EAT Magazine 14-02 March|April 2010

Editor in Chief G ary Hynes

Contributing Editor Carolyn Bateman, Vancouver Contributing Editor Julie Pegg Editorial Assistant/Web Editor Rebecca Baugniet

Community Repor ters

Victoria: Rebecca Baugniet, Nanaimo: Su Grimmer, Comox Valley: Hans Peter Meyer, Tofino | Uclulet: Jen Dar t, Vancouver: Julie Pegg, Okanagan: Jennifer Schell

Contributors Larry Arnold, Joseph Blake, Michelle Bouffard, Jennifer Danter, Jen Dar t, Pam Durkin, Gillie Easdon, Jeremy Ferguson, Nathan Fong, Holland Gidney, Laurie Guy, Mara Jernigan, Tracey Kusiewicz, Kathryn Kusyszyn, Ceara Lornie, Sherri Mar tin, Rhona McAdam, Kathryn McAree, Denise Marchessault, Michaela Morris, Tim Morris, Colin Newell, Julie Pegg, Genevieve Laplante, Karen Platt, Treve Ring, Solomon Siegel, Elizabeth Smyth, Adem Tepedelen, Michael Tourigny, Sylvia Weinstock, Rebecca Wellman, Katie Zdybel Publisher Pacific Island Gourmet | EAT ® is a registered trademark. Adver tising: 250 384 9042, adver tise@eatmagazine.ca All depar tments Box 5225, Victoria, BC, V8R 6N4, tel 250 384 9042, fax 250 384 6915

eat magazine March | April 2010

from the editor

Star ting on page 8 you will find the results and the winners for the 1st Annual Exceptional Eats! Awards sur vey A big thanks to all the readers who voted and a big thanks to all the tweeters, bloggers and businesses that helped get the word out. I’d also like to thank the sponsors who donated fantastic prizes. I’m sure the winners of the draw will enjoy theirs.

As we compiled the votes ( a big job) I was struck by how democratic this approach was compared to the typical newspaper or magazine awards Usually, a small group of critics come up with a few nominations which readers then vote on With our approach, readers were free to vote for whomever they wanted Were the results different than if we had had a nominating committee? We’ll never know But one thing is for cer tain, the EAT winners are not only a reflection a snapshot perhaps of our eating and drinking culture on Vancouver Island; but all the award winners and honourable mention winners deser ve our recognition, praise for a job well done and our continuing suppor t of their businesses.

Bon appétit

G ary Hynes, Editor

500+ Chefs to gather in the Cowichan Valley

2010 Canadian Chefs Congress “Oceans for Tomorrow”

Lots of wheels have been churning around meeting tables and kitchen tables in the past few months Local chefs have taken on the huge task of inviting 500 of Canada’s top culinary professionals to the Canadian Chefs Congress to be held September 11 12 at Providence Farm in the fer tile Cowichan Valley

The Farm has a rich and colored history as a convent, residential school and ultimately to it’s current state as working therapeutic and community farm. The conference theme is the Sustainability of our Oceans. Providence Farm is perched on the Cowichan River Estuary and minutes from the shores of the Salish Sea. The beautiful farm will be site to a gathering of chefs described by creator Michael Standtlander as a “woodstock for chefs”. Like the original gathering, this has the potential to be a momentum shifting event for our Canadian Culinary Scene

As the chef ’s talk and communicate about their role in the health of oceans, they will be learning and bonding with like minded chefs and creating a stronger chef community as a result David Suzuki is slated as the keynote speaker and will undoubtedly add a rational and reasoned note to the event

This is a chef only event but we will be looking for products to purchase from the local food community to feed our visitors and showcase the amazing ingredients of our region. We will also need a number of volunteers, paricularly those that have a stake in the local food communities. It will be an amazing oppor tunity to learn, interact and celebrate in our local products and with Canadian food heroes

We’ll keep you posted as we get organized with contact info for suppliers and volunteer oppor tunities Drop us a comment if you are interested and we’ll see what we can do

For the general public, we’ll bring a little of this culinary fire power together for a fund raising event on May 16th Coupled with the Spot Prawn Festival (May 15th), a 6 course wine and food pairing event will showcase the food of top chefs like Rober t Clark of Vancouver’s C restaurant. Great food, sustainable seafood, local wine all in the name of building a new wood burning oven for Providence Farm. This will be a great compliment to their educational and food production activities. Tickets are $125/person with all proceeds going into the farm project.

We need your help to make this oven fundraiser a roaring success

By Bill Jones

*To volunteer for the James Barber Benefit for Providence Farm contact Bill Jones at bill@magnor th bc ca For tickets call Providence Farm Info: 250 746 4204

**To purchase tickets to the 2010 Canadian Chefs Congress at Providence Farm go on line to www canadianchefscongress com/british columbia/register/ Cost is $200 until June 30, then I believe they go up to $250

harbour house

Over the past thirty years Harbour House has confirmed its reputation as one of Vancouver Island’s exceptional restaurants. Come warm yourself by our fireplace and enjoy the many delicacies Harbour House Restaurant has to offer, just steps away from Victoria’s picturesque inner harbour.

y intelligence for the 2 months ahead

THE CONCIERGE DESK

For more events visit THE BULLETIN BOARD at www eatmagazine ca

DINE AROUND & STAY IN TOWN VICTORIA

K AMLOOPS CONSUMER WINE TA STING

On March 4th, 2010, sample over 100 wines, watch cooking with wine demonstrations, lis ten to live music. Kamloops Convention Cen tre, 1250 Rogers Way, Kamloops. Tickets available at the Kamloops Ar t G allery or O RA Restaurant Lounge. Call 250 377 2400 for more information.

CELIAC WEEKEND AT THE EMPRESS

Saturday March 13, and Sunday March 14 2010, The Empress will be hosting a special Celiac weekend including dinner in The Empress Room and Afternoon Tea

ADVANCED TECHNIQUE SERIES AT FAIRBURN FARM

Fairburn Farm’s popular hands on advanced series is once again being offered for four Sun days in March: March 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th. Attractively packaged and priced for Vancou ver Island residents, this is a great way to spend your Sunday afternoons this spring. A perfect way for your friends or family to re deem Fairburn Farm gift cer tificates, these classes are suitable for cooks of varying lev els You'll finish this series with a wealth of new recipes and techniques! For registration information, visit www.fairburnfarm.bc.ca

DEERHOLME FARM DINNER EVENTS

March 2o Island Spring Seafood, April 17 Morel Mushrooms $90/person (plus GST ) Classes: March 27 Dungeness Crab (hands on) April 24 Wild foods and morel mushrooms (forage walk and demo class) $100 see www.magnor th.bc.ca for more details.

SPRING CL A SSES AT TRIACULINARY STUDIO

March 21 at 1 p m Triaculinary Studio, located in the Comox Valley, star ts its series of spring classes with a day of cooking light and lean with Chef Kathy In this class, you’ll learn the techniques needed to create flavourful meals without all the fat. From vinaigrettes to prop erly cooked vegetables, you’ll leave with the know how to create a variety of healthy meals. $70 + GST. For complete class listings, www triaculinarystudio blogspot com

DINING

OUT FOR LIFE

Sumac Ridge Winery presents Dining Out For Life on Thursday, March 25th 2010 Eat out and make a difference at one of over 250 par ticipating restaurants, from Whistler to White Rock, across the Fraser Valley and throughout Vancouver Island On the mainland, 25% of your food bill will be donated to Friends For Life and A Loving Spoonful, while on the is land, the same percentage will be donated to AI DS Vancouver Island, to suppor t people liv ing with H IV/AI DS For more information, and to see the list of participating restaurants, visit www.diningoutforlife.ca

AN EVENING OF AUSTRALIAN WINE TA STING

On March 26th You will be introduced to new wine styles like sparkling and rosé, explore un usual grape varieties such as Verdelho, Marsanne and Touriga Nacional and visit lesser known regions including Heathcote, Margaret River and the Yarra Valley. This is a rare oppor tunity to get to know Australia more intimately and learn about her impressive

Februar y 18th to March 7th, 2010. Par tici pating restaurants offer three course menus for $20, $30 or $40 CDN per person and are all paired with B C VQA wine suggestions Dine Around & Stay in Town Victoria is offer ing accommodations to compliment this ex perience, these options will allow food lovers to pamper themselves with an overnight stay Accommodations are priced at $69, $79, $99 and $129 www tourismvictoria com/din earound

DINE

OUT VANCOUVER 2010

Dine Out Vancouver 2010 is the annual event that allows thousands of local food enthusi asts and tourists to dine at some of Vancou ver's top restaurants at equally attractive prices Last year’s edition involved each par ticipating restaurant featuring a special three course menu at a fixed price of $18, $28, or $38 April 26 to May 6, 2010 To view the list of par ticipating restaurants, visit www.tourismvancouver.com

commitment to sustainability. Buschlen Mowatt G allery Main Floor 1445 West Geor gia St 7:00 10:00pm Cost $39

QUAILS’ GATE WINE RECEPTION

Friday, March 26th, The Fairmont Empress presents a Quails' G ate Wine Reception a wine tasting and pairing event

FOR THE LOVE OF AFRIC A SOCIET Y ANNUAL FUNDRAISER

The For the Love of Africa Society is hosting its annual fundraiser Saturday March 27th The event will be an African Dinner including en ter tainment with Jordan Hanson Hand Drum Rhythms and will be held at the Mary Win spear Center 2243 Beacon Ave. Sidney, BC. All proceeds suppor t the work of www for theloveofafrica org

CHOCOL ATE FEST AT BE AR MOUNTAIN RESORT

This year’s chocolate fest will be held Satur day, March 27th at Bear Mountain Resor t, and is presented by Big Brothers Big Sisters Victo ria For more information, visit www.chocolatefest.ca

QUADY DESSERT COMPETITION

The 22nd annual Quady Desser t Competition will be held Saturday, March 27 and Sunday, March 2 8, 2010 at Major the Gourmet’s kitchen in Vancouver Pastry chefs, cooks and students will compete for prizes including a trip to California for two. The competition, now in its 22nd year, is held in conjunction with the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Fes tival’s ‘Celebrating E xcellence’. The competi tion is unique in Canada and celebrates pastry kitchens across British Columbia inviting com petitors from the Okanagan Valley, Vancouver Island and Vancouver

April

2ND INTERNATIONAL C ANADIAN ALBACORE TUNA CONVENTION & TRADE SHOW

The Canadian Highly Migratory Species Foundation in conjunction with the B C Tuna Fishermen's Association is hosting the second Canadian Albacore Tuna Convention and Trade

Culinar

by Rebecca Baugniet

Show to celebrate the 8th Anniversary of CH MSF and the 10th Anniversary of B CTFA. This two day event will take place April 19-21, 2010 at the Bear Mountain Resor t, Langford, BC. www.canadianalbacoretuna.com

BC FOODSERVICE EXPO IN VANCOUVER

Sunday, April 25, 2010 to Monday, April 26th, 2010 (Monday), the Vancouver Convention Centre is host to Western Canada’s largest hospitality trade show For more information, visit www crfa ca/tradeshows/bcfse/

QUALICUM BEACH ROTARY CLUB WINE FEST

April 10th, 2010 from 7 pm 9pm, experience this very popular annual Rotary event Tickets available from any Rotarian or at Mulberry Bush Book Store. Qualicum Beach Civic Cen tre, 747 Jones Street, Qualicum Call 250 752 4258 for more details

VANCOUVER PL AYHOUSE INTERNAT IONAL

WINE FESTIVAL

The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival runs from April 19th 25th 2010, and attracts some of the biggest industry names from around the world It is firmly established as the continent's premier wine event and among the biggest, best and oldest wine events in the world It features wine tastings and pairings, gourmet dinners and luncheons, educational seminars and culinary competi tions This is a rare oppor tunity to meet own ers, winemakers and senior representatives from wineries around the globe. For either the experienced wine lover or the novice, the fes tival has something to please every palate and pocketbook. For event details, visit www playhousewinefest com

Annual Ottavio BIG CHEESE CUT

Come see the kitchen boys & girls of Ottavio cut the largest wheels of cheese made in the world today including Pecorino Romano, Cave Aged Organic Gruyere, the Italian beauty Parmigiano Reggiano & the behemoth Swiss Mountain Emmenthal, weighing in at over 200lb. Tastings & specials, fun for the whole family! Saturday April 25th 11:00.

OK ANAGAN SPRING WINE FESTIVAL

The Okanagan Spring Wine Festival has been described as "one of Canada's best small fes tivals" and it is no wonder that its success con

CULINAIRE

Victoria's Premier Food Tasting Experience

On Thursday April 22, 2010, The Crystal G arden will be home to Culinaire, Victoria’s Premier Food Tasting Experience, where over 40 of our region’s best restaurants and pur veyors of fine food will showcase their signature items and inspired creations.

“Culinaire is a food focused event that will give our regional restaurants and fine food purveyors the oppor tunity to showcase their culinary vision to a captive audience of Food ies and lovers of great cuisine”, said Scott Gurney, creator of Culinaire. “Victoria's food scene is large and sometimes daunting With so many great choices and unique places available, it can be very hard to choose from. This event will give the guest the chance to try an assor tment of new foods and exclusive dishes in a relaxed environment.” added Gurney

The $20 admission includes 10 food tastings from presenters. Additional tastings are available at a cost of only $1 per item The event also suppor ts students in the industry as par tial proceeds from the event will be providing scholarship oppor tunities to the Camosun College Culinary Ar ts Pro gram.

Advance tickets: www.selectyourtickets.com or charge by phone at 250 220 7777 Tickets are also available through the event website For full event details and a list of presenters visit www.culinairevictoria.com

tinues to grow From April 30th to May 9th, 2010, experience a wide range of culinary treats from light lunches to gourmet dinners ser ved at many fabulous locations, what bet ter way to visit Okanagan Wine Country during the first weekend in May Held at various loca tions throughout Okanagan Wine Country Visit www.thewinefestivals.com/springfestival

PERFECT PAIRING AT JACKSON TRIGGS

From April 29th to May 3rd, 2010 from 10AM 6PM, celebrate the star t of a new season and experience the 'perfect pairing'. Discover Jack son Triggs Okanagan Estates beautiful Tasting G allery where you can savour the award win ning collection of Grand Reser ve and SunRock Vineyard wines all selectively paired with the finest Swiss chocolate from Lindt Jackson Triggs Okanagan Estate Tasting G allery, 38691 HWY 97, Nor th Oliver Call 1 866 455 0559 for more information

Jame s Barber Benefit for Providence Farm May 16. Tickets: $125/person, proceeds to the Providence Farm Woodburning Oven Project Sixcourses: local food and wine. Top BC Chefs from the Canadian Chefs Congress: Rob Clark, C Restaurant; Bill Jones, Deerholme Farm; Brock Windsor, Stone Soup Inn; Cory Pelan, La Piola; Jonathan Pulker, Pizzeria Primastrada; David Lang, Harbour House Hotel Live music, 1:00 pm 5:00 pm For tickets call Providence Farm Info: 250 746 4204

If you have a food or wine event you would like to see listed in the next issue of E AT, please email editor@eatmagazine.ca and put Concierge Desk in the subject line.

Doing your own thing. That’s the Clancy’s way.

Clancy of the Overfl ow is the legendary Aussie literary character, a free-spirited, wandering drover who led a life of adventure. Peter Lehmann has a lot of Clancy in him. He’s always done things his own way. His Clancy’s range is a nod to doing your own thing. Overflowing with flavour, these easy drinking wines are created especially for those with a bit of Clancy in them.

The PEOPLE, STORIES & WINES THAT MAKE the BAROSSA FAMOUS www.peterlehmannwines.com

From left to right: Amelia Dubois, Marc Morrison, Sahara Tamarin, Grant G ard (glasses), Joshua Chilton, Jason Holmes, Greg Ward, Sean Brennan (standing), Bryan Allan (crouching), Steve Leroux

Last issue we posed the question: What kind of eater are you? We knew EAT readers can be vocal about what they like They eat loyally at their favourite restaurants; shop for quality ingredients at farm markets, specialty delis and bakeries; and suppor t a sustainable, seasonal and local approach to eating.

Some prefer taste above all else, others suppor t ethical buying and concern for the environment over genetically produced foods; while still others follow the 100 mile diet and forgo bland foods flown in at high cost.

To Vancouver Island, a big thank you for your tremendous response to the 1st Annual Exceptional Eats! Awards reader’s survey. You went online in droves and barely flinched at the wopping 38 questions we posed. You’ve proven beyond a doubt you are one of the most passionate and savvy food & wine regions in BC, Canada hey even Nor th America. Go ahead and boast. You live in a vibrant, giving and bountiful food community From our top chefs to the

Who has the Be st Food?

Brasserie L’Ecole (GOLD)

Cafe Brio (SILVER)

Zambris (BRONZE)

While these three medal winning restaurants often trade place for top spot, the pre dinner line ups at Brasserie prove they’ve struck the right chord with local eaters

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Camilles Restaurant

Stage Wine Bar

Il Terrazzo

Sooke Harbour House Bistro 28

Go online for more winners

Be st Farm-to-Table Cooking (use of local ingredients)

Camilles Restauarant (GOLD)

Sooke Harbour House (SILVER) Cafe Brio (BRONZE)

We get somewhat different top spots when we skew the question to restaurants featuring local products and ingredients

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Brasserie L’Ecole

Zambris

Locals

La Piola Spinnakers

Go online for more winners

Most Inspiring Local Chef

Peter Zambri (Zambris) (GOLD)

Sean Brennan (Brasserie L’Ecole (SILVER)

David Mincey (Camilles) (BRONZE)

Top chefs not only ensure that the food coming off the stove is first rate but they inspire younger chefs to strive for the best.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Jeff Keenliside (Lucy’s in the Square)

George Szaz (Stage)

Edward Tuson (The Edge)

Cory Pelan (La Piola)

Alison Bigg and Jena Stewar t (Devour)

Go online for more winners

Favourite Place to Breakfast

TIE: Mo:Le / Blue Fox Cafe (GOLD)

Shine Cafe (SILVER)

farms and farmstands up and down the Island to your overwhelming suppor t for local small shops, restaurants and businesses, Islanders are a unique bunch and deser ve your own food and drink awards.

