eat magazine september | october 2014

2 EAT MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014


3www.eatmagazine.ca SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

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Cover photography by Michael Tourigny

EAT is delivered to over 300 pick-up locationsin BC including Victoria & Vancouver,Vancouver Island.

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Founder and Editor in Chief Gary HynesContributing Editor Carolyn Bateman Vancouver Contributing Editor Julie Pegg

DRINK Editor Treve RingAssistant Editor Colin Hynes

Senior Wine Writer Larry ArnoldArt Director Gary Hynes

Web Editors Cynthia Annett, Jon JohnsonAdvertising Sales: 250-384-9042, [email protected]

Regional ReportersTofino | Ucluelet: Jen Dart, Vancouver: Tim Pawsey, Okanagan: JeannetteMontgomery, Victoria: Rebecca Baugniet | Cowichan Valley-Up Island: Kirsten TylerContributors Larry Arnold, Joseph Blake, Michelle Bouffard, Holly Brooke, AdamCantor, Cinda Chavich, John Crawford, Jennifer Danter, Pam Durkin, Gillie Easdon, JeremyFerguson, Colin Hynes, Jon Johnson, Sol Kaufman, Tracey Kusiewicz, Sophie MacKenzie, SherriMartin, Danika McDowell, Jeannette Montgomery, Elizabeth Monk, Michaela Morris, SimonNattrass, Elizabeth Nyland, Tim Pawsey, Julie Pegg, Treve Ring, Kaitlyn Rosenburg,Michael Tourigny, Sylvia, Weinstock, Rebecca Wellman.

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Entertaining Al Fresco

Number and styles of cheese to serveTo create interest, serve at least five different types of cheese. To ensure each cheese stands out, select those with different shapes, colours, textures and flavours.

As a guide, try to include:

• a soft and creamy cheese, such as goat cheese

• a semisoft cheese, such as Brie, Boursin, Chevrai or Bocconcini• firmer cheeses, such as aged Balderson• a rich and tangy blue cheese• a special flavoured cheese, such as Kaltbach Swiss Cave

Aged Gruyere.

Setting up the cheese boardUnwrap your cheeses and set on the board 90 minutes before serving. Warming them to room temperature will bring out their full flavours. During that process, cover the cheeses loosely; this will, like good wine, still allow the cheese to breathe, but not allow it to dry out. To prevent the intermingling of flavours, when setting the cheeses on the board, make sure there’s space between each type. Also have a different serving knife for each type of cheese.

Customer Care: 1.800.667.8280 • thriftyfoods.com

Cheese Board 101

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Smart. Local. Delicious.

ArticlesConcierge Desk . . . . . . . 05Get Fresh . . . . . . . . . . . .08

Food Matters . . . . . . . . . .09Good For You . . . . . . . . .10Epicure At Large . . . . . . .11Community . . . . . . . . . .12Beer & a Bite . . . . . . . . . .13Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Eating Well For Less . . . .18Top 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24Dinner at the Farm . . . . .28Fermentation . . . . . . . . .36Local Kitchen . . . . . . . . .38Okanagan Wine . . . . . . .42Vincabulary . . . . . . . . . .46Wine + Terroir . . . . . . . .48Wine & Food Pairing . . .50Liquid Assets . . . . . . . . . .51The Buzz . . . . . . . . . . . . .52What the Pros Know . . .54

Behind the Scenes: PhotographerRebecca Wellman shoots an appetizer forthe Dinner at the Farm spread. Pg. 28

Colin Hynes



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www.eatmagazine.ca SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

CONCIERGEBy Rebecca Baugniet

CONT’D TOP OF THE NEXT PAGE 5

SeptemberTUESDAY NIGHT SUMMER BBQ AT THE SQUAMISH LIL'WAT CULTURAL

CENTRE (SQUAMISH)

Complete your trip to Whistler with a First Nations BBQ dinner & tour of the award-

winning Squamish Líl'wat Cultural Centre for a truly First Nations experience. Every

Tuesday from 5-8pm until Sept 23. BBQ dinner includes: Fresh Baked Bannock; Cedar

Plank West Coast Salmon Filet with Maple Glaze; Buffalo Smokies; Sage and Garlic

Chicken; Seasonal Grain or Potato Salad; Mixed Baby Greens with Blueberry Maple

Vinaigrette; Wild Rice & Barley Mushroom Pilaf; Mixed Berry Crumble; Coffee, Tea &

Non-Alcohol Beverages. Some dates sold out. (www.slcc.ca)

THE GREAT CANADIAN BEER FESTIVAL (VICTORIA)

The Great Canadian Beer Festival has become one of the worlds' must-attend beer

events. People from all over the globe seek out Victoria and the GCBF every year; the

event attracts brewers from Australia, volunteers from England and beer lovers from

all over. In support of C-Fax Santa's Anonymous, the GCBF will be held Sept 5 – 6.

(www.gcbf.com)

SAVOUR COWICHAN FESTIVAL (COWICHAN VALLEY)

A delicious, delectable and exciting event with over forty artisan food and

drink producers from the Cowichan Valley region, hosting more than fifty

epicurean events over 10 days. Guests will have opportunities to explore and

sample wines, ciders, spirits and beer of the region with barrel tastings,

winery & cider tours and new releases. Participate behind the scenes; meet

master winemakers, cider makers, brewmasters and the sommeliers that love

them. Sept 26-Oct 5. (www.tourismcowichan.com/festivals-events/savour-

cowichan-festival/)

FEAST OF FIELDS (METRO VANCOUVER AND VANCOUVER ISLAND)

Metro Vancouver’s Feast of Fields is taking place at Bremner’s Farm (Home of Well-

brook Winery) this year on Sept. 7. Vancouver Island’s Feast of Fields will be held at

Kildara Farm, Sept. 14. The event highlights the connections between producer and

chef, field and table, and farm folks and city folks. This is a gastronomic journey to-

wards a sustainable, local food system. $95 or $15 for children’s tickets.

www.feastoffields.com.

MADRONA FARM’S CHEF SURVIVAL CHALLENGE (VICTORIA & SHAWIGAN)

The 7th Annual Chef Survival Challenge will take place at Madrona Farm on Sunday,

Sept 7. Tickets are $40 per person/ $100 per family, and are now available on the

website and at the Madrona Farm Vegetable Stand, 4217 Blenkinsop Road. Cheer on

the region's finest chefs as they compete to find the best ingredients on the farm, then

bid on the meals they create. Prizes and gift certificates from participating restaurants

will be given away as well. This year, the Chef Survival Challenge will be heading to

Shawnigan’s O.U.R. Ecovilllage on Oct 5. Visit the website for more info.

(www.chefsurvivalchallenge.com)

BEST CATCH SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD FESTIVAL (RICHMOND)

The third annual Best Catch Sustainable Seafood Festival will be held Sept 14. Hosted

by the Gulf of Georgia Cannery, this free community event promotes the value of

making ocean-friendly seafood choices. The festival features live cooking demonstra-

tions, canning workshops, live music, children's activities and more.

(www.bestcatchfestival.org)

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I love the September light. It’s a clear but warm, goldencoloured light – a photographer’s dream. I spent manyVancouver Island Feast of Fields wandering around the groundswith my old Nikon taking pictures of the chefs and all thewonderful food. The photos always looked so good, so appetizing.It seemed you only had to aim the camera and the results wereamazing. One year I was in the Okanagan at a chef’s potluckdinner set way up in a pinot noir vineyard overlooking the lake.We ate, drank and talked for hours. The setting and view werespectacular. Again, that clear, golden fall light set the moodperfectly. I have the pictures to remind me of how beautiful itwas it.

