Ethical Luxury” menu: spot prawns with celeriac, walnuts and verjus jelly; Albarcore tuna tartare with green olive and confit lemon; and Vancouver Island sea urchin done Waldorf style. Martha said. “It was a good thing.” photos by Tracey Kusiewicz

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EAT MAGAZINE MAY | JUNE 2008

The EAT Interview

EAT: You’ve been Executive Chef at C for 10 years now. How many of your goals as a chef have you realized in that time?

Robert Clark’s name has become synonymous with sustainability in British Columbia. His efforts to promote seafood which is responsibly sourced (as well as delicious) have inspired the city’s chefs and re-defined the way we think about food with fins. Chef Clark sat down with Chris Mason Stearns to discuss growing up on the Gaspé, the groundbreaking OceanWise project, his early years as a chef, and why lil’ old pink salmon deserves our love as much as that rock star sockeye.

RC: When I came to Vancouver the quality of fish was probably the worst I’ve seen in the country. I thought I would get the freshest fish, but back then it just was not the case.

Today we are very fortunate, we’ve come a long way over 10 years and I think C has played a big part of convincing [suppliers] to raise the bar, that quality does count and people are willing to pay for it. When we started out we were very limited by what we could get. There was a choice of maybe six half-decent products: farmed salmon, trout, halibut, tiger prawns from Asia. We thought ‘how are we going to separate ourselves from everybody else?’ So we started sourcing our own products. Back then no one wanted to listen to quality.

Suppliers thought that chefs wouldn’t want to pay more money for it. Traditionally in the seafood industry the shittier a product is, the closer to home you sell it. If you ship something to New York and they don’t like it at the other end, you lose your product and you pay for the shipping. They used to call us [at C] the ‘boomerang account,’ because it didn’t matter what they sent us, if we didn’t like it, we sent it back. Sometimes the delivery driver would just come in and say ‘Robert, I saw them pack it and you’re not going to like it.

Should I just send it back and bring you something better this afternoon?” It doesn’t cost [suppliers] any money to try and sell shitty halibut to me, maybe a couple bucks in gas (as opposed to airfare). I want to believe it’s changed, and I think the seafood companies and suppliers have had to change --especially with the launch of OceanWise.

EAT: You grew up on the Gaspé peninsula in Quebec. What did you eat and cook as a kid?

ROBERT CLARK: My grandmother was a very good cook. One of the greatest things I got from growing up there was an access to fresh fish. It is so remote. My father still lives by the seasons. June is strawberry season, July is raspberry season, August is blueberry season. When the fishing season opens up, you harvest the fish, you garden. It is still very much based on the way it was. It is not an urban lifestyle whatsoever. The weather determines what you’re doing and what you’re eating. My dad’s property backs on to the York river, so as a kid there was a lot of salmon and trout. Codfish was big. We didn’t eat a lot of lobster (even though it was dirt cheap). I don’t know if it was because dad didn’t like it or mum thought it was too much work. A lot of game, moose and deer caught by my father. He still hunts. I go back every October and hunt moose. We have a traditional hunting ground where my family has hunted for over 50 years.

EAT: After attending culinary school in Toronto, You cooked at the Windsor Arms Hotel in the mid-80s. How much talk of sustainability did you hear back then?

RC: That’s a very good question. I didn’t know it at the time, but the chefs I trained with were very committed to quality.

That would have been “the word” more than sustainability back then. Organic was very big in the 80s restaurant scene in Toronto. Cookstown Greens, for example, was a local organic salad supplier, there were these little micro-producers, that’s what we called them at that point just because they weren’t the ‘giants.’ There was a restaurant community that nurtured these things. I think health brought variety to the restaurants. Chefs were looking for something new, exciting and tasty. Healthy and sustainable were just a byproduct of that quest. They weren’t the quest themselves, at least that’s not the impression I got as a young cook. To the chefs I worked for, sourcing was important. I can think of a couple names - Jamie Kennedy, Michael Stadtlander, Michael Bonacini - but there weren’t a lot.

EAT: Let’s talk about locality and our own cuisine. Some Vancouver chefs I’ve spoken with think we have a solid handle on what Vancouver’s culinary style is, and what it will become. Others aren’t so sure – they say we’ve come far, but we’re not even close to ‘there’ yet. Where do you stand?

Can we predict what Vancouver cuisine will be in 20 years?

RC: I don’t know if we can predict what it will be in 20 years…

I would say that in Canada there is no stronger footing than in Vancouver, as far as understanding what can be produced in your region and what’s available. I think there is a grassroots movement here, especially from the farmers and the alternative lifestyle level, from vegetarianism to environmentalism. I think we can do whatever we want to do here, as far as regional cuisine is concerned. That is not really as possible in Toronto. You can cycle to a strawberry patch in Richmond and pick your own local strawberries. You would die of lung cancer before you could even find local strawberries outside of the Toronto area.

EAT: Let’s talk about OceanWise. In 2007, the organization’s membership expanded further outside the white-tablecloth realm (and is approaching 100 restaurants). Casual and smaller restaurants in Victoria and the Okanagan have signed up. Are you happy with the progress?

RC: I could not have fantasized about the success that they have had. You have to understand that C had been banging its head against the wall for a long time, with continued resistance from pretty well everybody. Why would it change?

C’s message up until OceanWise was that we wanted to educate people. During our first meeting with the aquarium, they thought that this program would bring more people into the restaurant, but we were the only guys in town doing really sustainable seafood, so anyone who wanted to know where their fish came from was already coming to us. If anything it was going to increase our competition, but that’s okay, that’s a good thing. OceanWise accomplished more in one year in terms of bringing seafood suppliers online, bringing awareness to the situation, and creating accurate data for the chefs, than C accomplished in the 7 years before.

When the companies came to the meetings and all the suppliers I had fought with for years were all sitting in the front row, I thought that ‘this is more powerful than I’d ever dreamed.’ Now they can’t keep up, people in Toronto and Halifax are all calling the aquarium and asking about the program. It’s amazing how successful it has been.

EAT: Yet there is still basically no OceanWise presence in Vancouver’s Asian restaurant community. Why not?

RC: There are definitely parts of the Asian community that have expressed interest in getting the program going, and chefs that have expressed interest. I don’t know how serious [they are]. It’s a tough nut to crack. A lot of the cuisine is based on product that is not regional, if you go to a Chinese market you get a lot of dried shrimp, scallop, squid, and a lot of it is still coming from mainland China, and its still produced in the traditional way. Their culture, their cuisine is still coming from somewhere else. Vancouver chefs are now living at a time where [our culinary culture] is being created and everyone that is participating in our industry is playing a part.

The reason C has been able to be a sustainable company is because it’s a company wide idea and the owner has been willing to invest and get on board. Honestly, I think there are a number of restaurants that are a part of OceanWise for the marketing aspect, that if push came to shove they would not be able to truly carry through with it. I don’t think the Asian market has needed that sort of marketing edge. I’m sure the word OceanWise isn’t everywhere in Chinese publications.

EAT: Let’s talk about salmon farming. 10 years ago, the mainstream restaurant community considered farming the saviour of the salmon fishery. Now it’s increasingly viewed as an ecological disaster. How did we get it so wrong?

RC: How could we get it wrong after seeing so many European examples where they made huge mistakes and failed, lost entire rivers, entire wild salmon populations? And we have repeated history. That’s the real crime. The fact is that we had seen [the problems] in Europe and Scandinavia.

EAT: What needs to be done to fix it?

RC: If they simply put the farms in a closed contained system, 99% of their problems would go away. Cross contamination, pollution, environmental damage, sea lice, disease, all these problems would just go away. I’m not a biologist, I’m a chef, but I’ve tried to learn as much about it as possible.

Farming salmon doesn’t necessarily make a lot of sense.

There are a lot of other species that are based on a vegetarian diet that are easier to farm. There’s an argument that asks ‘well, we farm cows, why can’t we farm salmon?’ Cows eat grass. We don’t farm foxes for food, or coyotes, or bears, or any animals that eat other meat. We farm vegetarian animals.

So salmon farming breaks away from the mold.

EAT: You were one of the first local chefs to feature sablefish on your menu. Now it’s a big part of menus all over town.

What’s the next big product, that may be a secret now but has breakout potential?

RC: There aren’t a lot of fin fish left that are unknown to the mainstream. We have over 64 commercially harvested species of seafood in British Colombia. How many do you see on tables here? Not many. Now, not all 64 species are necessarily considered sustainable. There are a lot of things that the mainstream white tablecloth restaurant isn’t really interested in. Like sea cucumbers, gooey ducks and sea urchins.

Up until 10 years ago it was perceived that for anything to be high quality it had to be fresh, which is a fallacy. What is fresh? 2 hours old or 2 months old? Fresh just means its never been frozen. For the majority of seafood products that I’ve worked with, anything that you can get frozen at sea is of the highest, most consistent quality you can get. Spot prawns are a perfect example. Steve Johansen’s spot prawn tails that he’s selling frozen are just the same as if they were fresh. Plump, juicy, firm, tasty. There’s nothing wrong with frozen! Do you know a sockeye has a 21 day shelf life? The difference between a sockeye and a pink salmon is that when they come out of the water, the fisherman gets about $1.75/lb for a sockeye and $0.10/lb for the pink. Both of them are beautiful fish. The pink has a shelf life of maybe 4 or 5 days, so the fishermen know they’ll never get it to market in time to sell it. The sockeye has 21 days, so it could be in the boat for a week and its still going to get to market and sold as ‘fresh.’ That has created the perception that pink salmon sucks and sockeye salmon is great. Sockeye salmon just lasts longer, that’s the only difference. On the day they’re caught, they’re both beautiful fish and should be celebrated.

C Restaurant, dinner Sunday to Thursday from 5:30pm 10:00pm, and Friday & Saturday from 5:30pm - 11:00pm, 2-1600 Howe Street in Vancouver. www.crestaurant.com or call 604.681.1164 for current menus and further information.

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Foodie retail: South Granville's popular Cookworks stocks essentials for neighbourhood cooks.

Long-time South Granville resident Linda Meinhardt has helped to elevate the local food scene with her eponymous store

Tracey Kusiewicz

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Small plates maestro: Gord Martin of South Granville's Bin 942.

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G.Hynes

the rise of a foodie neighbourhood South Granville’s carriage trade beginnings presaged its current status as an upscale district of high-end restaurants, cafés, food and cookery shops.

by Tara Lee

I

t’s early December at the corner of Granville Street and 13th Avenue, the heart of Vancouver’s South Granville neighbourhood, and the newest location of retail giant Williams-Sonoma is abuzz with activity. The store is celebrating its opening night, and chef David Hawksworth, enjoying his last month at the helm of West Restaurant, is upfront serving cupfuls of silky lobster bisque to local VIPs and celebrities as they shop for cookie cutters and mingle with the PR-picked crowd. Ninety-two-yearold Williams-Sonoma founder Chuck Williams holds court amid gleaming copper pots and crockery, telling the tale of how he launched his first store in Sonoma. His fledgling company heralded a new retail era in 1956, delivering high-quality French cookware to a country new to the trappings of good cooking. “America had never seen this type of cookware before,” he says beaming. Now, more than 50 years and more than 250 locations later, his store has landed in a neighbourhood that appears tailored to receive it. Its arrival confirms South Granville has arrived too, as the premier shopping and dining locale for discerning and food savvy Vancouverites.

Williams has long had an eye for locations where residents “could afford the more expensive stuff,” and where nearby stores could attract like-minded and deep-pocketed customers. When describing his Sutter Street store in San Francisco (circa 1958), he remembers the opportunity as if it were yesterday: “There was Elizabeth Arden, and across the street was the best women’s club in the city. There were two medical buildings where the ladies had to bring their kids to the dentist, and they had to walk past the store. It was the perfect location.” The same can be said of his newest.

With its fashionable boutiques and top restaurants, South Granville is the San Francisco store’s 21st- century mirror. Pat Connolly, executive vice-president of Williams-Sonoma, is confident the location is the right fit. “Our customers shop here for things,” he says, referring to the neighbourhood, because “it’s higher end.” South Granville retailer Dave Werner, the founder of Cookworks on Broadway, concurs, describing South Granville shoppers as “well-established Vancouver people” who are “involved in the arts and community” and have “a love for their homes.” They come, he says, “for the variety of the shops and the unique lifestyle.”

Of course, the neighbourhood wasn’t always so “high end.” Defined by its Business Improvement Association (BIA) as that part of Granville Street spanning the “bridge to 16th,” South Granville began as a raw wilderness where Vancouverites pitched vacation tents after rowing across False Creek. In 1889, the Granville Street Bridge joined the area to the city centre, and in 1891 the Vancouver Tramway Company laid tracks all the way to 9th Avenue (now

West Broadway). Centre Street, as it was then called, was rechristened “Granville” in 1907.

It was now not only connected to the city’s burgeoning infrastructure but also itself the main artery to and from the affluent Shaughnessy Heights and Fairview neighbourhoods (called the “Nob Hill of Vancouver” by then-mayor David Oppenheimer).

The high-living tastes of “Nob Hillers” slowly gave the street a reputation for conspicuous consumption. Sharon Townsend, executive director of the South Granville BIA, describes early South Granville as a place for “the carriage trade” and “the well-heeled.” Art galleries and the Douglas Lodge building (the landmark Georgian Revival apartment building at 12th) gave it some cultural and architectural flavour, and in 1908, the Stanley Theatre proved with its inaugural showing of Lilian Gish’s first talkie, One Romantic Night, that South Granville was the sophisticate’s place to be.

Still, it was geographically compact and hardly a gourmand’s paradise. “Most of the businesses were north of Broadway,” explains Townsend. “There were about eleven retail offices, a shoemaker, and no restaurants.” Fast-forward to 1997 when the Stanley reopened after being shut down for six years, and there was suddenly a rekindled market for pre- and post-theatre dining as well as the shopping options that made the well-to-do want to linger. Today, she says, “There is such a wide variety. It is a Golden Triangle of great cuisine.” Asked about her favourites, Townsend laughs and says, “I like Red Door. I like Vij’s. Oh … there are so many. All this will do is get me in trouble!”

Meinhardt Fine Foods at 14th, a store that many local merchants and restaurateurs cite as one of the catalyzing forces behind South Granville’s transformation, predated the second coming of the Stanley by a year. Owner Linda Meinhardt had lived in the neighbourhood for years (she still does) and saw how there was “a real need in the marketplace for a fine foods store.” She envisioned combining the concepts of New York’s Zabar’s, Balducci’s and Dean & Deluca, and the neighbourhood fell in love with the results. Along with talented local chef Anne Milne and minor partner Duncan Holmes, Meinhardt’s gave the southern end of South Granville a distinctive retail presence that would attract other businesses in. The store carried not only fine vinegars and oils but also the intangible appeal of specialty merchandise for customers with very particular tastes.

Werner opened Cookworks a few years later, thinking South Granville was “an up-andcoming area.” Asked whether he thinks Williams-Sonoma poses a threat to his business, he says he’s confident the market is large enough for both larger and smaller retailers. “As a local retailer, we can always provide special services and products that a big chain cannot.

We get much closer to our customer and can respond to their needs.” Werner emphasizes>

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that a vibrant neighbourhood is all about the power of a variety of businesses to attract consumers on a collective level and points out that Williams-Sonoma “will attract many new visitors to the area.”

While retailers keep South Granville bustling during the day, its restaurants keep it lively at night. Jack Evrensel opened his award-winning West Restaurant in 2000 (with its original “Ouest” moniker). It has since become a leader and an inspiration to the area’s restaurant scene, as well as a consistent gauge of how far B.C.’s local cuisine has come. When asked about its impact on new entrants, restaurant director Brian Hopkins is modest: “At the time, I didn’t think, ‘Now that we’re open, all these restaurants are going to open.’”

But seven years later and surrounded by a wealth of food options, he’s happy to indulge.

From its early days, Williams-Sonoma has fostered relationships with great chefs like Alice Waters, James Beard and Julia Child. The company has also reaped the benefits of the larger food community that they represent. “I think we’re going to form a very strong bond with local chefs, cookbook authors and food professionals,” Connolly said at the opening party (as Hawksworth’s food was being passed around).

But William-Sonoma didn’t bring a sense of community with them. South Granville has been fostering one for years. “I am quite tight with West,” chef Jean-Christophe Poirier of Chow Restaurant volunteers. “We know all the cooks there and after they are done, they come to the bar and have a couple of drinks. We help one another out and there is respect for one another.” Businesses borrow kitchen ingredients when they run short and welcome newcomers to the neighbourhood. “When we opened,” recounts Poirier, “the owner of Ouisi Bistro [across the street] brought us flowers.”

Chow is one of the newest of more than 25 restaurants and cafés that have chosen South Granville as their home. Vij’s, Ouisi Bistro, Cru, Bin 942, Barney’s and Restaurant Connor Butler are just some of the better-known names. “When you open a restaurant, you need to find a niche,” Poirier says, adding that he felt South Granville “was missing something in the middle.” He and business partner Mike Thomson saw that there was an untapped middle ground. They’ve opened up a sleek room that would appeal to a more recently arrived and trendy demographic. “There are a lot of young people living in the neighbourhood, people between 25 and 45,” he emphasizes, saying that he wanted “a room with a more Montreal feel with a bar, very good food and a nice price

range.” Much time was spent trying to create a place of interaction, good food and unique drinks, a combination that reflects South Granville’s chic joie de vivre.

At first, Poirier was distressed at the low number of reservations, but he soon began to understand the unique nature of the area’s restaurant traffic. “It is mostly locals. The reservations get scary because we don’t get a lot. But the amount of walk-ins! I’ve never seen it like this before,” he says. Fortunately, the walk-in traffic has kept Chow successful enough to justify its high-lease payments. “South Granville is really expensive,” Poirier insists, “You have got to be busy.”

The rising cost of real estate has brought consequences.

South Granville's trendy image threatens to erase what remains of its original identity.

The rising cost of real estate has brought consequences.

South Granville's trendy image threatens to erase what remains of its original identity. Mark Villanueva is the current owner of one of Vancouver's oldest restaurants, Primo’s Mexican Grill (launched on 12th back in 1959). He recalls what South Granville was like in the restaurant's early days. His father had initially moved to Vancouver to play professional football, but ended up opening Primo's at a time when the city still had a fairly modest food scene. “It had a lot less traffic," he says of the area, adding that Primo's stood out because "there were not a lot of Mexican or ethnic restaurants” around. “We have basically outlasted everyone. MacKinnon’s Bakery [at 11th] is the only one that has been here since we’ve been here.” Two Chinese greengrocers have also survived, but the old icons are gone. The Aristocrat Restaurant, for example, the character driven diner that once stood for decades on the southwest corner of Granville and Broadway, was leveled to make room for the book bohemoth Chapters.

Although Villanueva hopes that his two children, Joel and Jensen, can eventually carry on the business, he is worried the restaurant may not be able to survive in such an expensive part of town. “It is turning into a Robson where most of the ma and pa restaurants and shops are closing down because the rents are too high,” he complains. He sees the ar-

rival of big chains as part of a shift to a more anonymous, corporate identity. Though he used to feel connected to the businesses around him, he says he now knows only “a handful” of people.

Villanueva is not alone in his concerns for the neighbourhood’s future. While much of South Granville is leased out, Werner feels that several new condo developments will cause the north and south ends of the neighbourhood to change even more. He also sees the Broadway divide attracting “a new wave of larger retailers and large food stores.” But amid all this expansive optimism, he strikes a note of warning: “I hope that the area will keep its specialty and local retailers. They are beginning to run out due to the high rents in the area ... it would be a shame to see it turn into another Robson Street, which is just an outdoor mall.”

Others, like Townsend, see the rapid development as a continuation of the area’s original ethos: “We have seen a renaissance of the kind of neighbourhood that it has been for the last one hundred years, which has been a product and service community that is high end.” This renaissance has made South Granville into an unbeatable combination of businesses, location and people. “Businesses attract likeminded people. We’ve got a great demographic around us and we’re easy access to downtown and the street has prestige.”

Meinhardt, as a proud resident and fellow business owner, differs in opinion from Primo’s Mark Villanueva and feels that South Granville has become much more than a conglomeration of expensive stores and restaurants. Rather she sees it as a living, breathing community where people live, work and play. “It just gets better and better with time, and I think South Granville is different from other parts of the city. “It has become a really identifiable neighbourhood. It feels very much like a community,” she says.

More than a hundred years since its birth date, South Granville has certainly grown up. The tramlines are gone, but its sense of identity remains and continues to get stronger.

Anchored by great food shops and top tier restaurants, one need only to stroll its sidewalks to experience its energy and see that it has truly come into its own. Where it goes from here will depend much on the businesses and people that continue to give it its distinctive, ever-evolving character, and though they may not represent a chorus of agreement, the customers don't seem to mind.