Without fur ther adieu, here are the results and winners. We have listed the top winners on these pages but there are many more who deser ve recognition that we couldn’t fit in due to space constraints. Pease go online for a complete list of honourable mention winners, regional winners and fur ther sur vey results. Go to www.eatmagazine.ca and follow the links.

The lucky winners of the prize draw are:

The Luxury Empress Weekend Car yn Clark (Sponsored by Fairmont Hotels & EAT) Mocc a Master Thermal Brewer Lon Temereski (Sponsored by CoffeeCrew.com) Deerholme Dinner for Two Joanne Spence (Sponsored by Deerholme Farm)

Essential Island Experience

Sooke Harbour House (GOLD) Red Fish Blue Fish (SILVER)

The Pointe at Wickaninnish (BRONZE)

Can anyone really say what the quintessential Island experience would be? Could it be lazily sitting outdoors munching on fresh seafood and taking in the rays? Or sitting in a comfy dining room on the coast watching the winter surf crash outside?

Here readers have their say on where they found their best Island food experience

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Deep Cove Chalet

Hastings House Oak Bay Marina Zanatta Winery Vinoteca Point No Point SoBo Aura Waterfront The Empress Room

Be st $10 or under Menu Bite

5 Tacos for $5, Hernandez Cocina (GOLD)

Pulled Pork Sandwich $5, Pig BBQ Joint (SILVER)

Vietnamese Ginger Caramel Chicken, Foo (BRONZE)

Readers got this dead right. I see many of my go to favourites Do you see yours?

I’ll be dining out on the answers to this question for months to come With so many reader tips to follow up on look for more ten buck dishes within the pages of EAT in coming issues

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Fish Tacones $5, Red Fish Blue Fish

$5 and $10 menus, Fifth St

Frites with parmesan, garlic, parsley, truffle oil $8 Brasserie L'ecole Haloumi with local tomatoes & herb vinaigrette $10, Stage Grilled Meatball Pannino $5, Italian Food Impor ts Cambodian Jungle Curry $10 Noodle Box

Go online for more winners

Who Has the Be st Chocolate?

Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut (GOLD) Rogers' Chocolates (SILVER) Chocolat (BRONZE)

Be st Sustainable Seafood Source

Finest at Sea (GOLD)

Thrifty Foods (SILVER)

Victoria Fisherman’s Wharf (BRONZE)

Ocean Wise Top of Mind

Red Fish Blue Fish Canoe e Marina Lure Blue Crab Spinnakers

HONOURABLE MENTION Market on Yates

Satellite Fish Company

Por tuguese Joe's Fish Market

Mad Dog Crabs Seafood French Creek Seafood

Spe cialty Food Shop or Deli

Ottavio Italian Baker y & Delicatessen (GOLD)

Choux Choux Charcuterie (SILVER)

Charelli's Cheese Shop & Deli (BRONZE)

Islanders love small businesses and support them with their wallets. is bunch of expert entrepreneurs see to it that we are well stocked with cheeses, charcuterie and the best ingredients

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Plenty Epicurean Pantry Ambrosio Markets & Deli Red Barn

Italian Food Impor t McLean's Specialty Foods Go online for more winners

Favourite Butcher

Slater's First Class Meats (GOLD)

Thrifty Foods (SILVER)

The Red Barn (BRONZE)

e trade of butcher is disappearing in North America Luckily for us, we have many skilled and knowledgeable butchers in our midst not only in Victoria but around the Island

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

The Village Butcher Market on Yates

Glenwood Meats

Cowichan Valley Meat Market

Alia Halal Meat & Deli

Peppers Foods

Nesvog Meats & Sausage

Go online for more winners

Favourite Baker y or Pastr y Shop

Fol Epi Baker y (GOLD)

Wild Fire Bread & Pastr y (SILVER)

Pure Vanilla Baker y & Cafe (BRONZE)

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Floyd's Diner

John’s Place Restaurant (BRONZE) ey say a city runs on its collective stomach Given all the top breakfast joints in town we are off to great start to the day

The Village on Estevan Lady Marmalade

Go online for more winners

Appreciation for the ancient favourite has never been higher and plenty of places oblige with many local chocolate makers incorporating local ingredients into their creations. Yet, there’s work to be done on the fair trade front

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Purdy's Chocolates

Plenty Epicurean Pantry Organic Fair Spinnakers Market on Yates Hot Chocolates

Give us our daily bread (and pastries)

Vancouver Island has some of the best bakers around Take that Vancouver!

HONOURABLE MENTION WINNERS

The Italian Bakery

Bubby Rose’s Bakery

Patisserie Daniel Ottavio

True Grain Bread

Go online for more winners

Island Owned Coffee Shops

Habit Coffee (GOLD) Caffe Fantastico (SILVER) Discover y Coffee (BRONZE)

Ever tried to find great coffee in Toronto? Vancouver Island has one of the highest concentration of independent coffee shops brewing high quality, fair trade and organic coffee What are you waiting for? Take a break and order up an espresso or soy latte

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

2% Jazz Coffee

Moka House Coffee

Serious Coffee Mirage Coffee

The Black Stilt

Buon Amici's Coffee Go online for more winners

Be st Sele ction of BC Wine s

For t Street BC Liquor Store (GOLD)

BC Wineguys Cadboro Bay Rd. (SILVER)

Ever ything Wine (BRONZE)

If you don’t know by now that BC wines are equal to any you ’ ve been living in a rain barrel

Finding BC wines has never been easier

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

The Wine Barrel Spinnakers Spirit Merchants Cascadia Liquor Hillside Liquor The Wine Shop at Mattick's Farm

Be st Overall Wine Store

For t Street BC Liquor Store (GOLD)

TIE: Cascadia / Spinnakers (SILVER) Hillside Liquor (BRONZE)

When it comes to choice our privately owned liquor stores are giving the government a good run for our money And that’s good for all of us. Look for great customer service in both gov ’ t and private stores

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Cook St Village Liquor Everything Wine

The Strath Ale, Wine & Spirit Liquor Plus

Beverly Corners Liquor Store 6 Mile Liquor Store

Favourite Beverage Company

Phillips Brewer y (GOLD)

Merridale Estate Cider y (SILVER)

Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse (BRONZE)

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Island Wineries

Venturi Schulze

Averill Creek Vineyard

Starling Lane Winery

Blue Grouse Estate Winery

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Salt Spring Island Ales

Driftwood Brewery Spinnakers

Victoria Spirits Tugwell Creek Meadery

Knowledgeable Ser vice

Solomon (Solomons) (GOLD)

Michael (La Piola) (SILVER)

Francis (Zambris) (BRONZE)

At most restaurants and bars servers come and go inevitably moving on to somewhere, something else A few stay and become very good at their jobs And we are very happy when that happens

Here’s a little recognition for all the slams, the weeds, the stiffs, the 86s, the campers and the long hours

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Restaurants

Lisa (Cafe Brio)

Jeff (Paprika Bistro)

Micki (Lucy’s)

Brian (S I PS) Bar

Steve (Stage)

Steve (Brasserie L’ecole)

Shawn (Clives)

Vinnie (Canoe)

Hector (Marriott)

Favourite Local Farm

Madrona Farm (GOLD)

Sun Wing Tomatoes (SILVER) Mitchell Farms (BRONZE)

At the heart of it all are our farms and farmers Without them we’d have little to eat ey work hard, often for little money. Give it up for the farms of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands!

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Fairburn Farm (water buffalo)

Cowichan Bay Farm Ragley Farm Dan's Farm and Market Go online for more winners

Event that Inspired

Feast of Fields (GOLD)

Defending Our Backyard (SILVER) Great Canadian Beer Festival (BRONZE)

We are often defined by what we do If that’s true we are an active lot busily attending food and wine festivals, improving ourselves at school and just getting out there and going to all the tastings, dinners and events that are in seemingly endless supply on the Island

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Cooking Classes

Heidi Fink Cooking Classes French Mint, Terralicious

HONOURABLE MENTIONS Festivals

Taste

Ar t of the Cocktail Victoria Tea Festival Tofino Food & Wine Fest

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Activities

Madrona Chef Sur vival Spanish Day at Ottavio Dine Around Tasting at Sea Cider

Influential Food Movement

/

Proje

ct

ICC Bastion Square Farmer Market (GOLD)

TLC’s Save Madrona Farm (SILVER) Slow Food Vancouver Island (BRONZE)

Without change there can be no progress towards a better life

ese explemplary organizations work tirelessly for the Island’s food security and deserve support

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Lifecycles Fruit Tree Project 100 Mile Diet Food Roots / Pocket Markets Ocean Wise Grain Growing on the Island LUSH Valley Community G ardens SPI N / Backyard Farming

Lifetime Acheivement Award

David Mincey

A well know food and wine personality in Victoria for many years, David Mincey has gone beyond being the chef and restaurateur behind the successful Camille’s Fine Westcoast Dining on Bastion Square. His extraordinary classes on chocolate at the University of Victoria make him the resident exper t on the subject. He also gives to the community in other ways His tenacious suppor t of local farms through the development of a grant program to assist farms with infrastructure and as the force behind the star t up of the Island Chefs Collaborative Farmers Market on Bastion Square, makes him deserving of this award. He has done a tremendous amount for the Island and its food culture. David. We thank you!

Tea Pur veyors

Silk Road (GOLD) Murchie’s (SILVER) Special Teas (BRONZE)

Hot on coffee’s heels, the tea culture on the Island continues to expand and develop Restaurants and cafes now cater to connoisseurs of fine Chinese, Taiwan, Indian and Japanese teas

Tea your time has come

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Venus Sophia Tea Room NetkenicTea Center Mela’s Tea Room The Empress White Heather

Be st Place for Appie s & Drinks

Stage Wine Bar (GOLD)

Tapa Bar (SILVER)

TIE: Veneto /Chateau Victoria (BRONZE)

After the day’s work is done isn’t it time for a little R&R at your favourite watering hole?

Take a seat at the bar, raise a glass and toast these top picks.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Canoe Solomon’s The Mint Irish Times Spinnakers Pescatores Glo Brasserie L’ecole

Killer Kid Hangouts

Pizzeria Prima Strada (GOLD) White Spot (SILVER) Fifth Street Grill (BRONZE)

Hey, kid’s are people too. ey have a right to take a seat at the dining table and nosh with the rest of us

Here’s where to take the little people to out to dine

HONOURABLE MENTIONS Ferris Canoe Milestones Moxies Rebar Modern Food Pagliacci's Lucy’s on the Square Nautical Nellies Earl’s

Who Advocate s

For Food Issue s?

David Mincey (ICC) (GOLD)

Dr. Sinclair Philips (Slow Food) (SILVER)

TIE: Mara Jernigan (Slow Food) /Carolyn Herriot (Garden Path Centre) (BRONZE)

ere are many individuals, organizations and community leaders working to promote a more sustainable Island cuisine

Here are a few, chosen by readers, that deserve your recognition

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Lee Fuge (Foodroots)

Ken Heuston (chef, Past President ICC)

Gar y Hynes (EAT Magazine)

Tina Fraser Baynes (organic farmer)

Peter Zambri (chef )

Brent Petkau (oyster grower)

Bill Jones (Canadian Chefs Congress)

Dan Jason (seed saver)

Lana Popham (ML A for Saanich South)

Lyle Young (poultry farmer)

THE SCHNITZEL DIARY

A journalist’s journey into cultural centre cuisine.

By Adrien Sala

Days before our first cultural centre food night, friends and I had been discussing the best places to find authentic food in Victoria The age old adage came up in the conversation: follow the home crowd Want good Italian? Go where the Italians eat Same thing works for great Chinese, Polish, Mexican and every other country that has ever ser ved food With that in mind we decided to take on the intriguing “Schnitzel Night,” which happens the first Thursday of every month in James Bay at the German Canadian Culture Society (a.k.a The Edelweiss Club, a.k.a The German Club). What follows is an ac count of that night. Words of advice: get there early. Doors at 5:30 p.m.

5:30 p.m. We arrive five minutes late and 91st in line. We’re asked to pay $12.50 in cash, which will get us a ticket we can trade in for a plate of the famous schnitzel We then follow the herd moving into the dining hall, where we’re left to wait at a large round table as num bers are called and people line up to get fed In the dining hall, which is reminiscent of a large legion/bingo hall, a white haired accor dion player is on stage quietly turning out tunes like “Rock Around the Clock,” lightly swaying from foot to foot to keep time. Behind him is a hand painted facade of a chateau nestled alongside a river at the bottom of a valley in the German Alps. Barrels are scat tered about the room and the walls are adorned with plaques that display mini histories; from one of them I learn that in the early 1980s, Matildhe Kopplin was a force to be reck oned with in a spor t called discing

5:48 p.m. We’ve been summoned through a scratchy loudspeaker to join the queue and have discovered that the line itself is a model of efficiency Most diners know the drill, and even though I’m learning as I go, the order of business is easy to follow: “ Ticket first, food second ” No one shoves or jumps ahead, except for one older woman who has obvious weight around here that no one appears ready to take on. I do everything I can to avoid her eye as she steps directly in front of me, daring me to challenge her privilege. I just let it happen as the line shuffles along the stainless steel pass bar in sideways half steps and do as I’m told.

5:53 p.m. It’s a little intimidating, this line up Two people away from my turn, which will mean I’ll be in the full view of Rosella, the head caterer, I’m suddenly aware that I have no idea what comes next My schnitzel skills are naught so I lean in to listen as the others get their plates

5:55 p.m. I identify that a request for “A little of everything” appears to be the most popu lar choice.

5:56 p.m. Fully weighted with meal and utensils, I head back to our table to sit with my meal, fascinated by its shape Unaccustomed to schnitzel, I find that other than a peculiar island shooting off the nor theast corner, mine actually resembles Germany I don’t com ment on this to my dinner mates, but do take stock of what countries they have Tracy, my pregnant friend, has one that looks like Russia Everyone else appears to have African countries The other noticeable physical quality that all the schnitzels at the table share with mine is that they are astoundingly large, like biggish personal pizzas. Also, everything is beige. Even the purple cabbage has absorbed some of the subdued hue so prevalent among breaded items.

Now, for the uninitiated, the dynamics of schnitzel appear pretty straightforward. The meat can range from veal to chicken to pork to just about anything as long as it’s squish able (tonight it is pork) To prepare, the chef takes the selected protein, gently places it on a chopping block and then beats the living daylights out of it with a mallet until it looks en tirely unlike any animal you’ve ever seen The next step is to coat it in egg and flour and breadcrumbs When that’s all finished, Chef heats a skillet, fries the lot in butter, and voila, schnitzel

Sound easy? Well, it’s not. Like mastery in anything, the relative appearance of ease is deceiving. There are variables at hand that only a true talent nur tured over the years can ever hope to fully understand (which is why the best schnitzelers are often the elderly). Each has its own thickness, individual gir th and specific amount of breadcrumbs. The heat distribution, too, is decidedly different depending on its shape; and conditional to the pro

tein, the mood of the chef at that moment the meat hits the pan and the number of pieces to be schnitzeled during the evening, an infinite number of bad outcomes are possible. It all adds up to make Schnitzel Night a hell of a risky experience since, as would be ex pected, there are no other options on the menu

6:24 p.m. Mono coloured cuisine is daunting, but somehow the meal is exactly appropri ate for winter weather And, at the risk of sounding influenced, I submit to you that Rosella, although not elderly per se, has that one in a bunch skill that makes the schnitzel taste breathtakingly authentic in a grandmotherly way. Topped off with her sauerkraut, cabbage, mashed potatoes and gravy, the entire thing makes me feel like a little kid from fables who eats too much at dinner then sneaks away to fall dead asleep by the fire before being carried away to bed. It’s a cute image, but two hours from now, at 8:30 p.m., I’ll be calling that same feeling a food coma and my body will be catatonic and worried, and, just a little bit confused It will probably be the earliest I’ve been to bed since I was eleven

6:40 p.m. I should stop eating, but somehow I feel that in order to get the full experience I have to try the desser t It’s an apple sponge, something that members get for free I buck up the $2.75 it costs for visitors and bring it back to my sweating, distended friends who throw me evil eyes as I plop it down in the middle of the table. It’s gone in minutes and we waddle out of the German Canadian Cultural Society full beyond imagination.

6:53 p.m. My brain is shutting down because it is dark and I’m in the backseat of my friend’s car and my entire internal system is occupied with digesting Germany shaped food items I hardly notice the drive home, but when I eventually do fumble out of their car, I’m momentarily upset that they don’t offer to carry me upstairs I’m over it by the time I col lapse on the sofa, which is where I will be for the next month repairing and preparing to do it all over again

GOING WITH THE GRAIN

by Holland Gidney

The final ar ticle in EAT ’s three par t series on B.C.’s grain aissance.

BACKYARD BREAD

When it comes to grain, it’s possible to shrink your 100 Mile Diet to 100 metres if you’re willing to get your hands dir ty: a few seeds and a bit of land is all it takes to grow a loaf of bread And wheat’s much less fussy than tomatoes

“If you can grow grass, you can grow grain,” proclaims the Island Grains project website In fact, as par ticipants in what turned out to be Vancouver Island’s largest grain growing trial this year (myself included) discovered, grain might just be easier to grow than grass espe cially when you don’t have to supply the land or prepare it for planting.

Inspired in par t by a second hand copy of homesteading guru Gene Logsdon’s 1977 book Small Scale Grain Raising, Brock McLeod and Heather Walker decided to invite 100 would be farmers to plant 51 plots of grain at their Vancouver Island farm last April

The two Duncan farmers harvested small amounts of grain in 2008 and had already planted rye as a cover crop in the fall of 2009 when they were listening to Jon Steinman’s Deconstructing Dinner radio show last fall and heard how excited par ticipants in the Koote nay Grain CSA were to visit the three Creston Valley farms where their grain was being grown It convinced them to star t what might be best described as a grain growing club at their Makaria Farm on Bench Road near Cowichan Station, with the goal of getting people back in touch with where grains come from and demonstrate how easy they are to grow.

Over the course of the spring and summer, we “grainies” learned about seed selection, planting timing and techniques, pests, weeding, harvesting, threshing, and even cooking with whole grains The knowledge we collected from the experience was as valuable as the grain we all har vested at the end of August, and it proved that Dan Jason of Salt Spring Seeds was right: grains are easier than just about anything else you could grow.

“Some people are intimidated because they think it can only be done by industrial agri culture,” he says But even the hands off, no weeding, no watering approach that many grainies adopted still yielded good grain

And it works equally well in backyards, as Claudia and Darren Copley found when they planted grain for the second year in a row in their Saanich garden.