This year I’m looking forward to another gorgeous September when the days are sunnyand still warm, and it’s once again festival season in BC. There are many new food eventsnow. Of course, there’s still the venerable Feast of Fields, taking place this year at Kildara

Farm in Saanich and in Vancouver at Wellbrooke Winery. But there is also the wildlypopular Brewery and Beast at Phillips Brewery, Sip and Savour Salt Spring Island, FlavourGourmet Picnic in the Comox Valley, Savour Cowichan and in the Okanagan the FallWine Festival. In addition, there are many small food and wine events sprinkled aroundthe province. We truly have it good here in BC.To celebrate the bounty and the fall season, EAT hosted our own al fresco dinner at

Starling Lane, a farm and former winery. We invited EAT friends to cook and to share andour own Rebecca Wellman photographed the event in all its culinary glory. Check outthe spread and try a few of the recipes. I invite you to turn the pages of our fall issue and discover all the wonderful things

going on around here. You might even bring along your own camera when you go tothem, and create some amazing reminders yourself. If you do, send us your best foodpics. We’ll create a page on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/EATmagazine) toshow off all the best ones. Send your photos to [email protected] with the subjectline EAT Fall Photos. —Gary Hynes, Editor.

Editor’s Note


� � � � � � � � � � � � � HAND-CRAFTED BREAD MADE WITH FRESHLY STONE-MILLED FLOUR AND ONLY CERTIFIED ORGANIC OR SUSTAINABLY GROWN LOCAL INGREDIENTS . NATURALLY LEAVENED AND BAKED TO CRUSTY PERFECTION IN WOOD-FIRED BRICK OVENS. � � � � � � � � � � �


FEAST PORTLAND (PORTLAND, OREGON)Sept 18-21. At EAT HQ Feast Portland is one of the most talked about festivals we

attend. Considered the “flagship food & drink of the Pacific Northwest” it’s a 4-day

showcase for Portland’s food cumminity with large-scale tastings, intimate sit-down

dinners, hands-on classes, live culinary demonstrations, thought-provoking speakers,

and industry get-togethers. You gotta go. (feastportland.com)

SIP AND SAVOUR SALT SPRING (SALT SPRING ISLAND)

The 4th annual edition of this festival shines the spotlight on the natural abundance

of Salt Spring Island. On Sept 19-21, Sip & Savour Salt Spring unites growers, food

producers, chefs and vintners from Salt Spring Island and the Vancouver Island

region with local and BC vintners in mélanges a trois of culinary magic.

(www.sipandsavoursaltspring.com)

VICTORIA WINE FESTIVAL (VICTORIA)

Over twenty wineries will be represented at the inaugural Victoria Wine

Festival, taking place at the Parkside Hotel and Spa on Sep 26.

SEE PAGE 45 FOR MORE INFO.

2014 APPLE FESTIVAL (SALT SPRING)

The Salt Spring Island Apple Festival is an incredible little community event, attract-

ing about 1500 apple lovers, celebrating the apples (and food) of Salt Spring Island

and connecting you with the farms and farmers that produce this very special diver-

sity of tasty, healthy food. Spring's apple history dates back to 1860. Sept 28, 9am –

5pm. (www.saltspringapplefestival.com)

OctoberTHE ART OF THE COCKTAIL (VICTORIA)The Art of the Cocktail is a special weekend-long event fundraiser for theVictoria Film Festival. The Grand Cocktail Tasting returns and public tast-ings and special events will be held from Oct 4-6. (www.artofthecocktail.ca).

BC WINE AWARDS RECEPTION & TASTING (FRASER VALLEY)A phenomenal way to launch the Fall Okanagan Wine Festival. Be the first to see who

wins at the annual British Columbia Wine Awards and have the rare opportunity to

taste the best of British Columbia wines first hand. There are only 100 tickets available

so book early. Speak to winemakers, savour local foods, and sip your way through a

great evening. This is a Get Home Safe event, sponsored by BC Liquor Stores and

Valley First Insurance. Oct 1 (www.thewinefestivals.com) FALL OKANAGAN WINE FESTIVAL (OKANAGAN)With signature events happening at wineries and other venues across the Okanagan

from Oct 3-13, this is a great way to get acquainted with the region USA Today just

named the world’s second best wine region to visit. (thewinefestivals.com)

22nd ANNUAL BITE OF NANAIMO (NANAIMO)Oct. 17 from 4pm- 9pm at the Beban Park Auditorium. The Bite is TheatreOne's biggest

annual fundraiser and Nanaimo's original gourmet food fair, featuring the city’s best

local restaurants, pubs, bakeries and cafés. (www.theatreone.org).

GOLD MEDAL PLATES (VICTORIA) This celebration of Canadian Excellence in food, wine, entertainment and athletics is

held in 11 Canadian cities and has raised over $7.4 million to date for Canada's

Olympic athletes. This year’s event will be held this year on Oct 30 at the Victoria

Conference Centre. Tickets are available now. (www.goldmedalplates.com)

ONGOING & UP AHEADMOSS STREET MARKET (VICTORIA)

The big news is that the market, now in its 23rd year, is going year round. The

regular season goes from May through October, every Saturday, 10am to 2pm and the

winter markets will be held November through April, every Saturday, 10am to noon,

in the Garry Oak Room

CORNUCOPIA (WHISTLER)Whistler's annual wine and food extravaganza, Nov 6-16 (www.whistlercornucopia.com)

www.eatmagazine.ca SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014 7

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The SoBo Cookbook: Recipes from the Tofino Restaurantat the End of the Canadian Road

The iconic city of Tofino is

recognized up and down the

west coast (and beyond) as

the ultimate surf destination. Its

gorgeous beaches and myriad surf

shops are what spring to mind when

one first hears the name. But there’s

more to be loved about Tofino than

just the surfing.

Enter SoBo. What started out as a

food truck, before food trucks had

really exploded into the mainstream,

hidden away behind—you guessed

it—a surf shop, has since grown into

its own full on restaurant. Chef Lisa

Ahier hit on a taste that locals and tourists alike just couldn’t get enough of. Now,

like Tofino itself, people recognize the name SoBo far and wide, and travel from

all over just have take a bite themselves. In a natural next step for this west coast

success story, Ahier has now published some of her best recipes in The SoBo

Cookbook: Recipes from the Tofino Restaurant at the End of the Canadian Road. While

there’s no reproducing the expert touch that Ahier puts into her work, or the

charming atmosphere of SoBo restaurant’s home in central Tofino, SoBo lovers

can now bring a little piece of SoBo flavour home with them. From Surfer

Noodle Soup, to the Rhubarb Custard Pie (which Bolen Books’ own Colin Holt

declares to be “worth the price of the book itself”), these unique and delicious

dishes are sure to be instant favourites. And with recipes for breakfast, dessert, and

everything in between, Ahier has made sure that this book covers all the bases.

She’s even included profiles of some of the producers responsible for the locally

sourced ingredients that go into SoBo’s mouthwatering food.

On top of the fantastic recipes, The SoBo Cookbook includes a collection of

photography by local outdoor photographer Jeremy Koreski to help capture the

Tofino spirit. After all, that spirit is an important part of what SoBo is, and it

comes through in every bite.

Author: Lisa Ahier

The SoBo Cookbook: Recipes from theTofino Restaurant at the End of theCanadian Road is available at BolenBooks for $29.95.

111-1644 Hillside Ave., Victoriawww.bolen.bc.ca(250) 595-4232

EAT SPECIAL PROMOTION

GET FRESH By Sylvia Weinstock

Makes 4 burritos

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed1 1/2 cups cooked short grain brown rice 2 tsp olive oil1 cup chopped Walla Walla onions2 garlic cloves, minced1 sweet red pepper, chopped1 tsp kosher salt2 tsp ground cumin1/4 tsp cayenne 1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed3/4 cup cheese, grated4 large tortilla wraps

Preheat oven to 425 F. Place squash on abaking sheet lined with tinfoil. Drizzle with oliveoil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for45 minutes until tender. Remove from the oven.

In a large sauté pan over medium-low heat,add oil, onion, and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes,stirring frequently. Add salt and spices and stirwell. Stir in chopped red pepper, black beansand rice, and sauté 10 minutes on low heat. Add1 ½ cups of squash to the pan and mash it witha fork to break it into smaller pieces. Stir tocombine all ingredients. Add cheese and placea lid on the pan until it melts. Place filling in eachtortilla. Top with avocado slices, salsa, sourcream and/or cilantro if desired. Wrap up slicein half, and serve.