Two Minutes With Warren Geraghty, the new executive chef at Vancouver's West Restaurant “My Compliment” “Michel Bras in Langouile, France is a restaurant of similar style to West that I admire. Like West, the menu honours regional and seasonal products from surrounding areas, achieving amazing standards in quality, style and presentation.”

“My Opposite/Contrast” “Changa, a restaurant in Istanbul, Turkey is a restaurant I admire that contrasts West’s style. They feature outstanding dishes crafted from pristine ingredients sourced from across the globe using fusion techniques.”

“My Producer” “Hannah Brook Farm supplies us with incredible Biodynamic watercress and selections of seasonal greens, which are harvested daily and can include up to 40 different varieties including sorrel, young kale, brassica tip and watercress.”

Tracey Kusiewicz

“My wine” “Our Galantine of Thiessen Farm Quail dish with twice smoked foie gras and jasmine poached raisins pairs extremely well with Joie Riesling from the Okanagan’s Naramata Bench. The off dry wine compliments the rich foie gras and has the sweetness to stand up to the raisins.”

<< Chef Warren Geraghty 40

EAT MAGAZINE MAY | JUNE 2008

EAT THE DISH

Sage

Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub & GuestHouses Onion froth

For Springtime and

Butternut Squash Risotto

Spinnakers'

Tracey Kusiewicz

This is a traditional German wheat beer that uses true weizen yeast to make it a light and refreshing beer with slight vanilla and banana flavourings.

308 Catherine St, Victoria BC www.spinnakers.com 250-386-2739

The Dish | Butternut squash risotto at South Granville's Chow I keep ordering this dish, not only for its bursts of colour and flavour but

also for the novelty of its convertibility. Chow's chef and co-owner J.C. Poirier allows his guests to choose how best to accent it. He uses sage and Swiss chard to complement the butternut squash, finishes

classically with plenty of parmesan cheese, and then rings the bowl with a bubbly, highly aromatic onion froth. He'll then either serve it as is

or add pulled pork, house-made chorizo sausage, or pan-seared foie

gras. It's up to you. The costs rise incrementally from the plain base price

of $17 to $22 with the chorizo, $23 with the pulled pork (my favourite

combo), or $27 with the foie gras. Each option is worth the experimentation. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; A. Morrison

Chow | 3121 Granville St. | Vancouver | 604-608-2469

chow-restaurant.com

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EAT Magazine commissioned international poster designer Andrew Lewis to put his talents against designing their 10th Anniversary poste made available. The poster is being sold for $50 CND including shipping and handling. Proceeds from the sale will be donated to the BC C 42

EAT MAGAZINE MAY | JUNE 2008

er. A limited edition run of the posters is now being offered for sale. Only 100-six colour lithographic posters, signed by the artist, will be Cancer Foundation to fund research in their fight against Breast Cancer. Call 250-384-9042 to order your poster. www.eatmagazine.ca MAY | JUNE 2008

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farm-to-table

GRASS IS

PART ONE

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Photo by Gary Hynes

GREENER

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GRASS IS GREENER Victoria writer Karen Platt gives up the last remnant of her vegetarian high ground by pondering the short but decidedly happy life of the free-range farm animal.

W

alking with Lyle Young through the fields at Cowichan Bay Farm, watching ducks and chickens foraging in the grass, I have an epiphany. The irony of being a former vegetarian writing an article on beef and poultry isn’t lost on me, but the reasons that led me to this point have been elusive. Now, face to beak with some pretty cute, seemingly contented creatures that could very well end up on my plate in the next short while, it hits me. Call it an omnivore’s revelation. I am standing in a place where I can have my duck – or, rather, my duck can have its free-ranging life – and I can eat him too. “For any animal, happiness seems to consist in the opportunity to express its creaturely character¬ – its essential pigginess or wolfiness or chickenness,” writes Michael Pollan in his seminal book The Omnivore’s Dilemma. By those standards, these birds are happy. They are doing what they are supposed to be doing and they will have a swift, albeit possibly premature, end. It occurs to me that there are plenty of fates worse than that.

Later that day at Cobble Hill Farm I chat with owner Kevin Maher as I feed apples to Bossy and her three calves. They are curious and interested, watching me intently and approaching cautiously. Their tongues are surprisingly as rough as they were gentle, and though my food choices have always stemmed from my love of animals, I realize I’m not focussing upon the stark reality that their destiny is to become so many cuts of beef. Rather it’s on this fabulous spread they call home. “Up until the last day, it’s like Club Med for cows,” says Maher with a grin. Their life is good. Their death will be a good death. Have I lost my vegetarian heart; or have I found omnivorous peace?

Most of us don’t like to think about how a living breathing creature actually reaches our plate. However, says Nina Planck in Real Food: What to Eat and Why, “No one – vegetarian or omnivore – who cares about farming, nutrition, or ecology can afford to ignore animals.” Food matters. And as we see the impact humans are having upon the earth, our choices about how we raise the animals that become dinner and what style of agriculture – anonymous, industrial and profit-driven or local, independent and ethically motivated – matters. It matters to the environment, our health, the health and well-being of other creatures, to our changing climate, to our planet.

Cowichan Bay Farm’s Lyle Young had tried his hand at conventional farming but became practically and philosophically frustrated with the model. Inspired by the bible of alternative animal farming, Joel Salatin’s The Stockman Grass Farmer, he “got rid of everything that rusts, rots and depreciates and learned to use Mother Nature’s natural cycles. The power of the sun grows the grass that feeds the animals that put the nutrients back into the ground to grow the grass. The result is a different and better product.” Not to mention, a better planet. Any chef worth his salt would agree; Young’s poultry is ubiquitous on the menus of many of the Island’s finest restaurants and practically fly out of the cooler of his farm store. People travel a long distance to score one of his

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chickens or ducks.

Both Cowichan Bay and Cobble Hill (which has since closed – more about that later) farms are organic, a significant but hackneyed term these days, applied to everything from detergent to dessert. Although the organic label implies many noteworthy things, including no pesticides or chemicals used anywhere on the property and no antibiotics or hormones

Above: Kevin Maher feeds an apple to Bossy.

Soon after, Maher was forced to shut down his farm due to expensive new regulations.

Previous page: Lyle Young of Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Bay Farm watches over his flock of pasture-raised chickens. given to the animals, it is only part of the picture and may not be the most important factor when it comes to choosing our meat. These farms and others like them that may not be “certified organic” are committed to raising animals in their natural environment, on pasture – what Salatin calls “grass farming” and Young poetically calls “harvesting the power of the sun.” The animals are eating what nature has intended them to, in the way they were designed to – grazing, pecking, foraging. Raised in small groups, no more than the land can support, they create an ecologically balanced, non-stressful, healthy, circular system that respects the “animalness” of the animal and gives back as much or more to the land than it takes.

“Conventional” or industrial agriculture hasn’t been around very long, but it has pervaded North American food production. Grass farming, now labelled “alternative agriculture,” has been the standard throughout history and still is the only kind of farming that exists in many parts of the world. In Fast Food Nation, author Eric Schlosser points out

that food production has changed more in the past 40 years than in the last 40,000. And not for the better.

The story of factory-farmed animals is far from the pretty, pastoral scene I’ve been treated to. Raised in Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), animals have little space to move or behave naturally, are fed diets that promote fast growth and noxious bodies, may never see sunlight, and generate massive quantities of toxic waste containing various chemicals and pharmaceuticals that run into the ground water and environment. “Industrial animal agriculture depends upon a suspension of disbelief on the part of the people who operate it and a willingness to avert one’s eyes on the part of everyone else,” says Pollan.

The digestive system of a ruminant animal such as a cow is perfectly designed to eat grass and transform it into energy, flesh and milk. But it takes time, time commercial operations don’t have. In the conventional industrial system, time is money, animals merely commodities and fewer “days to market” the Holy Grail. Thus, the industrial feedlot system was born, designed to maximize size and weight in as short a period of time as possible by replacing grass with grain and other questionable feed. Commercial cattle feed can contain any number of objectionable products, including garbage and animal by-products (although feeding ruminants to ruminants has been banned from feed since 1997, other rendered animal by-products are still used in commercial production). As for chickens, anything is fair feed, including protein from poultry, cattle and other animals.

CAFOs are a quick means to the end of putting cheap food on our plates, but the meat that comes out of them comes at a huge price. Confining thousands, or tens of thousands, of animals together and force-feeding them foreign diets causes animal stress and suffering, environmental degradation and rampant disease. Animals in commercial operations routinely receive medications – antibiotics to prevent disease and hormones to promote growth. This medication inevitably ends up in meat in trace amounts. And although small amounts may have negligible health effects, the cumulative impact may tell a different story. Researchers now question the role these second-hand pharmaceuticals play in our soaring cancer rates and the earlier onset of puberty in children.

All of this should be reason alone to declare a vegetarian state. But pastured meat is different. And there are plenty of reasons to seek it out and dig in. Taste, for one. Unlike commercial processors, Young processes his poultry using a European dry-chill method, one that dries the skin slightly, trapping moisture in the chicken, resulting in a truly juicier, tastier bird. A simple roasted chicken rubbed with lemon, rosemary and garlic is a revelation. It is moist. It has flavour.

And that roaster we picked up on sale at the supermarket?

Young tells me it was likely water-chilled with bleach to decrease the coliform count. The bleach makes the meat whiter – something that sells more chicken – and the water hydrates the bird so it looks plump and moist in its wrapper. But when it’s cooked, the heat of the oven dehydrates it. All that water ends up in the pan rather than the bird, which is dry and tasteless. At tables around the country, the greatest tribute one can pay to Mom’s roast chicken has been “it’s so moist.”

No wonder. A moist commercial bird is a heroic accomplishment.

Grass-fed beef is a bit more challenging; it has a different

taste and texture than the beef most of us grew up with. “If you get beef investment, a gamble that can only succeed with support from Island poulthat’s so tender you can pull it apart with your fork but also is sort of bland try farmers. Young is slowly seeing production increasing at his plant. As and tasteless, it comes from the industrial way of raising meat. The pub- with most things, though, it takes time. Something many farmers simply lic is used to it so now we equate tender with quality,” said Maher. To be don’t have.

Maher and others were quick to point out that there has not been a singraded Canada Prime, a steak must have abundant marbling, or intramuscular fat. But taste and tenderness are really a result of how the ani- gle reported case of BSE from pastured animals. Disease proliferates in mal was raised and fed, not how much marbling fat is in the meat, said the feedlots, not at the slaughterhouse. The bureaucracy became too Christoph Weder, founder of Prairie Heritage Beef Producers, the Alberta much for Maher who, like all the farmers I spoke to, is outspoken, passuppliers of Alex Campbell Traditional Beef products at Thrifty Foods. sionate and frustrated with the system and lack of support. Recently, he Prairie Heritage calls itself a group of “eco-committed ranch families,” and and his wife, Tracy, decided to sell the farm and herd of 16 well-loved catthey are dedicated to raising healthy cows on healthy land. Although their tle and move on. And he’s hardly alone. Farming animals is a labour of grass-fed beef is well out of the 100-mile zone and grain-finished (mainly love, not profit. Sometimes love just isn’t enough.

The average consumer, used to grabbing a pound of the weekly special on barley) for up to 90 days in a small family-owned feedlot, it is primarily pastured, free of medication and is an available, affordable, tastier, more – ground beef or a bunch of thighs to toss on the barbie, is often put off by the seemingly high price of pastured meat. Grass-fed animals are raised sustainable alternative to standard supermarket fare.

Grass-fed and finished beef tastes like, well, beef. Animals raised on in small herds or flocks; the farmer’s eye focused on quality rather than pasture develop the flavours of the various grasses they ingest, very dif- quantity. But the perception of cost can be a huge hurdle for farmers to ferent from the uniform taste of grain-fed meat. For some, these distinct leap; everyone I spoke to lamented how our culture simply does not value characteristics are an acquired taste. For me, certainly no connoisseur of food. And, of course, inexpensive is deceptive; when you factor in the animal flesh, it’s honest. At a recent dinner with a group of carnivorous costs to the environment, the animal and our health, the hidden costs of cheap meat add up fast. Barbara Grimmer of friends who know a thing or two about “The farmers I’ve spoken to are a Pender Island’s Fir Hill Farm has an easy, meat, I share my carefully grilled mediumpractical and healthy solution to the cost rare Cobble Hill rib-eye steaks. They’re impassionate lot, but they are fighting dilemma. “Canadians eat too much meat pressed with its texture and flavour. This anyway,” she says. “Buy less, pay more.” cow’s Club Med life has given it muscle so an uphill battle. Despite the much New regulations, bureaucracy, land costs, it’s quite lean but, having followed explicit powerful agribusinesses and a population instructions on the cooking of grass-fed acclaimed 100-mile diet, theirs is a that has grown accustomed to the cheapest beef – marinating it in olive oil, rosemary way of life that is being threatened.” food in the world, are making the small opand garlic and searing it quickly over a wood eration untenable, despite the local food fire – it’s quite tender. I’m surprised by its clean taste and, though I may never become a rabid carnivore myself, I renaissance. “Imminently,” said Maher, “there will be no inspected facilhave apparently, once-and-for-all, truly fallen off the vegetarian wagon ity on the Island for a small farmer to have a cow slaughtered.” At the Annual General meeting of the COABC in March, emotions ran high as farmers into the pasture. Another bonus? It may even be good for my health.

Greener Pastures: How Grass-fed Beef and Milk Contribute to Healthy from remote communities such as Powell River and Saturna Island talked Eating is a comprehensive study from the Union of Concerned Scientists of their inability to meet the new processing standards and the cost – both (UCS) in the U.S. The UCS report shows that animals raised on pasture financial and in stress to the animal – of shipping animals long distances contain significantly higher amounts of beneficial fats such as the Omega for slaughter. It seems that, ironically, while we are being asked more and 3s and Conjugated Linoleic Acids (CLAs) than grain-fed animals. Evidence more to think about where our food comes from, to support local farmers indicates that the Omega 3s may reduce the risk of heart disease, fatal and businesses, to eat healthier and to tread more lightly on our planet, heart attack and strokes. And animal studies on CLA show many beneficial a staple of our Canadian diet – meat – is being forced out of our commueffects upon heart disease, cancer and the immune system that may trans- nities. And therein lies perhaps the most important reason to seek out and fer to humans. Steak and ground beef from grass-fed cattle were found to demand that regulations allow access to local, grass-fed, environmentally be leaner than most supermarket beef and as a bonus, eating pasture- sustainable meat – not just chicken and beef – but all meat. It is the right raised beef can reduce the risk of antibiotic-resistant disease and improve thing to do – an opportunity to preserve our land and a way of life that is the environment. “When you eat grass-fed meat, you're getting beef with as important to our health and the health of our planet as it is to our soul.

So, having given up the last remnant of my vegetarian high ground, I rebenefits. There are no losers in producing cattle entirely on pasture. Farmers win, consumers win, the environment wins, and even the cattle win,” alize I can still stand morally tall and eat flesh. Because what I now know is that it isn’t the dying, it’s the living that is everything – for us as well as concludes report author Dr. Kate Clancy.

The farmers I’ve spoken to are a passionate lot, but they are fighting an our animals. Taste, nutrition, environmental sustainability, peace of mind, uphill battle. Despite the much acclaimed 100-mile diet, theirs is a way of integrity. How we respect the animals that are ultimately on our table is life that is being threatened – primarily by government policies that are how we respect ourselves. It’s why I’m standing in this field and why, havputting small meat farmers, including Maher, out of business. Forced to ing met assorted ducks, chickens and cows, I will take some home for dincomply with new, unwieldy, expensive regulations on meat processing im- ner. I will thank the animal that gave its life for me, and the farmer who plemented in September 2007 as a response to the BSE (or Mad Cow Dis- gave the animal a good life and a swift death, and then I will happily and ease) scare, almost all of the Island’s processors have called it quits. gratefully tuck in.

Without the processors, the farmers have no one to slaughter their small herds. Young, one of the few meat farmers who was actually turning a For PART TWO of GRASS IS GREENER we head to Alberta profit supplying poultry to many local restaurants, fought back by build- where EAT visits a bison ranch, an organic beef ranch and The ing Island Farmhouse Poultry, the first poultry processing plant on Van- River Cafe in Calgary couver Island to meet the new BC meat inspection laws. It was a huge You can find pastured beef and/or poultry at: Vale Farms – at markets in the Interior or by order 106 Dure Meadow Road, Lumby, B.C. 1-866-567-2300, www.valefarms.com Cowichan Bay Farms 1560 Cowichan Bay Rd BC ,250-746-7884 www.cowichanbayfarm.com

Pasture-to-Plate – by order Vancouver Outlet: 3215 Grant Street Vancouver East B.C. Phone: (604) 254-6782 grassfedmeats @ pasture-to-plate.com Cariboo Outlet Box 88, Alexis Creek, BC

(250) 394-4410 grassfed @ pasture-to-plate.com www.pasture-to-plate.com Village Butchers #208 - 2250 Oak Bay Ave. Victoria, British Columbia (250) 598-1115 http://www.thevillagebutcher.com

ASK YOUR BUTCHER Local, organic, natural, free-run, cage-free, heritage…none of these terms tell the whole story. The Sustainable Table (www.sustainabletable.org) suggests these questions to ask your butcher, grocer or farmer. The same ones apply to pigs, egg chickens and dairy cows: BEEF 1. Was the animal raised on pasture?

2. Was the animal fed anything else besides grass?

3. How was the animal finished? a. If the animal was finished on grain, how old was it when it started, and how long was it fed the grain? b. Was it finished in a feedlot? If so, how old was it was it started? How long was it there? How many other animals were there?

4. Was the animal ever given antibiotics?

5. Were hormones, steroids or growth promoters ever given to the cow?

CHICKEN/TURKEY 1. How was the animal raised? On pasture, indoors, confined?

2. How much time does the poultry spend outdoors each day?

3. What was the chicken/turkey fed?

4. Was the chicken/turkey given antibiotics?

5. Were hormones, steroids or growth promoters ever given to the birds?

HOGS 1. How was the hog raised? (pasture, indoors, proper bedding, etc.)

2. Was its mother held in a farrowing pen? Was it able to build a nest?

3. How much time do the animals spend outdoors each day?

4. What was the hog fed?

5. Was the hog ever given antibiotics?

6. Were hormones or feed additives given to the hogs?

Fir Hill Farm – at the farm 2310 Grimmer Rd., Pender Island, BC 250 629-3819, firhill@gulfislands. com Thrifty Foods Alex Campbell Traditional Beef is supplied by Prairie Heritage Beef (grass-fed, grain finished).

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relationships

MARCHING TO A NEW BEET

by Chris Johns | photos by Margaret Mulligan

Celebrity farmer, David Colemeyer, gets to the source with a ripe bunch of organic beets.

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Those same beets as interpreted by Claudio Aprile: beet sponge with a goat cheese center, beet sheet, red and yellow beet gel, toasted almond shreds, almond milk foam and dehydrated onion.

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Marching to a New Beet Toronto chef Claudio Aprile takes organic ingredients from the farm and introduces them to the science lab—with surprising, delicious and textural results.

By Chris Johns

N

ever one to mince words, chef Claudio Aprile announces as soon as I arrive: “I’m not much of a tree hugger or some sort of granola chef. I’m interested in what’s out there and in making sure my guests have a good experience.” This established, he agrees to show me some of the latest techniques in cooking and how he applies them to the best local ingredients.

I first met Claudio Aprile in 2004 when he was the executive chef at Senses Restaurant in Toronto’s Soho Metropolitan Hotel. His food at the time was decidedly contemporary and combined Latin-American influences (he was born in Uruguay) with classical techniques in surprising and delicious ways. Over the years I have seen his cooking develop a more experimental bent with the use of gels and foaming agents, unique presentations and unexpected surprises. For all of its avant-garde flourishes, however, the progression always felt natural and the flavours became even more assured and focussed.

Today, Aprile is the chef-owner of Colborne Lane, a chic and fashionable restaurant in Toronto’s downtown core.

I meet Chef downstairs in his bustling, spotless, L-shaped kitchen for a cooking demo. “This is a bit of an experiment,” he says, adding simmering beet juice to a bowl and affixing a balloon whisk to the mixer. On the table beside him, gelatine blooms in a container of warm water. Chef explains that the beets he’s using today come from David Colemeyer’s farm, Cookstown Greens. “I work with Colemeyer a lot,” he says “and his products are always amazing.”