“Growing it is a cinch,” says Claudia who describes their process of planting oats, barley and three kinds of wheat as “prepare ground, sow, walk away ” Their intention was to produce steel cut oats for breakfast, whole grain barley for stews, and wheat flour for bread. How ever, freeing the oats from their hulls was a “nightmare.” It may be easy to grow grain, but where small scale producers like the Copleys often run into trouble is after they har vest it because small scale equipment is lacking in Nor th America

For Islands Grains’ har vest day on August 24, Walker and McLeod had a collection of sick les, scythes and scissors on hand, and Dan Jason, who’s been growing grain since 1986, brought along his homemade threshing box for people to try. There was even the option of having the grain milled into flour by Bruce Stewar t of True Grain Bread

Having to use makeshift har vest tools and not having access to a combine are two of the most common challenges to grain growers Chris Hergesheimer identified during his master’s thesis research. Or as he put it: “Equipment and machinery sharing, and the lack of adequate ‘post har vest infrastructure’ (cleaning, storage, milling facilities).”

Except in the Peace River District, which has several seed cleaning co operatives, and the Nor th Okanagan, which has at least one milling co operative, there is a serious lack of post har vest infrastructure for anyone wanting to process more than a small amount of grain for personal consumption. But what small scale grain growers lack in equipment and infra structure, they make up for in ingenuity.

When asked to supply a local chef with two pounds of rye for an event, Walker and McLeod “harvested with scissors and threshed with a shoe ” On Salt Spring Island, Linda Quiring says the half dozen folks who grew grain there this year all got together one afternoon to get their wheat threshed communally by “the only combine on the Island.” Dirk Keller of Qualicum Beach’s Sloping Hill Farm loaded his half acre wheat har vest into two livestock trailers for threshing by combine owner Wayne Smith in Por t Alberni

Since Walker is optimistic that a good number of Island Grains par ticipants will grow grain again, she suggests an equipment co op may be the “logical next step ” Hergesheimer agrees, but he doesn’t believe small scale grain production will ever become the norm. “But it will be come a more prominent method in this refashioning of our relationship to grain, flour and bread,” he says “We have been all about scaling up production, scaling up our machinery, scaling up our ‘commodities ’ In a sense, the backyard plots or the small CSA farms help us scale down again ”

If we all scale down and star t paying attention to the origin of the grains we consume, and maybe even taking responsibility for growing them ourselves, small scale grain production may just become the next trend in local eating and you can’t beat the taste of that

“Local grains taste different,” says Hergesheimer “ They taste like success, they taste like optimism. They taste like revolution.”

SPRING FAVOURITES

Spicy Roasted

Vegetable Stew

This delectable fragrant stew can be varied by adding cubes of cooked lamb near the end of cooking Another idea is to add chunks of raw red snapper to the pot near the end of cooking until the pieces are cooked through Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth for a vegetarian stew. Vary the vegetables according to the seasons and add your favourite veggies to the dish. Roasting some of the vegetables deepens and sweetens their flavours. To make it less spicy, remove the seeds from the chilies, or use only one chile with the seeds removed.

2 carrots, chopped

1 medium red potato, chopped in bite size chunks

2 medium zucchinis, chopped in bite size chunks

1 red bell pepper, chopped in bite size chunks

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 whole cloves

1/3 of a cinnamon stick

2 green cardamom pods, bruised

2 tablespoons of butter

1 or 2 jalapeno chile peppers, minced (with or without seeds, to taste)

1 bay leaf

2 inches fresh gingerroot, peeled and minced

1 medium onion, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

3 lime leaves

1/2 cup green beans, cut in 2 inch pieces

6 asparagus spears, cut in 2 inch pieces

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup cooked lentils

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

Preheat the oven to 375 F In a bowl, toss carrots, potatoes, zucchini and red peppers in olive oil Place on a baking tray and roast for 20 minutes until veggies are slightly brown Remove and set aside.

In a heavy bottomed stainless steel soup pot, dry roast cinnamon, cardamom and cloves over medium heat for 2 minutes until are fragrant. Add butter, chilies, bay leaf, ginger and onions and stir fry until the onions are translucent. Add roasted vegetables, and stir and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes Add salt, black pepper, turmeric, lime leaves, green beans, asparagus, tomatoes and chicken broth Cover and cook until vegetables are ten der (Add more broth if necessary) Add coconut milk, cooked lentils and mustard seeds Simmer for 5 minutes

Fiddleheads. The peak season for fresh fiddleheads is April to July Their spring fresh flavour hints of asparagus, green beans, okra, ar tichokes and mushrooms Trim and boil them, and toss them in melted butter or olive oil and lemon juice or drizzle them with vinaigrette

Asparagus. Spear some asparagus during their peak season, from March to May Artichokes. March is the peak season for California ar tichokes.

Dandelion Greens. Instead of being vexed by the dandelions sprouting in your lawn, eat their leaves when they are young and tender. These detoxifying greens can be eaten raw in salads, or briefly blanched, steamed or sautéed like spinach.

Fava Beans. Fresh fava beans are only available from April through June, from Califor nia or local farms.

Morels These honeycombed mushrooms can be found from March to July They have a nutty, smoky, intensely ear thy flavour.

Gigantic Papayas. Foot long Mexican papayas are juicy and flavourful They are avail able in March

Pineapples You can buy pineapples year round, but they are especially sweet and juicy during their peak season from March to June.

Cherry Rhubarb. The season for fresh cherry rhubarb star ts now and lasts until June

Perennial Garden Herbs. Tarragon, chives and other perennial herbs are reawaken ing in the garden

Citrus Fruit. The peak season for blood oranges, grapefruit, oranges, kumquats and tangelos ends in mid April.

Ristorante iola

3189 Quadra St. Next to the Italian Bakery Call for reservations: 388 4517 www.lapiola.ca info@lapiola.ca

The Best of Italy and Vancouver Island

L O G G I N G T H E B L O G S

Pa m D ur k in re v ie w s s om e o f t h e be s t na t u ra l f ood blogs on the Web.

Searching for a great recipe for tonight’s dinner? Rather than relying on your over perused cookbooks, why not turn to one of the Web’s many food blogs for inspiration? While food blogs aren’t exactly new, eas ier to use templates and the popular film Julie and Julia (based on one woman’s blog ging experience) have helped their num bers swell substantially in the past two years Amid this plethora are some very useful blogs for health conscious foodies seeking taste and nutrition. And I’m de lighted to repor t that I’ve found some ex cellent ones created right here in B.C. let’s take a look

Guiltykitchen.com

Authored by Elizabeth Nyland, a 26 year old stay at home mom from Victoria with a food industry background, this blog features a vibrant mix of healthy, inventive din ner recipes and wholesome, al though rich, desser ts Nyland unabashedly admits to loving desserts but strives for balance in her life and blog by creating healthy mains that feature local, seasonal produce Some recipe high lights include crab and shrimp cakes with lemon aioli, cold soba salad, caramel and apple cream tar t and brown butter whole wheat blueberry muffins. Nyland’s writing style is endearing and her passion for food infectious The photography is both pro fessional and seductive Visit this blog and I’m sure you will agree this young woman has a cookbook deal in her future!

Chowtimes.com

Chowtimes star ted as an “experiment” in 2006 for Ben and Suanne, a couple from Richmond, B.C., with no formal training in the food industry. Stay at home mom Suanne attends the Richmond Community Kitchen and generates the recipes for the blog Ben, a self proclaimed foodie, is re sponsible for the site’s discerning restau rant reviews and travel diaries According to Ben, “delicious diversity” is the theme of this blog, and it’s readily apparent in the in triguing blend of ethnic recipes presented. And the good news healthy recipe op tions are offered for vegetarians and meat eaters alike The Tuscan kale salad, quinoa stuffed peppers and the Moroccan chicken are a few samples Easy to navigate and very informative, this site belies the cou ple’s “amateur” status

GourmetFur y.com

Vancouver native Melody Fury, a self pro fessed food writer/food photographer/en trepreneur is the author of this appealing blog Clearly a “renaissance” foodie, Fury writes with authority and shares beautiful photos of her recipes and culinary excur sions I loved her post from Paris “Classi cal Ar t vs Charcuterie Ar t ” I’m also a fan of the site’s “Beet ’n Squash You” feature a monthly challenge between fellow bloggers and readers to see who can come up with the best recipe highlighting a specific veg etable. Fury’s own recipes tend to combine a healthy blend of Asian and West Coast Cuisine, and many of her creations are inspired by Tradi tional Chinese Medicine Diet Therapy Her summer pa paya and halibut soup and warm beet and scallop salad with crab apple relish are perfect examples of her light, healthy approach to dining

Sillynutritionundergrad.wordpress.com

Featuring both nutritional information and delicious whole food recipes, this blog is the brainchild of a U BC dietetics undergrad named Stephanie. The ar ticles present the latest nutritional news in layman’s terms and the recipes range from the simple to the delectable. Try her oatmeal with tofu, scallions and edamame and you’ll never think of the grain as a boring staple again

101cookbooks.com

OK, so this blog isn’t local but it is, in my opinion, the best natural food blog on the Web. Created by San Francisco based pho tographer and food writer Heidi Swanson, this blog has garnered a lot of international press and is a favourite of health conscious foodies worldwide Swanson’s focus is on natural, whole food vegetarian recipes ei ther culled from her personal collection of more than 100 cookbooks or created by herself or one of her “foodie” friends She offers “basic techniques” for cooking neo phytes and provides a library of mouth wa tering recipes that will leave you pondering how something so delectable can be good for you I can personally vouch for the sim ply delightful carrot, dill and white bean salad and the amazing black bean brown ies The latter, a dense, fudge textured piece of heaven, will have you convinced Swanson is an alchemist

GOOD FOR

by Pam Durkin

by Ceara Lornie

Matt Rissling The Marina Restaurant 250.598.8555

I would take a trip to nor thern Europe, to explore some roots in Scandinavia. After all, you can never have enough lutefisk and aquavit! It seems like all coastal people have, out of necessity, some sor t of dried or preser ved fish, and the coast we currently live on is no different

Zoe O'Doher ty

I would love to go to Japan The Japanese take food very seriously, and their culinary traditions and techniques are quite different from the European methods most of us learn in cooking school. The aesthetic side of Japanese food is also very appealing. I’m amazed by how many distinct styles of cuisine exist in one relatively small country.

Ben Peterson Heron Rock Bistro 250.383.1545

Montreal. I Have been dreaming about it for years and am very anxious to experience all the recommendations for myself Oh yeah and Havanna as well!

Trish Dixon Breakers Deli 250.725.2558

I'm not sure a month would be enough time, but Italy is my first choice for sure. The basic simplicity of the foods, the farms and hereditary techniques still used today appeal to me Italy is about everything fresh and homegrown, minimalist with big flavour. What I love most about Italy is the feeling that every meal is prepared with nu merous family members and enjoyed by all friends. Large meals with everyone sitting around together enjoying! Oh also the wine!

Alber to Pozzolo Italian Baker y 250 388 4557

As strange as it may sound I would like to explore the cuisine of Romania This old Italian territory would likely reveal clues on ancient Roman dishes as well as influences from the Far and Middle East. It is not a region much discussed and I find this appealing from a learning perspective.

Cor y Pelan La Piola 250.388.4517

Oaxaca. For the sheer diversity of the regional cuisine and the immense complexity of the flavours. For the chocolate, the mole, the ar t, the mezcal, the people and the sun. Maybe next winter

Mara Jernigan Fairburn Farm 250.746.4637

If I had a month and no financial constraints I would go to Japan I have never been there, but I know food is such an impor tant and highly ritualized par t of Japanese culture, it is a place I'd like to have a big budget to explore. From the street food, to Kaiseki to visiting farms, I'd like to have an English speaking Japanese guide and do it all! I am just afraid a month would not be enough! However, on the other hand, if some one wanted to explore the culture and cuisine in Italy, they should go to Slow Food's Terra Madre and Salone del Gusto 2010 and then come on one of my culinary tours in Italy this fall!

Garrett Schack Vista 18 250.382.9258

I would spend time in the great white nor th. I believe the ar t of bannock making and whale butchery is one that could be lost if someone doesn't take the time to submerge themselves in the cultures and rituals of our hidden nor thern treasure I can just imag ine cooking arctic cod over a lamp fueled by seal blubber (only after one days march from the fishing site of course) while the nor thern lights illuminate the sky. For now at least I must succum to my usual diet of Qallunaat food until I can pursue my true call ing as a nor thern explorer. Dare to dream!

Chefs News

Brad Horen and Patrick Gayler of Laurel Point Inn have earned spots on Culinar y Team Canada Horen will captain the team at the 2011 World Cup in Luxembourg and the 2012 World Culinary Olympics in Germany.

The 2010 Canadian Chefs Congress will take place at Providence Farm near Duncan in the Cowichan Valley September 11 & 12. See page 5 of this issue for more information and to delegate registration information.

If you had a month to explore an area, to immerse yourself in the culture and cuisine, where would you go?

LOCAL FOOD HERO

MARY ALICE JOHNSON

Engage anyone on Southern Vancouver Island in conversation about organic farming and fairly soon the name Mary Alice Johnson comes up. Whether on the farm, in the classroom or in the community, Mary Alice is known for inspiring people to grow food. Her philosophy: Why put poison on your food when there’s no need?

Raised on a self sufficiency farm with a cow, pigs and chickens, Mary Alice took good food for granted Her father hunted while her mother hung chickens on the clothesline and slaughtered them for Sunday dinner She loved gardening as a child and that love contin ued into adulthood In 1986, she and her husband, Jan, bought farmland just west of the town of Sooke The house was falling down and the land so covered in broom it took three years to clear, but after the first season of farming she was hooked Sitting in the autumn sun shelling scarlet runner beans she decided she wanted to farm full time regardless of the income.

Twenty years later, ALM Organic Farm supplies restaurants, a box program, two markets plus a seed company. Produce includes fruit, heritage vegetables, eggs, grains, herbs, seeds and pigs. Community suppor t for the produce is strong: the box program has a wait ing list and seed sales grow by 30 percent each year These successes belie the wage earned for the long hours put in by Mary Alice, her business par tner Marika Nagasaka, plus apprentices and volunteers However, the benefits of fresh organic food and quality of life are priceless and have inspired Mary Alice’s devotion to encouraging new farmers

Seventeen years running, her two courses on organic farming at Camosun College, co taught with Halibur ton Community Farm manager Tina Fraser Baynes, are hugely popular Some classes take place at ALM Farm as do the continuing education courses Mary Alice and her par tners lead.

She also runs a national farm apprenticeship program called Stewards of Irreplaceable Lands (S.O.I.L.). This year, S.O.I.L. received 200 applications and 90 farms are par ticipat ing Another project is the 15 year old Linking Land and Future Farmers Currently it’s trans forming into a web based resource for new farmers And as president of the Sooke Region Food CH I Society, Mary Alice spearheads the Farm Mentorship Program (among others) In her words, she is “really good at getting people involved ”

Working directly on the policy front, she sits on the Juan de Fuca Economic Development Commission and Juan de Fuca Agricultural Commission. While the J DF Agricultural Area Plan is stalled until funds appear, Mary Alice focuses elsewhere. Her presentations at the split tax assessment hearings, by request of ML A Lana Popham, contributed to some ben eficial changes. And last year, ALM Farm hosted a walkabout with local politicians to illus trate how regulations need altering to promote rather than restrict food production. These politicians are now suppor ting farming in new ways and one councillor has become a box program par ticipant

This shift is a reflection of the growing numbers of people who want quality local food and are making the effor t to provide it “ There’s a real spark in Sooke, but we have a long way to go,” she says, citing research by Dr Aleck Ostry of U BC that shows Sooke is at the bot tom of the list for food security on the Island. When we spoke, she was excited about Sooke’s first “Seedy Saturday” (which took place February 27). Seeds and seedlings were available and Mary Alice planned to do what she does best: inspire people to grow food. With all the educational and community activities, when is there time to farm? “I love it,” she laughs. “Someone recently said, ‘Everyone needs a farmer.’ I agree, and I’m happy to be one ” ALM Organic Farm, 3680 Otter Point Road, Sooke, BC

Mar y Alice and assistant

ALM Organic Farm has the the bar high for Vancouver Island farmers

MASTER PASTA CLASS

“It’s a bit like a marriage,” Cor y Pelan explains as he gently pushes his 30 year old pasta maker into place. “I try to listen to what it’s telling me … sometimes I ignore it … ” Chuckles go around the crowd watching the chef and owner of Victoria’s La Piola interact with his Ital ian made Bottene Marano pasta machine. Thanks to this event, organized by Slow Food in par tnership with La Piola, Untamed Feast and The Tuscan Kitchen, a group of keen students have the privilege of stepping into Pelan’s kitchen to learn how to make fresh pasta and sauce from a pro. Carefully removing the par ts to explain how the machine works, he caresses the brass dies for making different pasta shapes, describing the softness of the metal and re membering a former employee who dropped the spaghetti die, denting it so badly it had to be re paired before it could be used again “He bought me a beer that night,” he tells us with a smile

Pelan demonstrates the simplicity of the machine, with few par ts and only two settings; one to mix and one to extrude This prompts another memory: a separate incident where a staff member had it on the wrong setting when he was supposed to be mixing. The flour shot out the front of the machine, and the intense pressure from the extruder resulted in a hard, glass like substance that took half an hour to hammer out of the shaft. It is obvi ous that these two have a strong history. It’s no wonder then that the resulting pasta tastes so good E xtraordinarily good We’ve watched as the chef mixed his flours (a blend of semolina, bread and pastry flours) with fresh eggs and then peeked in to check the texture And of course, listening to his machine, he added a little water to the dough He paused to elucidate the impor tance of finding a happy medium between a dough that is too dry, resulting in a brittle pasta, and a dough that is too wet, resulting in a pasta that has no tex ture and won’t hold the sauce. The right consistency should have clumps roughly the size of hazelnuts, he instructs us. When the spaghetti begins to come out of the machine, we see that he’s nailed it. The strands show evidence of having the grain pulled back slightly as it made its exit, producing the texture that is crucial for the pasta to absorb the sauce. And we want it to absorb the sauce a thick pomodoro that Pelan has taught us how to make, offering little nuggets of experience (“oregano: if you think you’ve got enough, add more”) as he explained the method As with the pasta, the key to the sauce is simplicity A few quality ingredients; extra virgin olive oil, garlic, onion, whole plum tomatoes, bay leaves and herbs, attentively prepared, will achieve the best results Once the sauce reaches the point where it needs to sit and simmer, the pot is magically replaced with one that was star ted earlier in the day. We admire the result of three to four hours simmering: the sauce has thickened significantly and achieved a deepened colour.