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Burritos

E

Winter SquashWinter squash is a fall fave for everything from curries to cupcakes.

AS I WRITE THIS in early July, the three types of winter squash I planted in late springare burgeoning into healthy plants with beautiful yellow flowers and enormous greenleaves. This is the first time I’ve grown squash, and watching these plants grow byleaps and bounds every day has been a delight. I planted each one in its own hugebarrel, placed in the sunniest spots in my vegetable garden, and enriched their bedswith compost and organic fertilizer. The Baby Blue Hubbard and Table Queen acornsquash plants (grown from West Coast Seeds’ seeds) have already filled their barrels tothe brim. The Uchiki Red Kuri has run amok, overflowing its container andproducing six-foot-long stems that jut out every which way.While I wait for the harvest, I dream of dishes I’ll prepare with the succulent squash

flesh. My squash reveries often centre on soup. I’ll give it a Thai twist with coconutmilk, grated gingerroot for some sparkle, chilies to spice up the broth and balance thesweetness of the squash and coconut milk, and some homegrown garlic. Along witha mirepoix of carrots, celery and my homegrown Spanish onions, I may add a peeled,cored apple from my apple tree. After the soup has simmered, I’ll puree it to a silkysmooth consistency. I’ll make spicy West African squash peanut soup with onions caramelized in peanut

oil, jalapeño peppers, peanuts, garlic, carrots, celery and numerous spices, includingcoriander, hot paprika, cumin, cinnamon and cloves. The scent is so divine, I’m think-ing of dabbing some behind my ears as perfume.When my pears, onions and acorn squash are ready, I’ll make Heidi Fink’s Golden

Harvest Soup from Island Chefs’ Collaborative’s On the Flavour Trail (TouchwoodEditions, 2013). The cookbook has several other enticing squash recipes.Instead of the usual brown sugar/ butter combo, I’ll slather squash halves with peach

butter (made with pureed cooked peaches, lemon juice and sugar) sprinkle them withnutmeg, salt and pepper, and bake them for 45 minutes at 400 F. The sweetness and moist texture of squash is ideal for cupcakes, tarts, custards, bread

puddings, cakes and other desserts. Squash can be used to replace pumpkin or sweetpotatoes in many recipes.These versatile, nutritious vegetable-fruits, with their radiant autumnal yellow and

orange colours, will brighten up your sweet and savoury fall dishes.

Hubbard Squash


www.eatmagazine.ca SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014 9

Knowing Your Onions

THE INSPIRATION FOR THIS COLUMN came from a Walla Walla onion gentlymassaged with a scant teaspoon of fine olive oil, enclosed in tinfoil and placed in a400-degree oven for 40 minutes. The onion, near collapse, had released a clear juice.I spooned the liquid over the golden orb, added a dash of cracked pepper and a fewcrystals of salt. It was a sweet epiphany. A repeat performance was accompanied bymarinated grilled and sliced flank steak (also economical) a few days later with equalgustatory pleasure. I love onions but until recently didn’t give them much thought. It was a matter of

choosing among yellow, red or white. The first I cooked; the second and third I usedmost often raw, in salsas and salads. Lately though I had become curious about the odd shapes of onions I’ve spied at

farmers’ markets in the past couple of years—the red “torpedoes” and those thatlooked like they’ve been squashed with a back of a frying pan. And what made thatWalla Walla so sweetly different?A snoop into Wikipedia disclosed that the Walla Walla’s original seed hailed from

Corsica and its gentle sweetness is due to its low sulfur content. (The same applies tothe Vidalia.) Further investigation into The Complete Book of Fruits and Vegetables(Crown Publishers 1976) revealed much more. Treated as a vegetable, the bulb is,botanically, an herb, genus Allium and a member of the lily family. The red “torpedo”onion is actually the “Florence long.” Flavourful yet mild, I found it delightful raw orgently cooked (believe me red onions can be as eye-watering to cut into as theiryellow cousins.) Deborah Madison (The Savory Way, Bantam 1990) recommends usingthe torpedo in her Red Onion Tian recipe. The onion far outweighs the tomatoes,peppers, thyme, even the six cloves of garlic called for. Slow-baked, the mixture isserved either warm or cold, piled on top of grilled polenta or on grilled bread latheredwith garlic mayonnaise. The “flat” onions are cippolini (borrettane) whose originalroots lie in Emilia-Romagna. Not surprisingly, they suit being pickled in balsamic vine-gar, also native to the region.It seems the common cooking onion, also of Italian heritage is close relative of, the

Milan coppery and remains my go-to onion. In this case it’s a matter of knowing whatto do with your onions. As long as the bulb is firm and fresh it is perfectly fine for cook-ing or pickling. (I seek out small round onions for pickling—or peel away a few layersof a larger bulb)The onion for me has always gone hand in hand with cheese. (As a kid I used to

smother cheesy casseroles with French’s French Fried Onions.)Nowadays I love a cauliflower gratin smothered with caramelized onions, which,

since I’m on the subject, also do wonders for a pizza. My favourite grilled cheese? Slicesof granary bread stuffed with English farmhouse cheese and lots of caramelized onionjam. Onion jam is simply a whack of sliced onions slowly sweated over low heat invinegar or wine or (my preference) sherry, maybe some stock with a smatter of thymeand sugar until the whole lot becomes golden brown, soft and sticky. Rarely seen about these parts and utterly delicious is egg, bacon and onion pie—a

sort of chunky Anglo quiche. Salt and peppered eggs, barely whisked, are poured overthick slices of fried bacon and onion. I, of course, like to toss in a handful of cheddar.Hands down, though, the French have the ayes for the best cheese/onion combo—

onion soup. What’s not to like about digging through layers of melted Gruyere cheeseand toasted bread to get to a savoury broth filled with dark sweet onion? I make a richstock from roasted beef bones, to which I add a few sprigs of fresh rosemary (or thyme)and red wine (some pundits swear by chicken stock and white wine). The onions,(admittedly the large, mildly sweet Spanish onion is best but not vital) browned oh-so-slowly in a well-seasoned cast-iron pan, need only a little assistance from butter. Iopt for quality Gruyere, but on the rare occasion I make onion soup on a whim withcommercial broth, I’ll resort to grating whatever I have about—Swiss, Gouda,Fontina… because really, it’s all about getting to know my onions.

FOOD MATTERS By Julie Pegg

Julie Pegg delves into the types and uses of the humbleonion.

FIND US ONHOTELGRANDPACIFIC.COM | 250.380.4458 |

WWW.OUGHTRED.COME



GOOD FOR YOU By Pam Durkin

Going to SeedFor those not yet seed-savvy, here are Pam Durkin’s topfive “good-for-you” seeds, guaranteed to enhance bothyour health and your culinary creations. THEY MAY BE TINY IN SIZE, but they’re making a big splash on the culinary scene.“Super-seeds” are becoming increasingly popular and are frequently the staringredient in everything from breads to smoothies and desserts. And there’s goodreason—super-seeds offer enormous nutritional benefits and a wealth of delicioustastes and textures.

CHIA Once a staple in the diets of the Mayans, chia seeds are now enjoying arenaissance thanks to their amazing nutritional profile. The diminutive seeds are teem-ing with essential nutrients like protein, calcium, iron, omega-3 fatty acids and disease-fighting antioxidants. A mere ounce contains 42 percent of the recommended dailyintake (RDI) for fibre, more omega-3s than an ounce of salmon and 18 percent of theRDI for calcium. Studies indicate chia’s powerhouse mix of nutrients can help stabi-lize blood sugar and lower cholesterol, making them a potential weapon in the battleagainst heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. Try adding chia to salads, grain dishes,cereals—or to thicken yogurt or juice into a pudding.

FLAX Once used only to make paint, flax has enjoyed newfound fame as a “healthfood.” The moniker is fitting. Flax is the plant world’s richest source of a group ofcancer-fighting compounds called lignans. In addition, they are chock-full of omega-3 fatty acids, which can help stave off heart disease and improve cognitive function.Furthermore, recent research suggests flax seeds may help reverse kidney damage andfight bacterial and fungal infections. One important factor to consider before usingflax—the seeds must be ground to release their nutrients. The ground seeds add a nuttytaste and texture to all sorts of baked goods and are scrumptious mixed into cereal oryogurt!