Once the gelatine is set, he adds it to the beet juice, wraps the whole machine in plastic to keep the spotless kitchen that way and starts up the mixer. Over the whirr of the engine, he explains: “The goal is to make a cold sponge. I haven’t made this yet,” he adds. “I think if this works, it’ll be a pretty cool application. What’s going to happen now is it’s going to aerate and as the temperature drops, the air inside this beet juice is going to get trapped and it’s going to set into a sponge. The reverse is a hot sponge and to make that you add methyl cellulose and you’re able to heat it up and it keeps its integrity.”

Soon the claret substance is thick and sticky with stiff peaks. Silpat moulds are lined with tiny metal bowls that the chef fills with the sponge. “These will go into the freezer and set,” he explains. “Then we’ll hollow them out and fill them with cheese, maybe a goat cheese from Quebec.”

While we’re waiting for the beet sponge to set, Aprile offers me further insight into his approach: “Even though we are very analytical in this kitchen, we always taste the ingredients in their raw form. We’ve got to ask if Mother Nature’s application is superior, and often it is, and I think it’s important to be aware of that.”

To that end, he calls one of the other cooks to bring over a large, golden beet he has just finished peeling. “If I’m going to give you a beet and take a more organic approach, I’m not going to give you a sliver of beet,” Aprile says, “I’m going to

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give you a big chunk. A beet perfectly cooked with incredible ingredients is great on its own, and when you turn your back on that you’re missing the point.” He cuts a portion, puts it on a spoon, pours a bit of Spanish olive oil from Senorio de Segura over it and tops it with a sprinkling of Australian river salt. It is an international anointing for a beet grown 80 kilometres away and it’s absolutely delicious: sweet and slippery with an earthiness offset by bright saltiness.

“It’s important when you start out with a great product that you try not to fuck it up,” Aprile says, “Whether it’s science driven or traditional that’s always my fear is to not fuck it up.”

While we’re waiting for the sponge to set, chef decides to move on to what I would call dessert. He has another interpretation: “I don’t believe in the structure,” he says. “We throw desserts into the middle of a meal. I don’t want to be predictable. You’re creating a journey and I think it should be something very visceral. A total experience.”

“You have to have a real affinity for real, natural ingredients, a curiosity for modernism and a basic understanding that a chef will never win against nature.”

An assistant brings over a container labelled “MVE Lab 10 Liquid Nitrogen,” which looks like an old-fashioned milk jug.

Aprile uncorks it and pours some of the liquid into a bowl, where it immediately starts bubbling and smoking. “This dish is my answer to the palate cleanser,” he tells me. “This is also to break up the menu, so it’s got a psychological aspect to it. You’ll be able to hear this dish, and the waiter will tell you this is called intermission. It’s very fresh and citrusy, preparing you for a series of dishes to come that are a bit heavier. It’s about having fun; it’s not just serious.”

Chef fills a squeeze bottle with calamanzi (a kind of Filipino citrus fruit) and squeezes it slowly into the liquid nitrogen.

The drops immediately form near perfect little balls about the size of Israeli couscous. “If you ate one of these little balls now they’d burn your mouth they’re so cold,” Chef explains. “We actually have to temper them in the freezer to warm them up to the point where they can be eaten.”

Next it’s on to the Polyscience AntiGriddle. Inspired by chef Grant Achatz of Chicago’s Alinea restaurant, the anti-griddle is similar to a traditional cooktop except that it is set at -34ºF and freezes any sauce or puree almost instantly. Chef Aprile pipes out little dabs of lemon curd about the size of Hershey’s Kisses on to the griddle and then smears them into a solid rectangle. Frost begins to form, and it is soon frozen and resembles a fruit rollup, which chef then removes with a palate knife and rolls into a cuff.

Aprile pipes a bit of curd into a glass, adds a limoncello “snowball”—a fuzzy round ball of frozen limoncello that definitely resembles a snowball—and the ring of frozen curd. He tops the dish with a pinch of neutral pop rocks (which start to make quiet sparkling sounds) and a scattering of pomello cells. It looks amazing, I tell him, but where is the local component? He adds a sprig of lemon balm and a few daisy petals and explains unapologetically: “It’s from David Colemeyer,” the same farmer who provided the beets. Although he may be stretching the notion of local ingredients, the dish is crazy fun to eat. Different textures and temperatures and a propulsive combination of sweet and sour are at play and, of course, the atomic fizziness of crackling pop rocks.

The gelatine-stabilized beets have set and it’s time to un-

mould the foam. I’m amazed by how genuinely spongy and delicate they are, like a soft, edible Nerf ball. Chef scoops out the centres with a melon baller and pipes in Quebec goat cheese. He assembles a selection of red, candy cane and golden beets artfully around the plate and dresses them with preserved lemon, making the colours sort of bleed into one another. He adds toasted almond shreds, a sheet of beet gel made with gelatine and agar and balances a translucent, dehydrated onion slice on top. It is a very architectural dish with round and flat shapes, a tube, an organic shape, a disk and a spill of almond milk foam made with lethicin. “This dish really portrays where I’m at right now,” chef says. “There’s a lot going on: gelatinous sheets, ultratex [a modified tapioca starch], foam sponge. But I think you’ll see we’re really sensitive to what really works.”

While it is fun, I think in this variation it’s only marginally about beets. The gelling has minimized the sweetness and accentuates the earthiness, although in a dulled way. But it is undeniably fun. It is still in the experimental stage, of course, and I express my concerns to Chef. He takes the suggestions on board and thinks that next time he might enhance the beet juice with honey and maybe some cardamom or cumin before setting the sponge. It’s something he’ll play with before adding the dish to the menu.

For the final dish of the day, Chef wants to use some of the local lamb he’s been serving. The lamb has gone through a rigorous testing, but ultimately Aprile has decided to keep it relatively simple. “This is a more rustic preparation,” he explains. “I can’t compete with this farmer. It’s an incredible product.” The dish features a seared and roasted lamb rack with a crust of pumpernickel and dehydrated ground olives alongside a locally made merguez sausage. He serves the dish with a type of Mexican corn cake called cachapa and goat cheese.

Additionally, Chef has another modern preparation for a touch of basil that he will add. “We have some really great basil,” he says, “and we’re going to add ultratex and build from that to build a really intense basil gel and it creates a really wonderful texture, very creamy without any fat.”

When it comes time to plate the dish, Aprile and his sous chef polish two spotless plates, and from a sizzling pan, Chef spoons out a hot tapenade that he adds as a strip down the centre of the plate. Next he adds a slash of onion puree, places the merguez on top of the tapenade and the crusted chops on top of that. The yellow corn pie with its white goat cheese centre looks like a Twinkie. Finally comes a tiny slash of tomato-basil gel. The dish is relatively simple for this experimental chef and it shows the flavour and quality of the lamb to delicious effect.

For Aprile, it is crucial to balance his experimental bent with a fundamental grounding in the basics. “You need to know tradition before you can really progress,” he says. “You have to have a real affinity for real, natural ingredients, a curiosity for modernism and a basic understanding that a chef will never win against nature. I think of a raspberry or an apple and that’s pure genius.”

top left: Chef fills half a spherical mould with beet sponge. top right: Beet sponge is set in semi-spherical silpat moulds to set. bottom left: Chef Aprile adds some lemon (local) to a sweet course of calamanzi curd with lemoncello “snowball”, pomello cells and pop rocks. bottom right: Chef Claudio Aprile in the alley of his downtown Toronto restaurant, Colborne Lane.

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RECIPES, FOOD & PROP STYLING BY NATHAN FONG | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN SHERLOCK

Quiche au Chèvre avec Frisee et Noix (Fresh Chèvre Tart with Frisee and Walnuts) Fricasse de Volailles aux Morilles (Chicken Fricassee with Morels) Souffléd Lemon Custard

w|tÇ fâÑÑxÜ Fricasse de Volailles aux Morilles (Chicken Fricassee with Morels)

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Classic French recipes, classic B.C. ingredients.

Nathan Fong offers up a rustic spring menu that marries the two.

I

n springtime, French kitchens are abuzz with the fresh seasonal ingredients of the terroir and especially the region. Plump morel mushrooms, succulent tender sorrel, sweet young stalks of asparagus, young tender lamb and pungent goat’s cheese are found everywhere. I’ve been to France numerous times over the years, and I admire the French passion and dedication to cooking with mainly products in season rather than those grown thousands of kilometres away (and quite possibly in another hemisphere).

Cooking seasonally not only tastes better but, more important, helps support the hardworking farmers of our area.

These classic French recipes are not only rustic but comforting. Our wonderful B.C. ingredients such as Salt Spring Island Dairy goat’s cheese, local lamb or chickens and plump Okanagan morel mushrooms are perfect substitutes for the superb products available in France. We are so fortunate to find such an array of quality foods right here in our own backyard. Who needs a trip to France?

Quiche au Chèvre avec Frisee et Noix (Fresh Chèvre Tart with Frisee and Walnuts) Fresh goat’s cheese is popular in France, perhaps because of its extraordinary versatility. Its delicate flavour is perfect as a cheese filler for this delicate custard tart. Paired with the peppery and nutty frisee from the chicory family and sweet walnuts, this makes a wonderful springtime lunch entrée or dinner appetizer. Serves 6 flour 1 2/3 cups cold butter, cut into small 1-inch dice 7 Tbsp egg yolk 1 salt 1/2 tsp cold water 3 to 5 Tbsp butter 1 Tbsp finely shredded Savoy cabbage 2 cups light cream 2 cups eggs 4 nutmeg pinch fresh chèvre (goat’s cheese)8 oz frisee, rinsed and dried 2 heads Salt and freshly ground pepper red wine vinegar 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard 1 tsp walnut oil 2 Tbsp canola oil 2 Tbsp chopped toasted walnuts 3 to 4 Tbsp To make pastry: Add the flour and cold butter to a food processor and pulse until you get coarse sand texture. Add the egg yolk, salt and 3 Tbsp of the cold water and pulse until the dough gathers into a ball. If needed, add the rest of the water. Do not over-process. Remove the dough and press it into a flat ball, wrap with wax paper and chill for 30 minutes refrigerated. Roll out the dough and line a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Blind bake the shell by lining the pastry shell with a piece of parchment paper and filling the shell with dried beans or rice. Bake the prepared shell in a preheated 400˚F oven for 15 minutes or until the edges are set and lightly browned. Remove the parchment paper and beans or rice and continue baking until the base is firm and dry, about 4 to 5 minutes longer. Remove and allow to cool.

Melt the butter in a nonstick skillet and heat to medium.

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Sauté shredded cabbage until soft, remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Whisk together eggs and cream, season with salt and pepper and nutmeg and beat together to mix well.

Spread the sautéed cabbage onto the bottom of the prepared pastry shell, and crumble the goat’s cheese over the cabbage. Gently pour the egg mixture over the shell.

Bake the tart in a preheated 375˚F oven until brown and firm, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let the tart cool to warm. Unmould and cut into slices.

Whisk together the red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, oils and toss lightly with the frisee and walnuts. Serve alongside the warm tart.

Fricasse de Volailles aux Morilles (Chicken Fricassee with Morels) The arrival of fragrant springtime morels is celebrated in kitchens throughout France. In this simple, yet elegant recipe, rustic fricassee of chicken, browned in butter and then baked, is paired with a wonderful creamy morel ragoût. unsalted butter 6 Tbsp shallots, thinly sliced 2 morel mushrooms, trimmed and thoroughly rinsed 2 pounds Sea salt 2 1/2 cups heavy cream plus 1/4 cup whipped to soft peaks Juice of 1/2 lemon Salt and freshly ground pepper olive oil 1/4 cup unsalted butter 3 Tbsp boneless chicken breasts with skin 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled, lightly crushed 2 chicken stock 2 cups To make the ragoût, melt 4 Tbsp of the butter in a large casserole over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and the remaining 2 Tbsp butter, stir well and season. Cover and cook over medium low heat for 20 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mushrooms to a plate and set aside. Raise the heat to medium and reduce the cooking liquid by half, to about 2 Tbsp. Add the 2 1/2 cups of cream and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce is reduced and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 12 to 14 minutes. Return the mushrooms to the sauce, stir in the lemon juice and whipped cream, season to taste.

Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

Heat 2 Tbsp of the olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and place skin side down in the skillet. Cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes each side.

Transfer breasts to a plate. Season thighs, and add to the hot skillet, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Return the breasts to the skillet and add the garlic and the remaining olive oil.

Place the skillet into a preheated 375˚F oven and bake until the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced with a skewer, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a wire rack placed over a platter and reduce the oven temperature to 250ºF. Pour off the fat from the skillet, set over medium-high

heat and deglaze with 1/2 cup of the chicken broth, scraping up all the bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining chicken broth and bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook until reduced by one quarter. Strain the sauce through a sieve into a medium saucepan.

To serve, place the chicken on a baking sheet and return to the oven to heat thoroughly. Add the juices from the platter to the sauce and bring to a boil. Bring the mushroom ragoût to a boil and then spoon onto warm serving plates. Place a chicken breast and thigh onto the mushroom ragoût and drizzle the chicken sauce over the chicken.

Souffléd Lemon Custard Not quite a soufflé and not quite a custard, this recipe is foolproof as long as the ingredients are not overmixed at the end.

If you prefer a tarter lemon flavour, add a couple more tablespoons of lemon juice. Serve with fresh seasonal berries or with a crisp wafer cookie. Serves 6 to 8. homogenized milk 2 cups unsalted butter, softened at room temperature 8 Tbsp sugar 1 1/2 cups large eggs, separated 6 fresh lemon juice (about 8 lemons) 1 cup Pinch of salt flour 2/3 cups grated lemon zest 1 tsp whipping cream 1 cup Heat the oven to 350˚F. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and 1 cup of the sugar at high speed until fluffy. Reduce speed to medium and beat in one egg yoke at a time, beating after each addition. Add the lemon juice, salt, flour and lemon zest all at once and mix by hand until just barely combined. Stir in the milk and cream and mix by hand again. The mixture will look lumpy.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites on low speed and gradually add the remaining sugar. Increase speed to high and beat until medium soft peaks form.

Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold in a third of the egg whites into the custard mixture. Gently fold in the remaining whites until barely combined. Some of the whites may still be floating on top, which is fine. Do not overmix.

Pour the mixture into a 10-inch cake pan or similar dish that is at least 2 inches high.

Place the baking dish into a deep baking dish and fill with warm water about one third of the way up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the custard is barely set, about 40 to 50 minutes and the top is well browned. Use a large serving spoon to serve the souffléd custard, making sure each serving has some of the custard as well as the souffléd top. more Burgundy Supper recipes

Coq au Vin This famed dish was originally made by braising the legs of a sinewy old rooster in cheap red wine for a long period of time. As inelegant as this may sound, this is one of the most classic rustic dishes of the wine region with its rich red wine reduction enhanced with the smoky flavour of bacon, delicate pearl onions and mushrooms. Serve with simple steamed baby potatoes or pomme frites. Serves 4. >

Quiche au Chèvre avec Frisee et Noix (Fresh Chèvre Tart with Frisee and Walnuts) www.eatmagazine.ca MAY | JUNE 2008

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large stewing hen legs 4 The marinade: lg cooking onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice 1 lg carrot, cut into 1/2-inch dice 1 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch dice 2 head garlic, halved horizontally 1 bottle dry red wine 1 1 bouquet garni (bay leaves, fresh thyme, rosemary, parsley) Salt and freshly ground pepper The stew: olive oil 1/4 cup tomato paste 2 Tbsp flour 3 Tbsp veal (or chicken stock) 3 cups The garnish: pearl onions, peeled 2 cups smoked slab bacon, diced 1/2 lb small mushrooms 1 lb chopped flat leaf parsley 3 Tbsp

SoufflĂŠd Lemon Custard 56

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In a large bowl, combine the legs, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, wine and bouquet garni; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Strain the legs and the vegetables from the marinade, reserving the liquid and separating the legs from the vegetables. Season legs with salt and pepper.

Heat half the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. When hot, add the legs in batches and brown evenly on all sides, about 8 minutes per side. Do not crowd the pan. Remove legs and set aside.

Add the remaining oil.

Reduce heat to medium and add the reserved vegetables to the pot. Cook until they start to soften and begin to brown, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes then add the flour, stirring again for 2 minutes. Add the reserved wine marinade and as it heats up, scrape the bottom of the pot to incorporate any bits that have stuck to the bottom. Reduce the liquid by half, about 20 to 25 minutes, and then add the stock. Bring to a boiling point, then reduce heat to low. Add the reserved chicken legs and maintain a slow and gentle simmer for about 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes.

In the meantime, blanch the pearl onions in boiling salted water for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Strain and set aside. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until brown and remove with a slotted spoon. Add the mushrooms to the bacon fat and sautĂŠ until brown. Add the pearl onions and sautĂŠ with the mushrooms until they are golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Remove the legs from the braising liquid and strain the contents of the pot, reserving the liquid and discarding the vegetables.

Bring to a strong simmer and skim any visible fat. When the sauce has reduced by half, return the legs to the pot along with the bacon, onions, and mushrooms and simmer for additional 15 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley.

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1624 Government St. Victoria

Chinatown

www.eatmagazine.ca MAY | JUNE 2008

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Local Kitchen

a celebration of the season.

RECIPES, FOOD & PROP STYLING BY JENNIFER DANTER | PHOTOGRAPHY BY REBECCA WELLMAN

menu • Strawberry and Bunderfleish Salad •Grilled Moroccan Lamb ã|à{ Smashed Potato, Green Bean & Morel Salad •Chocolate Lavender Pudding 58

Strawberry and Bunderfleish Salad Now’s the season to source out the best local strawberries – the tinier the better.

Super ripe and juicy, they don’t need a lot of extra seasoning to dress up a summer salad – just a few drizzles of the Island’s best balsamic from Venturi Schulze*. Bunderfleish from Oyama (a cured beef similar to the Italian bresaola) tastes best when sliced paper thin so it melts in your mouth.

Grilled Moroccan Lamb Flavour up grilled leg of lamb with a fragrant herb and spice mix.

Raid the garden for fresh herbs and the spice cupboard for a mix that includes everything from curry, to lavender buds. Ask your local butcher to butterfly and debone the leg so it will grill flat like a big meaty steak. The lamb is full-flavoured and cries out for a plumy, fruit-driven red with some grip. Choose something herbal and earthy to echo the spices. Serves 8 finely chopped cilantro 1 cup garlic cloves, 3 large minced lemon, zest and juice 1 olive oil 1/4 cup ground cardamom, cumin and curry 1 1/2 tbsp each cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, lavender buds, granulated sugar, salt and ground black pepper 1/2 tsp each boneless leg of lamb, unrolled*4 to 5 lb Stir cilantro with garlic, lemon zest and juice and oil. Place seasonings (including sugar) in a spice grinder. Whirl to mix, then add to oil mixture. Stir to form a paste. Make incisions all over lamb, then rub in paste. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Bring lamb to room temperature before grilling. Oil grill and preheat to medium-high. If using charcoal, set up for indirect grilling.

Place lamb over direct heat and turn often to set the crust, about 4 to 6 minutes. Then reduce heat to medium or move lamb to a cooler part of the grill. Barbecue, turning often until lightly charred and an instant read thermometer inserted in thickest part of meat reads 140˚F, if you like it medium-rare. This will take anywhere from, 30 to 40 minutes, depending on thickness of lamb and style of barbecue.

Remove from grill and let stand 10 minutes before slicing. *To buy local lamb from Vancouver Island, try Horizon Heritage Farm in Qualicum Beach (250 752-6085 or farmfest@telus.net. ) or Ashmead Farm (3721 Telegraph Road Cobble Hill BC V0R 1L0 Phone 743-5263 ) or Westcott Farm in Duncan (Phone 748-5698 ) or Seaview in Courtenay

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WINE MATCH• Quinta do Crasto Douro Reserva Old Vines | Portugal | $33.95

Flamboyant aromas of juicy, dark berries, but not jammy. There's even a little chocolate in there.

local strawberries 1 pint arugula or mixed greens 8 cups Maldon salt and ground black pepper pinches balsamic vinegar, preferably Venturi Schulze olive oil Oyama Bunderfleish or bresaola 75 g

Hull strawberries, then cut in half or quarters. Place in large bowl and add arugula and generous pinches of salt and pepper. Lightly drizzle with just enough vinegar and oil to barely coat, then toss to mix. Place on plates and top each with a few slices of bunderfleish. *To find out more about Venturi Schulze vinegar and how to buy it log onto www.venturischulze.com/products

lamb from a local farmer

Chocolate Lavender Pudding

Smashed Potato, Green Bean & Morel Salad Tiny new potatoes are perfect for salads and take little prep (don’t peel the skins). Adding earthy morels and crisp green beans make it a hearty side dish. If you can’t find fresh morels, sub in your favourite mushrooms or use dried ones. Serves 8 Vinaigrette red wine vinegar 1/4 cup grainy or plain Dijon mustard 1 tbsp shallot, minced 1 garlic clove, minced 1 granulate sugar, salt and ground black pepper 1/4 tsp each olive oil 1/2 cup Salad baby red potatoes 2 lbs green beans, ends snipped 1/2 lb fresh morels 6-oz bacon 2 strips butter 1 knob chopped chives 2 tbsp

Cool and refreshingly dense chocolate pudding perfumed with organic lavender buds and pinches of cardamom is a perfect way to round out the meal.