Now it’s Eric Whitehead’s turn to teach. The owner of Untamed Feast Wild Mushroom Products is here to show us how to make his favourite sauce showcasing his dried morels. Alber to Pizzolo, owner of the Italian Bakery, which is right next door, is on hand as well. He reminisces about a foraging adventure he accompanied Whitehead on last year, stressing how impor tant it is for him to know where the ingredients he is using come from, and how they are har vested Whitehead concocts a creamy, woodsy sauce (check the recipe box at eatmagazine ca for this recipe) before our eyes, and our stomachs begin to rumble This is when Pelan ser ves up a first sample of spaghetti al pomodoro with generous ser vings of freshly grated Parmesan on top. The kitchen falls silent, with the exception of some au dible groans of delight.

It is time to move into the dining room for another demo, this one from Mauro Schelini, who, with his wife, Gerri, owns the Tuscan Kitchen. Their beautiful shop brings majolica, fine tableware, linens and specialty food items to downtown Victoria. Schelini is here to tell us about home pasta makers, as well as tor tellini molds and special rolling pins for attaining the required thickness of various pastas He shows us the Imperia model he uses in his own kitchen, and people take turns rolling out sheets of lasagna or fettuccini

I sneak back to the kitchen to try the spaghetti with morel sauce and overhear a woman requesting that Cory Pelan sell her the remaining unused fresh pasta sitting by his ma chine. Someone else is commenting that “it will be hard to go back to dried pasta after today.” I think to myself that Slow Food has done it again: another winning event, a few new recipes and a fresh batch of conver ts. Ristorante La Piola, 3189 Quadra Street, Victoria, BC

Tea Artistry

Silk Road Teas are created and blended in Victoria. Tea can be rich and pungent or delicate and subtle. The Silk Road art of tea blending ensures that the character of the plant retains its essential harmony and is enhanced by the ingredients with which it is paired. Select botanicals from around the world, as well as the West Coast, are carefully cured and prepared to yield a superb tea experience.

www.silkroadtea.com 1624 Government St. Victoria Chinatown

The tasty ar t of fresh pasta (and sauce) making at La Piola.

Chef Cor y Pelan plates his pasta dish

Crêpe with ham, mushrooms and sauce Mornay

By Gillie Easdon and G ary Hynes

Victoria weekend brunches and lunches generally require a modicum of lining up or premeditated reser vations. What a delight to spend the same amount of time I would have spent standing, legs on a slow and steady numb, driving and drinking in the pastoral scenery of Brentwood Bay to explore Bistro Caché

Not so “hidden”, Bistro Caché is nestled in the hear t of Brentwood Bay’s main junction Inside, popular French singer Serge G ainsbourg crooned as we perused the quiet restau rant and ordered glasses of wine, setting the stage for a long, relaxing lunch

The space is wonderful Large rustic paintings and an upstairs loft give the room spa ciousness beyond its size and I felt like I was in a small welcoming country house, not par t of a building. The patio would be ideal for a large lunch or dinner celebration, and the grassy lot behind reinforces that you are not in the city, you are dining in the country.

Bistro Caché aptly bills itself as “Classically Inspired BC Cuisine”, which I’m tempted to edit to French/Vancouver Island Cuisine because of the menu’s pride in including a thought ful sidebar listing the local growers and suppliers

For star ters we chose the warm sunchoke salad (with bacon, shallots, tomato puree, thyme and salad greens) and the bistro frites (with parsley, shallots, truffle oil and pecorino cheese) The tomato in the salad was strong which tended to reduce subtlety in the salad, both visually and taste wise, but the ear thiness and crunch of the sunchokes still man aged to stand up to the tomato. The frites, made from bintje potatoes from nearby Springcrest Farm, were hot, delicious and crispy everything you might hope for in a bistro frite.

After going back and for th we settled on the Crêpe with ham, mushrooms and sauce Mornay (with cheese) and relaxed a little deeper into the slow paced afternoon The ex quisite crêpe dish showed deft the hand in the kitchen making this delicate, featherweight class of pancake dishes from the Brittany region of France a very satisfying lunch

On another date our editor returned for dinner

At dinner, the room becomes more intimate with lit votive candles and soft, romantic music all conducive to the restaurant’s leitmotif, which seems to be relax, savour and linger. We star t with a bottle of Phillips Slipstream Cream Ale and a glass of Lillet, an aper itif meant to stimulate the appetite. To encourage diners to linger over their pre prandial drinks, Caché offers a menu of hors d’oeuvre (think French tapas) of little dishes like wild chanterelles mushrooms, pickled eggplant, escargot, sautéed chard, olives or sausage. The olive selection was varied and of high quality and the wilted chard an appreciated touch of fresh green

Skipping the appetizer course we went straight to the mains and ordered the Bratwürst and the Steak Frites The solo sausage came with a rösti potato pancake that was lacking a little in crispness and a half cup of tangy sauerkraut and a bit of Dijon the ideal foil for a rich pork dish. The bratwürst was fresh, fine grained and had been lightened by the ad dition of bread crumbs. The dish was enjoyed for being toothsome and satisfying and not overly heavy.

My flat iron steak arrived cooked medium rare as ordered, sliced and piled on top of a biggish pile of the aforementioned bistro frites. Expecting a piece of beef with plenty of chew I was pleasantly surprised to find it tender yet still full of flavour Although I love salt dearly the steak was a touch over seasoned Happy, I chomped through one of my favourite go too comfor t foods and I would have it again

Desser t was a blackboard special of Bananas Foster Due for a comeback, this retro clas sic didn’t disappoint and was a turbo charged confection of butter, brown sugar, cinna mon, rum, vanilla ice cream and of course, sliced bananas. Did I mention butter?

After dinner I waddled out to the car and drove home to a deep sleep of sugar plum fairies dancing in my head.

R e b e c c a W e l l m a m

Chef de Cuisine Matt Thompson

by Elizabeth Smyth

Al-Sultan Restaurant | 1813 Douglas St, | 250.590.4044

Anyone I know who’s lived in Montreal shares a craving beyond bagels: shawarma. This Middle East ern sandwich is ubiquitous in Montreal, yet a rarer find here Al Sultan Restaurant meets my shawarma need

The shaved beef is seasoned with a symphony of spices, including cumin, black pepper, cinnamon, and ginger It is then stuffed into a soft pita along with gar licky tahini sauce, lettuce, pickles, onion, and tomato In a great shawarma, the sauce and tomato juice ooze out onto your hand and cheek: this one meets the cri terion. At $6.99, it’s probably one of the main reasons this restaurant has become the hangout for interna tional students from the Arab nations. It definitely has a student vibe, which is a nice way of saying barren décor, but hey, who cares if you’re just grabbing a shawarma

Other notewor thy dishes on the menu are the lentil soup, which is rich and creamy with a hint of lemon, and, for sheer volume, the beef kebab platter that can feed two, since it consists of three 8 inch kebabs, a mound of rice, and a large side of hummus. That all comes to $14.99. The desserts are reasonably priced at $3.49. One that was new to me was the Basbousa, which is a mixture of semolina, coconut, and almonds covered in syrup, reminiscent of a macaroon At Al Sultan, your greeting will be warm and the ser vice helpful

Grilled panini at Ocean Island

Ocean Island Café Lounge, 791 Pandora Ave, | 250.385.1784

And now for rock bottom prices. The Ocean Island Café Lounge at the backpackers’ inn by the same name has a tiny little café tucked in on the main floor The menu is sim ple: salads are $2.75 or $5.75, sandwiches and burgers are $5.75, and items under the heading “International Favourites” are $5.75. After 10 pm, most of these items are a dollar less, so now we’re looking at under $5 I tried a few items, and will advise you where to focus your attention

I was very pleasantly surprised by the Grilled Chicken Panini I say surprised be cause a panini is one of those things that everyone thinks they can do when it actually requires skill. I’ve had plenty of disappointing paninis that are not warm in the middle or have a poor ratio of bread to stuffing. But voila! This Panini is big, fat, hear ty, and basic, but the fillings are all warm and the sundried tomato pesto properly accents the chicken and cheese There’s even a generous side of a simple salad to make it all a balanced meal The dressing is probably Kraft, but remember, we’re looking at a hear ty meal here for under $6, and under $5 late at night

Under “International Favourites,” I’d target the Moroccan Stew with Couscous, which has chunks of sweet potato, carrots, and zucchini along with chick peas They could pull back on the cinnamon a bit, but it’s overall decent. And the Southwest Chili impressed me because given the price point, I expected a big reliance on cheap red kidney beans, but it was in fact full of beef with just a few beans. It was your basic potluck fare at a fair price. Now, what you’ll get along with rock bottom is raucous. This is a hostel, so you’re sitting on bar stools or rickety chairs, there’s loud music in the background, and young travelers having animated, multilingual conversations Of course! That’s what it’s supposed to be, but you need to know that this is a place to grab a cheap sandwich, not to propose to your loved one It’s also a place to bring your kid for lunch between downtown errands, because you won’t spend a lot of money, and the staff are happy to cut stuff up and bring an extra plate

Amanda at Al Sultan with a shawarma

TRAVEL + FOOD

by Katie Zdybel

Replete Retreat

The garden is the hear t of Hollyhock, and eating its bounty is a nur turing experience for all those who make the journey.

The kitchen at Hollyhock: nature is just outside

Though I have travelled, and sometimes lived, in such far flung and aesthetically blessed places as California, Paris, the Yukon, Tuscany and Costa Rica, I was not prepared for the wild and stunning beauty of Cor tes Island. By the time I’d made my way from Victoria to Campbell River, Campbell River to Quadra Island, and Quadra to Cor tes, I felt as though I had traversed into a completely different nation, even a different time

The island, smelling of cedar, salt and a pure, unadulterated lack of pollution, gave the immediate impression of being one sprawling, uninhibited garden Every inch of Cor tes seems to be covered in greens, pinks, oranges and bursts of yellow with the piercing pea cock blue of the ocean always in sight. The abundant greenery both towers above you, in the form of giant Douglas firs, and below you in the shape of prehistoric looking ferns. There is a moment, when one leaves the normalized city scenes of box stores, traffic, sky scrapers and rows of houses behind, when I think even the most dedicated urbanophile looks around at a wild place and becomes, quite naturally, a bit more human Then a re markable thing happens all on its own; we relax

Hollyhock, a 27 year old resor t and education centre on a southern crest of Cor tes, en capsulates some of the island’s most extraordinary features Perched on a hill overlooking the ocean, the old farmhouse now lodge is wrapped with a cedar porch for sitting, dining and digesting. Walk through the breezy, sunlight flooded, hardwood floored interior straight through to the back and there lies the famous one acre garden.

It’s the kind of garden that stops you in your tracks. Designed to show off its contrasting colours and shapes in a range of layers, it eschews for the most par t traditional rows for spirals, cur ves, twists and turns Designed around a centuries old apple tree that was a par t of the original homestead, the garden has so many varieties of flowers and vines, herbs, vegetables, fruits and grasses, you could spend a day just learning their names In case that’s what you crave, wooden chairs are tucked in here and there so that you can sit and study or maybe just nap next to the irises or under the rose trellis

The garden, it is clear, is the hear t of Hollyhock It’s here the original founders came up with the resor t’s name after the giant red blossoms, and it’s here the longest ser ving em ployee still plucks and weeds, plants and har vests, coaxes seedlings, guides students and WWOOFers and, with utmost respect, works with the soil and the weather to grow what be comes some of the best produce I’ve ever tasted.

Nori Fletcher, head gardener, has been gardening at Hollyhock for 27 years “We aim to make the most of the space,” she says looking over the abundant acre It is a slight understatement For farming aficionados, the Hollyhock garden is grown in the French

intensive style, with the use of some biodynamic rules And it is, of course, completely or ganic and always has been Trailing Nori around the garden as she describes past sea sons the “great black slug invasion,” or the year the raspberries got a virus it becomes clear how hands on her style of gardening is. There are no shor tcut chemicals, gadgets or machinery. When the garden was infested with slugs, she and her assistants picked them out every day by hand, filling jugs at a time. This kind of gardening is hard work, but with the view of the ocean, the hushing sound of the towering trees all around, soft music and light chatter from the lodge drifting out, it also gives the impression of being quite nur turing work

“ The mission from the beginning has been to nourish people with the environment, the food and the programs,” marketing manager Greg Osoba tells me “ That has never changed ” He would know; next to Nori, he is the longest term employee, rounding out his 20 years with a variety of position changes from housekeeper, kitchen help and now marketing manager.

I have my first taste of the food at dinner time. But first of all, before you even get to the dining room, you’re asked to leave your shoes behind at the front deck. Padding across the wooden floors instantly takes me back to summer cottage memories. Is it even possi ble to hurry through a meal when you’re barefoot and outdoors? I join the line around the dining table where the plates and silverware are stacked neatly beside a big bellied Bud dha statue Hollyhock serves its meals communal style: a spread of wide platters and deep bowls are filled with herbed salmon, greens picked moments ago, housemade dressings, potato salad speckled with garden herbs, hot out of the oven biscuits beside a deep dish of organic butter and heaps more vegetables. I shuffle around the table with the other guests, appreciating the rose blossoms ar tfully scattered here and there, then having filled my plate find a table on the back deck with a wide view of the ocean as far as the eye can see.

To say their food is nourishing is only the beginning. The herb encrusted salmon tastes vitally fresh and the texture reveals that it has been perfectly baked The herbs too are po tent and clearly straight from the garden The biscuits are some of the best I’ve ever tried, that perfect texture of crumbly, warm and moist all at once Even the butter tastes excep tionally sweet and creamy, and the fresh greens would have been just as delicious un dressed, humming as they do with a summery verdant crispness

For desser t lest you think you may be eating too healthily is a chubby little dark chocolate cupcake collapsing under the weight of a generous spread of chocolate cream cheese icing and asterisked whimsically with a tiny violet flower. They’re buttery, moist, just sweet enough, and quite pretty.

This first meal sets the tone for all the others I enjoy at Hollyhock. Consistently when I sit down to eat, at least one thing at every meal completely arrests me and I find myself wondering what are these flavours, how does this taste so good, what exactly am I eating When I sit down with food and beverage manager Rebeka Carpenter, she tells me the menus are a team effor t and par t of what makes the food here so extraordinary is the cre ative collaboration that goes on in the kitchen and the garden

What doesn’t come from their own garden, the cooks source from other par ts of Cor tes. A growers’ co op and farmers’ market supplies some of the vegetables that grow less well in Hollyhock’s backyard. “We are almost a self sustaining island,” one employee tells me. “ The idea of suppor ting local is very strong here.” On the ferry ride over from Quadra, a fel low passenger who farms on Cor tes told me that the local food co op is fundraising to buy a travelling kitchen for butchering meat and washing and processing produce, so that more Cor tes farmers and gardeners can sell their goods commercially He rattles off the names of some farms and gardens I should visit if I have the time and tells me that I could spend a couple months just visiting the different farms and producers around the island Hollyhock, though it is only one small par t of the island, is an amazing way to experi ence Cor tes. It has been designed around the idea that the nature it is seated upon is its finest attribute. The guest cottages, activity and bodywork cabins, the lodge itself and yoga studio are nestled into the trees and connected by footpaths. Care has been taken not to cut down too many trees. There’s no vast golf course, no paved over patios, no massive swimming pools, no distracting televisions It is simple, but comfor table even luxurious feeling in spots (such as the two hot tubs perched at the top of the hill overlooking the ocean, perfect for watching the moon rise) But the self indulgence is never at the cost of the environment Small reminders everywhere encourage guests to help them save on en ergy, cut down on waste by composting scraps, turning a light off behind them, reusing their towels. The experience has all the simplicity of being a guest at a good friend’s cot tage with the added luxury of having every meal exper tly prepared and exquisitely fresh. When people speak of the raw and stunning beauty of British Columbia, of the incredi ble variety and quality of food that grows here, and the laid back lifestyle that often ac companies it, this is exactly what they mean. Hollyhock is a quintessential B.C. experience and should be enjoyed by travellers and natives alike

Hollyhock, Manson's Landing, Cor tes Island, B C , (800) 933 6339 or (250) 935 6576, www hollyhock ca

by Julie Pegg

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS FOOD MATTERS

From smokin’ sweet to hell fire and damnation, chilies heat up the kitchen.

Hatch, New Mexico, is a dry and dusty little pueblo housing four banks, a tavern and a smattering of retailers and restaurants. This mostly Hispanic town, and in par ticular the surrounding fer tile valley, garners big kudos as the site of the world’s biggest chili crop and some of the world’s best chilies Most famous is the green chili, the star of the Hatch Chile Festival, which draws thousands of visitors every Labour Day I have been one of the throng and found that green chilies were indeed a sweet reve lation Once roasted and blistered, they are chopped or mashed into salsa, cheese stuffed, battered and fried into chile rellenos or simply rolled up in a fresh tor tilla. But I also cot toned on to the chili powders.

My dwindling array of Hatch fine grinds range in shades of burnt marmalade through to oxide and brick red. Although faded somewhat with transit and time, they are still vibrant. Each expresses a different degree of pungency and nuance of flavour Some powders are smokin’ sweet A few are nutty and mellow Most are hell fire and damnation A dash of each, in equal measure (OK, a tad more of hell fire) tossed into a pot of chili, ramped up by roasted cumin seed, a bit of cinnamon and fresh oregano delivers a profoundly rich, spicy, mellow dish. The heat builds up on your palate in an oddly pleasant sensation, rather than punching you in the face. No plastic bottled chili can match the Hatch.

Added to my stash of Hatch Chili powders are large California peppers, dried and/or smoked to a glossy or “suede” leather finish A couple of chilies change their names when dried Jalapeño becomes chipotle (pronounced chee pot lay, not chee po tell) Poblanos go by ancho or, incorrectly, pasilla, which in fact is dried Mexican chilaca chili (Chipotle peppers tinned in a piquant tomato and vinegar adobo sauce are usually available in most good super markets.)