HEMP You won’t get high chowing down on hemp seeds, but you certainly willenhance your health. These mildly flavoured seeds are loaded with vitamin E,calcium, iron, phosphorous and zinc. In addition, they have a perfect 3:1 omega-6 toomega-3 fatty acid ratio. What’s more, one of the dominant omega-6 fats in hemp isGLA—a fatty acid renowned for reducing inflammation and improving skin texture.Another unique characteristic of hemp seeds is that they contain all essential aminoacids, making them a valuable protein source for vegetarians. Their “pine-nut-like”flavour makes them an excellent addition to pestos, salads, smoothies, energy barsand even desserts.

PUMPKIN Pumpkin seeds have been a popular snack in many countries forcenturies. However, only recently have scientists discovered the bevy of nutrients—some in unrivalled amounts—that the jade-coloured seeds contain. These truly “super”seeds are an excellent source of antioxidants, B vitamins, iron, magnesium, zinc,protein and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. In fact, just one ounce of pumpkinseeds contains more protein than an ounce of meat, 30 percent of the RDI for iron anda host of free-radical-fighting antioxidants, including carotenoids, polyphenols andplant sterols. Their slightly smoky flavour renders them super in the kitchen too. InAfrica, the ground seeds are commonly used to thicken soups and stews, but they’realso a delight in pasta dishes, pestos and as a coating for various filets.

SESAME Eastern cultures have touted the benefits of sesame seeds for thousands ofyears. Modern science has now confirmed this ancient wisdom. Research reveals theoval-shaped seeds are abundant in health-enhancing Vitamin B1, copper, manganese,calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, iron, selenium and zinc. In addition, they containmore phytosterols than any other seed or nut and play host to two unique lignans—sesamin and sesamolin. These two astounding compounds can help lower bloodpressure and cholesterol, increase serum Vitamin E levels and knockout cancer cells.Thankfully, all this nutrition comes in a delicious package. Sesame seeds elevate theflavour of rice dishes, breads, stir-fries, baked goods and more. Their distinct flavouralso shines in the seed butter called tahini or in the Middle Eastern treat halvah. E



The cephalopods octopus and squid make for delicioussmart food.

Octopi Victoria

EPICURE AT LARGE By Jeremy Ferguson

IMAGINE (BUT WE CAN’T, CAN WE?) the evolutionary cirque about 550 millionyears ago: primordial crustaceans—worms, not oysters and scallops—were beingeliminated. But one branch of the family learned to survive and grow by liberating it-self from its shell. Its contemporary descendents are the cephalopods, most notably theoctopus and squid. Of all the mollusks in all the seas, none are more intelligent than these two, with

their large heads, muscular tentacles and capacity to unleash an ink sac in repulsingpredators.But there’s still more to this wondrous evolution, especially in the case of the little-

understood octopus: it can change both colour and texture, camouflaging itself in lessthan a second. Its ink contains tyrosinase, a compound that impairs a predator’s senses.It can taste and possibly see with its tentacles, and its eyes are almost identical to ours.It also shares such human characteristics as emotions and individual personalities.With its eight “arms” or tentacles, an octopus can kick-start your sense of wonder

with any one of them.Our local is the giant Pacific octopus. The largest on record weighed 272 kilograms

and measured 9.1 metres across. According to the Seattle Aquarium, it can use its hardbeak so forcefully, a full-grown octopus can squeeze through a hole the size of a lemon. Smart food. So at every sitting we question the ethics of consuming a creature so intelligent, so

mysterious. But then come the aromas, and it’s c’est la vie, baby. Koreans eat their octopus raw (squirm at National Geographic’s video at

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/skorea-liveoctopus-pp). Southeast Asians eat itwith fish sauce and lime. The Japanese serve it as sashimi, often with the texture of asoccer ball. Greeks and Italians prefer it grilled over charcoal, the happiest ofmarriages. Canadians usually run away from it. Happily, Victoria celebrates cephalopod royalty: from day one, local chef Peter

Zambri has offered an “octopus of the day,” showcasing the versatility of the species.The Globe and Mail fell hard for Zambri’s octopus marinated in vegetable broth,dredged in cornstarch and flash-fried to astonishing tenderness and delicacy. Both Foo Asian Street Food and Ulla are noted for their imaginative octopus salads.

And if what’s happening south of the border inevitably comes our way, look forwardto octopus terrine, confit and risotto.Want to give it a whirl? FAS in James Bay almost always has it. It’s a by-catch,

explains spokesperson Carmel Curtis. It gets into the company’s prawn traps, is frozenat sea and sells for about $9 a pound in the Victoria store. Google turns up recipes to tickle every palate. It calls for tenderizing: slow cooking

for an hour or so seems to do the trick. Just don’t overcook or it’ll be tougher than aTibetan yak. Squid is a different story. It’s been a gastro-fave on this continent ever since it took

on the Italian “calamari” and arrived as an excuse to eat batter, grease and salt (yer’umble scribe has been known to succumb, too). But not all squid flies out of the deep-fryer: I’ve eaten boiled squid intestines for

breakfast in Japan; it was like chewing a garden rake. The best squid I’ve everencountered was in Spain’s Basque country, where a chef named Jesus produced amiracle of minced baby squids huddled in a swell of ink sauce black as tar.Why don’t we see fresh squid here? “Our waters are too cold,” says Ken Norbury,

owner of Sidney’s excellent Satellite Fish Co. “There’s just not enough for a commer-cial industry. What comes in is used for halibut bait.”To try squid at its freshest and best, you’ll have to go to Seattle, to the super

Vietnamese restaurant Monsoon, run by Vietnam-born, Edmonton-raised Eric Banh.A signature dish is fresh baby squid from Monterey Bay. Bahn stuffs the toddlers withminced duck, grills them over charcoal and accents with five-spice, basil and shiitakemushrooms. It’s so good you want to return before you’ve left. E

1528 Whiffen Spit Road, Sooke, BC Tel: 250-642-3421

Inn fRestaurant gGallery aSpa

for your holiday season events, parties, and winter get-aways!

Book [email protected]



The whole beast

- -

A few summers ago, I was visitingmy sister and her family inVancouver. When dinnertime rolledaround, her nine-year-old son cameinto the kitchen and offered to makea salad. My eyes widened and Ilooked at my sister in bewilder-ment—my nephew was, at the time,known for his highly selective eatinghabits. As far as I knew, salad did notfeature in his diet. As the mother ofsome rather selective eaters myself, I

was desperate to know what could possibly have brought about such a dramaticchange. Salad? I pondered, as though it was the final frontier. Later, in hushed tonesso as not to jinx anything, my sister explained. A program called Growing Chefs! hadcome into my nephew’s Grade 3 classroom that year. Over the course of severalmonths, they had learned about growing food, preparing food, knife skills…. Theclasses were all taught by local chefs, she said, and then her tone grew serious. “It wascompletely transformative,” she told me. “He tried a bunch of new foods he neverwould have tried at home, he learned how to chop carrots and cucumbers, he makesus salad.” I listened enviously to her glowing review, hoping the program might makeit over to the Island some time in the near future.Growing Chefs! Chefs for Children’s Urban Agriculture is a registered charity whose main

aim is to get kids excited about good, healthy food. And, as countless lucky parents likemy sister will attest, the program is succeeding. When you take all the dinner-tablepolitics out of the equation, kids are far more open and receptive to trying new things.The program was founded in Vancouver in 2005 when pastry chef Merri Schwartzwanted to see the knowledge housed in professional kitchens about food sustainabil-ity, nutrition and local agriculture exported beyond the kitchen walls. Her goal infounding Growing Chefs was to connect chefs and growers to their communitiesthrough a fun and empowering educational program. Since 2006, it has grown froma pilot project with four chefs in two schools to implementation in more than 30elementary school classrooms across British Columbia, with the involvement of 120volunteer chefs. Earlier this year it launched its first program in Victoria, offeringlessons at Vic West Elementary from March to June.Ceri Barlow, Island Chefs Collaborative vice president and volunteer chef was eager to

get involved and help implement the program in Victoria because she believes whole-heartedly in supporting local, sustainable food, and because she has observed thedisconnect between children and food sources first-hand. “I had to send my son toschool with lunches filled with packaged foods because he would get teased if hebrought in fresh vegetables. There’s a whole generation of kids who are growing up notknowing where food comes from, and we can do something about that.” She describesher experience in the classroom as being thoroughly rewarding and the response fromstudents and their families overwhelmingly positive. One of her favourite memoriesinvolves introducing a class to a new vegetable. “Andrew Paumier [ICC member, chefat Malahat Chalet and fellow Growing Chefs volunteer] brought in the mostbeautiful jicama I had ever seen. None of the kids in the class knew what it was, butthey all tried it, and at the end of the year, 11 out of the 18 students named jicama astheir favourite vegetable!” Growing Chefs! is in need of more volunteers and funding to be able to bring this

worthwhile program to even more children. To learn more, visit www.growingchefs.ca.