Makes 8 servings Pudding 35% whipping cream 1 cup organic lavender buds* 2 tbsp granulated sugar 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa 1/4 cup cornstarch 3 tbsp + 1 tsp ground cardamom 1/2 tsp 10% half-and-half cream 3 cups dark organic chocolate, 8-oz chopped vanilla 1 tsp Topping 35% whipping cream 1 cup granulated sugar 2 tsp grated lemon peel 1 tsp

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In a saucepan, stir whipping cream with lavender. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Refrigerate 1 hour to let flavours meld.

In a large saucepan, whisk sugar with cocoa, cornstarch and cardamom. Strain in lavender cream, then stir in half-andhalf . Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Then stir in chocolate until melted.

Boil until thick, about 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour into small cups or bowls. Or for easier serving, pour into one large bowl, then

portion out when serving.

Loosely cover and refrigerate until cold or overnight.

For topping, place cream, lemon peel and sugar in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat cream until stiff peaks form when beaters are lifted. Dollop over puddings before serving. *Look for lavender buds at Happy Valley Lavender & Herb Farm (www.happyvalleylavender.com) near Victoria or Claybank Farm Lavender: 610 Boothe Rd., Naramata, B.C.; www.claybankfarmlavender.com (250) 496-5788.

For the vinaigrette, stir vinegar with mustard, shallot, garlic and seasonings. Whisk in oil.

For the salad, boil potatoes until fork tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Drain well, then gently smash with a fork. Place in a large bowl and toss with half the vinaigrette.

Blanche beans, then immediately cool in an ice bath.

Drain, then slice lengthwise in half. Set aside.

To clean morels, slice in halves (or quarters, if they’re really big). Brush or rinse any dirt or other surprises inside. Sometimes tiny insect larvae live inside – so watch out. But consider if extra protein if you happen to munch them!

Fry bacon until crispy. Place on paper towels. Melt some butter in a large frying pan set over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms. Stir often until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chives, cooked beans and remaining vinaigrette. Stir to mix, then turn over potatoes. Stir to evenly mix. Crumble bacon overtop. Serve warm or at room temperature.

ushroom expert and harvester Eric Whitehead from the One Hundred Mile Wild Foods Company recommends morel hunting in Nelson, BC. Because of forest fires there last summer, he’s predicting a bumper crop this year. Severe forest fires make ideal growing conditions for morels. It’s thought that during a fire, morels release their spawn and the spores (millions of them) are airborne. Once the flames have died, the spores settle back into the now mineral-dense soil, which is the perfect breeding ground. Can’t find fresh morels?

Substitute with dried. Look for his fabulous dried mushrooms at fine grocery stores around BC.

M

10th Anniversary Prize Giveaway Draw Winners A big thanks to the thousands of you who filled out our survey and entered the draw.

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Indrus Piche Maxxium – Gift Basket E. Lubin McLeans Specialty Foods – $100 Gift Certificate

Francine Schnabel Wren – $40 Gift Certificate for Lunch for Two

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travels - eat like a local

“For years I have wanted to visit the Charlevoix region of Quebec. Like my own region, the Cowichan Valley, the Charlevoix has developed a reputation as a culinary destination, a rich agricultural landscape with well-organized “Routes des Saveurs” offering veal and lamb raised on sea-salt moistened pastures at the mouth of the St. Lawrence and famous artisan cheeses. I chose to visit the Charlevoix in mid-October, at the tail end of the harvest, when the crowds of summer tourists had gone home but the farmgate stalls still had produce. This gave me a chance to talk with producers and cheesemakers and see the spectacular fall colours. My plan was to rent a car and head north from Montreal, stopping for a couple of days to enjoy historic and charming Quebec City.” > 62

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The Charlevoix flavour trail A chef and cooking school teacher discovers this singular culinary region of Quebec at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. by Mara Jernigan

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Mara Jernigan

the mechanics of the mill to me in rapid-fire Quebecois while opening and closing a series of lids, checking the quality as the freshly ground organic flour slid into wooden boxes. Like many young Quebecers I’ve met, he had done a stint tree planting in B.C. and was now passing the summer as a miller.

Afterwards, he showed me upstairs to a tall airy attic space with huge handhewn beams where the miller would have lived in the past. I marvelled at this wonderful old mill, imagining what an important piece of infrastructure it must have been for the community of early settlers.

A walk in the pretty little village of Baie-Saint-Paul followed. This art-focused community features historic downtown streets with quaint shopfronts, a wide selection of B&Bs, galleries, several cafés and a microbrewery. After stopping in a shop to buy soap made from donkey’s milk from the tiny town of Port au Persil, I headed back to La Malbaie as the sun was setting.

The next day I travelled through Les Éboulements, a back-roads route from La Malbaie to Baie-Saint-Paul. This winding country road provides striking views of the mighty St. Lawrence and coasts down a heart-stopping hill to the village of Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive where the ferry leaves for the charming and productive Isle-aux-Coudres. Jardins du Centre, a local farm market halfway down the hill to Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive, produces and sells more than 70 different fruits and vegetables, including the “gourgane,” (Vicia faba) or “feve de marais,” a kind of fava bean that was a staple crop and important source of protein in the early days of Nouvelle France. The day I visited, the grassy slope in front of the market was overflowing with pumpkins. While the range of fresh produce was starting to decline with the cooler season, there was a wide selection of locally preserved products. I couldn’t resist purchasing a beautiful, round cutting board, made in the Charlevoix, and stopped to mail it home at the town’s tiny post office.

At Les Viandes Biologiques de Charlevoix, Damien Girard and his family specialize in organic chicken and pork. On his 500 acres, Damien produces his own oats, wheat and barley and does not feed his animals corn. He allowed me right into his barn to see his farrowing stalls. This would never be allowed in an industrial pig barn; in fact, I would be considered a “biohazard.” Today’s pigs are raised so intensively that their immune systems are very fragile, and only one person will look after thousands of pigs, administering feed and antibiotics. But here in Damien’s operation, several mothers were happily watching over their piglets, which were running between their mother, where

Mara Jernigan

ith the Laurentian Mountains as a backdrop, the 6,000-square-kilometre Charlevoix region tumbles down towards the St. Lawrence estuary, a rare UNESCO biosphere where six different species of whales travel through the Saguenay Marine Park and up the St. Lawrence to feed. The area has been hosting tourists for more than 200 years and it shows. The Charlevoix people are generous, proud and self-sufficient, with a touch of French-style formality. The range of high-quality products they produce in the challenging growing conditions of this northern landscape is nothing short of remarkable. My three-day visit focused on the area between the village of Baie-Saint-Paul and La Malbaie, 50 kilometres to the northeast. I easily could have spent a whole week exploring the ingredients from this beautiful region. With activities ranging from skiing at Le Massif in the winter to hiking, biking, fishing, whalewatching and enjoying beaches or local art festivals during the warmer months, the Charlevoix has something to offer at all times of the year.

My first stop was the Laiterie Charlevoix (see sidebar). Early settlers from France brought their cheesemaking know-how with them, and they were quick to set up dairy and cheese operations. The rich summer milk was transformed into aged cheeses to be eaten throughout the long winter months.

Operational seven days a week, the Laiterie Charlevoix works with the milk of 10 different local dairy producers, making a variety of pasteurized cheeses.

This bright and spacious cheese shop features large observation windows where visitors can watch the artisan team working in the steam over gleaming stainless tanks of milk. Soft-spoken owner Jean Labbé, whose family has been producing cheese in this region since 1948, took me upstairs where an excellent museum full of large pictures and artifacts tells the story of cheesemaking in the Charlevoix region.

Afterwards I got a chance to sample their wares: rich yellow cheese curds and Charlevoix cheddar, including the excellent aged variety called “Vieux Charlevoix”; the surface-ripened “Le Fleurmier”; and a sharp, rich and nutty Gruyère-style cheese called “L’Hercule” made exclusively for the milk of a local Jersey herd. Jean tells me he is also working with a new farmer, a woman who recently moved a large herd of rare “Canadienne” cows up to the Charlevoix from Laval. He will be producing a new cheese made exclusively from her herd. Before leaving the cheese shop, I could not resist purchasing a bag of antique, cardboard milk-bottle tops along with a jar of locally preserved duck rillettes and a bag full of cheese.

The Charlevoix landscape is dotted with old brick ovens and old-fashioned grain mills powered by the many rivers that flow down to the St. Lawrence from the Laurentians. The Moulin de la Rémy is an outstanding example of a fully restored, heritage gristmill just outside Baie-Saint-Paul on Highway 138.

This operation specializes in stone-ground flour and old-fashioned bread from its giant wood-burning oven. It was 11 a.m. when I arrived to see a pair of hard-working bakers removing crackling loaves from the ovens with a giant peel. The aroma of the freshly baked bread was overwhelming. A picnic table outside the bakery called for an impromptu lunch with my freshly purchased cheese and rillettes and a warm loaf of stone-ground wheat bread.

After lunch, I wandered up the river behind the mill house to see the wellworn water shoot. A tall and sturdy young Québécois fellow arrived, opened up the doors of the stone mill house and pulled the mills’ levers into gear to open the chute. Water gushed in, and the giant 24-foot wooden water wheel lurched into action with a loud creak and thrust. The young miller explained

Mara Jernigan

they could suckle on demand, and a heat lamp in the corner where mom could not lie down and crush them. They received no medication and no meat by-products in their diet.

They spent the warmer months outdoors grazing the hillsides. The Girard family opened the Charlevoix’s first organic chacuterie after Damien went to Belgium to do a working “stage.” Here he learned to make salami and sausages using only sea salt and plant extracts, curing his sausage using the same white mold used to make Camembert. The operation is not without some challenges that are beyond Damien’s control. His processing plant is located over an hour’s drive away, and after the Avian flu crisis, the Québec government passed a law forbidding chickens from being raised outdoors.

I was somewhat self-conscious when I arrived at the elegant tasting room of the Maison d’affinage Maurice Dufour smelling a little like a barnyard. In this spotlessly clean facility, Slow Food Charlevoix convivium leader Maurice Dufour

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produces and ages the award-winning “Le Migneron,” a pasteurized semi-firm washed rind cheese; “Le Ciel de Charlevoix,” and his new raw-milk blue cheese “Dio Gratias” made from the milk of his own sheep. “Affinage” is the French art of aging or finishing cheese. Here, a spacious sampling room overlooks rows of cheeses in the aging room and an elegant restaurant focuses on dishes made with their cheeses.

After sampling these fantastic cheeses, we headed out to the sheep barn where a friendly young farmhand, a recent graduate from the local agricultural college, and his new border collie pup introduced us to the flock, showed us the milking parlour and posed for a few pictures.

My final visit was to La Ferme Basque in the village of SaintUrbain. No food product in North America is as controversial as foie gras, and under normal circumstances it would be extremely difficult to visit a farm producing it. But Jean-Jacques Etcheberrigaray and his wife, Isabelle Mihura, who both hail

from the Basque region of France where foie gras has been a tradition for centuries, have nothing to hide. In fact, there is a window in the gavage barn. “Gavage” is the French term for the traditional process of force-feeding ducks and geese the corn mixture that results in the valuable fattened liver.

“Industry is endangering foie gras,” Jean-Jacques tells me.

“Most of the foie gras in Quebec is produced by multinationals from France. Four major companies have set up their industrial facilities near the airport in Montreal. That is what happens when you think of money first! Less than 5 percent of foie gras producers in France are producing a product the way we do, hands on, with respect for our animals, tradition and our customers. ” Jean-Jacques and Isabelle raise Moullard ducks outdoors, free run, for 84 days and finish them on corn. The gavage period lasts two weeks and during this time they remain indoors in spacious pens with room to walk and flap their wings with other ducks. For the ducks, the gavage is performed very quickly and causes only a moment of discomfort. For the farmer, gavage entails the careful work of two people, working two hours to force-feed 200 birds. Producing only 3,000 ducks per year, this family-run operation supplies a handful of local hotels and restaurants with their top quality products and employs five local people who work on the farm or downstairs in their licensed chacuterie where Isabelle produces a variety of high quality preserved products using traditional Basque recipes. Isabelle lets me taste her rich and delicious confits, terrines and her 100 percent pure mousse de foie gras, which melts in the mouth.

So what makes this remote northern region a culinary success? For one, the Québécois have the concept of Tourism “Trails” down to a tee, with nearly 30 organized routes crisscrossing southern Quebec. Most regions seem to have their own booklet with guided maps, excellent signage and websites, and all of these routes have a culinary or agricultural focus. In the Charlevoix, it is the “Route de Saveurs,” known in English as the Flavour Trail. The stops along the route are easy to find and marked with the sign of a chef’s toque.

These programs are supported by both government and producers alike. Tradition, pride and history all play an important role in this vibrant food culture, and Quebecers are interested in and proud of their own cuisine. Hundreds of years of survival have cultivated know-how. This is a province with more than 350 different cheeses and regional dishes that are truly authentic. But, as one producer from Île d’Orléans explained, even in this remote bastion of regional Canadian food there are challenges, “In Quebec, the biggest threat to local agriculture is the smaller size of the farming families!”

The Economuseum Perhaps one of the most innovative ways Quebec promotes rural tourism is the “economuseum.” This concept, born in Quebec in 1992, is now an international network of small, locally based business ventures that showcase traditional trades and know-how. This model is a win-win for tourism and the local economy, preserving culture and early knowledge. It’s a place to see artisans at work and sample and purchase local products. You can visit a dozen economuseums in the area between Quebec City and La Malbaie and learn about everything from keeping bees to making cider, paper or soap. For a complete listing of Quebec Economuseums, go to www.economusees.com.

When You Go Getting There By air: Air Canada, Jazz and Westjet all offer service from Vancouver to Montreal and Quebec City.

By rail: Daily rail service from Montreal and other stations to Quebec City only: www.viarail.ca By car: The Charlevoix is an easy 3.5-hour drive from Montreal or 1.5 hours from Quebec City.

Where to Sleep $$$ Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu www.fairmont.com/richlieu $$$ La Pinsonniere, Relais et Chateaux www.lapinsonniere.com $ and $$ A “gite” is French for a country B&B. La Boulangerie des Grands in Sainte-Agnès is a renovated heritage house as well as a bakery with two outdoor wood-burning brick ovens. Three rooms from $75 per night including breakfast. www.gites-classifies.qc.ca/boulangerie.htm.

LifeCycles Fruit Tree Products These products are made from produce devotedly harvested by volunteers of LifeCycles' Fruit Tree Project. Since 1998 over 150,000 lbs of nutritious food - which would have gone to waste - has been redistributed among homeowners, volunteers, food banks and Vinegar community organizations.

Proceeds from product sales allow the charitable project to continue.

Thank you!

Chutney www.lifecyclesproject.ca

Pear Brandy Hard Cider Gelato and Sorbetto

Quince Paste

Where to Eat Dining in the Charlevoix has a formal and sometimes dated feel, and the cuisine here, like elsewhere in Quebec, tends to be a little heavy, focusing on locally produced meat and cheeses. But the warm and professional service, quality of local products and genuine pride of the local people makes dining in the Charlevoix a memorable experience. $$ Vices Versa. This lovely little restaurant in La Malbaie features a gifted couple of chef-owners who each interpret the local Charlevoix ingredients differently. Choose from his menu, her menu, or mix it up!

216 St-Étienne Street, La Malbaie www.vicesversa.com $$ La Maison d’Affinage Maurice Dufour. The dining room of this purveyor of fine cheeses is open for lunch daily and from Wednesday to Saturday for dinner in the summer. Consult the website for offseason opening hours. www.fromagefin.com $ L’Orange Bistro. A friendly bistro in a large historic mansion in the centre of town. Try it for lunch.

29 rue Ambroise-Fafard, Baie-Saint-Paul

Quebec City Picks Quebec City is celebrating its 400th anniversary in 2008 and the party will last all year long with a calendar jam-packed with cultural events.

Haute-Ville (Upper Town): For a taste of old Quebec, stay in the regal Fairmont Chateau Frontenac, www.fairmont.com/frontenac (rooms from $159), and sample historic Quebecois dishes such as Tortiere aux Gibiers and Tarte au Sucre at the very affordable Restaurant Aux Anciens Canadiens housed in Quebec City’s oldest homestead dating back to 1676. www.auxancienscanadiens.qc.ca Basse-Ville (Lower Town): For something a little more contemporary, stay at the highly acclaimed Boutique Hotel Saint Antoine, www.aubergesaintantoine.com, in the Old Port (rooms from $169). Splurge and enjoy modern market cuisine at Laurie Raphaël, where Quebec City’s own culinary celebrity Daniel Vézina hangs his toque. www.laurieraphael.com.

Marché du Vieux-Port, 160 Quai Saint-André. Quebec City’s excellent indoor farmers’ market. Open daily 8 a.m.-8 p.m., 12 months a year. The majority of the produce in this market comes from Île d’Orléans.

Rent a bicycle at the market, pack a lunch and ride along the peaceful Corridor de Cheminots to see the stunning Montmorency Falls, just outside the city. Île d’Orléans I fell in love with this small island of rolling hills overlooking the St. Lawrence. Known as “the garden of Quebec,” the island is an easy 15-minute drive from Quebec City. For almost 400 years, it has produced everything from melons to broccoli. Consisting of five parishes, the island has charming B&Bs, a fantastic bakery, cheese producers, a “cassis” distillery and even local wineries. Also known as Île du Bacchus, the Bacchus grape is said to have originated here. I met with local chef and innkeeper Philip Rae, who recently co-authored a great bilingual book complete with recipes from the local producers called Les Producteurs Toqués de l’Île d’Orléans or Farmers in Chef Hats in English. Stay at Philip’s Auberge Le Canard Huppé, where he and his wife Maggie Lachance serve some of the island’s best local food. at www.canardhuppe.com Useful links www.bonjourquebec.com www.gitescanada.com

www.tourisme-charlevoix.com

www.routedesaveurs.com

a local creation with global inspiration Appetizers • Curry Boxes • Stir-fry Boxes

Mon thru Sat 11 am to 9 pm Closed Sundays 1011 Blanshard Street 477 - BOXO www.boxovictoria.com

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BUZZ café The BC Scene A Round-Up of News from Around the Province BC Restaurant Hall of Fame Island Slow Food Superhero and Sooke Harbour House founder Sinclair Philip was honoured with induction into the BC Restaurant Hall of Fame in the Active Restaurateur category. He was among twelve exceptional individuals in varying categories. Other BC recipients include: Pioneers: Diamond Almas, Bert Love, Tommy O’Bryan; Industry Award, Front of House: John Blakeley and Brent Hayman; Industry Award, Back of House: Bernard Casavant, David Hawksworth; Friend of the Industry: Mark Hills, Anthony Gismondi; Active Restaurateur: Vikram Vij, Michel Jacob; Restaurant of the Year Award: Fresco Restaurant and Lounge; Lifetime Achievement Award, delivered as a tribute to the late James Barber. www.bcrfa.com.

Comox Valley At the north end of Campbell River's Shopper's Row, Cheddar & Co.[1090A Shoppers Row, 250.830.0244] is loaded with charm - an artisan gem with a great deli offering that is far more than cheese & company. Owner Michelle Yazinski is working on another wine and cheese pairingevent and "cooking up a storm as always." Look for gourmet to-go for picnics and easy evening sit-downs this spring and summer.

Just south of town, in Willow Point, Mario Balasta is the new General Manager at The Tasting Room & Liquor Store [#4 - 2253 South Island Highway, 250.830.WINE (9463), www.tastingroom.ca]. A very good source praised the decor and the service. I'm looking forward to doing some tasting and sampling of both the food and the wine menu.

In Comox, Trent McIntyre and his team at Avenue Bistro [2064 Comox Avenue 250.890.9200] have released their spring menu. Some things to look forward to as Avenue moves into year two are: Crispy Polenta & Char-grilled Vegetable Stack; Tannadice Farms Bacon Pizza with Arugula, Almond Pesto Marinara and House Smoked Mozzarella Cheese; and Pacific Halibut with Sesame Honey Beurre Blanc, Yam Tempura and Seasonal Vegetables.