All peppers belong to the Solanaceae family, which includes tomatoes, tobacco and po tatoes. The pepper clan is prolific, producing hundreds of varieties. Most hot chili peppers lay claim to the genus Capsicum, and capsaicin is the compound that causes chilies to “burn ” (Jalapeños, Anaheims and the Hatch green chilies, though, are par t of the milder “annum” family )

Etymologists lock heads as to whether “capsicum” draws from the Latin “capsa,” mean ing box because the seeds are enclosed in the fruit, or the Greek word “kepto,” meaning “to bite” due to heat. As for chili’s various spellings, Canadians tend to use “chili” for all forms, while Americans refer to “chile” as the fruit and “chili” as the stew or powder. The Brits double up on the “l” and change the “e” to an “i.”

Chili hounds agree at least on the plant’s history. Cultivation hearkens back to around 2500 BC in South America Various sources document wild chilies bobbing about Mexico as far back as 7000 BC Centuries later Columbus brought the capsicum to Europe It took off like wild fire especially in the Mediterranean and Balkan countries Today we have smoked Spanish and Hungarian sweet/hot paprika (also in my cupboard), spicy Italian and chorizo sausages, and pasta spiked with red chilies and fresh basil for penne “arrabiata” (the word means angry). And I’ve read the Turks perk up their plates of seafood and steak with medium powered Urfa and Maraş peppers.

Meanwhile back in Hatch, folks could probably care less about chili’s peripatetic nature, regional spellings or a how a poblano becomes an ancho They, and every person within 150 miles, are too damn busy dousing pure chili flavour on huevos rancheros, tacos, enchi ladas and grilled meats Homemade fiery red sauce and its gentler green cousin are culi nary pillars of the community (Google “red and/or green chili/chile sauce” for excellent recipes.)

Since visiting New Mexico I’ve shunned commercial chili powder. Now, with my cov eted stash nearly depleted and my crystal ball indicating no immediate return to Hatch, it’s high time I went about concocting my own rich coppery red chili powder with all of the hot stuff and none of the MSG, flour and other additives found in many commercial powders I load up on fine quality dried whole chilies when and where I can find them (Seattle’s Pike Place Market has the wonderful Mexican Grocery, and Toronto’s Kensington Market houses dried and fresh chilies.) And any time I’m near a flame I have to blister an Anaheim or two.

Chilis: chili de Arbol, jalepeno, poblano, pasilla, guajillo

Dish: Poblano tacos with creamed corn (photographed at La Taqueria)

Homemade Chili Powder

Adapted from The Chile Pepper Book, Dille & Belsinger, Interweave Press, 1994.

Remove the stems and seeds from 6 chipotles and 6 dried Anaheims (if only fresh are available, split them, seed them and dr y in a slow 200°F oven for several hours) as well as 8 anchos or pasillas. (Dr y fresh poblanos as you would the Anaheims if you can’t find the dried versions ) Break the chilies into sizable pieces and toast over low heat in a skillet until chilies star t to just throw off their fragrance. Don’t let them darken or they will turn bitter. Remove chilies to a large plate and cool.

Toast 6 tablespoons cumin seed, 6 tablespoons coriander seed and about 6 or 8 whole cloves as you would the chilies. Remove spices to a plate and cool. Grind the toasted chilies in small batches in a spice grinder or coffee grinder. Do the same with the toasted spices, adding 6 tablespoons of dried oregano (Mexican if possible)

Mix the chilies and spices together. Regrind in small batches until pulverized to a fine powder. To kick up the heat, add 3 tablespoons good quality paprika and 1 tablespoon cayenne.

Seal tightly and store in a cool place. Use within 6 months for best flavour. Recipe can be halved or divide the powder into little packets for great hostess gifts.

Local lamb is given an Indian style taste by marinating it with tandoori paste and ser ving it with a refreshingly, spicy chutney.

Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus 4 hours marinating time

Cooking time: 6 8 minutes

Makes: 4 6 ser vings

For the lamb

• 1/3 cup tandoori paste (see Note)

• 1/3 cup yogur t

• 12 lamb chops

• Vegetable oil for the grill

• Mint sprigs for garnish

For the chutney

• 1 cup fresh mint leaves, packed

• 3 green onions, thinly

• 1 small, fresh green serrano chili, seeds removed, flesh coarsely chopped

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil

• 2 Tbsp water

• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 1/2 tsp salt

Place the tandoori paste and yogur t in a 9 by 13 inch dish and mix to combine. Add the lamb and turn to coat Cover, refrigerate and marinate the lamb for 4 hours, or overnight, turning occasionally

To make the chutney, place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well combined Transfer to a ser ving bowl Cover and refrigerate until needed When fully marinated, let the lamb warm at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat your grill to medium high Lightly oil the bars of the grill Grill the lamb for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until medium to medium rare in doneness. Cook the lamb longer, if you prefer it more well done Give the chutney a stir and then ser ve with the lamb

Note: Tandoori paste is sold in the Asian foods aisle of most supermarkets

fresh spring supper

and food styling

Hazelnut Chews

Recipes

by JENNIFER DANTER Photography by REBECC A WELLMAN

fresh spring supper

This time of year is such a tease! All those green shoots poking through the ear th can’t grow fast enough to match our desire for the first fresh produce. This early spring dinner straddles the seasons – a few staples and flavours leftover from the colder months (think beets, bacon and comfor t food cookies) mixed with a few spring harbingers: fresh caught halibut and ruby red rhubarb. Welcome Spring!

main course

Halibut with Bacon Dressing & Roasted Beets

The sweet and salty flavours of the bacon dressing may seem a bit overpowering on it’s own, but when paired with meaty halibut, well, it’s divine! Especially if you use bacon from Choux Choux A hint of horseradish with ear thy beets adds a little kick too

4 beets, trimmed and scrubbed

Olive oil

1 tsp prepared horseradish

4 6 oz fillets fresh halibut (choose thick centre cuts)

Knob of butter

3 thick strips bacon, chopped

1 shallot, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup Spinnaker’s Apple Cider Vinegar

1Tbsp babe’s honey

1/4 cup good quality olive oil

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

What to drink?

@

A full bodied pinot gr is from Alsace has t he weight to stand up to t he bacon. A red Graves, a lighter Bordeaux would also be an interesting matc h

6 cups coarsely chopped rhubarb 1/2 cup homemade strawberr y or seedless raspberr y jam 1/2 cup Babe’s honey 3/4 cup water

In a saucepan, combine rhubarb with jam and honey Add water and bring to a boil Simmer until rhubarb is as tender as you like, 8 to 10 minutes Strain rhubarb and re ser ve liquid. Return liquid to pan and simmer, stirring often, until reduced to thick syrup. Pour over rhubarb.

Spice It Up: Add a stick of cinnamon or a few pieces of star anise or pinches of fennel seeds.

Sweet ‘ n Savoury Yogurt

The almost mint like tanginess of fresh thyme is a pleasant surprise here Excellent with Jammy Rhubarb Compote. Ser ves 4

4 cups yogur t (full fat)

3 Tbsp Babe’s honey

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Place yogur t in a sieve and set over a bowl. Refrigerate overnight so most of the whey drains off and yogur t is quite thick. Stir in honey, thyme and cinnamon. Spoon into bowls and top with Jammy Rhubarb Compote

1. Place beets on a large piece of foil and drizzle with a little olive oil. Seal to form a package and place on a baking sheet Roast in 375°F oven until tender, from 35 to 45 min , depending on size You want them tender but not too soft When cool enough to handle, slip off skins. Chop beets, then toss with horseradish and a drizzle of olive oil. Cover and keep in a warm spot.

2. Season fish with pinches of salt and pepper, if you wish. Melt butter in a frying pan over medium high When bubbly, add fish, skin side up Sear until golden, 2 to 3 min , then place, skin side down, on a small baking sheet Finish cooking in preheated 375°F oven until cooked through, 8 to 10 min.

3. Meanwhile, wipe out frying pan. Add bacon and fry until crispy. Remove bacon to a plate but leave 1 Tbsp fat in pan Add shallot and reduce heat to medium Cook until soft, 3 to 4 min, then add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 min Pour in vinegar and scrape up any bits from pan bottom. Stir in honey and oil until well mixed, then re move from heat and stir in parsley.

4. To ser ve, place beets on plates and top with fish. Spoon dressing over top.

dessert Jammy Rhubarb Compote

This is the time of year I star t to use up my strawberry jam from last summer. It adds a rich colour plus well needed sweetness to very tar t rhubarb. Great over spiced yogur t, crème fraiche, cheesecake or ice cream Ser ves 4

Hazelnut Chews

I love this cookie because it’s an easy stir together dough no need to haul out mixers and such Plus it shows off the flecks of hazelnuts and I highly recommend popping in a few while they’re still slightly warm that’s when they’re at their chewy best. Makes about 35 40 cookies.

3/4 cup ground hazelnuts

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, melted, cooled slightly

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup all purpose flour

Icing sugar

1 In a bowl, stir hazelnuts with sugar and salt Stir in butter, egg and vanilla Add flour and stir until well mixed. Dough will be very soft. Refrigerate until firm, 20 to 30 min.

2. Roll into small balls (about 1 heaping tsp each), then space out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper Bake in preheated 350F oven until bottoms are golden and tops are barely soft in centre, but cooked through, 18 to 20 minutes Slightly under baked cookies stay chewier.

3. Cool completely, then dust with icing sugar. Layer in a baking tin and store in a cool dark place, up to 1 week or freeze up to 2 months If freezing, dust with icing sugar just before ser ving.

Yacoub,

He employs 680 staff

He feeds 75,000 customers every month.

His restaurants gross $32 million annually.

At Yacoub’s restaurants, people eat awfully well for modest money, in smar t designer surroundings, with excellent ser vice and to raucous music that reaches skull splitting in tensities as evenings progress. Blessedly, the rooms are always packed and the din of sat isfied customers defeats the speakers

Welcome to the classic immigrant success story: Yacoub was born and raised in Cairo Arriving in Canada at age 19 with Arabic his only language, he began his professional life as a kitchen helper at Toronto’s Hilton Harbour Castle A lightning study, he enrolled in the hotel’s two year apprenticeship program, launching a career at the stoves that would in clude stints as chef de cuisine at the prestigious Chiaro’s in Toronto’s King Edward Hotel and executive chef at Joe For tes Seafood and Chop House in Vancouver.

Eight years ago, he and wife Shannon Bosa they met at For tes, where she managed opened the stylish Glowbal in Yaletown. They wooed and won over locals with truffled spaghetti and Kobe meatballs

Glowbal is recently reborn as a steakhouse with tar tare as one of the steaks and chips fried, sublimely, in duck fat But along the way, Yacoub opened five more restaurants: Sanafir, the most exotic looking (think Egyptian temple for people addicted to mar tinis) eatery in Vancouver’s history; Coast, the fish and seafood emporium; Society for renovated comfort food under bubblegum pink chandeliers; the Italian Kitchen Vancouver Sun critic Mia Stainsby called it “one sexy seducer” and the understated, affordable and addictive Kitsilano boite, Trattoria Italian Kitchen.

Yacoub, a complex man, juggles roles with the instincts of a multiple personality. Meet Emad the chef, who leaps into the kitchen when it’s clear a cook hasn’t a clue about pizza. Meet Emad the tycoon who can not only tell you how much money the resto made this year, but how much it will make next year Meet Emad the entrepreneur who revels in cre ating restaurants (jeepers, Chinese?) And Emad, the hands on guy, seen on foot, in lousy weather, making the rounds from resto to resto with the gait of a dad putting his children to bed

Transience is the one thing that clearly frightens him. “I don’t want to be that guy that had six restaurants back in 2010,” he says. “We have to keep looking forward, keep in novating, keep growing with our clientele as they age and mature. Our challenge is al ways that of not becoming stale.”

Facing a young demographic as he unveiled Society last October, he promoted the restaurant opening via Facebook and Twitter On the big day, the line ups materialized, eager to tuck into such new old faves as lobster shepherd’s pie and Kahlua milkshakes And now Yacoub and his lieutenants are about to expand the Trattoria Italian Kitchen concept throughout Vancouver and environs, which will likely include Victoria

Victoria restaurateurs, watch out. Word is, Emad Yacoub is peering across the Salish Sea in your direction

for EATers unfamiliar with the Vancouver dining scene, is the whirlwind behind the city’s Glowbal Group

the taste of NEW ZEALAND

Nathan Fong says “kia ora” to New Zealand and returns with a wealth of Asian-inspired recipes.

I’ve always been told how similar B.C. and New Zealand can be. Perhaps this is true geographically, with their stunning valleys, dramatic mountains and rugged fjords When it comes to food and ingredients, the country is what Tourism New Zealand says it is: 100 per cent pure The quality, freshness and sustainability of ingredi ents surpass much of what I’ve seen on various market adventures around the globe Perhaps it’s because the country’s G N P relies mainly on food production from its extensive dairy in dustry, seafood and, of course, superb wines.

Fishing last spring off New Zealand’s South Island in Queen Charlotte Sound, (yes, even some of the place names are the same), the fish were practically jumping on to the hooks. I was impressed with their catch and release policies, and during my all too shor t visit, I found parallels with our B C food scene: the use of seasonal and regional produce from local farmers, the huge Asian influence on their cuisine such as local kingfish sashimi, Cantonese steamed New Zealand snapper, and the out standing, tender wild puau (abalone). A rare treat considering we haven’t har vested these mollusks on our B.C. coastline for decades due to over fishing.

I was impressed by the Asian cuisine, from the high styled fu sion cuisines of local chef Peter Gordon at his restaurant in Auck land, to surprisingly good quality dim sum at the family run Master Kong Restaurant in the charming rural town of Hamilton It was refreshing to find this standard of Chinese cuisine in such an area, like finding decent Chinese food in our Prairies, which usually means sweet and sour and chicken chow mein! But it is southeast Asian cuisine that seems to be most popular, and these restaurants are more prevalent than their nor thern Asian counterpar ts. The first Maori settlers were followed by the white immigrants (British as well as Dalmations from modern day Croa tia), then the Chinese for the gold rush. Malaysians, Vietnamese, Thai, Korean and Indonesians have also followed the wave over the past few decades Overall, their history is much like ours

A strong Maori influence is also seen in the food scene; re gional and indigenous ingredients such as edible ferns and wild mushrooms make an appearance on menus Research over the past 10 years has the Maoris migrating from mainland China to Taiwan, the Philippines, the Pacific islands and eventually New Zealand. I had a chance to experience a traditional Hangi, which seemed like a cross between our First Nations potlatch and a Hawaiian luau, where ritual and ceremony couple with traditional foods cooked in an underground pit

I have compiled some of the fresh, inspired dishes I enjoyed on my culinary journey, perfect for our cold weather!

THAI BEEF SALAD (Yam Neua)

One popular Wellington spot I visited was Chow, which ser ved an eclectic variety of southeast Asian cuisine The second storey interior has a great Asian ambiance with its booths, wooden dividers and hanging lanterns I had a superb Thai style rare beef salad with mint, cilantro, bean sprouts and peanuts, tossed with a sweet tart and spicy nahm prik dressing So simple and fresh with its vibrant vinaigrette and aromatic greens Pungent Thai fish sauce, which the Thais use the way soy is used in nor thern Asian cooking, is an impor tant flavouring for the dressing. I’ve adapted this recipe from Chow. Ser ves 4 as a star ter entrée.

1 lb flank or sirloin steak

10 or more Thai red chilies, thinly sliced

2 large cloves garlic, finely minced

1 1/2 Tbsp sugar

1/4 cup fish sauce

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1 romaine lettuce, rinsed, dried and cut into bite sized pieces

1 bunch fresh mint, leaves removed and stems discarded

1/2 English cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, then cut into thin moons

2 to 3 shallots or 1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped

2 cups bean sprouts

1/2 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Season steak with salt and freshly ground pepper Grill or broil the steak until medium rare Remove from grill and allow to rest 5 minutes Slice thin, into pieces about 2 inches across and 1/8 inch thick.

Mix garlic, chilies, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar in a small bowl until sugar has dis solved. Add the sliced meat and toss with the cucumbers and shallots. Taste and add more fish sauce if desired.

Toss lettuce, bean sprouts, mint and cilantro together and make a bed on a serving plate Place the marinated beef mixture on top with the dressing and garnish with cilantro sprigs and chopped peanuts

Little Neck Clams with Nuoc Cham

When visiting the beautiful city of Wellington (some call it the San Francisco of the South Pacific), I met famed chef, restaurateur, author and television personality Al Brown (of Wellington’s Logan Brown), who brought me into his al fresco kitchen and made this sim ple, tasty Vietnamese influenced dish as well as the superb abalone with salsa verde and beurre blanc (see below) He cooked in his wood burning oven, which gave the food a mild smokiness that I loved I was also impressed with what New Zealanders call crawfish These are in fact their massive spiny lobsters, which have a large body and tail but no pinchers like our native species These were ser ved simply steamed tender and ser ved with a deli cate citrus beurre blanc the Kiwis so love their butter! Ser ves 6

6 dozen Little Neck clams (or substitute manilas)

2 cups chicken stock

1/3 cup nuoc cham (see recipe below)

1 to 2 Thai red chilies, fine diced (seeded optional)

1/2 Tbsp fine chopped garlic

2 1/2 Tbsp cold butter, in small pieces

1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

Place the clams in a large saucepan followed by the chicken stock, nuoc cham, chilies and garlic. Cover and place over high heat bringing to a boil. Give the saucepan a quick shake to help open the clams and mix the ingredients around.

As soon as clams are open, remove with a slotted spoon, reser ving the liquid and place in warm ser ving dishes.

Place the saucepan back onto high heat and bring the liquid up to boiling point. Whisk in the butter and the cilantro; season to taste with more nuoc cham if desired Spoon over clams and ser ve with warm baguettes

Nuoc Cham

1/3 cup sugar

3 Tbsp water

1/4 cup fish sauce

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1 Thai red chili, finely chopped

1 Tbsp finely chopped shallots

1 Tbsp finely chopped garlic

Whisk together sugar, water, fish sauce and lime juice until sugar has dissolved. Add in re maining ingredients; refriger ate until ready to use

What’s happening in VANCOUVER ?