The Vancouver-based program is connecting schoolkids with local chefs and food growers for atransformative classroom experience.

COMMUNITY By Rebecca Baugniet

Growing Chefs

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Growing Chefs! volunteer Ceri Barlow

I.C.C


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Colin Hynes

A Beer and a Bite By Colin Hynes

The Beer:

Nómada Royal Porter A La Taza (Barcelona, Spain)This is an excellent example of a porter, maybe one ofthe best we have had. It has that warming sensationthat you crave in a fall drink, while still remainingsmooth and very drinkable. It is strong, but the alcoholdoesn’t overpower (even though it hits 10.5%). It’s full-bodied and slightly sweet with roasted caramel anddried fruit flavours. It also has a massive foamingquality, we poured not even 2 cm and the foam filledthe glass. The colour? Think A&W root beer.ABV: 10.5%, nomadabrewing.com

The Conclusion: We loved it.

It’s always nice once theweather begins to turncool to have a darker,heavier beer that can pairwith many of the meatydishes of fall. Together,these two selections workgreat. The sweetness ofthe porter plays off theonions, crisp acidity ofthe apples and the spicyheat from the radishesperfectly. The roastedflavours in the porter andgrilled flavour of porkmingle in the best waypossible. We think thisjust may be the perfectcombo for the job.

The Bite:Pan-fried Double Pork* with Apple and Onions

Pork and crisp new season apples scream fall. Once theonion and apple slices start to caramelize in butter andthe smell wafts through your home you can’t help butlook outside and expect to see leaves changing colourand falling.

* This dish lends itself well to that autumn transition period, sinceyou can start the pork on the barbecue if it is warm (and dry) enoughor cook inside on the stove if you're on the winter side of fall.

Royal Porter andDouble Pork Chop withHazelnutsandButter Carmelized Apple & Spicy Radish

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“Never underestimate how much assistance, how much satisfaction,how much comfort, how much soul and transcendence there mightbe in a well-made taco and a cold bottle of beer.” — Tom Robbins, Jitterbug Perfume



In the mid-1980s, Spinnakers Gastro Brewpublaunched a revolution. The waterfront publichouse with views of the Victoria skyline andbusy harbour is the oldest brewpub in Canadaand arguably the oldest gastropub in the world.A gastropub that opened in London, England, in1991 is often cited incorrectly as the world’s old-

est. Thirty-five local farmers and producers provide farm-to-

table fresh ingredients for breakfast, lunch and dinnermenus at Spinnakers featuring traditional fish and chips,Nut Brown Ale pork bangers and mash, thin-crust pizzas,outstanding salmon filet sandwiches, the Spinnakers’Brew Pub burger, and a beet and lentil burger for vegetar-ians.A dozen year-round brews (my faves are Spinnakers’ IPA

and hoppy German Kölsch.), plus a bevy of specialseasonal brews, a well-curated wine list and cocktail

offerings are the heart of this pub’s liquid assets. With aconvivial, family setting and more serious libation studyin the cozy room upstairs, Spinnakers is a cherished localinstitution.Traced back to Roman taverns, Anglo-Saxon alehouses

and 19th-century tied houses attached to a single brewery,pubs have evolved but remain primarily neighbourhoodhangouts. My neighbourhood pub is the Penny FarthingOld English Pub. It’s a favourite despite my Upstairs-Downstairs Anglophobia, a cozy, relaxed reflection of OakBay’s roots and old world image.There’s a nice selection of local favourites (Phillips,

Lighthouse, Vancouver Island, Driftwood, Hoyne) and adozen European beers with lots of Irish offerings.Monday’s two-for-one fish and chips special, Tuesday’slamb and beef shepherd’s pie and Sunday’s prime rib roastwith mashed potatoes and Yorkshire pudding keep theTweed Curtain myth alive and kicking, as does the English

breakfast served all day Saturday and Sunday.The Irish Times downtown is another theme pub with

live Celtic music every night (people like Jeremy Walshand the Grapes of Wrath’s Tom Hooper), as well as aGaelic menu featuring Irish stew with dumplings andIrish soda bread. I like the corned beef and cabbage, themussels-and-fries nod to local cuisine and the current UKpub fare, such as champ (creamy mashed potatoes andchopped spring onions) and vindaloo chicken curry withnaan and jasmine rice. Moon Under Water’s brewery in Rock Bay offers a 100-

seat café, including a private function room off theentrance with a mosaic floor tiled in 65,000 pennies. Sixsmall-lot, unfiltered offerings include a German/WestCoast-inspired pilsner (Potts Pils), Light Side of the Moon(a light lager made with 20 percent rice malt), a dry anddark lager (Creepy Uncle Dunkel), a very hoppy IPA anda 60-percent wheat Hefeweizen.

Words by Joseph BlakePhotography by Rebecca Wellman

The Great Victoria Pub Revolution

REPORTER

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Spinnakers: West Coast Fish Plate - house smoked salmon, tuna tartar, bacon wrapped smoked oysters, kelp crackers and Wilbury Farm'sHazelnut Pate, Beetroot hummus, pickled onions & island grown greens with crostini.

Swans: Swan Song Burger - house made beef patty, mushrooms, cheddar cheese, crispy fried banana peppers, Swans beer braised onions.

Strathcona: Tuna Tacos – fresh fennel and coriander seared albacore tuna on flour tortilla with miso orange aioli & pickled sea asparagus.

Bard: Marinated Grilled Flank Steak & Frites - with buttermilk battered crispy onion rings, dressed arugula salad and Chimichurri Sauce.

Moon Under Water: Moon Burger - house ground beef, bacon, Dunkel braised onion patty, preserved lemon aioli, sundried tomato. ketchup.

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Menu portions are very generous. The Fanny Bay oysterburger is a crispy and juicy mouthful, as is the Moroccanchicken club sandwich (grilled chicken breast with mixed-fruit chutney, curried onions and Swiss cheese on thicksourdough bread.) In addition to the six in-house brews,Moon offers a well-curated selection of suds from Oregon,Quebec, Belgium, Barkerville and neighbouring Phillips.B.C. wines too.Swans Pub is worth a visit just for the nightly live music

and the late Michael Williams’s phenomenal collection ofgallery-quality, local art on the walls. Pub staples such asyam fries, seafood chowder and quesadillas are the bestthings on the menu with nine Swans brews on tap. I likethe oatmeal stout, Riley’s Scotch ale and the extra IPA. Youcan order a sampler and find your own favourites.Ross Bay Pub is a short walk from my house, where I can

try more than a dozen local and imported beers on tap.On Saturday, you get $5 off any bottle of VQA wine, andthere are lots of drink specials during the week. Brunch onSaturday and Sunday is a good deal as is Monday night’s $2soft taco special and Wednesday’s $5 plate of chickenwings.The Bard and Banker is a Government Street Scottish

cousin of Matt McNeil’s Penny Farthing and Irish Times.They’ve got 30 beers on tap and live music nightly by TheRiverside, Electric Timber, Lola Parks and others. The bankbuilding was founded in 1862 and employed writer RobertService in 1903. It’s rumoured he slept in the bank’s vaultat night, hence the pub’s name.The classy, 320-seat pub grows its own herbs and micro-