Just down the street, Chef Emil Shellborn & partner Nah Yoon Kim put together a new dinner and lunch every month at Thyme on the Ocean [1832 Comox Ave, 250.339.5570]. They emphasize fresh shrimp, bison, shellfish, and buffalo mozzerella. The biggest news is the new wine/drink menu featuring five Venturi Schulze selections as well as Joie, Laughing Stock and Wild Goose. From May through August they’re open for lunch Mon-Fri and dinner 7 days a week.

Owner/baker Carol Spencer is pleased to announce that local girl Lindsey Cummings, is bringing her pastry talents to the of Wild Flour Organic Artisan Bakery [221A Church Street, 250.890.0017, www.wildflourorganicbakery.com]. Lindsey will be making Red Fife Heritage Wheat croissants as well as all Organic Special Occasion Cakes this spring and summer, among other tasty baked things. Spencer is, however, sad to say that Pizza Mistress Jen Alton is leaving for Coastal Trek Resort on Forbidden Plateau [www.coastaltrekresort.com].

In Courtenay, it's eight years this spring that Chef Lisa Metz and her crew at Tita's Mexican Restaurant [536-6th Street, 250.334.8033] started educating and tantalizing us with her deep appreciation for the complexities and wonders of Mexican cuisine. My current fave item is the Ceviche de Atun - tuna ceviche with fresh lime, jalapenos, diced tomato, cucumber, cilantro, and a hint of chipotle. The fresh sheet is always worth keeping an eye on, with lots of fresh local seafood. And then there's the patio... one of the best places to hang out with a pitcher of margaritas...

Speaking of sunny, outdoor places to nosh...The sunny, protected garden patio is open at Atlas Café [250-6th Street, Courtenay 250.338.9838] adding much-needed space for this lively and favourite dining spot. Warm weather also means more local produce on the nightly fresh sheet.

Vancouver Island picks are highlighted on a new wine menu that celebrates many new spring releases.

I don't know anyone who is doing so much to develop local palates and general gourmandism as the folks at Beyond the Kitchen Door [274B 5th St, Courtenay, www.beyondthekitchendoor.com]. Their Spring line-up of cooking classes and demos is extensive – from Thai to Memphis BBQ to Indian to Spanish to "casual Trattoria" to "dining on the deck" – with lots of local culinary chiefs stirring the pot. Call now for more info... 250.338.4404.

A recent visit to TOMATO TOMATO [1760 Riverside Lane, Courtenay 250.338.5406] shows that Chef Drew Noble, who came on staff in June 2007, has made considerable positive changes. The menu looks attractive and tastes great. My guests were inclined to think that the food has caught up with the rest of the changes here – and that's a good thing. May will see a slight shift towards a summer-style menu.

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Zizi CafĂŠ [441B Cliffe Avenue 250.334.1661] and sample "some of the best Mediterranean food this side of the Middle East." has a new restaurant menu featuring "tajine style" dishes as well as expanded seating. Zizi's is now licenced and open evenings.

The Thai Village [2104 Cliffe Avenue, Courtenay, 250.334.3812] is celebrating its own anniversary: three years under new ownership in May. Chef Kwan Martin has a new, expanded menu with weekly specials, fresh seafood, and a new wine list featuring several BC VQA wines Probably the most significant food news for me personally this past couple of months has to do with Michael's Off Main [355-4th Street, 250.334.2071]. Chef Michael Gilbert & team make this one of my favourite breakfast and lunch stops. Congratulations to my stepson, Jared, for landing a spot as part of the kitchen help. Nothing like keeping good things in the family.

South of town in downtown Coombs, Chef Lela Perkins is transforming the unusual and very visit-worthy Kiki's Tearoom & Spice [266 Alberni Hwy, 250.927.5454 / lela@kikispice.com ] into a Fri & Sat evening dinner destination. Kiki's features set menus with two seatings 5 & 7:30pm.

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Nanaimo gourmet food hounds pay attention! There is a new spot on the drums. Urban Beet Food Company [6595 Applecross Road (behind Costco) 250-390-9722] is a trendy urban market/bistro that houses four small businesses under one roof. Part fine food deli, organic coffee shop, upscale bistro and mini-gourmet warehouse, it's one stop you need to make in your quest for good food and great food finds. Owner/operator Darren Kiedyk, Chef Francois de Jong and coffee aficionado Elliot Marchant have put together a concept that is long overdue for Nanaimo.

Big on supporting local farmers and producers, they are stocking items such as bison from Island Bison in Campbell River, poultry from Island Farmhouse Poultry in Cowichan Bay, Organic Fair fair trade chocolate from Cobble Hill and sweet treats from Artisan Edibles in Parksville.

Their coffee comes from Cherry Hill Coffee, a micro-roastery in Kelowna specializing in fair trade organic coffees. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not all. They are bringing in Terra Breads from Vancouver and divine chewy bagels from Mount Royal Bagels in Victoria. Their in-house pastry chef, Tammy Deline is a wizard with chocolate, cake and cream. They hope to be licensed for beer and wine come May 2008.

Plans to host cooking seminars and wine pairing evenings will follow soon after.

When Executive Chef Arphakorn (Aye) Muanyan got the call from Canadian Immigration that he and his family were cleared to come to Canada, he made the decision to close up his successful restaurant in Spokane and head to Vancouver Island. Nanaimo is all the tastier for it.

Kasira Fine Thai Cuisine [#6-6404 Metral Drive, 250-390-4299] opened in September 2007 and has developed a loyal following. This is true Bangkok-inspired cuisine served in a simple setting of vibrant colours presided over by the giant golden face of Buddha. Be patient. This is small kitchen with one chef. Expect a wait with a huge reward. Ayeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s food is authentic and big on flavour. Hands down local favourite is the Thai Inter, which is a mixture of prawns, sea scallops and crispy duck in a coconut curry concoction.

When you only want a big hot bowl of comfort, it has to be soup. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face it, Vietnamese pho has to be the Asian version of Grandmaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;back of the stoveâ&#x20AC;? soup. Huong Lan Restaurant [#191925 Bowen Road, Nanaimo, 250-756-7943] is your Ho Chi Minh Trail to a good meal of pho (noodle soup) and other Vietnamese specialties. The place is tiny, so expect to wait in line (outside) for a table, unless you are willing to share. Slammed from the time the doors open until closing, this is the haunt for Malaspinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Asian students in the know; we occidentals finally caught on to a good thing.

A recent chow-hound food crawl to Duncan had the writer groaning over a 3-day-slow-roasted beef short rib sandwich at Bistro 161 [161 Kenneth Street, Duncan, 250-746-6466]. Chef/owner Fatima DeSilva credits her Mozambique mother with a number of her recipes and gives a bow to Sous-chef Chris Szilagyi for his ongoing contributions to an ever-evolving menu. Locally supplied hoof, fin and feather are treated with inventive panache in this warmly inviting upscale bistro.

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t drive away from Fulford Harbour too hastily on your next trip to Salt Spring Island. Rock Salt CafĂŠ on the dock in Fulford Village [2921 Fulford Ganges Road, Salt Spring Island, 250-6534833] has a new chef. Bruce Wood, recently arrived from Ottawaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Urban Element Cooking School, has taken over the helm of the seaside restaurant. Owner Jill Thomas credits Wood with adding to the eclectic dynamics of a menu that swings from one point on the compass (Asian hot pots and noodle bowls packed with lime, lemongrass, chilies and cilantro) to the Mexican border (they sold over 18,000 yam quesadillas in 2007), to Woodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own favourites which reflect a Mediterranean influence. Rock Salt is all about pulling from the farmers, fields and forests of Salt Spring - one example being their killer smoked Soya Nova Tofu supplied burger. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;takeawayâ&#x20AC;? on the cafĂŠ side is daunting. It features sandwiches so packed with magical things you are hard-pressed to get your jaws around them. The key-lime cheesecake from Pastry Chef Dean Mollon is cruel to gaze upon if dietingâ&#x20AC;Śah, what the heck, go for it! â&#x20AC;&#x201D;by Su Grimmer Cowichan Chefâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Table Dinner Historic Providence Farm in Duncan hosted the 2nd gathering of The Cowichan Chefâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Table on March 16th, this time as a fundraiser for the MS Society. The event sold out in only six days based on the success of the first dinner held in October 2007. Chef Brad Boisvert and Steve Eldkens of Amuse Bistro, Bill Jones of Deerholme Farm, Matt Horn of The Masthead, Fatima Da Silva and Chris Szilagyi of Bistro 161 and Jill Thomas and Bruce Wood of Rock Salt CafĂŠ dazzled over 85

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guests with a six-course feast of locally supplied seafood, duck, venison, mushrooms, cheeses and fruits. All the courses where inventively paired with B.C. wines from vintners such as Garry Oak, Blue Grouse, Marley Farms, Alderlea and Elephant Island.

This is an event not to be missed. Look to the EAT Events Calendar for information on the next Chef’s Table slated for Fall 2008. —Su Grimmer

Tofino If you are planning on visiting the Pacific Rim, during the weekend of June 6 – 8, book your accommodations now! This particular weekend is packed with events including the 6th Annual Tofino Food and Wine Festival, (www.tofinofoodandwinefestival.com) the 9th Annual Edge to Edge Marathon (www.edgetoedgemarathon.com) as well as the Annual UNESCO Biosphere Meeting, bringing in national and international UNESCO biosphere reserve representatives to gather and discover what the Pacific Rim and Clayoquot Sound have to offer, with live music and First Nations performances. (www.clayoquotbiosphere.org) Trilogy Garden Café in the Tofino Botanical Gardens welcomes new manager Miranda Black> (formerly of the Wickaninnish Inn). Specialty dinner nights and live music will be some of the highlights you will find at this cafe, including a menu featuring fresh local seafood in a beautiful garden setting. Trilogy Café, in partnership with Red Fish Blue Fish (an innovative organization created in 2004 by a group of five West Coast Vancouver Island residents passionate about linking the health and well being of people with the health and well being of the ocean) will host ‘Meet What You Eat’, a fun and tasty dinner event in conjunction with the Tofino Food and Wine Festival. (This event will also be held as part of the 12th Annual Clayoquot Oyster Festival; November 21-23, 2008). This is a great opportunity to learn about the ecology, harvesting, and culinary delights of the seafoods, including Dungeness crab, wild Pacific salmon, locally farmed oysters and clams, halibut, sablefish and more. If you are planning on staying in for dinner while in Tofino, don’t forget to check out their dockside fish and seafood market, down the hill beside Weigh West Marine Resort. For more information call 250 725 2247.

The Driftwood Lounge (my favorite place for coffee on Chesterman Beach) now has their patio open for the season. It’s the hidden jewel of the Inn, with a fireplace, and giant driftwood bar, offering light lunches and in house made pastries. The popular Gourmet Getaway package is short, sweet, and delicious – it includes one night of accommodation, one tasting menu four-course dinner for two, and one full breakfast for two. The tasting menu is created weekly, highlighting the most seasonal ingredients from local fishers, gatherers and foragers. Orca Air will be offering daily flights between Victoria and Tofino until September. For more information go to www.wickinn.com Shelter Restaurant is pleased to have Chef Rob Wheaton back in the kitchen, while Chef Richard Moore heads off on a food research trip for 6 weeks. Chef Moore will explore dining destinations in Vegas, Chicago, Toronto and of course, Vancouver. Sam Maltby (formerly Food and Beverage Manager of Long Beach Lodge Resort) joins the Shelter team as Maitre D’, while Jayelle Malleck takes a change of scenery heading up to the Okanagan Valley. Shelter will also host an intimate winemaker’s dinner in their dining room upstairs, for the Tofino Food and Wine Festival. Check out the festival website for event details, or call Shawna Gardham at 250.725.3353.

Long Beach Lodge Resort is hosting an exclusive winemaker’s dinner with special guest Tom DiBello of CedarCreek Estate Winery. One guest chef from Culinary Team BC and another from Culinary Team Canada will join Executive Chef Jeffrey Young in the creation of this menu. Limited space is available for this dinner (Friday June 6, 2008). General Manager Perry Schmunk (formerly of the Metropolitan Hotel and Diva at the Met) joined the lodge recently, along with Restaurant Manager Bill McEachren, Assistant Manager Stephanie Hughes and Front Office Manger Roxanne Fendun. While the amazing Great Room is no longer open to guests not staying at the lodge, advance dinner reservations are still available. For more information call 1.877.844.7873, or go to www.longbeachlodgeresort.com.

Tin Wis’ Calm Waters Dining Room, with beautiful views of Mackenzie Beach, offers a fresh seasonal menu created by Chef Margot Bodchon. They recently built a beautiful staff accommodation unit, including 20 self contained rooms, and the facility is complete with computer access, gourmet kitchen and fireplace. For more information on Calm Waters Dining Room, conference bookings and accommodations, go to www.tinwis.com.

Breakers celebrates its 10 year anniversary this season! Trish Dixon is looking forward to a busy season and is excited to have long term staff member, Kathy Headlam, join the Breakers management team. For special catering options, check out www.breakersdeli.com Sweet T’s Cake and Pastry Shop is also one of my favorite places for sweets and fresh breads, not to mention delicious beef pasties and custom specialty cakes. Baker Tracy Crocker spent many years at the Commonloaf Bake Shop before opening his own place, which is located across the district parking lot from the Village Green (381 Main Street, the back of the turquoise house).

You can also find some of his muffins, croissants and cookies at Breakers Deli, Commonloaf, 4th Street Market and Tofitian. For more information on Sweet T’s, call 250 725 8911.

Opening for the season, is Cougar Annie’s Garden in Boat Basin. This is a full day trip offered through Ocean Outfitters and includes a catered lunch box from Trilogy Café. The trip will give guests a chance to experience a boat ride up the coast of Clayoquot Sound, tour of Cougar Annie’s infamous garden (nearly 100 years old) and lunch in Central Hall, an amazing centre surrounded by temperate rainforest and incredible views of Boat Basin. This is truly a memorable west coast experience, for more information go to www.boatbasin.org, or

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www.oceanoutfitters.bc.ca. —by Kira Rogers

Okanagan It is swirling and sipping time in the Okanagan again! As this magazine hits the stands, Okanagians and it’s many visitors will be fully into the throws of the Spring Wine Festival, enjoying another successful year of palate tickling fun with a great line up of events, some stellar new vintages, all available to sample in our blossoming green valley.

Nk’Mip Cellars, along with Passtempo Restaurant and Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort & Spa are throwing the party of the season on May 3rd. The first annual The Great Estates of the Okanagan Fire & Ice will feature award winning wines from five of the South Okanagan’s most celebrated wineries (See Ya Later Ranch, Nk’Mip Cellars, Inniskillin Okanagan, Sumac Ridge Winery and Jackson Triggs Okanagan Estates) paired with locally inspired cuisine served at several different stations throughout the winery and resort. www.nkmipcellars.com As the wine part continues to grow and change around here – so too does the gastronomic side of this industry. Sumac Ridge has big news to report on their food front! They, along with their Vincor family, are thrilled to announce the appointment of Chef Roger Planiden as the new Executive Chef for Vincor Canada. Chef Planiden comes to them from the Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel where he was at the helm of their bustling kitchens. He will be based at the Sumac Ridge Winery’s acclaimed Cellar Door Bistro, but will manage the entirety of Vincor’s culinary functions and programs. www.sumacridge.com Chef Geoffrey Couper has flown the “coup” at Cedar Creek’s Terrace Restaurant after serving up his culinary wizardry for three successful seasons. “Cheffrey”, as he is affectionately known as, will be focusing on other ventures – those of which we await with baited breath.

In his place, CedarCreek Estate Winery is thrilled to welcome Judith Knight as Chef at their Vineyard Terrace Restaurant. Chef Knight, has more than 20 years experience working with award-winning restaurants including Bishop's and Old Vines Patio at Quail's Gate Estate Winery. www.cedarcreek.bc.ca If you want to join another wine novice in learning about our local wine industry, and incidentally his new home, join Terry David Mulligan (yes, it’s the “Gooooood Rockin’ Tonight” guy) on his new radio show The Tasting Room on 1150 AM (Saturdays from 10-12). www.tastingroomradio.com.

Kelowna seems to have an unending appetite for sushi that has necessitating the opening of another three to its already large repertoire! In the ever-expanding North Glenmore area, Tsunami Japanese Restaurant has opened giving the many locals a welcome choice in neighbourhood dining choices. (250) 448-6840 at 123-1940 Kane Road. Downtown Kelowna now has an Izakaya style Japanese restaurant. Wasabi Izakaya, has recently been opened by Jyunya Nakamura, who trained at one of Vancouver’s famous new trendy Izakaya joints. 1623 Pandosy Street 762-7788. Yamato Japanese Cuisine, is part of the huge new Oriental Supermarket that has just reopened in its large new home on Hwy. 97. Once locals have done an exhaustive shop through the fabulous, huge variety of goods available at the Supermarket, they can pop in next door to eat-in or take-out. Catering is also available. 2455 Hwy. 97 North (250) 762-2618 Joining the resurfacing of Mexican food restaurant trend, downtown Kelowna now has El Gato’s. El Gato’s uses steaming and roasting as their cooking methods to provide a healthier product that is also environmentally friendly. They deliver too. 1625 Ellis Street (250) 869-1399.

The King of Kelowna restaurant is another ethnic addition to our food world. The Nepalese owners are offering East & South Asian Cuisine and sushi. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and take-out are available. 12–515 Harvey Avenue – (250) 863-7836.

Join the masses as they flock to the long awaited opening of Kelowna’s newest hot spot: The Cabana Grille! Celebrity Chef Ned Bell and his partners have been revving up for their opening (hopefully) by mid-May. Ready to greet the sun with a fabulous menu and a huge sexy patio featuring a lounge area with misters (as in sprinklers – not men), a very cool water feature and a 9 foot by 6 foot cement table with two fire pits in the middle. Can you say “line up”? Make reservations or go early to get the hot tables! (250) 763-1955 at 3799 Lakeshore Road, across from the Eldorado. www.cabanagrille.com If you want to really enjoy touring wine country (and actually drinking wine), without the stress of driving, call upon Falcon Bus Charters to do the driving for you. Check out their website for their many touring options and book your friends for some fun! (250) 503-1510 www.falconbuscharters.com Big foodie news for our beautiful wine country neighbours in Oliver!! Manuel Ferreira of the famous Le Gavroche Restaurant in Vancouver, is opening a new restaurant at award winning Tinhorn Creek Vineyards. Construction of this new fine dining establishment is planned for next spring. www.tinhorn.com If you are looking to book a table at Mahdina's Restaurant in Tutt Square, Kelowna, don't freak if you can't find their sign - they have changed names. Officially they are now known as Fi. —by Jennifer Schell-Pigott

Vancouver What we've lacked in dramatic restaurant openings on this side of the Strait in the past couple of months we've more than made up for in drama. The Rob Feenie Affair seems to have come to some neat conclusions. After his rough and tumble exit from his own restaurants, Feenie's and Lumiere, the Iron Chef ventured in the wilderness of catering for a spell until he signed on with

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Cactus Club chain of restaurants as the Food Concept Architect. As to what one of those does, we're still not certain, but we hope it has something to do with cooking. The fate of his two restaurants rested with David and Manjy Sidoo, the majority shareholder couple who'd once upon a time bailed Feenie out of financial trouble. Their star chef gone, they had a choice to either re-brand and go big or ride the status quo into the ground. They chose the former option, naturally, striking a deal with New York celebrity chef Daniel Boulud (DB Bistro Moderne, Daniel, et cetera). Boulud will be overseeing both restaurants, turning the old Feenie's into another DB Bistro Moderne (a very sophisticated but still accessible restaurant), while the fate of Lumiere remains uncertain. This is great news for local foodies, for it opens the doors to the possibility of more big name chefs following suit. Who knows, by the end of the Olympics we could have Gordon Ramsay, Mario Batali, and Jamie Oliver outlets in town, too.

Elsewhere on the high end, at the time of writing we're still waiting for Voya at the Loden Hotel to serve their first meal. The restaurant, run by former Lumiere chef de cuisine Marc-Andre Choquette, is now a year behind schedule. The Shangri-La Hotel is taking shape on Alberni, soaring above the skyline. Launching with it in January '09, we hear, will be the second coming of Ki, a tony Asian fusion concept first opened in Toronto by David Aisenstat, lord of the > Keg Steakhouse. As I said, openings have been rare.

