February 13 - 19, 2014 HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
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Burn ban lifted for Whatcom County, page 2
Bite of Blaine auction set for Monday evening Get your taste buds ready to sample culinary offerings from across Blaine and Birch Bay as the annual Bite of Blaine gears up for its 14th annual event on Monday, February 17. This year’s Bite, hosted by the Blaine Chamber of Commerce, will be held in the grand ballroom at Semiahmoo Resort Golf & Spa. The event will feature samples from 15 Blaine and Birch Bay restaurants, such as seafood mitkof from Via Birch Bay Cafe and Bistro and apple harvest chicken from The Will’O Pub & Cafe. Festivities begin at 6 p.m. with a no-host bar and silent auction, followed by a chance for participants to sample dishes from the local restaurants. A live auction will follow at 7:30 p.m. and will feature items donated from the community, including gift certificates to local restaurants, a round of golf from Semiahmoo Resort and photography gift packages, Blaine Chamber of Commerce treasurer Kim Shea said. The Bite will wrap up by 8:30 p.m. The event is a fundraiser for Blaine’s annual Fourth of July fireworks display, which is one of the largest displays in Whatcom County and typically lasts around 20 minutes, Blaine Chamber of Commerce secretary Carroll Solomon said. “All of the profits will be going toward this year’s Fourth of July celebration,” Solomon said. “The fireworks usually cost the city around $16,000 and this fundraiser is a big help.” Typically, the Bite of Blaine has been a sell-out event, bringing in close to 200 attendees each year and raising $4,000– $9,000 for the annual fireworks fund, Shea said. Both Shea and Solomon expect this year’s event to sell out yet again. In addition to fundraising, the Bite coincides with the Blaine chamber’s annual meeting, and this year’s new board directors and member of the year will be introduced at the event. Tickets can be purchased for $25 dollars at the Blaine Visitor Center or Pacific Building Center. Tickets will not be sold at the door. For more information about the Bite of Blaine, visit blainechamber.com or call 360/332-6484.
Runners ahead, plan accordingly, page 5
Blaine students head to All-State Choir, page 13
All you need is love ... and truffles
s Christy Fox, co-owner of Evolve Truffles, dips her truffles into chocolate to finish them off before they are decorated. Fox specializes in creating unique flavor combinations designed to give you a sensory experience you’re sure to remember.
Photo by Brandy Kiger Shreve
Blaine chocolatiers create memorable confections By Brandy Kiger Shreve When local food artisans Shannon and Christy Fox of Evolve Truffles get together in the kitchen, magical things happen. Blueberries fuse with pink peppercorns, rosehips and dark chocolate, coalescing into a melt-in-your-mouth flavor experience that you aren’t likely to forget anytime soon – and that’s the point. “When you eat a truffle, you want to remember it,” Christy said. “It’s small so it has to have an impact. We look for flavors that accentuate each other, that bring out the best in each other, and give the truffle a whole-roundedness. We do things with flavors that are unique, and that engage all of your taste buds.”
It’s those progressive flavor profiles that the Blaine wife-and-wife team hang their truffle-making hats on, coming up with seemingly outrageous combinations that push the envelope but provide tasters with what Christy calls “a flavor experience that’s a journey through your mouth.” From “Risque,” a bold mix of chipotle, tequila and orange, to “Chia Chia Bang Bang,” a decadent concoction of Chia Girl’s strawberry chia, sparkling wine and chocolate (a Valentine’s Day special), Christy and Shannon are pairing ingredients in ways that will make you look twice at a truffle and second-guess what you think something should taste like. “I don’t like for food to taste similar to
City urges residents to think before they flush By Brandy Kiger Shreve If you’re flushing baby wipes, Clorox wipes or anything other than toilet paper down the drain, you should reconsider what you’re doing. The small squares of fabric (along with a variety of other non-flushable items such as vinyl gloves and rags) have been tying knots in the city of Blaine’s sewer system over the past few months and city officials are trying to determine exactly where the
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
system-plugging items are coming from. “It’s a problem,” said public works director Ravyn Whitewolf. “People aren’t aware that just because it can be flushed down the toilet, it doesn’t mean it necessarily should be flushed.” She said it’s important to note that even if an item fits down the drain or is labeled biodegradable on the package, it doesn’t automatically guarantee it will pass through the intricately designed piping system and pumping stations that lead to the water reclamation facility.
“[People flush them] all the time, but they don’t realize that these kind of items can cause a [pump station] motor to seize,” Whitewolf said, noting that the Birch Bay Water and Sewer District sees similar offenders clogging their system on a regular basis. “And while we have an equalization plan at Lighthouse Point to allow for shutdown if [a motor seizes] there, these items can cause a pump station to stop working,” and, in a worst case (See Sewer, page 15)
everything else,” Christy said. “I want my truffles to be a sensory experience, and we like to educate people on how these flavors work together. It’s a lot of fun.” Sourcing local ingredients for all of their creations, Shannon said that she and Christy are focused on creating value-added products that encourage partnership with the community, and reflect their love of the Pacific Northwest and its wide-ranging bounty. “Whatcom is a chef’s best muse,” Christy said. “There are so many wonderful things to work with here, and Terra Organica, our first commercial account, challenged us when we were starting out (See Truffles, page 15)
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