greens and dumped their traditional pub menu in July infavour of a more modern, West Coast style with almosteverything prepared from scratch. Lunch and dinner high-lights include warm goat cheese appetizer, several creativesalads, fresh oysters, Salt Spring mussels, ale-battered HaidaGwaii halibut and chips, rotisserie chicken and the Bardbeef burger. The room is open to families with kids until 9p.m.Also worthy of honourable mention from a long list of

local establishments are Central Saanich’s venerable PrairieInn, the Strathcona Hotel’s UK-inspired Sticky Wicket andCanoe Brewpub featuring live music Thursday-Saturdayand chef Gabe Miller’s small plates of local charcuterie,mussels, wings and crispy squid. Recently, Garrick’s Headin the Bedford Regency has opened The Churchill nextdoor. Between them they have over 100 beers on tap.Spinnakers has led the local trend in gastropubs with

their focus on farm-to-table relationships with farmers andproducers, a trend followed by Bard and Banker's newmenu. We've got a handful of great craft breweries, andnow they're beginning to offer pub food that equals theirbrewing craft.

Bard and Banker, 1022 Government St.

Canoe Brewpub, 450 Swift St.

Garrick's Head Pub,1140 Government St,

Irish Times, 1200 Government St.

Penny Farthing Old English Pub,2228 Oak Bay Ave.

Prairie Inn, 7806 East Saanich Rd.

Moon Under Water Brewpub,350 Bay St.

Ross Bay Pub, 1516 Fairfield Rd.

Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub,308 Catherine St.Sticky Wicket Pub,919 Douglas St.

Swans Brewpub, 506 PandoraAve., 250-361-3310

VICTORIA’S TOP PUBS1

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Fishhook’s lure is wild, sustainable and smoked seafood with a menu of tartines (open-faced sand-wiches), salads, chowders and a daily curry. At the helm is chef Kunal Ghose, the mastermind behindRed Fish Blue Fish. Having left his post at the deep fryer there (he is still a shareholder), Ghose joinedforces with Steve Kerr of Hook Fine Foods, a Qualicum Beach-based smoked fish business that was theoriginal tenant of the Fort Street space. Both share a love of local and sustainable ingredients, especiallyseafood. Ghose needed a new project, and Kerr needed someone to herald his quality product. After two months of kitchen renovations, and a few tweaks to the interior, Fishhook was hatched. Dark

slate walls are enhanced by blond live-edge wood tables (made by Ghose and a friend) and a few dec-orative driftwood elements for that West Coast feeling. The space seats 10, with an additional long com-munal table to accommodate stand-around eating. After seven years cooking out of a recycled shipping container and speaking to people through a port-

hole, the 650-square-foot space seems palatial to Ghose. “We have an air-conditioned space now,” hesays, “and we can talk to customers! I feel much more part of the community.” Why the tartines? “I was inspired by the foods of my childhood—tuna melts, cheese on toast and sar-

dines on toast,” Ghose explains. There are nine tartines to choose from at Fishhook, from the inspirationaltuna melt with Hook smoked cheddar to a po boy of smoked oysters to the devilled egg creatively anddeliciously served with a harissa emulsion alongside candied salmon tapenade and micro greens. Theonly non-fish tartine is a riff on the Greek salad featuring local goat-feta-olive tapenade, pickled shal-lots and a flavourful herb pistou with sliced tomato and cucumber. One of the salads is a seasonal pickle plate, a colourful celebration of organic baby carrots, golden

beets, heirloom tomatoes, French breakfast radishes and Japanese turnip. Lightly pickled, with a de-lightful smoked tuna tonatta sauce for dipping, it is beautiful to behold and a joy to consume. It’s not just the quality of the ingredients that shine through at Fishhook but Ghose’s talent as a chef.

He clearly understands how to marry flavours with restraint to achieve a harmonized finish. ThePondicherry fish curry, for example, balances cumin and cardamom with halibut, tomato and spinach,while red chile provides a pleasurable, even heat. Served over fragrant basmati rice, a topping of crispyshallots adds a textural note, and freshly chopped cilantro a note of bright green herbaceousness. Thechowder is a luscious balance of thyme-chili roasted potatoes with coconut milk and lightly smoked fishbroth with chunks of halibut and salmon.Hook’s smoked fish is also available for take home. And for a sweet finish, Fishhook offers luscious

frozen dessert selections from paleta artisans Kid Sister. My advice: get there before you’re caught atthe end of the line.

Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. BY SHELORA SHELDAN

805 Fort St. | 250-477-0470 | fishhookvic.com

Fishhook

EATPresentsfrom Australia

JANE FERRARIHosted by

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In an exclusive

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Fishhook is the latest quick-serve eatery to enter the hot-spot arena at Fort and Blanshardstreets. left: Chef & co-owner Kunal Ghose. right: 'The Belly' - Broiled-seared wild salmon bellydog and smoked tuna belly. 'The Deviled Egg' - Free range hard boiled egg, harrisa emulsion,candied salmon tapenade, lox, micro greens.

Rebecca Wellm

an



EATING WELL FOR LESS By Elizabeth Monk

Elizabeth Nyland

Elizabeth Nyland

Lunch at the beautiful restaurant at the Inn at Laurel Point, sitting oceanside and enjoying the view of theInner Harbour? Yes, please. There are ways to enjoy the luxurious atmosphere at Aura for a bit less at lunch.For delicate beauty and intricate flavours, the Deep-fried Sushi from the appetizer menu for $13 is thrillingto look at and to eat. It is a deconstructed sushi roll with a long rectangle of rice at the base, crisped upon the exterior. It is decorated with torched albacore tuna, sidestripe shrimp, spicy scallops and sweetonion salad. Finishing touches are bright orange-red tobiko (flying fish roe) and shiso leaf (a herb from themint family). If one conventional sushi roll is enough for lunch for you, then this can be a light lunch,especially considering that the bread of the day is also served ahead of time. The day I went, this was atender and appetizing Dijon and cheddar scone. For people searching for heartier fare, the Hot Pork KatsuDog for $14 is the way to go. But don’t be expecting a cylindrical item of obscure provenance. This isbasically a Japanese pork schnitzel bursting out of a bun made of sweet, eggy challah bread. It’s drizzledwith a vegetable sauce called tonkatsu and topped with shredded nori and shiso. On the side is a news-paper cone of fries. Considering the top-notch real estate you’re inhabiting as you enjoy your lunch, thisis a really fair price. Last but not least is the controversial Ploughman’s Lunch for $21—controversial becausemy server says people sometimes share it, making it well within my column’s spending range, but Ipersonally could eat it all while being stubbornly resistant to sharing any of it. Meaty duck rillettes? Mine.La Sauvagine cheese from Quebec, with the same creamy mouth-feel of a great crème brûlée? All for me.Several other meats, baguette, pickled vegetables and edible flowers complete this dish. And what reallycompletes this dish—once again, the amazing view.

680 Montreal St. | Inn at Laurel Point | 250-414-6739 |www.aurarestaurant.ca

Aura Waterfront Restaurantand Patio

Pie and the Sky

Hot Pork Katsu Dog - skewered breaded pork & red onion, tonkatsu aioli, shiso,coleslaw, nori julienne, challah bun, pomme frites

Three diffeerent venues with one thing in common: creative and affordable food.

Deep Fried Sushi:torched albacore tuna,side stripe shrimp,spicy scallops, sweetonion salad, shiso leaf,tobiko, wasabi mayo

Elizabeth Nyland



Pie and the Sky

250-590-45564136 WILKINSON RD

WWW.CROOKEDGOOSEBISTRO.CA

250-383-1545CORNER OF CROFT & SIMCOE IN JAMES BAY

WWW.HERONROCKBISTRO.CA

LOCAL FOOD, BEER, WINE & LIVE MUSICAT 2 GREAT NEIGHBOURHOOD BISTROS!