In the west end, a burlesque joint called Maxime's Hideaway has replaced Balthazar. In Gastown, The Greedy Pig was born (reviewed in this issue) on Cordova to rookie restaurateurs Cam and Allison MacKinnon (and the Irish Heather Gastropub served it's last St. Patrick's Day pint in its current location - now moving across the street). Yaletown has been quiet, save for the reopening of Tequila Kitchen, the Mexican restaurant that quickly replaced Melriches only to shut down a few weeks later for a conceptual rethink. The arrival of Uva Wine Bar was the only downtown highlight (also reviewed in this issue), while Commercial Drive saw hipster Caribbean arrive with the 3rd coming of The Reef. And we're done. Perhaps we've finally, if only temporarily, reached critical mass, a maleable thing if ever there was one in the restaurant trade. Moving on to the accolade front, The 1st Annual Urban Diner Restaurant Awards came and went with a huge bash at False Creek's Nu in February, and all of the bright lights of this city's restaurant scene came out to recognise their own. Big winners included Boneta (Best New Casual), Fuel (Best New Formal), Parkside's Andrey Durbach (Chef of the Year), Chambar's Paul Grunberg (Service All Star), and yes, EAT Magazine (Best Food Publication in BC).

Lastly, a few personalities moved about, as they always do. General manager Edwyn Kumar of Cin Cin skipped to the Hart House on Deer Lake (replaced by Ricardo Ferreira); Britain's Warren Geraghty, formerly the executive chef of London's Michelin-starred L'Escargot, has taken over the reins at South Granville's West; Tim Keller has left his managerial partnership with chef Brian Fowke of Rare Two. The restaurant has shut down until May to be rebranded, now in its third year, as Rare Three; Scott Finch had taken over the reigns of Lumiere and Feenie's after the short-lived stewardship of wine writer Bruce Stephen. Sadly, no news of his fate in a post-Feenie's world. And that's it. Bring on the summer, its patios, its al fresco food and wine festivals, and its road trips to meals afar. —By Andrew Morrison

Victoria Saanich Peninsula’s Marley Farm Winery is up for sale. The local winery, specializing in fruit wines (Kiwi is their claim to fame) has approximately 5 of their 46 acres under vine. Other property holdings include a 5600 sq ft house, 2 bedroom cottage, complete wine making equipment and tasting room, barn, hayfields and riding ring. It is listed at $6.2 million. The winery is owned

by Beverly Marley and run by the Marley clan – connected though marriage to reggae legend Bob Marley, and easily apparent in the wines colourful labels. This is the second Saanich Peninsula winery on the market recently – the other being the five hectare Church and State Winery nearby, listed for $9.25 million. www.marleyfarm.ca Something's brewing at Cafe Mela at The Belvedere with their new tearoom opening right next door. Food writer Elizabeth Levinson and her sister Caroline Macey-Brown have created a beautiful room in the Winchester Galleries for their tea-drinking clientele. Mela's Tearoom is at 792 Humboldt Street.382 8528.

A new townhomes development on the Westshore, Reflections, is the first on Vancouver Island to feature living (or green) walls. This high-tech hanging garden - is a vertical expanse of herbs, fruits, vegetables, or flowers providing privacy, as well as giving residents their own small-footprint garden. Reflections’ green walls consist of frames fitted with panels of angled planting trays, each of which can accommodate up to 45 plants. A built-in irrigation system keeps the plants moist while conserving water. Owners will be able to customize their green walls with the plantings of their choice. As the seasons change, so will the living walls: flowers will bloom, foliage will change colour, and fruit will ripen. The walls are designed to live for several years with minimal care. www.liveatreflections.ca Hotel Grand Pacific’s The Mark and The Pacific Restaurants are the newest on the Island to implement the Ocean Wise program. A conservation initiative of the Vancouver Aquarium, the Ocean Wise program makes it easy for diners to make the most responsible seafood choices. The Ocean Wise symbol identifies items on the restaurants' menus that the Aquarium has guaranteed to be sustainable and ocean-friendly. www.hotelgrandpacific.com.

Award-winning catering company Feys+Hobbs Catered Arts Inc. has taken steps to reduce their carbon footprint with the introduction compostable plates, cutlery and utensils. The company’s dedication to using the finest and freshest local ingredients inspired owner David Feys to apply sustainable principals to most of its activities since it opened more than 12 years ago.

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“The local environment is where we source most of our ingredients,” said David Feys, “and we’re committed to improving and protecting the environment in every way we can.” The company has taken a comprehensive approach to minimizing waste and reducing its carbon footprint, from composting all scraps, paper boards and floral trimmings to choosing delivery vehicles that run on bio-diesel. As such, Feys has been sourcing innovative suppliers for compostable plates, cutlery and utensils, including WÜN biodegradable wooden cutlery manufactured from “overlooked” forestry products that are a made-in-BC solution to the billions of plastic knives, forks and spoons that end up in landfills each year. Another new option for clients is cotton napkins, laundered and pressed in-house with green soaps. www.feysandhobbs.com.

Since last fall, Cowichan’s True Grain Bakery has been offering a very popular weekly bread called 30 Mile Bread – produced from a trial run of half-ton of Red Fife wheat grown in Metchosin.

The name comes from the distance clocked between the fields and the bakery, and is a naturallyleavened hearth baked loaf from 100% whole wheat freshly milled just prior to kneading. With the prospect of running short of the limited harvest by summer, they are working with farmer Tom Henry to grow 15 acres of Red Fife organically just up the hill from the bakery at Sungold Meadows Farm – thus, 5 Mile Bread is born! If all goes well, that will yield enough to meet > their yearly wheat requirements for the bakery. Baker and founder Jonathan Knight is passing along business operations to new partners Bruce and Leslie Stewart, and baking responsibilities to journeyman baker Jenn Dixon so he can concentrate on growing and producing food on a very small, hands-on scale. www.truegrain.ca Victorian Sylvia Mann’s new book, Fabulous Fairholme: Breakfasts and Brunches is now being published by Whitecap Books. Having achieving great success as a self-published title, Whitecap was keen on providing greater exposure and distribution for the title. www.whitecap.ca.

BC’s Fairmont Hotels & Resorts are rolling out a chefs blog, giving outsiders an inside peek at the goings on of their fine hotel kitchens straight from the mouths of the well-respected Chefs who run them. Be it a run-down of how 300 perfect chocolate soufflés are served to gala attendees at The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, a secret to herb gardening from the culinary team that tends to the roof-top herb garden at The Fairmont Waterfront, or a recipe on the ultimate 'food for flight' menu from The Fairmont Vancouver Airport, blog readers will learn something new from the Fairmont team each time they visit. Participating hotels & respective chefs include: The Fairmont Empress, Takashi Ito; The Fairmont Chateau Whistler, Vincent Stufano; The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Robert LeCrom; The Fairmont Waterfront, Shannon Wrightson; The Fairmont Vancouver Airport, Patrick Sinclair. www.fairmontchefs.com Danielle Bourget is the new Food and Beverage Manager at The Hotel Grand Pacific. Most recently, Ms. Bourget has been working with her husband, a chef, in their Victoria business, Café Vieux Montreal. Prior to that Ms. Bourget gained experience in management positions with Le Chanteclerc in St-Adele and Hotel Vogue in Montreal. www.hotelgrandpacific.com Laurel Point Inn has added some big weight to their culinary team with the announcement of new Executive Chef Brad Horen. Chef Horen is well known in culinary circles for his roles as executive chef of Calgary’s Catch Seafood Restaurant. The rest of Canada will recognize him for his mentorship role on the Food Network’s Next Great Chef. In 2007, the Canadian Culinary Federation awarded Horen with the prestigious Canadian Chef of the Year title. www.laurelpoint.com Downtown’s VQA headquarters, The Wine Barrel, will celebrate 15 years of business on May 1, 2008. Pop in to celebrate with owner Bruce Stewart and his merry team. 644 Broughton Street. www.thewinebarrel.com —by Treve Ring

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BLENDS TAKE CENTRE STAGE IN BC

By John Schreiner | photography by Michael Tourigny

Presented with a large flight of Bordeaux variety reds, the five judges, working independently and in silence, whittled it down to a manageable size by assessing all the wines quickly and pulling the best forward for second-round judging.

Only a few single varietals went ahead, but every judge had moved every single blended red ahead for the second round.

The blends just had more going for them than the single varietals.

That would hardly surprise a French wine critic. The best Bordeaux reds are nearly always blends because that is the only way to make reliable wines in Bordeaux’s dodgy climate.

Beginning in the 1970s with California wineries, which benefit from more consistent growing conditions, New World wineries have released most of their wines as single varietals.

As a result, North Americans grew up drinking grapes and being frustrated when the variety was not named on the label. “When I’m drinking Château Beychevelle,” a local consumer once asked me, “how do I know what I’m drinking?”

The answer: he was drinking what some in the Okanagan call Meritage.

The Meritage Association was formed in Napa in 1988 by wineries that wanted to move away from French geographic indicators (like Bordeaux, Medoc or Pomerol) on the labels of blended wines. Under the Meritage rules, the wines must be blends of the varieties grown in Bordeaux. Typical red Meritage wines are blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot; if the grapes are available, wineries may

also use Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmenère. White Meritage wines are blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. The first Canadian winery to join the association was Sumac Ridge in 1995. Now, there is a large Canadian membership.

In 1992, Sumac Ridge planted about 100 acres on Black Sage Road, giving itself blending options by planting Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. While Sumac Ridge makes excellent single-variety wines from that vineyard, the Meritage blends are arguably the best wines from the property. The White Meritage is one of the Okanagan’s most awarded wines.

Since the early 1990s, nearly 6,000 acres of new vineyard have been planted in the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys, increasing the availability of varieties needed for blending. Today, most wineries produce blends, often under proprietary names such as Portfolio or Note Bene, uniquely branding wines to distinguish them from the sea of Meritage.

Even when wines are released as single varietals, they are frequently blends. Wines need have only 85 percent of a variety to be released under a single name. Many winemakers use the other 15 percent to add complimentary varieties (such as Cabernet Franc in a Merlot, or vice versa). These blending touches are designed to improve the aroma, lift the flavours and add texture.

As well, many vineyards grow several clones of varieties such as Pinot Noir. Quails’ Gate Estate Winery, as an example, has seven clones of Pinot Noir in its vineyard. Each clone brings qualities—aroma, texture, flavour or colour—that winemaker Grant Stanley blends to achieve complexity. Like most winemakers, he creates additional blending options by aging the wines in French oak from half a dozen different forests. In each vintage, he makes just two Pinot Noirs, and the wines are distinctively different.

Many wineries now get grapes from several sites to create

more blending options. For example, Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery gets the same variety from vineyards in Westbank, Okanagan Falls and in the Similkameen. Each vineyard yields its own distinctive flavours with which blends can be built.

Some of the Okanagan blends are made with varieties that span several appellations in Europe (and might not even be allowed there), such as the La Frenz Montage. It is 60 percent Pinot Noir, 40 percent Merlot—definitely a nontraditional blend that would be impossible in Burgundy, where no Merlot is allowed, or in Bordeaux, where no Pinot Noir is allowed.

Other examples include Sumac Ridge’s Pinnacle Red (three Bordeaux grapes plus, sometimes, Syrah), the Golden Mile 5th Element Red (four Bordeaux grapes and a dash of Syrah) and the Pentâge Red (three Bordeaux grapes and dashes of Syrah and Gamay).

The whole point of a blend is to make wines that are complex and, if possible, distinctive to a particular winery, like the La Frenz Montage or The Dam Flood from Blasted Church.

The backbone of the latter blend is Lemberger, a little-known variety hard to sell on its own. Not very interesting on its own either, it definitely benefits when blend partners give the wine some personality.

There will be more red blends in the future, if only because vineyards have been planted with varieties destined for blends (Petit Verdot, Malbec, Grenache, Mourvedre, Tannat).

And most new plantings consist of at least two clones of every variety.

But most important, consumers are embracing these wines, having learned, as our judging panel did, that blends are more interesting than single-varietal wines.

See page 74 for tasting notes.

crush

A

n experience while judging in a British Columbia wine competition a few years ago opened my eyes to the superiority of blended reds over single-variety wines.

An Okanagan History in Wines These now-classic BC wines helped shaped the future of the region.

Gray Monk 1980 Pinot Gris. Gray Monk founder George Heiss was the first to import the variety from Alsace, planting the vines in 1977. It became Gray Monk’s flagship white.

Pinot Gris is now the second most widely planted white in British Columbia and is a major variety in most winery portfolios.

Sumac Ridge Steller’s Jay 1987. After doing trials with sparkling wine with the assistance of a government grant, Sumac Ridge produced British Columbia’s first sparkling wine made in the traditional Champagne method.

Blue Mountain 1992 Pinot Noir. This was the Okanagan’s first world-class Pinot Noir, grown well in a good site. By setting the bar high, Blue Mountain almost certainly accelerated the work by Quails’ Gate and CedarCreek to start making world-class Pinots of their own. Now, lots of Okanagan producers are good enough to get invited to the famous Pinot Noir conference in Oregon each year.

Mission Hill 1992 Chardonnay. Winemaker John Simes arrived at Mission Hill just weeks before the start of the 1992 vintage. When he found a plot of superb Chardonnay at one Oliver vineyard that Mission Hill had contracted, he had enough new American oak barrels rushed in that he could ferment and age the wine in oak, something rarely done in the Okanagan at the time. The wine won the first serious in-

ternational award for a British Columbia wine, the Avery Trophy for the best Chardonnay at the 1994 International Wine & Spirits Competition.

Nichol Vineyard 1994 Syrah. Alex Nichol was the first wine grower to plant Syrah in the Okanagan, an apparent gamble with a late-ripening variety. His 1994 vintage, dark and rich and spicy, caused the valley to take notice. His choice was confirmed when both Jackson-Triggs and Burrowing Owl planted the variety a few years later and began making one dynamite Syrah after another.

Quails’ Gate 1994 Old Vines Foch. This is the wine that turned around the reputation of Maréchal Foch, a workhorse red hybrid that had been grown so ineptly over the previous 25 years that the resulting wines were embarrassingly poor.

In 1994, Australian winemaker Jeff Martin was hired by Quails’ Gate. Used to making wine with grapes from old vines, he had Quails’ Gate reduce the crop load on its Foch vines (circa 1978, 1981). From the more intensely flavoured grapes, he made a wine that might have been mistaken for Shiraz. It has been a cult wine ever since.

Sumac Ridge 1995 Black Sage Merlot. This wine, Canada’s red wine of the year in a subsequent national competition, was made with first-leaf fruit from the first planting of Bordeaux grapes on Black Sage Road in the 1990s. The wine val-

idated Black Sage as terroir suitable for red vinifera.

Sumac Ridge 1997 Pinnacle. When released in 2000, this was British Columbia’s first red table wine with a $50 price tag. At first, it sold so slowly that Sumac Ridge founder Harry McWatters joked how Pinnacle had broken down price resistance to Sumac Ridge’s $25 Meritage. The joke hasn’t lasted. Once the ice was broken, other wineries chimed in with premium wines at luxury pricing.

Osoyoos Larose 2001. A blend of three Bordeaux grapes, it was the debut release from a joint venture between Vincor and Groupe Taillan of Bordeaux. Vincor wanted a transfer of know-how. The French called the shots, picking the site, sourcing the vines, designing the vineyard and hiring a French winemaker. The result: a wine that stacks up well against Bordeaux’s classified growths and thus validates the Okanagan internationally.

Tinhorn Creek 2001 Oldfield’s Collection Merlot. This was British Columbia’s first premium red bottled with a screw-top closure. Now, screw caps are widely used. At first, however, Tinhorn Creek bottled only a portion of the vintage in screw cap, leaving the rest in cork as a way to test consumer reaction. When there was no backlash to speak of, Tinhorn Creek switched to screw caps for everything but icewine.

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BC REDS BLENDS REVIEWED BY JOHN SCHREINER 1715 Government Street 250.475.6260 www.lecole.ca eat@lecole.ca

Dinner 5:30 - 11 pm Tuesday to Saturday

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ken Bon mo e S

C o okshack

Sandhill Small Lots one 2005 Okanagan Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), Petit Verdot (17%), Malbec (9%), Merlot (4%) $34.99 The wine makes a fantastic first impression, with gobs of fruit in the aroma and on the palate. The mouth-filling flavours show currants, red liquorice and mocha with toasty notes from the oak (18 months in French and American oak). The ripe tannins contribute to the long, lingering finish. This is the best Sandhill one so far. 91 Seven Stones Winery Harmony One 2005 Similkameen Merlot (45%), Cabernet Sauvignon (28%), Cabernet Franc (27%) $29.99 This blended red wine is an excellent example. It begins with aromas of almost perfumed fruit layered over vanilla and chocolate. These elements carry through to flavours of spiced currants, plums, more chocolate. The ripe tannins give the wine a satisfying chewy texture but also the backbone to allow graceful aging for at least five more years. 89 Poplar Grove Winery The Legacy 2004 Okanagan Merlot (65%), Cabernet Franc (20%) Cabernet Sauvignon (10%), Malbec (5%) $50 This wine, which Sutherland compares to a Saint-Émilion in style, spends 24 months in French oak and another 18 months in bottle before release. The wine is muscular and concentrated, with aromas of red berries and cedar and with flavours of spicy plums. The structure is firm for superb long-term aging while the time in bottle before release has allowed the wine to take on a polished elegance. 92 Kettle Valley Winery Old Main Red 2005 Okanagan Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec $35 The grapes for this wine, Kettle Valley’s flagship Bordeaux blend, were picked between November 1 and 4 in 2005, at the very end of a superb vintage. The result is a deep, rich wine with layers of plums, cherries and black currants, supported with the vanilla from the 20 months the wine aged in American oak. The wine has chewy ripe tannins and a generous, polished texture. 92

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Osoyoos Larose Le Grand Vin 2005 Okanagan Merlot (67%), Cabernet Sauvignon (23%) Cabernet Franc (4%), Petit Verdot (4%), and Malbec (2%). $40 While most of the Okanagan’s red blends have a Merlot backbone, none are quite so Bordelaise as Le Grand Vin. Even with its ripe tannins, this wine is firm and built for some serious cellaring. Dark in colour, it begins with aromas of vanilla, red berries and chocolate but also with that note of cigar box that Bordeaux collectors look for. The fruit is densely concentrated, with a sweet core wrapped inside the mineral notes. 88-91 Pentâge Winery Pentâge 2004 Okanagan Merlot (41%), Cabernet Sauvignon (40%), Cabernet Franc (17%), Syrah (1.5%), Gamay (0.5%) $29 The 2004 Pentâge opened to show notes of cassis and chocolate, with subtle cherry. On the palate, there are flavours of cassis and mocha with an attractively rustic note of minerals. The tannins are fine-grained but firm. The wine is medium-bodied, with a polished elegance. 89 Black Hills Estate Winery Nota Bene 2005 Okanagan Cabernet Sauvignon (43%), Merlot (37%), Cabernet Franc (20%) $36 The 2005 vintage, dark in colour, begins with aromas of cedar and spice and red currants on top of a not of chocolate. There is just a grace note of bell pepper, enough to perk up the flavours of spiced sweet plums. The wine is full-bodied, with long ripe tannins. The wine has a bold elegance that makes it immediately appealing; it also has the structure for good cellaring. 91 Golden Mile Cellars Black Arts Fifth Element Red 2005 Okanagan Merlot (65%), Cabernet Sauvignon (25%), Petit Verdot(4%), Syrah(2%), Cabernet Franc(1%) $35.99 A wine with both power and elegance, with vanilla aromas and bold flavours of plum, black currant, licorice and coffee. The tannins are fine and ripe, suggesting aging potential. But it is such a satisfying drink now that few bottles are likely to sit very long in anyone’s cellar. 90

Mission Hill Family Estate Oculus 2004 Okanagan Merlot (74%), Cabernet Sauvignon (13%), Cabernet Franc(10%), Petit Verdot (3%) $60 Dark in colour, the 2004 Oculus presents aromas of black currants and vanilla that surge from the glass. On the palate, this is a full and generous wine, with flavours of plums and currants. The notes of cedar and cigar box maintain Bordeaux lineage of earlier vintages. Yet without a doubt, this is the richest, most lush Oculus to date. 94 2004 Alliànce Okanagan Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Merlot (29%), Cabernet Franc (11%) $54.00 Dark in colour, the wine begins with aromas of vanilla, prunes, chocolate and spice. On the palate, the wine follows through with plums, prunes, minerals, licorice and tar. This is a bold, muscular wine for red meat and for further cellaring. 90

Laughing Stock Vineyards 2005 Portfolio Okanagan Valley Merlot (59%), Cabernet Sauvignon (33%), Malbec (4%), Cabernet Franc (3%), Petit Verdot (1%)$37.00 This is a wine that begins with a powerful aroma of red fruits, spice and vanilla. The palate is rich with flavours of black currants, blackberries, chocolate, cedar and spice. This is a wine built for aging, with long ripe tannins. Yet the proteins of a good steak softened the tannins to reveal a lush, full-bodied wine. 90

In BC we tend to drink our best reds too young. While decanting is the traditional solution, technology has come up with an alternative. Try a “breathable” wine glass made by Eisch Glaskultur of Germany and available in any shop that has good stemware. Wines open up in minutes, just as if they had been decanted.