Chef Julio Gonzalez Perini has reinvented t he raviolo at Lupo, (869 Hamilton Street, 604 569 2537 no website) t he restaurant formerly known as Villa Del Lupo And what a raviolo it is spinach and ricotta stuf fed, and how that per fectly poached golden yoked free range egg gets tucked into t hat air y pasta packet? Answer “ Ver y carefully ” Hazelnut brown butter sauce adds a final, and per fect, touch Perini and sommelier Michael Mameli have revamped the space, modifying t he “ Villa’s” posh nosh for today’s palates and pocketbooks while keeping quality and quantity in tact. All Lupo antipastizi to share, clock in under $15. Primi are a generous small or large Go for the small and split two or three dishes (We love t he braised pork cheeks with porcini “ sugo”) Mains lean toward lamb shank ossobucco ($20) or Italian sausage wit h sauer kraut, and cannelini bean ragout ($19) Mameli’s well priced taster/wine by glass selection al lows you to pair the right wine wit h right dish (The filling Ravioli and liberal sampler of Castello Banfi Gavi costs 16 bucks ) From my bay window seat looking into t he cozy rooms, I could see t hat Lupo’s philosophy of “make good food”, treat people nice”, is working splendidly Chef Jennifer Peters steps up to the plate as executive chef of Raincity Grill (www raincity grill com) Can Peters continue to dish up t he likes of a late Januar y media dinner? If so, t he gal’s a keeper Baynes Sound Scallop cevic he near ly dissolves on t he tongue Hazelnut cr us ted salmon (from Bruce Swif t’ s sustainable farmed Coho) underscores fur t her Peter’s knack wit h seafood And did t he bubbly chef's recent stints on Vancouver Island (Bear Mountain Resor t and Malaspina College) influence t he Island wines on t he menu? Like much of Raincity’s in gredients Peter’s local roots hail well wit hin a hundred miles. Look for Peters, on past episodes of t he Food Network’ s 100 Mile Diet (www 100mile foodtv ca) Mean Mister Mustard Did you know that the word “mustard” comes from the unfermented juice of grapes and other fruits called “must” which was added originally instead of vinegar?" asks Rober t Remy in a tone that states rather than questions The French entrepreneur who now makes his home in West Vancouver, spearheaded Vancouver Co. Mustard adds “ We have three dif ferent MUSTARD blends (Original, Hot, and Old Style) produced for the Cana dian market “ They are all 100% natural” Indeed t he mustards strike a beautfiul bal ance between taste and tang The hot mus tard is a feisty number, per fect for a classic steak au poivre You’ll find Vancouver Co Mus t ard at Whole Foods Mar ke ts, Choices Mar ke ts, S t ong’s Mar ke t, Oyama Sausage, on the Island at Markt Ar tisan Deli (in Nanaimo) and ot her fine BC food emporiums Log onto www vmus t ard com for more info Email info@vmus tard com for classic the classic French steak recipe by Julie Pegg

What’s happening in COMOX VALLEY ?

The winter has seen many changes in t he rich foodie scene in t he greater Comox Valley Several restaurants closed Among t hem The Pier and Ander ton Bistro in Comox, and The Great Es cape in Cumber land Chef Andrew S tig ant was doing g reat t hings at t he Leeward cum Ander ton Bistro I look for ward to visiting his new venue, Crown Isle's Silverado Steakhouse [399 Clubhouse Drive, Cour tenay 250 703 5050] As well as closures we've seen openings and big splashes One of t he hottest new proper ties in t he region has to be The Mad Chef Café in t he former Orbitz Pizza location [492 Fitzgerald Avenue (250) 871 7622] They’re ver y active on Facebook Comox Valley Bakehouse [www comoxvalleybakehouse com] is making waves wit h 17 dif ferent types of bread, Montreal style bagels, and pastries. They do wholesale, retail, and to your door deliver ies Yowzah! Chef Ronald S t Pier re of Locals [364 8t h S tree t 250 338 6493, www localscomoxvalley com] is bot h a c ham pion of local food, an amazing restauranteur and a singer of others' praises He told us that Aladin's House of Tandoori [275 8t h Street 250 871 8552 www aladinsrestaurant com] ser ves "tasty, fresh, and well priced" food wit h fun and "funky decor " Anot her source raved about t he Eas t African kuku paka (coconut chicken) Fluid [1175 Clif fe Ave 250 338 1500] can be loud and "youthful" for t hese ears Our crew dropped in on a quiet (sound wise) night mid week and had a great time and great food I liked t hat t he bar tender made t he Savoy cocktail (a signature drink from Avenue Bistro) t he way I like it, and the late night, mid week ser vice Readers of the last issue of EAT (www eatmagazine ca | @eatmagazine) will be aware of how much local chefs appreciate Saigon Noodle House [in t he strip mall with White Spot and Joey's Fish & Chips] for its prices and flavours Hana Korean Restaurant [526 Clif fe Avenue 250 334 0868], opened on t he corner of Clif fe and 5t h One of my fave foodies Anh raves about it, "eat in or take out." A ver y dif ferent kind of food experience is available on t hat corner at Rose's Tea Room A friend tells me t hat proprietor "Minnie is a lovely person and a great cook She's created a relaxing place to go for lunc h or tea wit h a friend " As for Anh, she (and my foodie/dance/soul pal Rachel) rave about dim sum at Comox's Bamboo Inn [2040 Comox Avenue 250 339 3500] Anh's also a fan of the Chicken Udon noo dle soup at Yamato Restaurant [597 Clif fe Avenue 250 334 202] Another foodie "loves" Zizi's Café [4 41B Clif fe Avenue 250 334 1661] I’m a fan of t heir Turkish cof fee and baclava Just around t he corner sits Brambles Market, where James and Angelina Street are doing great local food stuf f and foodie education via t heir Facebook and Twitter presence [24 4A 4t h Street (250) 334 8163 www bramblesmarket ca | @bramblesmarket] Ver y cool T it a’s Mexican Restaurant [536 6th Street, Cour tenay 250 334 8033] is turning 20 (!!) this spring Wow Great food and ser vice, always A regular stop for me and my kids My neighbour, Bet hany Pierce, has gone public: "I'm ver y pic ky and was SUPER IMPRESSED wit h a meal we jus t at t he Union Street Grill" [477 5t h Street, Cour tenay 250 897 0081] As for Atlas [250 6t h Street, Cour te nay 250 338 9838], I'm wit h Kim Barzilay who raves: "ALWAYS our first pick !!!!" (I'd tone it down wit h the exclamation marks, but t he sentiments remain.) Which is why I like what happens at Atlas's sister restaurant in Comox, Avenue Bistro [2064 Comox Ave, 250 890 9200 www av enuebistro ca | @avenuebistro] I'm not alone Anot her fan exclaimed about t he "traditional eggs benny mmmn,delicious " I recently enjoyed a French 55 cocktail (thanks Freddy ver y good) and tuna tower before gorging on papardelle wit h ribs and beet ravioli Mar tine’s Bistro [1754 Beaufor t Ave, Comox (250) 339 1199] gives great atmosphere, ser vice, and food This spring chef

Marcus Aar tzen is featuring lamb and local Tannadice Farms pork I t horoughly enjoyed an ear l y wint er meal at Toscano's Tratt or ia [190 Por t Augus t a, Comox 250 890 7575 www.toscanos.ca]. I've always admired what t hey do at t he Kingfisher Restaurant [4330 Is land Highway 250 338 1323 and 800 663 7929 www kingfisherspa com] Special events t his spring include "Dining out for Life Fundraiser for AIDS" on March 25t h and a Chef’s Table on Apr il 15t h My pals at Tria Culinar y S tudio [4905 Darcy Road, Cour t enay 250 338 9765 www triaculinar ystudio ca | @triaculinar y] will be re opening wit h a spring equinox dinner on March 20 and the first of their spring cooking classes beginning on March 21 On anot her note, Locals' Lia McCormic k says she's "liking t he whole grain muf fins at Grains Baker y. They remind me of the Bar None muf fins " Me, I miss t he Bar None cinnamon rolls I've never ever met t heir match And finally, my apologies to Lia: In my last column I credited Jac kie Connelly wit h all t he photos in the recent Nor th Island Chef Association cookbook , Island Inspirations It turns out t hat while Jackie did some of the photo work , most of t he images are Lia's Island Inspirations is avail able at Cour tenay's Beyond the Kitc hen Door [274B 5t h St, 250 338 4 404]

by Hans Peter Meyer

Repor t on the 2010 Halibut Season

By Wes Erikson

left: Wes Erikson is an active four th generation commercial fisherman

Wes has been involved in the fisheries advisory process for over 20 years and has recently been a halibut represen tative on the Commercial Industry Caucus. Along with fishing Wes has owned operated and cooked in seafood restaurants for the last 16 years.

The opening period for 2010, for BC and all areas nor th is March 6 till November 15 This year we will see fresh halibut on the market 2 weeks earlier than last year I spoke in favour of seeing a longer season as this allows us the oppor tunity to ser ve fresh halibut longer This is the second year in the eighty seven year history of the I PHC that a chef ’s association (Nor th Vancouver Island Chefs Association) has been represented. Last year, I had to explain our application to the Conference Board (made up of commercial fisher men, spor ts fishing organizations, community representatives, Tribal representatives, etc). I had to explain why our association should be given a seat and voting status. We now have a voice within the I PHC process as chefs The next meeting is in January 2011 in Victoria and it would be great to send more representation next time and/or perhaps a cooking demonstration We are the end user of the resource and can speak on behalf of the population that never catch a halibut but enjoy consuming this beautiful fish in the restau rants, cooking schools, and businesses we work in For more information on the I PHC see www.iphc.washington.edu

Carrot on the Run grows in Nanaimo

Alexandra Teare, the proprietor of Carrot on the Run, has seen both the City of Nanaimo and her business expand in recent years Heading into its sixth year this two fold deli and catering business is located adjacent to Island Natural Market and nearby Woodgrove Centre and is a great spot for lunch while in the Nor th end of Namaimo

Walk in and check out the huge blackboard menu that features many local products including local meats, Saltspring Island coffees, wild mushrooms and Island grown fruits and vegetables. In addition to sit down dining, the deli offers everything from picnic baskets to take out dinner ranging from Vegetarian Lasagna ($5 95) to Transylvanian Goulash ($7 95) Desser ts include flans, cheesecakes and pies as well as diet friendly Razzberry Upside Down Cake for diabetics and wheat and dairy free Double layered Chocolate Cake

On the caterering side, 24 Carrot Catering specializes in social and business events, weddings, holiday feasts and par ties.

Carrot on the Run is open Monday to Friday from 7 am to 7 pm, Saturdays 10 am to 6 pm and Sundays 11 am to 5 pm.

6560 Metral Drive, Nanaimo, B C , (250)390 0008, www.24carrotcatering.bc.ca

Alexandra Teare

What’s happening in NANAIMO ?

Yahoo spring! There are little green shoots popping up in ever y corner of my garden During t he winter months, when my body craves warmth and sun, I go in search of sweets My sugar rush can usually be quenched by slurping a politically incorrect 12,500 kilometer carbon footprint mango from Australia However, my sweet toot h did net me a calorically indulgent new find Secrets Bake Shop [1209 Island Highway East, Unit 2B, Parksville, Tel: 250 248 8825] would make Hansel and Gretel spin out of control The owner, Tara Bohn, is t he countess of confec tionaries, the goddess of goodies and t he Sugar Plum Fair y of Parksville If you have ever been into Rosie Daykin’ s shop called Butter Baked Goods in the Dunbar area of Vancouver, you will feel at home in Secrets It is mom ’ s kitchen circa 1960 complete wit h t he floral wallpaper and pastel colour scheme The display case teeters wit h fancy cupcakes, old fashioned cookies, hand made marshmallows, tar ts and many ot her “melt your resolve” treats Ever ything is made on prem from the gooey caramel sauce to the deep dark fudge brownies She’s even come up with her own signature bar called t he “Oceanside Bar ” She plans to give the Nanaimo bar a sugar rush for its money

If you have ever watched Guy Fieri’ s show on Food Network called Diners, Drive ins and Dives you know, in your hear t of hear ts, t hat you have a few places you frequent t hat fall into t his cate gor y Well guess what? Me too Top of t he list is The Husky Restaurant [86 Terminal Avenue

Nor th, Nanaimo, Tel: 250 754 1680] and yes, it really is located in a Husky Gas station The one and only t hing I go for is t he Eggs Benny Swimming in tangy freshly made hollandaise sauce, per fectly cooked eggs, crispy English muf fin, a stack of meaty smoked back bacon and t he req uisite puf f and fluf f of parsley, it is hear t cloggingly terrific The place is always slammed wit h line ups out the door It is t he breakfast place of choice for t hose in t he know The wait staf f has been t here since t he last Studebaker rolled of f the line, and t he décor is t he same vintage

Next is Nellie’s Dutc h Deli [2980 Island Highway Nor t h, Nanaimo, Tel: 250 729 704 4] This place is a hidden gem Ladies in frilly aprons bustling about (no wooden clogs) making whop ping mile high sandwiches crammed to t he roof with layers of “betweens” and so large you need to crack your jaw to eat t hem The soups are ser ved in small cauldrons and made daily Then, if you have room, do a face plant into their carrot cake The place also stocks a trove of Dutch treats, spices, and sauces and other curious things I cannot pronounce, and are best lef t to the Dutch to explain

Goats on t he roof? If you have no idea what t he heck I am talking about, you need to get out of town more of ten Coombs Countr y Market on Highway # 4A [2246 Alberni Hwy, Coombs,

BC, Tel: 250 248 6272], is a must stop whet her coming or going to Tofino The goats (summer only) actually graze about on t he grass and straw roof of t he building Serious photo op! The eclectic store has lashings of food stuf fs from around the world, interesting cheeses, terrific breads, sauces, a zillion varieties of ice cream, and of course t he prerequisite whirly gigs and quirky gif ts The restaurant in the store (Coombs Café) is a place to get a decent burger, hand cut fries and scrumptious cardiac arrest mac & cheese. Not hing is glam, but it’s tasty and a lively environment and half the fun is the people watching Then, to totally round out your dive experience, hit The Oxy Pub in Old Town, Nanaimo [432 Fitzwilliam Street, Nanaimo, Tel: 250 753 3771] Located in a heritage hotel built in 1887, the Oxy has been in continuous operation, as a hotel and pub, since that date In fact, I am fairly sure it still has some of the same patrons In its histor y it has gone from classy to scar y, and now it sits in the middle, firmly planted on funky Late day hang over breakfasts are piled high with things to soak up the residual from the night before Lunches are ser ved with vats of hear ty made daily soups and a club sandwich to end all clubs Dinner, wit h a pint, has to include t he pterodactyl sized chicken wings and sweet yam fries None of it is good for you, except to soot h your soul

by Su Grimmer

What’s happening in VICTORIA ?

There are so many excellent reasons to eat out in Victoria over the next two mont hs; the first of which is the 5th Annual Dining Out For Life On March 25t h, over 60 restaurants from across Vancouver Island will donate 25% of t heir food bills to AIDS Vancouver Island In addition, 1$ from ever y Stella Ar tois sold at par ticipating restaurants on t hat day will go to fighting AIDS For a full list of par ticipating restaurants visit www diningoutforlife com

There is also good incentive to purc hase tic ke ts for t he Vancouver Island Chef’s Collaborative Local Food Festival, Defending Our Bac kyard, early t his year The event itself will be held May 30th at For t Rodd Hill, but you’ll want to buy your tickets ahead of time, as each ticket purchased before May 1st will enter you in a mont hly draw. The March 1st prize is dinner for two at The Mark , and t he April 1st prize is a weekend for two at t he Union Club Tickets are available for purchase at Spinnakers, Sips, Cook St. Village Liquor, La Piola, and other loca tions Check t heir website for more details (www iccbc ca) Looking for suit able wa ys to keep your budding foodies ent er t ained dur ing Marc h Break? Terralicious’ Spring Break Cooking & Gardening Camp is for kids 5 9 years old, and seeks to help youth develop a meaningful relationship wit h food while exploring t he ecology of an urban woodland, wetland, and market farm complete with laying chickens Activities will include learn ing to grow, cook and bake delicious, nutritious food March 8t h 12t h from 9 am 3 pm (www terralicious ca)

Spring brings good news for Victoria celiacs, wit h t he Niagara Grocer y in James Bay now stocking a wide variety of gluten free breads by Silly Yak In addition to her numerous demon stration classes of fered at French Mint, chef Denise Marchessault is now of fering celiac friendly classes as well (www frenchmint ca), and The Fairmont Empress will also be hosting a Celiac Weekend March 13t h 14t h,, including a gluten free dinner in t he Empress Room as well as a celiac friendly Af ternoon Tea.

The Moss Street Market Annual General Meeting will be held Saturday March 27th, 2010 They will also be holding two half market days April 17t h and 24t h before star ting up the regular season on May 1st Apr il br ings two conventions to Victor ia: The Canadian Highly Mig rat or y Species Foundation has par tnered wit h t he B. C. Tuna Fishermen's Association to hos t t he second

For dinner out, a family gathering, home parties or kicking back at the cabin, Tinhorn Creek has the wines for the

unique and diverse south Okanagan Golden Mile ench. Our ability to blend the grapes from these vineyards and capture the best characteristics of each site sets us apart. isit our spectacular estate winery in and experience for yourself.

NATURALLY SOUTH OKANAGAN

annual Canadian Albacore Tuna Convention and Trade Show This two day event will take place April 19 21, 2010 at the Bear Mountain Resor t, Langford, British Columbia For more informa tion, visit www canadianalbacoretuna com

The Cr ystal Garden will be home to a new food show on Thursday April 22, 2010 Culinaire, Victoria’s Premier Food Tasting Experience, will showcase our region’s best restaurants while pur veyors of fine food will be of fering samples of t heir signature items and inspired creations for you to tr y A wide selection of bite size of ferings from the area ' s best chefs and specialty food pro ducers will be available for you to sample For more information, visit www culinairevictoria com N ew to t he Sout h Island is N ut Pop Thai, in Sooke Head Chef and General Manag er, Cassandra Gillis blends the best of Thai and local flavours, of fering fresh and customized vegan, gluten and MSG free options Wanna Wafel recently opened in Market Square, ser ving aut hen tic Belgian Waf fles and Level Ground cof fee Late News: The Village Family Market on Pandora has closed its doors Veneto in t he Hotel Rialto has expanded, adding a new wine bar and opening for lunch by Rebecca Baugniet

GET BIT TER (not angr y)

Victoria Spirits, makers of the small batch, premium Victoria Gin, have come out with a new cocktail condiment to spice up your bar. With better bitters making a comeback in the revival of classic cocktails (Read more on bitters in “The Bitter and the Sweet” on page 42.) adding a dash or two of Twisted & Bitter to your Old Fashion is the perfect locally sourced cocktail ingredient. I substituted Victoria Gin for bourbon in Solomon Siegel’s Old Fashion Cocktail recipe and found the aromatic orange essence of Twisted and Bitter a perfect match Another good use is to add a few drops of this medicinal tonic to a glass of soda or sparkling water for a proven bar tender remedy for the Day After Buy online at www victoriaspirits com 100 ml bottles are $10 each,

What’s happening in the OKANAGAN ?