Elizabeth Nyland

Jubilee (soon-to-be Forbes) Pharmacy | 851 Johnson St. atQuadra | 778-433-1471

Palate

Many changes are afoot at this pharmacy-cum-café-cum-health food store. Currently, there’s a soupand sandwich counter there called Palate. Depending on the day, the soup could be carrot-lentil, of thestand-your-fork-up-in-it variety. This pureed soup comes with some crackers from the store—mine werecheese crackers—and some fantastic, buttery, garlicky croutons. You can also get classic grilled sand-wiches for $5.50 with ingredients of your choice. The meat is from Market on Yates, and they have agood quality grill. The sandwich comes out looking like a giant Ruffles potato chip, which I absolutelythink is a good thing, and looks even more enticing served as it is on a rough-hewn, rustic wood plate.The dessert case is intriguing with many of the options coming from Crust Bakery. As one example, theRaw Vegan Rolos have good chewiness, and the chocolate exterior is almost savoury. Meantime, inSeptember and October a friendly transition will be happening, and chef Joseph Blake, with Empressand Wolfgang Puck credentials, will be gradually taking over. He’ll be keeping the juice and coffee bar,and will be introducing the “IdealMe” concept. In this, meals are presented that are nutrient-rich, highprotein, low carb, and as organic and local as possible. Examples I tried are Tomato and Poblano ChiliSoup, Yam and Shallot Breakfast Quiche, and Gluten-free Banana Pancakes, all simple, wholesome, andtasty. These are packed up in Mason jars for busy but health-conscious buyers on the go; they can evenbe ordered for a week’s worth of meals. They will also be available at the deli counter for counter serv-ice. Whenever you visit in the evolution of this café, you will find something interesting.

Vegan brownies and the Prosciutto kale salad

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Chicken Pot Pie

Elizabeth Nyland

Hudson Market, 1701 Douglas St. at Fisgard | 250-885-5220 |www.victoriapieco.com

The Victoria Pie Company

Two years ago, Robyn Larocque was a policy analyst with the Ministry of Children and FamilyDevelopment and doing her MBA part-time. Last year, she was experiencing the wake-up call of her lifeas she fought cervical cancer. This year, she is the successful producer of succulent pies at The VictoriaPie Company at the Hudson Market. It was clear to her that life can be unpredictable, and you need tofollow your dream. She parlayed her love of baking and did research, which showed her a gap in themarket. I suppose you could say she has shut Victoria’s pie hole. Let’s start with the Chicken Pot Pie for$7 five-inch pie, the house bestseller. This circus-top pie is stuffed to bursting with delicious ingredients—Cowichan Valley free-range chicken, potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, garlic and crushed tarragon, allin a house-made butter and cream sauce. For a more grab-and-go, eat-on-the-fly option, there are “HandPies” for $5 such as the sausage, white cheddar and mashed potato one I tried. The pastry had thetexture of buttery, crumbly cheddar biscuits that I associate with Christmas, and the filling was generouslycheesy. Vegetarian options abound; I’ve tried the Mushroom Gruyère Quiche for $6.50 a slice or $18for the whole pie. This quiche was pleasantly firm thanks to a base of potato, and the mushrooms andcheese were accented with white wine, garlic and thyme. You can add a side salad to any of thesedishes for a bit more. These pies are now a key component of my take-home dinner arsenal, thanks totheir fair prices and general likeability—I have seriously never met anyone who doesn’t love a good pie.And, lately of great importance, she can do gluten-free pies on special order.


9 web writers, 40 new articles/month =the best food coverage in Victoria.

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Cook Culture Goes to Town

NEWS

The community-minded cookware store purchases Cookworks to take on Vancouver. —By Sol Kaufman

The high-quality cookware industry is small—so small that when Dave Werner,owner of Vancouver’s Cookworks, decided to sell his business, his Victoria competitorJed Grieve of Cook Culture was his first call. “We were looking to grow,” says Grieve,“but more looking at the island because Vancouver is a big nut to crack. But as soonas this opportunity came up we said yeah, no problem.” The merger means a triplingin size for Cook Culture, new product lines for Vancouver and lower prices forVictoria. But most important, it will bring Grieve’s ethos of community involvementto Vancouver’s food scene.A strong food culture begins at home, and patrons of the Victoria store know that

Grieve and his staff are an amazing resource for cooking techniques and overall know-how. This concerted effort on behalf of the store fosters and strengthens Victoria’scommunity of home cooks and foodies, and Vancouverites have the same to lookforward to as Grieve and his staff pass on their experience to the ready and willingemployees at Cookworks. “It’s huge for me to get a staff that are so excited about grow-ing the business,” he says. “They want to be the very best kitchen store there is, andthey’re excited about doing it.”Grieve’s focus on community involvement also extends into the realm of

professional cooking through hiring local chefs as educators as well as supportinggroups like the Island Chefs Collaborative as a sustaining sponsor. He plans to build afull demo kitchen into the Cookworks on Broadway and is looking to collaborate withVancouver chefs through his friend Ned Bell, board member of the Chef’s TableSociety of BC and executive chef of YEW Seafood in Vancouver’s west end. “We’vebeen talking about some chefs who are really engaged in the city and want to see theculture thrive,” says Grieve. “I want to be able to continue the mission we do inVictoria, and guys like Ned will make that job pretty easy.Though the allure of Cook Culture is in more than its inventory, it all started with

the fundamentals of a good cookware store. In the past 20 years, Jed Grieve has gonefrom his mother’s housewares store to opening his own in 2010. His vision was for asleek, modern shop far different from the gadget-filled menagerie of kitchen storespast. “A lot of us now want real hardware,” he says. “You want a store you can takeseriously, where you feel like you’re getting the right information and the right gear.”Cook Culture features products like Miyabi knives, Bamix stick blenders and Staubcookware, with many products offered only under a single, hand-picked brand. TheVancouver stores will follow suit. “We’re evolving the inventory towards more of aCook Culture style,” says Grieve. “We want to take it to what people are looking fornow, more specialty.”Though the purchase is putting a lot on his plate, Grieve’s excitement about

Vancouver is infectious. “It’s such an electric city,” he says. “It’s crazy how plugged inpeople are to food. The energy over there is just awesome.”

Cook Culture, cookculture.com1317 Blanshard St., Victoria

Cookworks, cookworks.ca1548 W. Broadway, Vancouver377 Howe St., Vancouver

Kaitlyn R

osenburg

Jed & ReganGrieve


Dried pineapple, croissants, fruit tarts, bananas… This is what fuels Frenchprofessional cyclists, and when nutritionist and semi-pro Dave Vukets rode with thenational team in 2008, their snacks put his energy gels to shame. “They don’t use anysport nutrition products, it’s really weird,” he says. Later, he began working on recipesfor cycle-centric Musette Caffe in Vancouver, and his all-natural energy bars reallytook off. Dave now plans to take them nationwide through his new company, Prima Foods,

which focuses on creating fresh, real and delicious food for athletes — withoutcompromises. “You know, I could replace the dates with some syrup, make the barscheaper and buy some new carbon wheels…” We’re pretty sure he’s joking. Read moreon Dave’s Prima bars online at eatprima.com. —Sol Kaufman

If you happen to find yourself in Oliver,British Columbia on Saturday, October4th head on over to Hester Creek EstateWinery. They’re holding their 3rdAnnual Garlic Festival in support of theOliver Elementary School Farm-to-TableLunch Program. This program feeds the school a local,

healthy lunch twice a week for themajority of the year. Entrance to thefestival is free but guests are asked for adonation to go to the program. Last yearover 1,500 guests donated $2,200. There will be food carts, local artisans

including local bread, gelato, jams andjellies as well as local art; photography,pottery, etc.

As for garlic there will be lots of that! Generally half of the vendors will have local,fresh bulbs harvested that morning.The wine shop is open all day and will feature tastings and food and wine pairings

with a focus on garlic.

Hester Creek Estate Winery877 Road 8, Oliver, BC TollFree: 1 (866) 498-4435hestercreek.com


www. cavavictoria.com 250.590.7982

Eat well. Have fun.