OTHER NOTEWORTHY RED BLENDS Fairview Cellars The Bear 2005 Okanagan Cabernets La Frenz Montage 2005 Okanagan Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sumac Ridge Estate Winery Pinnacle 2004 Okanagan Merlot 70%, Cab Sauvignon 15%,Cab Franc 12%, Syrah 3% CedarCreek Estate Winery Meritage 2005 Okanagan See Ya Later Ranch Ping 2005 Okanagan 69% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc.

Sumac Ridge Meritage Black Sage 2005 Okanagan Valley Burrowing Owl Vineyards 2004 Meritage Okanagan Valley Hillside Estate Winery 2004 Mosaic Okanagan Valley

NEW BC RELEASES

There was a time where blousey carmamel flavoured chardonnays were revered for their sad, overblown oakiness. Both California and Australia kept coopers in the pink and many awards were celebrated (probably with beers). Unfortunately, many BC winemakers followed this trend and plenty of wine drinkers avoided these heavy-handed wines.

But with the arrival of this well-balanced and structured chard (pictured left) it’s time to rip up the ABC (anything-but-chardonnay club) membership card. The 2006 Stewart Family Reserve from Quail’sGate is a grand master of intense fruit lightly pinned by French toast and enough acid tang for a refreshing yet lingering and lush finish. Finally, we are back to a great future. —G.H.

Available in Fine Wine Shops and Leading Restaurants across Canada • QuailsGate.com

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wines for great everyday drinking liquidassets

by Larry Arnold Chateau Rousselle Cotes de Bourg 2005 Bordeaux $27.00-30.00 There is always so much hype surrounding every new Bordeaux vintage that it has become increasingly difficult for the average punter to separate the truth from the marketing blather. But believe me when I say, you can bet the farm on this vintage!

Two thousand and five Bordeaux is one of the truly great vintages of the past 50 years, but unfortunately, one of the most expensive. So when the opportunity arises to lay your hands on a bottle, such as this delicious Cru Bourgeois from the Cotes de Bourg, do it! Quintessential Bordeaux, with a lovely bouquet of ripe blackcurrants and wet earth and all that makes Bordeaux, the allure that it is.

Medium-bodied with sweet, concentrated fruit flavours, lovely balance and nicely integrated tannins, in a very refined, modern style, that is worth buying by the case!

A small family run, bio-dynamically farmed chateau that I highly endorse.

Pertaringa “P” Verdelho 2007 Australia $21.00-23.00 To fully appreciate life we must all, on occasion, venture out of our comfort zone. If you have spent your entire wine drinking life limited to the likes of chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon or Uncle Charlie’s homemade blackberry ripple, then it is indeed time to take the plunge. Fresh and very clean with a nose redolent of tropical fruit and citrus peels. The palate is very floral with tangerine nuances and zingy acidity. Fair dinkum.

THE WINES Balthasar Ress Hattenheimer Schutzenhaus Riesling Kabinett 05 Germany $23.00-26.00 Located in the heart of the Rheingau region of western Germany, this large family owned winery has been producing wine since 1870. Off-dry and nicely balanced with bright citrus and petrol aromas that continue through the palate. Good weight for a Kabinett with a cut of bracing acidity and a lovely long finish.

Rebel Wine Co. “The Show” Cabernet Sauvignon 05 California$19.00-23.00 The Rebel Wine Company was formed as a partnership between three marketing men (Three Thieves) and Trinchero Family Estates. Their mission: “to liberate premium eclectic wine”, make some great wine in the process and in doing so make tons of money! So far so good! This lush California cabernet sauvignon, blended with a hefty dollop of merlot, cabernet franc and petite verdot is silky smooth with juicy fruit flavours and a surprisingly complex structure that offers up more then just a tweak of soft tannin in the back end. Great bang for the buck.

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Rutherford Wine Co. Round Hill Zinfandel-Shiraz 03 California $10.00-13.00 If only it came in a jug, I would buy this hearty little beast by the gallon. Who needs the cork and at this price, one bottle is never enough! Fullbodied with mouth filling fruit flavours, nicely balanced with a soft blush of silky tannin. A great party red.

Bodegas Benegas Don Tiburcio 2005 Argentina $22.00-25.00 For decades Argentina was the sleeping giant of the wine world but although production was huge not a drop seemed to make it to the outside world. The locals drank everything produced within its borders and then some. But times they are a changing and the Argentine wine section is the hottest category in the province right now. If you know the style of consulting wine maker Michel Roland you already know what to expect from this ripe blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot and malbec. Full-bodied with big ripe fruit flavours, plenty of spicy oak, a fat lush texture and a long soft finish with a gloss of tannin.

Church & State Coyote Bowl Merlot 2005 British Columbia $26.00-30.00 Many on the island may well remember this winery more for its kitchen and constant stream of tour buses rather than it’s wine offerings. But fine wine was always the dream and with consulting winemaker Bill Dyer stirring the pot and a new vineyard and winery near completion on the Black Sage Bench just outside of Oliver, the future is decidedly rosy for this up and comer. Coyote Bowl merlot is delicious with ripe cherry, brown sugar and spice aromas, nicely balanced with good weight, rich berry and vanilla flavours and enough mouth coating tannins to hold it all together.

Le Vieux Pin Vaila Pinot Noir Rose 2006 British Columbia $25.00-30.00 These guys are perfections and dogged in their pursuit of perfection. With over 50 acres scattered hither and thither throughout the south Okanagan their goal is to produce wines that express the unique terroir of each and every vineyard. They will do whatever it takes to attain this lofty aspiration and they charge accordingly! Amen! The wines across the board are rock solid and although the rose is the most reasonably priced of their many offerings, it is my favourite. Dry and rather full-bodied for a rose, with fresh berry flavours, great acidity and a very long spicy finish. Absolutely gorgeous.

La Posta Angel Paulucci Vineyard Malbec 2006 Argentina $20.00-23.00 Aged for 10 months in new and used French oak, this concentrated red has a lovely bouquet of violets, black fruit and smoke. Medium to full-bodied with a chewy texture nicely balanced with layers of dark fruit and spice flavours. Highly recommended!

Straccali Chianti 2006 Italy $14.00-16.00 Straccali offers, a simple, easy drinking Chianti! Garnet coloured with soft fruit flavours good acidity and a long dry finish. Excellent value.

C. N. Kopke Colheita Tawny Port 1997 Portugal $22.00-25.00 / .375ml Vintage dated tawny ports (Colheitas) are somewhat of a rarity in this part of the country and are definitely worth a try if you should happen across a bottle. Deep amber colour, with a wonderful nose of coffee cake, spice and walnuts with a silky smooth palate leading into a long, nutty finish. Outstanding.

Sorrento Cab Sauvignon-Cab Franc-Merlot 2005 Australia $23.00-26.00 Big and beautiful, this hearty red is full-bodied and richly textured with dense layers of blackberry, cherry and sweet vanilla oak and a firm tannic structure.

By Christopher Pollon

hophead beervana

Brewing chocophiles

Two weeks before High Chocolate, the Alibi Roomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nigel Springthorpe and Yaletown chocolatier Themis Velgis sat down and spent several hours matching a handful of BCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best craft brews with five single-plantation cocoa chocolate recipes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our goal was to create an experiment in the versatility of beer and chocolate.â&#x20AC;? says Springthorpe. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When you take wine and chocolate, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about contrast, but with beer, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all about the marriage of flavours.â&#x20AC;?

By the end of the sitting, they had created a menu that paired Velgisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; handmade chocolate with a BC-brewed bitter, two porters, and an India Pale Ale. All of Velgisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; hand-made chocolates are crafted from single-plantation cocoa â&#x20AC;&#x201C; meaning that the cocoa in each chocolate recipe comes from the same patch of earth, imparting unique subtleties in aroma and flavour based on such factors as local climate and soil conditions.

The resultant feast of the senses was staged as â&#x20AC;&#x153;High Chocolateâ&#x20AC;? late one Saturday afternoon in late February, presented by the Alibi Room and the Vancouver chapter of the Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA), an organization with over 600 BC members committed to promoting the dual need for better beer and pubs.

It was fitting that high chocolate â&#x20AC;&#x201C; named for high tea, an early meal which substitutes for afternoon snack and evening dinner â&#x20AC;&#x201C; would be held at the Alibi Room. Springthorpe has created a local beer Mecca at this venue, with nine of his 14 taps offering BC craft brew, most of which are not available as draught in any other bar in the province. Springthorpeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s connection with CAMRA is a natural one as well, as both parties share a commitment to promoting the work of BCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best brewmasters.

It was after 3 p.m. that the first beer was delivered to the tables, with a plate of Java chocolate. With each pairing Velgis introduced the unique properties of his chocolate creation, followed by Springthorpeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s explanation of the beer and how the two worked together.

Participants were instructed to place the chocolate on the right side of the mouth, sitting against the cheek to slightly melt; a sip of beer was to be held in the left side, and the contents of both sides allowed to slowly migrate to the centre of the tongue.

The first beer, Howe Soundâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Baldwin and Cooper Best Bitter (brewed by Dave Fenn) has beautiful caramel notes, which combined with a similar sweetness in the chocolate. It was with this first beer that we also learned that temperature is the key to getting the most out of the pairings â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the bitter arrived quite cool, and it was not until it warmed slightly in the glass that the caramel explosion really struck the tongue.

Beer number two was an extra special treat: Rebecca Kneen, one half of Sorrento BCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Crannog Ales had hand-delivered a cask-conditioned firkin of her Back Hand Of God stout (the bestselling tap at the Alibi Room). The espresso flavour of this stout was a perfect accompaniment to the subtle coffee aftertaste in the Sao Tome chocolate.

The Tin Whistle Breweryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chocolate Cherry Porter was next (brewed by Ron Bradley in Penticton), combined with Grenada chocolate. The latter imparted a light floral taste at the finish, which blended with the subtle cherry in the porter.

Tim Brown, creator of the Mission Springs India Pale Ale was on hand to introduce his beer, which he described as an IPA in the British style, featuring traditional Kent Goldings and Fuggles hops. It was with this last beer, which imparts a powerful hop bitterness, that Springthorpe and Velgis faced their biggest pairing challenge. The chocolate had to be assertive. The choice was a single-plantation chocolate made from Papua New Guinea cocoa â&#x20AC;&#x201C; extremely dark roasted, with a subtle smokiness and notes of whiskey at the finish.

Springthorpe suggested that these two bold entities would create a new taste altogether upon combination, but I struggled with this last pairing. Maybe my taste buds were nearing sensory overload, but I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think so. I blame the India Pale Ale itself â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as an irrepressible Hophead, it was torture for me to nurse just a 10-ounce serving of that glorious copper-hued ale.

NEW BC RELEASES

Meet the Meyers. Meyer Family Two new and joyful Vineyards is the latest addition to wines from Joie: the the populous Naramata strip. Just 2007 RosĂŠ, an released Micro CuveĂŠ and Tribute enticing mĂŠlange of Series-Emily Carr (both â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;06) are pinot noir and fraternal Chardonnay twins with a gamay and the difference. The former leans 2007 Noble Blend: French while the other American. appealing Alsatianstyle with mouthwatering BC zing! Both make lovely sips. Elegant, food-friendly and marvelous to drink. www.MFVwines.com â&#x20AC;&#x201D;G.H. Right on. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;G.H.

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VQA AT MATTICKS FARM CELEBRATES 10 SUCCESSFUL YEARS n this farm there is a “chick” who loves wine. Celebrating 10 years of purveying the finest of BC’s wine, proprietor Beth Crawford sums up the experience…

“One never knows where life’s path will take them, what began as an interest evolved to a passion for a local industry – and my how they both have grown!”

Beth relied on her LDB background and fashioned her business model around that. “I had been working for the branch for 10 years, and really enjoyed wine sales. I heard about the VQA licenses and thought it was definitely a fit for where I had been focusing my energies with my current job, so I put together a proposal. Serendipity definitely played a role in how the business and the location came together. Sometimes in life the universe seems to take over and guide you, there were some aspects that fell into place and came together easily; others not so much…” Some sweat, a few tears and a lot of hard work culminated in the fourth VQA store in the province opening its doors at Mattick’s Farm in April of 1998. It was the first VQA Shop in Victoria and at that time there were just over 40 wineries in BC!

While the number of wineries and available wines has grown exponentially so has the consumer base. Loyal BC wine drinkers are realizing that their favourites are someone else’s favourite too, and they have learned to stock up before the vintage disappears. “It is amazing to see how accepted and well-respected BC wine now is.”

“I think my business has been built on excellent customer service and I certainly haven’t done that on my own. I have always hired people that have a passion for wine. Initially they may not have a lot of technical knowledge, but the eagerness to know more soon means that they are well on their way to developing their knowledge base.”

“For some customers wine is intimidating; we like to take the guess work out of things, keep it simple and light, but we can also hold our own with oenophiles – we know and love our BC wines!” For years I have been summing up our service with the meant-to-soundlike-a-wine-descriptor slogan – ‘…knowledgeable, yet not pretentious… approachable with a hint of sass!’ That is pretty much the way it works. I am proud of what I have built, and grateful for the support of the BC wine industry and all the loyal staff and customers I have had over the years.”

“Here’s to the next decade…. Cheers!”

Beth Crawford

Hester Creek Estate Winery Congratulations on your 10th.

"Like a fine wine the best is yet to come"

“Congratulations to Beth and the staff at Matticks Farm VQA Store on your 10th Anniversary.”

From the Wines of British Columbia and the BC Wine Institute

“Congratulations to Beth & her team for 10 memorable years!”

“Estate Grown in Oliver, BC”

"Congratulations on your 10 year anniversary” from Howard Soon 78

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“Congratulations Mattick’s on 10 years in business.”

“Congratulations Beth on your special anniversary!

Margrit, Joe and Manuel Zuppiger”

"Mission Hill Family Estate congratulates Matticks Farm on 10 years of support of the Best of BC"

“Beth, our congratulations on your 10 year anniversary”

Food & Wine Pairing

A Cook’s Library Real Food: What to Eat and Why

Tracey Kusiewicz

New at the Playhouse International Wine Festival this year was the “Vintners Brunch” sponsored by EAT magazine. 20 chefs were given a wine to pair with either a savoury or sweet item. The winning combo went to Tim Muelbauer of the Northwest Culinary Academy for his Fireweed Honey Mousse, Almond Dacquoise, Nougatine Biscuit Sponge, with a Lemon-Thyme Sable, & Crème Anglaise (pictured above) paired with Mission Hills, Estate Reserve Riesling Icewine 2006. Savory Coast's braised pigs feet matched with Tormaresca Fichimori Salento (Negroamaro) also scored well with the judges.

Reading Nina Planck’s book, Real Food: What to Eat and Why, was like finally being told the truth about food. I am all for being healthy and trying new advice from socalled nutrition experts. I took two tablespoons of flax seed oil a day when I was told it was the right kind of fat for me and cooked up egg white omelets in olive oil when I was told that yolks and butter were the wrong kind of fat. Like lots of other people who try to follow the health experts when they recommend low-fat milk or come out with high-protein, low-carbohydrate snacks, I did not feel satisfied, full, or actually all that healthy. Planck is the first person I have encountered in a long time who approaches food and nutrition with a balanced blend of common sense, intuition, and science. She is the antidote to ‘superfood’ trends, fad diets, and the industrialization of food. And the only title she gives herself is ‘advocate for traditional foods’ —though she has been dubbed by her admirers ‘the Patron Saint of Farmers’ Markets.’

Raised on a farm in Virginia, Planck grew up drinking raw milk, and eating organic produce and fresh eggs. As a young adult she became a vegetarian, then a vegan — then suffering from poor health, found her way back to meat, dairy, eggs, and farmers’ markets. Though with characteristic open-mindedness she stays away from proclaiming any one style of eating as a cure-all or another as outmoded, she offers her discovery that returning to a diet that included bacon and butter —as well

as plenty of fresh produce— brought her back to the robust health she enjoyed as a farm kid.

Planck’s basic thesis is simple and sweet: old, traditional foods are good for you; newer, industrial foods are not. Butter, cream, meat, and eggs that come from farms that let their animals graze and don’t shoot them full of antibiotics and hormones fall under the category of traditional. Factory food products loaded with conventional preservatives or artificial ingredients are considered industrial, by Planck’s definition. There is a lot more to her argument, balanced with some nourishing anecdotes of farm life. If you’re interested in eating local, health, organics, farming, and farmers’ markets, or just understanding exactly what it is you’re best off eating, this book makes common sense of it all. And with Planck narrating, you are in good company as you learn.

—Katie Zydbel ALSO IN STORES NOW Carnivore Chic - an ode to meat - from high-end butcher shops to fourteen ounce Waygyu sirloin at $750 a steak. Susan Bourette. Viking Canada Apples to Oysters - a food lover’s tour of Canadian farms with author Margaret Webb. Viking Canada Anita Stewart’s Canada - a collection of recipes celebrating Canadians and our ingredients. Photography by Robert Wiginton. Harper Collins

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A Sense of Place

wineterroir

The Bubble Diet Michaela Morris and Michelle Bouffard discover that fizz and food are a natural, whether it’s 8 o’clock in the morning or 8 o’clock in the evening. A new diet is born.

C

hampagne is France’s greatest gift to wine drinkers.

At least the Champenois would have us think so.

Much to their chagrin, Champagne’s fame and success have led drinkers to adopt the noble Champagne name when referring to all sparkling wine. However, to be worthy of the “C” word, the wine must hail from the Champagne region in France. The French are vehement about protecting what they create. And for Champagne we pay a hefty premium. The cheapest Champagne starts at $50, and prices increase rapidly from there. Every other bottle of bubble falls under the generic category of “sparkling wine.” Ironically, many of them offer better value for money than the majority of big Champagne brands.

Whether it’s Champagne or another sparkling wine, though, nothing suggests celebration like a chilled glass of steadily rising bubbles. And while no festivity should be without, it’s a shame we restrict our sparkling wine indulgence to special occasions. Bubble has a place well beyond a token wedding toast. Indeed, it is a great partner with food and belongs at the dinner table next to every meal you eat. After two arduous months of sampling bubble and searching for the perfect partner (we mean food matches ...), we have devised a cunning sparkling wine regime that will change your life. Forget Atkins and the South Beach Diet, the Bubble Diet will be the latest craze to sweep the nation. It is based on the principle that there is always an appropriate bubble regardless of the time of day, from the moment you wake up until your head hits the pillow at night. Sommelier Mark McNeil from Chambar restaurant is already a huge advocate, testifying: “I can drink bubble all day long.”

8:19 a.m. Breakfast: Moscato d’Asti The most important meal of the day deserves something stronger than coffee, yet the alcohol shouldn’t be paralyzing.

Moscato d’Asti lets you ease into the bubble program. Sweet, light in alcohol and sporting delicious grapy flavours, this charming sparkler comes from Italy’s Piedmont region. It’s a natural with fruit and granola as well as traditional brunch items like French toast and crêpes. The Marchesi di Gresy La Serra and Michele Chiarlo Nivole, both readily available, make regular appearances on our breakfast table.

10:47 a.m. Mid-morning Snack: Blanquette de Limoux Even after a substantial breakfast, our blood sugar hits an all-time low by 11:00 a.m. We need something to keep going until lunch. Our favourite morning snack of crisp apple slices with aged Québec Cheddar is further enhanced by a glass of Blanquette de Limoux. The cooler region of Limoux in the south of France has been producing sparkling wine for centuries. The locals claim that they were the first to get bubbles in the bottle. That’s right, even before Champagne!

Blanquette is made with the obscure Mauzac grape variety, which has distinct ripe apple aromas. Despite its long history and delicious nature, Blanquette de Limoux is not widely exported. Antech is one of the few producers that has graced our shelves and is only available in private wine stores. Som-

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melier of the Year Neil Ingram opened his Gastown restaurant Boneta with the Antech Blanquette de Limoux. “You can never have enough Mauzac in your life,” he advises.

12:53 p.m. Lunchtime: Sparkling Riesling Sushi is most definitely the West Coast’s lunch of choice. To wash it down, you could drink sake or green tea, but for the avid bubble drinker, sparkling Riesling is much more imaginative. Riesling’s intensity and pungent aromas stand up to the persistent flavours that accompany sushi, particularly wasabi, ginger and soy sauce. Who needs ginger to refresh the palate between bites of tempura and gyoza? Riesling’s naturally high acidity does the trick. Sparkling Riesling’s homeland is Germany, where it is known as Sekt. While quality of Sekt varies, the Deinhard Lila Riesling is a great choice and well priced at $15.49. Beyond Germany, we were intrigued to find an Australian sparkling Riesling on the shelves. What a great discovery! The Skillogalee Riesling stands up to the best of Sekts.