Check out t he fabulous Okanagan Spring Wine Festival April 30t h to May 9t h! The annual WestJet tasting remains the best overall event for sipping and swirling your way t hrough over 40 wineries wit h over 160 wines Your ticket includes: a souvenir wine glass, all your wine tasting, bread and cheese, food prepared by the Delta Chefs and a free taxi ride home. This event always sells out so buy your tickets early May 7th and 8t h Tickets at : ticketmaster ca or 250 860 1470 Delta Grand Okanagan Resor t 1310 Water Street, Kelowna Go to www thewinefestivals com for information on all of t he events of fered t his year

The Valley’s et hnic restaurant scene has exploded over t he past few months Wit h two new In dian restaurants, one Chinese and one Japanese to add to our expanding reper toire this deli cious var ie ty of nosh is a welcome addition to our g rowing lis t of eat er ies Poppadums is Kelowna’s hottest new Indian restaurant located at 118 948 McCurdy Road, Kelowna (778) 753 5563 This friendly, family run establishment invites you to Taste India! Open lunch and dinner Monday Sunday

Beautiful Peachland has a secret to share: The Blind Angler Grill This water front eater y of fers brunch, lunch and dinner A diverse menu ranges from t heir brunch special Angler Benny to loads of tapas, burgers and steaks to curries Signature dishes include Raspberr y Chicken and Sake Salmon 5899A Beach Avenue (250) 767 9264 Reser vations recommended

Chef Bernard Casavant who wowed our palates at The Sonora Room Restaurant at t he stunning Burrowing Owl Winer y has joined t he Manteo Resor t team. Now heading up t he food & beverage scene at their Wild Apple Restaurant and Lounge, Chef Bernard’s locally fo cused new menu and signature touch are a winning the hear ts of foodies and locavores alike Stay tuned for t he expansion of t heir gorg eous lakeside patio and outdoor kitc hen sure to be Kelowna’s hautest place to be t his summer 3762 Lakeshore Road (250) 860 1031

Speaking of locovores, Chef Rod Butters is of fering various delights of the canned kind in his new line of preser ves and such available at his popular Kelowna eater y and local foodie hang out, Raudz Regional Table in Kelowna www raudz com You can also listen to what Chef Butters is up to on his ‘Home Plate’ Podcast

Wine drinking vegans have to go to t he Edge of t he Ear t h to find wines made wit h zero con tact wit h animal products t he Edge of the Ear th Winer y t hat is Formerly known as Hunting Hawk Vineyards located just Nor t h of Armstrong, owners Russ and Marni Niles who are strict vegetarians, decided to star t making wines t hat t hey felt good about drinking watch for t heir of ficial launch 250 546 2164

“Don’t Panic We have Bannock!” Located in t he new Governor's Landing behind Staples on Highway 97 in West Kelowna, the Kekuli Café of fers a menu that includes bannock the famous fried bread that is a huge par t of the First Nation culture Available for catering as well the menu of fers a wide array of items 250 768 3555 Kekuli Café #505 3041 Louie Drive

Lime lovers must check out t he new product line being launched in Kelowna t his summer by Henri Persaud The magic in t he Lime Peppa Sauce and Lime Garlic Sauce, originally created over 50 years ago by his fat her Hardat h in British Guyana, has now been bottled HOT stuf f! Go to: www thepersaudoriginal com for retailer locations and recipes

What’s happening in TOFINO ?

March on t he west coast marks the star t of t he seasonal nor t hward migration of grey and hump back whales to local waters, and their annual arrival is celebrated wit h t he Pacific Rim Whale Festival This festival, usually planned to coincide with March Break , has expanded over the years to include many food and drink centred events

The first such event is actually pre festival t he 15th annual gala dinner and silent auction held at the Pointe Restaurant at the Wickaninnish Inn Whale festival organizer Marla Barker says t he Wick donates 100 per cent of t he proceeds, and t he festival would not be what it is without t his suppor t This year ’ s dinner auction is being held March 4 For tickets call t he inn at 250 725 3100 ext 222, 1 800 333 4604 or visit www wickinn com

The 24th annual festival of ficially opens on March 6 and runs until March 14 On opening day, 12 local restaurants compete for awards at the Chowder Chowdown at the Seaplane Base Recre ation Hall in Ucluelet The Sweet Indulgence Desser t Extravaganza is on March 8, with an array of homemade and chef prepared decadent treats The Mar tini Migration, on March 10, is an other popular (and usually sold out) event, featuring bot h food and cocktail creations from local restaurants Other festival foodie events include a crepe night at the Common Loaf Bake Shop (wit h proceeds going to t he Whale Festival), a community barbecue on Tofino’s Village Green, pancake breakfasts at the fire halls in Tofino and Ucluelet, and a traditional salmon and bannock barbecue to close t he festival March 14 at t he Tin Wis Best Western Resor t

Please visit www pacificrimwhalefestival com for events locations, ticket information and times Shelter Restaurant will be par ticipating in Dining out for Life on Thursday, March 25. This evening is a fundraiser for AIDS Vancouver Island, an organization dedicated to preventing in fection, providing suppor t, and reducing stigma associated wit h t he disease Twenty five per cent of food proceeds from t he night will be donated to t his non profit organization Call 250 725 3353 or visit www.shelterrestaurant.com for details and reser vations

There’s been a lot of buzz this winter about Jupiter Juicer y and Bakeshop’ s Curr y Night Al Anderson and his team are of fering take out curries and samosas ever y Tuesday through Satur day nights between 5 9pm Al calls it “noodle box style,” and I had to tr y it af ter it was described to me as t he “best food in town ” There was a choice between two Thai style curries (red and green), or an Indian one Tofu and chicken can be added, and depending on the night there might also be t he choice of lamb, pork or beef A Caribbean style pineapple and pork was a hot seller, but I opted for the Indian with chicken Great flavours, t he right amount of spice and hear ty por tions And wit h prices ranging between $10 95 $14 95, it’s also ver y fitting for t he winter time budget. Jupiter Juicer y and Bakeshop is located on t he lower level of t he big yellow building at 451 Main St (look for Westcoast Aquatic Adventures at 4t h and Main, and t he yellow building is tucked in behind) 250 725 4226

by Jen Dar t

IN DEFENSE OF FRENCH CUISINE

By Denise Marchessault

French cuisine: too rich, too much butter, far too heavy, bad for the hear t I’ve heard all the clichés

For some, the image of stodgy, ar tery clogging French food still persists I suspect people who complain about French food may be suffering from some sor t of post traumatic restau rant experience We’ve all had them

I was in my twenties travelling in London, England, when I had the oppor tunity to dine at a swank restaurant in the renowned Savoy Hotel. It was my first fine dining experience and I ordered what I thought I could pronounce without too much embarrassment: Lobster Ther mador (lobster smothered in a rich cream sauce, enriched with egg yolks and cheese). I don’t remember much about the meal, but I clearly remember how ill I felt immediately afterwards I barely made it to the hotel lobby before breaking out in a cold sweat and collapsing in front of my stunned companions I didn’t try lobster again for about 20 years But I digress

For tunately, the era of heavy French food was all but abolished decades ago by a group of renegade chefs who denounced heavy cuisine, and dodgy Lobster Thermador type dishes, in favour of a lighter, healthier, more vibrant cuisine. In fact, a strict set of rules coined the “ Ten Commandments” defined the lighter fare: thou shall not ser ve ar tery clogging heavy sauces;

thou shall respect the dietary needs of guests; thou shall not super size … I’m paraphrasing here but you get the idea. The lighter fare was later coined cuisine minceur (thin cuisine) or the more familiar nouvelle cuisine by a couple of restaurant critics touring the French coun tryside in the 1960s. In truth, the cuisine wasn’t really new. It was the wholesome, rustic fare (think pot au feu) cooked every day in rural homes and modest restaurants throughout France

Of course, rules are meant to be broken, and even commandments can be misconstrued French cuisine isn’t immune to quirky food trends and the occasional step backwards Re member when “nouvelle cuisine” went plain stupid in the 1980s with loonie sized food por tions ser ved on oversized plates decorated with cute dots of sauce dispensed from the ubiquitous squeeze bottle?

Food trends aside, the French are notoriously stubborn, and some peculiar recipes still en dure. At Le Cordon Bleu, where I studied classical French cuisine, we were taught to prepare merlan en colère, loosely translated as “pissed off fish” (with good reason). This archaic fish recipe requires one to per versely manipulate the fish in such a manner as to force its tail through its gaping mouth I don’t get it either

What does French food look like today? Well, that depends There is good French food and there is bad food masquerading as French food It’s an impor tant distinction Just be cause a restaurant labels a dish French, doesn’t mean it is I recently ordered a tarte tatin with crème anglaise I was ser ved a cold apple pie with vanilla ice cream Not even close Good French food is many things, but it is not heavy, greasy or stodgy. It can be light and ethereal like a bowl of crystal clear consommé. It can be inventive: the humble egg is trans formed into an infinite variety of dishes from dramatic soufflés to lemony hollandaise sauce. It is the ar t of food preservation: think cured fish, duck confit and charcuterie (patés, terrines and such) It can be both buttery and light in one heavenly bite; think freshly baked croissant It can be refined (vichyssoise) or rustic (ratatouille) Yes, butter is still very much a par t of French cuisine but so are modest por tions A small but delicious meal satisfies the tummy and the soul and doesn’t leave you craving more

But French food is more than just ingredients It’s a purposeful method of cooking that French chefs take very seriously The phrase most often repeated by my chefs at cooking school was “respect zee techniques!” There are, indeed, many finicky techniques to master: from fussy vegetable cuts to sauces to strain; so much to pound, whisk and knead into sub mission, but the end result … Well, let’s just say that once you’ve mastered a sauce made from homemade stock or a puff pastry made from scratch, you won’t be using pre packaged substitutes anytime soon

Classical French cooking techniques can be applied to any food Unlike some cuisines that require exotic spices or impor ted ingredients, French cuisine relies simply on what is fresh, local and seasonal It is entirely wholesome: stocks, soups and sauces do not come from a box, a can, a packet or cube; flavours are not bolstered with additives, ar tificial preser va tives or colouring agents There is no waste with French cuisine; the entire animal is used, not only the easy to cook choice cuts but the entire beast “right down to the oink.” At culinary school, every bit of peel or trim from animal or vegetable was noted with every test. Waste of any kind was a sign of a negligent and careless cook. You could say French cuisine is the original “green” cuisine.

For tunately, you don’t have to travel all the way to France to experience authentic French food If you’ve ever tucked into a plate of “steak frits” at Brasserie L’ Ecole or the cassoulet inspired “pork and beans” at Glo Europub, you’ll understand the beauty of French food with out having to renew your passpor t

The next time someone tells me “French food isn’t their thing,” I’ll bite my tongue and send them off to Choux Choux Charcuterie. A bit of pheasant paté and a crusty baguette should set them straight.

[Denise’s recipe for Spring vegetables in a Cour t Bouillon can be found at www.eatmagazine.ca/recipe

VERMOUTH

arpano Punt E Mes Vermouth Rosso aly $30 00 33 00

epending on whom you listen to, ermouth, as it is known today, was in ented by either the Germans or the Italians ometime in the sixteenth century The orig nal was known in German as wermutwein nd was a local wine infused with the itter herb wermut or wormwood and used s a curative for parasites. Punt E Mes is considered by many to be the greatest red vermouth made today The recipe for this magic elixir was invented by bar tender Antonino Carpano, in 1870, during a slow couple of hours at his bar in a blue collar neighbourhood in the hear t of Piedmont, Italy The 15 herb recipe is still a family se cret but I can tell you this: It’s slightly sweet, it’s slightly bitter and it’s absolutely delicious On the rocks, my friends!

WHITE

Oyster Bay Marlborough Chardonnay 07 New Zealand $19 00 22 00

Very fresh yet fleshy and ripe! Silky and buttery, with juicy citrus and peach flavours and a long clean crisp finish.

Saturna Island Estate Pinot Gris 2008 BC $15.00-17.00

A very pleasant surprise at a recent tasting! Clean and dry with a flinty minerality and rapier like acidity, lovely peachy, apple flavours and a supple texture. Great with oysters

RED

Ricossa Barbaresco 2005 Italy $22 00 25 00

In a province not known for its consumer friendly pricing, this must be one of the best wine values in British Columbia today! If you love Barolo and Barbaresco but cannot afford the hefty price tag these wines usu ally command then look no fur ther, we have a winner here Silky smooth with a slightly oily texture, a bouquet redolent of violets, cherries and unimaginable ear thly things, with plenty of bounce and a tannic punch that won’t lay you out cold in the second round and a finish that whispers little noth ings as it fades away gently into the good night. Absolutely delicious with a little piece of hard cheese!

Hillside Estate Syrah 2006 BC $26.00 28.00

Some of the most interesting wine produced in British Columbia is now com ing out of the Naramata Bench just outside of Penticton This is cool climate Syrah at its

best! Juicy and smoothly textured with blackberry, wild herb and mineral flavours. It is drinking beautifully right now but will continue to do so for many years to come.

Mt. Boucherie Summit Reser ve Merlot 06 BC $22.00-25.00

The fruit for this deliciously polished mer lot was sourced from vineyards in the Sim ilkameen Valley and Okanagan Falls It is on the inky side of the colour spectrum with an imposing nose and a powerful punch! Bal ance and finesse, you may well ask? Yes that too! Very impressive. It is both polished and rustic at the same time with soft, round tannins and an alluring complexity.

Falesco Vitiano Umbria IGT 2007 Italy $19.00-22.00

Vitiano is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Nicely balanced yet very ripe with cassis, raisin, chocolate and ear th aromas that vir tually jump out of the glass Full bodied and concentrated with rich fruit flavours, fine tannins and an ex tremely long finish.

Prunotto Momper tone Monferrato Rosso 06 Italy $27 00 30 00

Not exactly a textbook blend in this par t of the world but when a wine tastes this good, who cares? A blend of Barbera (60%) and Syrah (40%), Momper tone has finesse, power and rich, toasty blackberry, spice and damp ear th flavours. Very full bodied and concentrated with a hefty tannic structure that kicks in through the finnish!

Penascal Tempranillo 2005, Magnum Spain $20.00 25.00

This juicy little red from Castilla y Leon is medium bodied with ripe strawberry, spice and vanilla flavours, easy going on the palate with just enough tannin to keep it in teresting. Great value for everyday drinking.

Yabby Lake Cooralook Pinot Noir 08 Australia $21 00 23 00

Medium bodied with ripe blackberry and plum flavours, a soft and silky texture with good concentration, nicely balanced with the usual culprits, acidity and fine grained tannins The finish, yes its there and much appreciated too.

Legado Munoz Garnacha 2008 Spain $12 00 15 00

Here is one that should keep your bean counter happy Made in a slightly rustic style with warm ear th and berry flavours and a surprisingly rich texture given the humble price point Nicely balanced with finish that gets you thinking about how much you need to pay in this province for a pleasant bottle wine and a loaf of bread

LOVE WHAT WE DO IN THE HEART OF THE GOLDEN MILE BENCH

Hester Creek Estate Winery and Villa Wine Shop open daily at 10:00 am Road #8, just South of Oliver, BC Phone 250 498 4435 www.hestercreek.com

One of Vancouver Island’s newer winemakers, Averill Creek owner Andy Johnston, is also one of the biggest proponents of the great wine made here While other island wineries have been almost apologetic about being based here, augmenting their es tate grown offerings with wines made from Okanagan grapes, he proudly trumpets his estate grown selection and uses nothing but grapes grown on his nearly 30 acre Cowichan Valley vineyard on Mount Prevost, nor thwest of Duncan “I think the future of [the Vancouver Island wine] industry has to be based on growing our own grapes and creating our own identity,” he proudly states. “For me, the only way you can go that makes any kind of business sense is to grow your grapes, make your wine. I’m really quite militant about that.”