Lambrusco Sandwiches may be a conventional lunch choice, but they don’t need to be boring. Take advantage of the good weather while you can and eat al fresco. Bring your blanket, grab a prosciutto and cheese sandwich and don’t forget the Lambrusco. It will certainly add some colour to your day. Lambrusco is a sparkling red from the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna and is served with the region’s rich hearty food, helping to digest it. Lambrusco’s reputation suffered due to all the mass-produced examples that flooded the market in the 1980s. Like Beaujolais Nouveau though, Lambrusco has its place, especially on a picnic. It will set you up brilliantly for an afternoon nap.

4:12 p.m. Post Nap: Cava Go to lunch with Italy and wake up with Spain. After a brief slumber, your taste buds might need reviving. Cava has rejuvenating properties. This sparkling wine from Spain mirrors Champagne in the way it’s made, but the indigenous grapes used impart a distinct and bold character, just like the Spaniards themselves. The names of traditional Cava grapes: Xarel-lo, Parellada and Macabeo, may not roll off your tongue, but the wine will slide down your throat effortlessly.

Cavas offer some of the greatest lower priced alternatives to Champagne. For a truly Spanish experience, enjoy with salty almonds and Serrano ham.

6:26 p.m. Aperitif: Blanc de Blancs Champagne As evening approaches, it’s time to get sophisticated. Oysters with a Blanc de Blancs Champagne is a classic pairing and a marriage made in heaven. Blanc de Blancs is a type of Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay and is all about elegance and purity. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find a Champagne that justifies its price. When we discovered Grower Champagne though, our frustration came to an end.

Grower Champagne refers to producers who own the vineyards and make Champagne exclusively from their own grapes, a rarity in Champagne where large négociant houses

dominate. The opposite of massive brands, great Grower Champagne is hand-crafted in tiny quantities and expresses a very particular place rather that a generic “house style.”

These Champagnes represent a very small percentage of what is on the market but are worth seeking out when you want the real deal. Diebolt-Vallois and Larmandier-Bernier, both Blanc de Blancs, are available sporadically and are certainly two of our favourite Grower Champagnes.

8:00 p.m. Dinner: The Choices Are Endless ...

Prosecco Bubble is always welcome with dinner. The enormous diversity means that there is something for every budget, occasion and menu. When you feel like kicking back with a movie and eating fish and chips, Prosecco is a trusty friend.

It echoes the saltiness of the fries and cuts through the greasy fish. From the Veneto region of Italy, Prosecco is dry, light bodied with a creamy mousse and pleasant tang.

Sparkling Shiraz On a rainy night, slowly braised ribs will warm the soul and present the opportune moment to try a sparkling Shiraz.

What, a blockbuster sparkling red? Yes, just what you would expect from Australia. Characteristically bold and verging on pornographic, it is the antithesis of Champagne. The Black Chook Sparkling Shiraz personifies this. The traditionalists may call Sparkling Shiraz perverse, but vive la différence.

God bless the Aussies for not taking themselves too seriously.

Rosé Champagne When nothing else but Champagne will do, choose a rosé with the main course. It will stand up to richer dishes. A great example is the Delamotte Rosé, which drinks better with food than on its own. Its firm backbone and pronounced earthy flavours call for mushroom risotto. We loved it with fresh wild spring salmon. Newly minted Master of Wine Barb Philip of Barbariain Consulting enthuses: “Pink matches the colour and cuts through the fatness of salmon as well as matching the weight of the fish.”

9:27 p.m. Cheese: Franciacorta Thinking cheese; thinking red; think again. Bubble is much more compatible. Franciacorta in particular wins our vote with cheese. Italy’s answer to Champagne, it is made in more or less the same manner and uses Champagne’s two noble grape varieties, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, along with Pinot Blanc. Though fuller and riper than most Champagne, it still possesses a solid structure making it ideal with cheese, especially Taleggio and Parmigiano Reggiano. Beware, Franciacorta will not be much cheaper than Champagne. The Ca’ del Bosco sits around the $50 mark but is a great expression of Franciacorta.

10:39 p.m. Dessert: Brachetto d’Acqui If you started your day with Moscato, Brachetto d’Acqui offers the perfect bookend. This is Piedmont’s other sparkling wine. Much less known than Moscato, Brachetto is a sweet, frothy red that works a treat with light chocolate mousse topped with fresh raspberries or strawberries. Like Moscato, it is lighter in alcohol (under 6 percent). After a long day of drinking, you’ll happily be able to manage a glass.

11:44 p.m. Bedtime: Beer You’re tucked into bed with a good book and craving one last bubbly tipple. Hmmm ... You may have had your fill of sparkling wine by this point, but a cleansing beer would be very appropriate. Our pick for a bedtime beer is the Mort Subite Framboise. This Belgian beer made with the addition of raspberry juice will help you unwind and inspire sweet dreams.

If you follow this regime for more than one day, you are sure to get heartburn. Integrating a little bit of bubble into each day, though, will lift your spirits. It’s our prescription for a long and happy life.

Ta s t i n g

N ot e s

Civ & Civ, Lambrusco di Modena, Amabile, Italy, $10.50 #343087 The one and only Lambrusco in the market, Civ & Civ will lift your spirits at lunchtime.

Cheerful and off-dry but nicely balanced by acidity, enjoy with meaty sandwiches and fresh Bing cherries for dessert.

Chamdeville Blanc de Blancs Brut N/V, France, $11.99 #187740 Simple yet well made. At $12 a bottle, this is the ideal sparkler for large receptions or when money really is an object.

2006 Marenco, Pineto, Brachetto d’Acqui, Italy, $13.99 (375 mL) #487918 Explosively fruity flavours of raspberries, strawberries and currants. We can’t decide if this Brachetto is better for breakfast or dessert, so we’ll keep drinking it for both.

Lindauer Brut N/V, New Zealand, $16.99 #299883 Unpretentious and light-bodied, the Lindauer Brut is a great inexpensive sipper for a Friday afternoon on the patio.

Giving Life…Style • Exclusive wines Welcoming, expert staff Amazing selection Great prices Tons of glassware

Petalo Il Vino dell’ Amore, Moscato, Italy, $17.99 #580993 Il Vino dell’Amore; the name says it all. A sweet and lovely Moscato best enjoyed when your loved one is serving you breakfast in bed.

Col de Salici, Prosecco, Spumante Extra Dry, Italy, $18.06 #463166 Private wine stores Slightly saline in character with coarser bubbles than a Champagne. Whether you are gorging yourself on fish and chips or revelling in dim sum, the Col de Salici Prosecco will refresh your palate between bites.

Parés Balta, Cava Brut, N/V, Penedès, Spain, $19.99 #366872 Private wine stores A classic Cava exuding ample personality. Ripe mandarin, mocha and floral aromas and flavours with fine bubbles on the palate. Light on its feet and a delight to drink.

2004 Wolf Blass Gold Label Sparkling Pinot Chardonnay, Australia, $21.00 #218578 Private wine stores A lighter, more lithe style of bubble bursting with citrusy flavours of lemon and lime. Its refreshing acidity entices you to take another sip immediately.

Specialty Liquor Stores

Open 9 am to 11 pm 7 days per week.

VICTORIA University Heights Liquor Store 250-382-2814 4-3960 Shelbourne St

(in University Heights Mall)

KELOWNA

Tuscany Liquor Store 250-384-WINE (9463) 101-1660 McKenzie Ave (in Tuscany Village)

Waterfront Wines 250-979-1222 103-1180 Sunset Dr

(in the Cultural District)

Central Park Liquor Store 250-763-2600 300-1500 Banks Rd

(in Central Park Shopping Centre)

Graham Beck Brut N/V, South Africa, $24.99 #607747 If you are not willing to pay the high price Champagne commands, the Graham Beck offers a well-priced compromise. Chalky and vibrant with great balance and a long finish.

Skillogalee, Sparkling Riesling N/V, Australia, $27.90 #783597 Private wine stores Wow! Chockablock with character! Ripe pungent aromas of diesel and lemon curd. Distinctively Riesling with the added bonus of bubbles. Hello, tuna sashimi.

1997 Poderi Alasia, Alasia Brut, Italy, $28.99 #116947 Private wine stores If you like a fuller style of Champagne, the Poderi Alasia offers a less expensive alternative. Rounder and mellow, it will stand up to richer creamy dishes like chicken fricassee. It’s a rare treat to try a sparkler with a bit of age on it, especially at this price.

Roederer Estate Brut N/V, California, $35.95 #414581 Private wine stores One of California’s best Champagne look-alikes. This graceful sparkling wine expresses ripe pear and lemon with a long nutty finish.

Nicolas Feuillate, Réserve Particulière, Brut, Champagne, France, $55.51 #80283 If Champagne is stretching your budget, but you just can’t resist, the Feuillate Réserve Particulière is a good option. Sitting at the lower end of the Champagne price spectrum, it is an obvious step up in quality from other sparkling wines.

Gosset, Grande Réserve, Brut N/V, Champagne, France, $69.99 #213983 A fuller, richer style of Champagne. Lightly toasty with an exquisite creamy texture. It would be delectable with sablefish, but it’s just as easy to drink on its own.

Villa Rinaldi Rosé Rosa Brut N/V, Italy, $70.00 #673020 Private wine stores Our favourite “when-money-is-no-object” discovery from the Vancouver Playhouse Wine Festival. The Pinot Noir character is evident and there is even a slightly tannic edge.

More wine than sparkle. Bring on the salmon.

Delamotte Rosé Brut N/V, Champagne, France, $86.99 #371856 Chalky with prominent earthy and mushroom flavours. A complex and serious Champagne that needs food.

niche modern dining

250 388 4255

Louis Roederer Brut Premier N/V, Champagne, France, $64.95 #268771 Definitely one of our top picks among the big Champagne houses. Complex, elegant and classy. When you can’t find a Blanc de Blancs, Roederer’s Brut Premier is more than acceptable with oysters.

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Chefs Talk Where were you cooking 10 years ago?

— Compiled by Ceara Lornie VANCOUVER Josh Wolfe- COAST Restaurant 604.685.5010 Ten years ago I was cooking at Centro Grill and Wine Bar in Toronto. It was my first year as an apprentice under Marc Thuet and David Lee. Those days we were smoking our own salmon and curing our own duck prosciutto. One dish I’ll never forget was a carpaccio of foie gras and veal that was created for chef Anton Mossiman at a dinner in his honour. Those were the days!

William Tse- Goldfish Pacific Kitchen 604.689.8318 Ten years I was working at the Delta Pacific Resort and Conference Centre under the watchful eye of Wolfgang Leske. I was running large banquets of up to 650 people as well as working the restaurant line. I was cooking foods from Europe, China, Japan, India and many other parts of the world as well. My exposure to these different cuisines helped mould me into the chef I am today.

Ryan Gauthier- Italian Kitchen 604.687.2858 I was at Joe Fortes Seafood and Chop House ten years ago. I was in the first year of my apprenticeship and trying to keep my head above water like a bobble. Each day being like a Friday and as busy as the last. I was learning the ropes on the hot appetizer section. Playing with ingredients like cedar planked salmon, oysters by the millions and bacon wrapped scallops. Oh, how things have changed.

John Crook- Glowbal Grill and Satay Bar...604602.0835 Do I remember ten years ago like it was yesterday? I sure do. A cooking apprenticeship under my apron tie and a notion to relocate to New York City, I took the plunge. This meant waking daily at 5 a.m. to help a local bread baker finish his morning shift which gave me 15 minutes to run ten blocks and prepare for pastry cooking school. It was school until 4 p.m., then a sprint to be on time for my evening volunteering shift at the prestigious Payard Patisserie. After months of running his evening production kitchen, I moved on to a similar routine at Restaurant Daniel working under Pastry Chef Thomas Hass. I would work 18 hours a day for a year of my life. Sunday was “sleep and study” day. Do I remember what I was cooking? What wasn’t I cooking?”

Robert Belcham- Fuel Restaurant 604.288.7905 I think I was a chef de partie at The Aerie resort on Vancouver Island. It is a bit of a blur. I remember Jonothan Chovancek and I having to write a completely new seven-course tasting menu every day. I also remember John Grove constantly burning himself in pastry and Jason Hoskins going WWWHHHOOOOOOO. I am starting to get misty.

Mark McEwan- Sanafir...604.678.1049 In 1998 I was in Calgary, working as a second-year apprentice at the Village Park Inn. Learning the ways of the kitchen and gaining my share of cuts and burns, I was ready to take charge of the garde-manger station for the hotel’s restaurant and banquets. Daily tasks included preparation of numerous sandwiches, soups and salads. Perfecting my crème caramel recipe was a memorable highlight. I soon became a peeling pro skinning cases upon cases of honeydew melons and pineapples for the Sunday brunch fruit and cheese platters. A decade ago, my fruit-peeling prowess was unsurpassed!

Richard Tyhi- Zin Restaurant 604.408.1700 Ten years ago? Let’s see if my memory works that far back. 1998 I was working as sous-chef for Jean Francis Quaglia at Provence Mediterranean Grill. We had just opened to an amazing response in December of 1997. The food, as it is to this day at both locations, was fresh Provençal inspired cuisine—traditional, homey and comforting—Jean Francis’s take on the food he grew up with.

Jeremie Bastien- Boneta 604.684.1844 Ten years ago I was 15 and working at my father's restaurant Le Mitoyen in Laval. Back then I was peeling and chopping vegetables, bussing tables, washing dishes—you name it. I did cook for myself though and at that time was probably perfecting my recipe for poulet à la diable—a chicken dish with cayenne and plenty of other spice. My job description is very different now but I haven't lost my potato peeling skills!"

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David Hawksworth- Hawksworth at The Hotel Georgia (opening late 2009) Ten years ago I was 28 and cooking in Europe, I was head chef at London’s L’Escargot (one Michelin star). I was cooking roast squab with girolles and salad of black truffles. Before that I spent four years at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons (two Michelin star) and I will never forget the 'Assiette Terre et Mer'. This dish comprised seven different fish/shellfish with seven different vegetable garnishes and seven different sauces—it was a complete nightmare for the kitchen. If you hadn’t arrived early and weren’t completely and utterly organized you were going the way of the Titanic!

Travis Williams- The Cascade Room 604.709.8650 A blast from the past, here goes. I began 1998 working as the chef of a restaurant that I would like to remain nameless, as it was not one of the high points of my career. Upon leaving this restaurant on good terms, I was a free agent. At this point in my life I wanted to continue to hone existing skill sets and learn new ones, particularly at high volume restaurants. Nearing the end of the summer of 1998, I joined the kitchen team at Cin Cin. At the time we were cooking Mediterranean and Italian classics. I sure got what I was looking for, high end food at high volume. I still have a great deal of fondness every time I cross the threshold at Cin Cin.

VICTORIA Greg Ward- Pescatores 250.385.4512 I was fresh out of culinary school and working in Banff Alberta at the Buffalo Mountain Lodge. I was usually getting yelled at by a German chef that wanted everything faster and better. We worked with local game meats such as buffalo, venison, caribou and eventually elk. Rich demis, berries, trendy baby vegetables and hand cut spätzle also made it to the plate. I think there might have been some sort of strudel too.

Allan Yanes- Smoken Bones Cookshack 250.391.6328 Ten years ago I was a 12-year-old living in Guatemala playing soccer, going to school and learning about my mom’s love of food. I would be right beside my mom every time she cooked. As I watched her cook, she showed me how everything was done but would never tell me the recipes whether it was jocon, hilachas or chiles rellenos, my favorite foods from Guatemala. But now that I'm older and still learning all I can about food, my mom more than happily tells me all the family recipes so they're never forgotten and one day I will add my own touch.

Richard Benson- Vic’s Steak House and Bar 250.385.2405 Wow ten years ago, I was back in Edmonton working at Characters Fine Dining, as part of the opening team. We were using nothing but the finest ingredients our chef could source out. We were cooking all across the board, from French to Asian infusion and then back to Canada—really a wide spectrum of flavours, techniques and styles. It was a great time in my career. I gained a lot of knowledge and absorbed everything I could from my peers.

Bruce Batty- Bon Rouge 250.220.8008 Ten years ago, I had the pleasure of working for Shelly Gudgeon at 5th St. Bar and Grill. I was a young line cook with the drive and ambition to rise within the kitchen ranks and become a chef. Fond memories from 5th St. include their notorious woodfired grill and rotisserie which to this day I still miss. There is nothing like preparing food on equipment which is in your control. First on my prep list every day was to start a fire—how fun is that! If the fire goes out, the house sinks. That being said, there was a fairly black evening when my proud fire was so hot that nuclear winter was created in the kitchen! Early night for me!

Candace Hartley- Dunsmuir Lodge 250.656.3166 Ten Years ago I was just finishing up at the Empress Hotel as chef in charge of the Empress Room (a great job that I liked very much). I have spent the last ten years (has it really been that long?) at Dunsmuir Lodge. This job is very satisfying as I have a great crew in the kitchen and I have the control to buy local and make the menus to reflect that. Working with the Island Chef’s Collaborative has been great as we are now getting the word out about supporting our farmers and trying to make a difference. A big thanks to EAT magazine for the information and support these past ten years and here is to another ten!

Jeff Keenliside- The Marina Restaurant 250.598.8555 Ten years ago I had just finished up my apprenticeship at Café Brio and I was working the saucier station at that time. From the June 5th menu of 1998 we were cooking flank steaks with oyster mushroom and potato hash and arugula salad, roast duck breast with grilled asparagus and rhubarb port sauce, and grilled sockeye with smoked cod brandade cake, rapini and crème fraiche and tomato oil and of course who can forget creamed morels on grilled bread. I have a lot of fond memories from this time in my career. We had a lot of fun and worked with some great products.

Chris Ruge- Brentwood Bay Lodge and Spa 250.544.2079 I was working in Muskoka, Ontario at the Lake Joseph Club making a whopping $8.75 an hour and working all stations in the joint. Too many doubles, too much beer and too few women.

Shawn Morrison- Verjus Restaurant 250.595.1112 Ten years ago I had just finished my apprenticeship and although I had been cooking since the late 80s this period of my life was a quantum shift in my perception of food and what food could be. This is when I first started to realize that not every plate had to be a 3" wide 9" tall architectural marvel held aloft with pure testosterone fueled angst. Discovering slow food was a real epiphany for me. I realized food could be beautiful and elegant in and of itself and that three perfectly prepared components could be way more satisfying to the palate as well as the eye.

Less is more!

Ben Peterson- Heron Rock Bistro 250.383.1545 Spring 1998? I was a fresh-faced teenager just back from an epic European walkabout and was a dough-kneading cheese grater at Boston Pizza. My first appointment as a 'cook'!

THE ISLAND Trent McIntyre- Atlas Cafe 250.338.9838 Ten years ago we were still in our infancy stage at Atlas. My wife and I lived above the cafe working fifteen-hour days, doing breakfast, lunch and dinner service six days a week. I was desperately trying to evolve the menu from day time lunch that doubled as an evening menu to a more sophisticated dinner menu. We originally were predominately vegetarian and had very little protein on the menu. I was experimenting with all sorts of meats and fish and had such excitement for the discovery of new food and cooking techniques. Looking back it brings fond memories, but time always has a way of covering the reality of blood sweat and tears.

Lisa Metz- Tita’s Mexican Restaurant 250.334.8033 I was farming on remote Maurelle Island and cooking the freshest, juiciest food in existence! Cooking became one continuous recipe from planting all the most exciting vegetables to serving up the pasta primavera. This time of year the kale would be putting out some sweet spring growth and my milksheep would have lambed and started milking. Oh! Now I am missing the spring kale calzones with fresh sheep's cheese and lamb chorizo sausage.

John Waller- The Pointe Restaurant at the Wickaninnish Inn 250.725.3100 Ten years ago I was cooking at Canoe as a saucier with Anthony Walsh who helped me appreciate the wonderful bounty of Canadian cuisine.

OKANAGAN Patrick Leduc- sous-chef at the Toasted Oak Wine Bar and Grill 250.498.4867 I was in high school, cooking in a chefs training program at Dover Bay Secondary School. The instructor at the time was Chef McNeil. He was the first chef that I had worked for. We did some fine dining for the teachers for their lunch and this is when I started my cooking career, as a high school student with passion and determination to become a chef. From then on, I have worked towards owning my own restaurant. Over the last ten years I have had great opportunities to cook with cutting edge chefs as well as classical chefs, playing with all types of food like abalone in Bamfield with chef Mark Myres. We had the chance to cook with locally farmed abalone from the only place that abalone was farmed in BC. Now I am in the Okanagan playing with local products as well as beautiful wines, it is amazing. The trip over the last 10 years has been educational and exciting.