Johnston, a physician and one of the founders of Medicentres, the first primary care walk in centres in Canada, is truly putting his money where his mouth is in this regard Since pur chasing the land in 2001, he has spared no effor t to do things right from taking great pains to prep the land for vines to putting in a top quality, gravity fed winery “I did go in with a very solid business plan,” he says, “with my own independent funding That’s crucial A lot of people have come into it bit by bit and that’s a very difficult way to go ” But Johnston didn’t come to Vancouver Island simply with a business plan. He brought a passion for wine fostered by numerous stints working in wineries in France, Italy, New Zealand and Australia where he honed his viniculture and viticulture skills along the way. Though he initially looked into star ting a winery in the Okanagan, the Cowichan Valley, as it turns out, was a much better fit all around. “ This was to me a brand new oenological area which had incredible potential,” he says, “and the land was cheap In the Okanagan, you’re looking at $30,000 $75,000 an acre and you can’t find good acreage anymore My land was $7,000 an acre ”

Averill Creek’s first har vest in 2004 on his original 15 acre vineyard was a scant seven tonnes of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, a little bit of Merlot and Gewür tztraminer The following year, he planted Marechal Foch and a Marechal Foch Cabernet Sauvignon hybrid (one of the Blat tner varieties that Roger Dosman at Alderlea is also very enthusiastic about). That same year he upped his acreage under vine to 29. In the ensuing vintages, both the quality and quan tity have continually improved as the vines began to mature. In the 2009 har vest in October, those 29 acres yielded a whopping 85 tonnes of “top quality product,” 22 tonnes of which were Pinot Noir “We’re going to be making 1,500 cases of top end Pinot Noir for release in 2011,” he says, with no small amount of pride “We’ve really come a long way ” Johnston’s estimated Pinot Noir production for 2011 comes close to rivalling the total pro duction of some of his well established neighbours who, of course, have much fewer acres under vine “We’re cer tainly, by far, the biggest [in the Cowichan Valley],” he says “ There’s nobody close as far as the volume of product we’re actually growing.” And as the vines con

Best Vintages: 2005 and 2006

Tasting Room Hours: Wednesday Sunday, 11 a m 5 p m ; or by appointment Web: www.averillcreek.ca

Phone: 250 709 9986

Address: 6552 Nor th Rd., Duncan, B.C. V9L 6K9

tinue to mature and his own skills in vineyard management continue to improve, Johnston an ticipates the steep increase in production to continue “We had 3,800 cases for sale in 2009,” he explains “Next year we’ll be 5,000 plus, in 2011 we’ll be 7,000 plus, and [we may] push the 10,000 case mark within three to five years ”

Though he’s only been making wine on Vancouver Island for six years, Johnston not only believes there is great potential here, he also believes that par t of that potential lies in the fact that there is an identifiable Vancouver Island profile to be found in the locally made wines, par ticularly the Pinot Noirs. “ There is a strong Cowichan Valley Pinot Noir identity which is very pronounced black cherry flavour,” he posits. “You can see this in Roger Dos man’s, mine, Venturi Schulze, Blue Grouse. You can pick [these wines] out in a tasting and know [they’re] Cowichan Valley Pinot Noir. I think that’s very exciting for us to have that kind of identity ”

Johnston intends to do his par t to help increase the region’s notoriety The first few vin tages of his Pinot Noir have been well received and he has accordingly set his heights high for what he hopes to achieve “Simply the best Pinot Noir in Canada, for me, that’s my goal,” he says, “and I think we’re well on our way to doing it now There’s a lovely progression through our Pinot Noirs from 2004 to 2008 and you can see the wine developing as the vines get older. We will be making some of the best Pinot Noirs in Canada on this site. There’s no question in my mind about that. It’s my raison d’être.”

Averill Creek Ver tical Tasting

Sommelier Elise Love and winemaker Andy Johnson hos t ed a ver tical tasting of Averill Creek pinot gris and pinot noir at Sips Ar tisan Bistro

Averill Creek, a Cowichan Valley winer y, is known for its excellent pinot wines We tasted both the gris and noir from the 2005, ’06 and ’07 vintages The ’05 gris, which had been produced sur lie and gone through malolactic fermentation was ver y complex with balanced acidity, the ’06, from a hot year, showed riper fruit and a fuller body The ’07 from the disastrous cold and wet year, was fresh wit h peach and citrus aromas “It was good to learn t hat even in our mos t disas trous year we are able to produce pinot g r is wit h good structure and minerality,” said Johnson Johnson described the ’05 pinot noir has having a textbook pinot noir nose of “black cherr y, hints of leat her, tobacco and violets” The ’06, and ’07 noirs displayed more core structure with the ’06 showing cherr y and a smokiness while the ‘07 was still young but promising All the wines are available for sale at the winer y Sips Ar tisan Bistro, 425 Simcoe St, Victoria, 250 590 3519

SIPS sommelier Elise Love

By Michaela Morris and Michelle Bouffard

Olé Argentina!

The country’s wine industry has exploded, but wine lovers are just beginning to sample the tasty fallout.

Like that popular girl at school who was intelligent, beautiful, witty A N D nice, Argentina has the cards stacked highly in her favour Besides stun ning scenery, a rich culture and a distinct style of music and dance, in re cent years, the country has also been producing fantastic wines. If this isn’t enough, a charming, unpretentious food culture mirrors the warmth and gusto of the Argentines themselves. Only the most hard hear ted could resist being seduced When it comes to producing wine, Argentina is par ticularly blessed Separated from Chile by the Andes, this imposing mountain range plays an impor tant role in defining the wine re gion At Masi Tupungato we try hard to concentrate on tasting the wines, but it is difficult not to get distracted Directly in front of us the Andes loom proud and mesmerizing, like a Hol lywood backdrop Reaching heights of almost 7,000 metres, these omnipresent giants stop the wet weather from the Pacific entering the country, creating a semi deser t environment. Without water, only dry scrubby brush can sur vive. During our spring visit, the vibrant yel low jarilla is in full bloom. This is Argentina’s version of the French garrigue, and its per vasive heady scent is almost as distracting as the site of the Andes. Amid this arid and thirsty land scape, wineries pop up like oases in the deser t Irrigation is absolutely necessary to grow grapes and the snow capped mountains provide the water Where rain plagues so many other wine regions, growers in Argentina can relax There’s no need to rush to har vest grapes and the threat of disease and rot is vir tually non existent

In the region of Mendoza, where 70 percent of Argentina’s wine is produce, the air is clean and the sun is fierce and unforgiving. Even we who are avid sun seekers take refuge under hats and in the shade to avoid being scorched it can happen in mere minutes. We also have to remind ourselves that we are hundreds of metres above sea level. The terrain is surpris ingly flat, rising only gradually from 500 to 1,500 metres. High altitude is crucial to the qual ity of the wines. Though it is intensely hot during the day, when the sun goes down it is decidedly chilly Producers bandy around the phrase “thermal amplitude” (a good expression to remember if you want to impress) It describes the extreme difference between day and night time temperatures At the highest sites, like Catena’s Adrianna Vineyard at 1,500 me tres, the variance can be as much as 20° Celsius The cool nights allow the grapes to retain acidity even with their incredible ripeness

Just to prove that you really can’t have it all, hail is the biggest threat dogging vineyards. Due to its size, it is often referred to as piedra, meaning stone. Hail typically falls in the hottest months of January and February and the damage can be devastating, namely par tial or en tire loss of crop. To protect the vines, most wineries invest heavily in netting. A sea of black webs adds to the drama of the panorama. Despite all of Argentina’s attributes, her potential has only very recently been recognized Years of economic and political struggle have hindered progress The magnitude of innova tion and investment in both the vineyard and wineries has made a huge impact in a shor t amount of time Local pioneers, like the Catena family, as well as outside money and ex per tise have jointly propelled quality Top names from all over the world like Michel Rolland and Lur ton from France, Sogrape from Por tugal, Masi from Italy, Paul Hobbs from California and Concha y Toro from Chile all have projects here, just to name a few. The modern Argen tinean wine industry is like the bomb that has just exploded but we have yet to feel all the after effects.

The star of Argentina is of course Malbec Originally from France, where it is a minor blend ing component in Bordeaux and plays a major role in the lesser known region of Cahors, Mal bec had to leave its homeland to find fame This grape has adapted to Argentina’s unique climate to such an extent that you would think it was Malbec’s mother country Wine drinkers around the world can’t seem to get enough of it In BC alone, sales of Argentinean wine have increased about 700 percent in the past six years, most of which is Malbec As people move away from overwhelming fruit bombs, Malbec has sashayed in with the confident and skilled steps of a tango dancer to provide a welcome alternative. Winemaker Luís Cabral de Almeida from Finca Flichman describes it as a “friendly varietal for the producer, friendly for the wine maker and definitely friendly for the consumer.” We would also add food friendly.

What is not to love about this deeply coloured red with soft tannin and plenty of fruit? We have succumbed to Malbec’s immediate charms and it only gets better from there This super model has personality and a range of expression Depending on where it is planted, Malbec

takes on a different character The most recognized style is rich, fruit forward and juicy with a supple texture and lots of black fruit, typical of warmer areas at (rel atively) lower altitudes However, at higher elevations, Malbec’s floral and savoury side comes through. The wines show more restraint, elegance and min erality and have a par ticularly refreshing acidity. While some producers blend grapes from different altitudes to capture the various expressions, others are fo cusing on single sites to highlight their specific character In terms of altitude, the Uco Valley is the latest hype A couple of hours drive to the southwest of the city of Mendoza, it is closer to the Andes with overall higher elevations. Until about 15 years ago, the Uco Valley was considered too cold to ripen grapes. The sub region of Tupungato boasts Mendoza’s highest vineyards.

Malbec’s affinity with food is a vital par t of its appeal. In Argentina, enjoying wine with food is entrenched in the culture Malbec and steak? Talk about a regional match! The traditional barbecue meal is called an asado and we par take twice a day Everyone has a grill; not a mere Hibachi but an enormous outside range Steak always takes centre stage, as it should Make sure you ask for it jugosa or juicy to ensure that it is medium rare Blood sausages, chorizo, ribs, chicken, peppers, eggplant and delicious empanadas cook alongside The mouth watering smell of grilled meat constantly lingers in the air. Francis Mallmann’s restau rant 1884 in Mendoza is an absolute must; we enjoyed the single best steak of our entire lives while listening to the powerful and poignant voice of Mercedes Sosa. Lunch at winery restaurants Zuccardi and Melipal are also top notch.

Beyond the classics of Malbec and meat, Argentina has plenty of tricks up her sleeve Her flagship white is Torrontés This widely planted aromatic grape has great promise, though it is too often treated as an after thought The best combine traits of Muscat and Albariño with good freshness and sometimes even a saline quality While it is grown to a cer tain extent in Mendoza, the region of Salta in the extreme nor th of Argentina has had a longer history with Torrontés Altitudes here can be even higher than in Mendoza and it has proven to be the best area for its production.

At the other extreme of the country, in the far south, the cooler region of Patagonia is par ticularly exciting, but plantings are still limited. It sits at lower altitudes but enjoys a similar diurnal temperature variation as Mendoza. The season is shorter, favouring refreshing whites, sparkling wines and bright Pinot Noirs Malbecs from Patagonia tend to be less fruit forward than the warmer regions of Mendoza

Many other grape varieties wait in the wings with some making limited appearances here in B C Bonarda is Argentina’s second most planted red, and during our visit we were on a mis sion to try as many as possible Sadly, few were offered and even fewer make it to our shelves Do keep an eye out for the Bonarda based wines from producers La Posta and Tikal. Syrah, on the other hand, is clearly the new darling following hot on the heels of Malbec. This grape does par ticularly well when planted at higher altitudes. Surprisingly, so does Pinot Noir; at least Zorzal’s convinced us. Veneto producer Masi has found a second home for Italian grape variety Cor vina. The arid conditions in Tupungato make it very easy to dry the grapes for an Amarone style of wine As for whites, Mendel’s Sémillon was the highlight of our trip, but vineyard manager and oenologist Santiago Mayorga Boaknin explains that theirs is one of few This grape is usually relegated to sparkling wine production Friulano suffers a similar fate where much is planted but little is done with it Lur ton demonstrates that the grape can produce an interesting wine when planted at higher altitudes Similar conditions apply to Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Viognier. We tasted fantastic examples of all three.

With gorgeous vistas, pungent flora, flavourful cuisine and evocative music, Argentina ap peals as much to the senses as the emotions. When you thirst for this intensity, simply open a bottle of Malbec and turn up the haunting music of bandoneonist Astor Piazzolla. In no time you will be imagining yourself embroiled in a steamy tango.

Francisco Richardi, oenologist at Finca Agostina holding jarilla blooms

Argentina Tasting Notes

The initials VPIWF indicate wines or wineries that will be featured at the Vancouver International Playhouse Wine Festival, April 19 15, 2010

WHITE

2008 Bodega Nor ton ‘Lo Tengo’ Torrontés, $13 99 $15 (SKU #365890)

Refreshing and pretty A good one to keep in the fridge as the weather warms up (VPIWF)

2009 Susana Balbo ‘Crios’ Torrontés, $18 99 $21 (SKU #769125)

Fresh vibrant lime zest and orange blossom aromas Very floral on the nose and palate So zesty with penetrating grapefruit and saline notes. A great match with Thai food.

*2007 Luca Chardonnay, Altos de Mendoza, $38 $43

Luca is owned by Laura Catena, daughter of the trailblazing Nicolás Catena. The grapes come from high up in Tugungato Definitely one of the best Chardonnays we’ve had from Argentina Generous and luscious with ripe pineapple and pleasant lemony, buttery and hazelnut notes Complex with a long lingering finish.

RED

2008 Trivento, Syrah Reser ve, Mendoza, $12.25 $14.25 (SKU #51219)

Ripe cherry and vanilla notes burst from this fruit forward gem Rich, round and balanced, it’s the perfect par ty wine Visit their table at the Vancouver International Playhouse Wine Festival

2008 Finca Flichman ‘Misterio’ Malbec, $12 99 $15 (SKU #757245)

Simple, well made and friendly Lovely violets and blue plums An exceptionally priced Malbec Visit their table at the VPIWF.

2007 La Posta, Cocina Blend, Mendoza, $17 99 $23 (SKU# 779520)

Sixty percent Malbec with equal par ts Bonarda and Syrah to round out the blend. Cherries and plums with alluring vanilla and spice notes Supple texture and a juicy finish Is it barbecue sea son yet?

2006 Renacer ‘Punto Final’ Reser va Malbec $27 99 $31 (SKU #257071)

Rich and deep dark aromas of black licorice and dark plum Sweet ripe fruit, intense yet bal anced with nice lifted floral notes. A crowd pleaser. Drink with or without food. (VPIWF)

*2007 Schroeder ‘Saurus’ Select Pinot Noir, Patagonia, $29 $34

Seductive with great purity of fruit. Flavours of strawberries and fresh herbs with good acidity. Nice silky texture The price is especially appealing A treat with our local salmon (VPIWF) The Familia Schroeder ‘Deseado’ sparkling Torrontés is also a must try

*2009 Zorzal, Pinot Noir Reser va, Gualtallar y, Mendoza, $33 $38

Across the board, this winery was a great discovery for us Lifted aromas of peppercorn, straw berries and jarilla. Wild and gamey with generous strawberry and cherry notes on the palate. Very intriguing and an interesting expression of Pinot Noir Give it some time either in the cellar or in the glass (VPIWF) Don’t miss the 2009 Zorzal Malbec either

*2006 Gran Lur ton, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza, $34 $38

Reminiscent of Bordeaux: cassis, cigar box and tobacco with a hint of green pepper Definitely speaks of a cooler climate. Very savoury with bright fresh flavours and serious structure. The Ar gentines drink it with steak; we would pair it with local lamb (VPIWF) Be sure to try the fasci nating 2007 Gran Lur ton, Cor te Friulano as well

*2005 Enzo Bianchi, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza, $39 $44

Pronounced and appealing aromas of leather and wild blackcurrant Ear thy with firm tannin, great concentration of flavours and nice mineral under tones. Very pure, elegant and character ful Move over Bordeaux! Put away for a few years; you will be rewarded (VPIWF)

*2007 Mendel, Malbec, Mendoza, $42 $48

Attractive blood and iron aromas; smells like grilled steak. All stony and mineral on the palate. Impressive concentration of flavours balanced by a firm structure akin to the Old World Will keep on improving over the next five years Grilled steak would indeed be appropriate We are praying that the 2009 Mendel Sémillon will make it to our market soon as well.

2006 Catena Alta, Malbec, Mendoza, $54 $59 (SKU #521849)

A blend of grapes from vineyards at different altitudes. Red fruit jumps out of the glass imme diately then gives way to complex aromas of grilled herbs, sweet spice and wild flowers Great density, firm tannin and bright acidity (VPIWF) Also look out for the 2006 Catena Zapata Adrianna Malbec. Approximately $90 but one of the most elegant Malbecs Argentina has to offer. It was our coup de coeur.

*Available at private wine stores only. Prices may vary.

MIXOLOGIST By Solomon Siegel

The Bitter and the Sweet

Cocktail bitters are back, and they’re better.

Bitterness is bad. That is, at least, most people’s gut reaction to bitterness, the most sensitive of our five basic tastes (bitter, sour, sweet, salt and umami, or savoury) Our pallets evolved this way to stop us from eating toxic leaves, which taste bitter However, bitters are the spice of the cocktail world

Bitters star ted off life as medicine. As far back as Hippocrates, medicine men and women have been steeping bitter herbs in alcohol to cure what ails you; herbs such as gentian root, wormwood, citrus peal, cinchona bark (quinine), ju niper, cacao and coffee, as well as some really toxic stuff In the early 1800s, peddlers were selling bitters as cure alls Around 100 proof, they were in deed a great antidote to the morning after. Put a couple dashes of bitters in your morning brandy with some sugar and water to take the edge off, and the cocktail is born.

The first definition of the cocktail appeared in 1806 in a Hudson, New York, newspaper called The Balance and Columbian Repository. The editor’s reply to a reader’s query about the unfamiliar term “cock tail” defined it as “a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters ” Bitters were the key ingredient On their own, spirit, sugar and water was at that time called a “sling In 1806, then, a cocktail was a very spe cific drink

And the cocktail was a hit! Bar tenders star ted making their own bitters to add to cock tails or to drink unaccompanied Nowadays we speak of aromatic bitters such as angos tura, used by the dash in cer tain drinks. Or fruit bitters like orange bitters, cherry and even celery. Potable bitters can be drunk on their own or mixed, like Fernet Branca, Campari and Jägermister.

During prohibition, many old commercial brands of bitters disappeared and bar tending became an outlawed profession Quality became much less of an issue than the existence of liquor at all So, for much of the 20th century, cocktails were just about covering up the taste of alcohol, and bitters were not needed Now things have come full circle, and mixol ogists have back bars teaming with little dropper bottles of bitters Many have even started making their own, like Shawn Soole (theliquidrevolution com), who says, “I like to make my own bitters to specifically go into cer tain drinks Weird flavours that you can work with cer tain drinks but can’t source yourself through normal channels.”

So where is the original cocktail today? In a drink we call the Old Fashion. Though there are many theories on where the name comes from, I believe people in that latter half of the 19th century were ordering “a whiskey cocktail, the old fashion way.”

Out of the simple cocktail, or “old fashion,” we see the bir th of many great drinks, some labelled fancy or improved by straining out the ice and adding drops of absinthe, lemon juice or liqueurs Vermouth was added to the cocktail and the Manhattan and mar tini were born

Mixologists in Canada can have a hard time tracking down their bitters Some are easy like angostura, which are on the shelves of many corner stores. Others need to be ordered online on sites such as cocktailkingdom.com and kegworks.com.

O ld Fashion Cocktail

cool May be stored for about a month

bot tom of an old

with ice

add bourbon, stir until ice melts below the bourbon. Add more ice and stir for another 30 seconds. Pour a little more bourbon on top of the ice for aroma Twist your lemon twist over top of the glass and drop in Smile

A well stocked bar ready to make an Old Fashion Cocktail