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North VanSmall BatchEnergy Bars

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Hester CreekGarlic Festival


Gỏi cuốn (or Vietnamese saladrolls) are the quintessentialsummer food, perfect for picnicsand eating light. Salad rolls aretypically filled with meat such aspork, chicken, shrimp and or tofuand fresh veggies such as carrots,cucumbers and lettuce thenwrapped in rice paper sheets.They are neither fried nor fatten-ing and usually gluten free. It’sthe perfect handheld snack andone is never enough. Though, if we’re being honest, it’s really the dipping sauce thatreally makes these rolls so darn good; enjoy them with either a hoisin peanut sauce,or a traditional nước chấm (fish sauce) and you are set.Salad rolls are fairly common nowadays and most people will have either seen them,

eaten them or might even make them at home. But as a traditional Vietnamese snack-food we decided to see which local restaurants are serving up the best. Some restaurants however, (those we’ve included) are doing that little something

extra, with their salad rolls that make them noteworthy. And it’s not just Vietnameserestaurants either that are adding their spin on this delicious little morsel. Here are ourTop Five locations to enjoy fresh salad rolls:


Now open year-round!

MossStreetMarket.com

MossSt.Market

Victoria�s premier farmers market

Winter MarketSaturdays10am-noon

Nov-Apr(indoors in the

Garry Oak Room)

Regular SeasonSaturdays10am-2pmMay-Oct

(outdoors at SirJames Douglas school)

Victoria’s Top Five (+1) Salad Rolls

Kims Vietnamese 748 Johnson St. (250) 385-0455You can’t go wrong with Kims. They’ve been a staple in Victoria for over 20 years andthey do a good solid salad roll. In fact, when I was there, several large orders both inhouse and to go were placed. Kims offers two choices: Gỏi Cuốn (3 rolls): Shrimp, slicedpork, lettuce and rice noodles. The rolls are served with a warm peanut sauce andsirracha. $8.95. Gỏi Cuốn Chay (Vegetarian, 3 rolls): Rice noodles, tofu, and lettuce.Simple, firm, sweet and tasty. $8.25

Pho Vuong 622 Fisgard St. (250) 590-6787This hidden little gem of a restaurant isserving some of the best salad rolls I’veever had. They offer two rolls: Gỏi Cuốn(Summer Roll): Shrimp, thinly slicedsteamed pork, lettuce, cucumbers andcarrots served with a house made peanutsauce. $3.50. And, Gỏi Cuốn Chay(Vegetarian): Tofu is optional but muchbetter with it. $3.15

The Marina Restaurant (marinarestaurant.com) 1327 Beach Drive (250) 598-8555Shrimp Salad Rolls: A combined creation of chef Jeff Keenliside and sous chef GabrielFayerman-Hansen, these rolls are as beautiful on the plate as they are in taste. Loadedwith Ocean Wise Oregon side-stripe shrimp, whole leaves of Thai basil, cilantro, peasprouts, potato starch noodles, carrots and toasted cashews. The roll is accompaniedwith a traditional nuoc cham sauce and a nuoc cham aioli. Enjoy this as a light snackor a starter to your main. Fresh, light and incredibly flavourful. $14

Top 5 Text & photos by Holly Brooke

Ten years ago, Victoria had less than a handful ofVietnamese restaurants, today there are more than ten.

Kims Vietnamese Tofu Salad Roll

Pho Vuong Salad Roll


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Oak Bay Marina Salad Roll Saigon Night Shrimp Salad Roll

Noodle Cart Jungle Roll Noodle Box Shrimp Lettuce Wrap

Saigon Night 915 Fort St. (250) 384-2971One of the longest operating Vietnamese restaurants in Victoria is run by thelovely Thuy. She is so sweet and generous and the salad rolls are alwaysconsistent; fresh, made to order and very reasonably priced. Saigon Night offersfive different varieties:

(3 rolls per order, $7.75)Gỏi Cuốn Tom– Pan fried pork, steamed shrimp and rice noodlesGỏi Cuốn Tom Ga - shrimp, chicken and rice noodles Gỏi Cuốn Tom– shrimp and rice noodlesBi Cuon– pork and rice noodles Gỏi Cuốn Chay– tofu, lettuce, carrots, rice noodles

Noodle Cart (noodlecart.com) 1018 Blanshard St. (250) 477-3883The Jungle Roll (3 pieces, $9.00)What make’s this roll is definitely the Green Jungle Sauce, and it’s top secret!

All I can say is that it’s green and it’s good! I was told that it is made from a mixof Thai herbs and fish sauce with mint being a dominant flavour. The roll ismade with broad rice noodles, fresh basil, lettuce, mint, carrot, ground pork andshitake mushrooms. Vegetarian is also an option with tofu.

Surprise! We’ve included a sixth favorite in our list.

Noodle Box (noodlebox.net) 818 Douglas St. (250) 384-1314 and 626 FisgardSt. (250) 360-1312While this next mention is essentially a lettuce wrap but so juicy good, wedecided it was definitely worth the nod. If you’re looking for a low carb saladroll/wrap then we’ve found the place to go.Shrimp Lettuce Wrap $8.00 - Ocean wise shrimp, Asian slaw; a mix of carrots,

cabbage, kale and bok choi tossed in a house made fish sauce and served with aKorean style dipping sauce and several crisp romaine leaves. Try adding a sideof the Satay Peanut sauce (gluten free and vegan) and you won’t bedisappointed.



MAKING IT NEW AGAIN

Have you heard? We’re in the midst of a Golden Age — we’re in the GoldenAge of craft beer. It’s amazing, and Victoria, in particular, is chock-full ofsome really excellent breweries. However, like all trends worth payingattention to, there’s always someone who is years ahead of the curve. InVictoria, that “someone” is undoubtedly Swans. Have you heard of it? Of

course you have. What you might not know is that Swans has been brewing beer since1989. You know those memes, Buzzfeeds, or “click bait” links demonstrating how “yourparents were hipster before hipster was even hipster?” In some ways, that’s a useful wayto think about this Lower Johnson classic — Swans was “craft” before craft beer waseven a thing. 2014 marks the 25th anniversary of Swans, and along with the celebration comes

international hotelier turned Swans General Manager Theresa Dickinson. Theresa is keento draw on her expertize and experiences to help Swans meet its full potential as aninternationally recognized brewery and hotel, while — and this is important — retain-ing the qualities that make Swans work: “It’s about breathing new life into Swans.” While many things work really well at Swans — the food, the service, the nightly live

music, that stunning totem pole by local artist Godfrey Stephens — what particularlystands out is the beer. “For us it’s all about the beer—this is what we’re the best at,”Theresa describes. The beer, of course, begins with the Brewmaster, and Swansundoubtedly has one of the best around. Andrew Tessier has been brewing with Swanssince 2003, and he’s been brewing for over 20 years. “Andrew brings innovation andexperience,” Theresa describes — “He really understands the truth and tradition of whatgreat beer is, but he’s happy to play with that — to a point.” If, like me, you’ve had yourfair (and I mean fair) share of Swans brewed beer, you’ll recognize that with Andrewthere’s a real commitment to making beer “right”: he’s been using the same top drawerhops, malts, and yeast ordered straight from the UK since 2003. As craft as Swans mightbe, with Swans you’re not going to find those gimmicky beers which —ahem — seemto have been hopping up lately. You know the beers I mean: severely overhoppedconcoctions that taste of nothing but hops floating in water, or donut flavored beersthat creepily taste like Lucky Charms cereal. What’s important is that Andrew’s approach works, and this commitment to quality

and attention to detail hasn’t gone unnoticed: in just eleven years Andrew’s brewingefforts have yielded 31 awards (including brewpub of the year in 2006), and just thisyear — for the third year in a row — the Swans Arctic Kölsch was awarded a medal at the2014 CPAs. The awards don’t stop there: admittedly not an “official” award, the SwansDSP (Double Shot Porter—made lovingly with espresso from Victoria coffee pros CaféFantastico) is a personal favorite of both myself and, more importantly, former We Arethe City guitarist turned Snoqualmie frontman Blake Enemark, who enthusiasticallytouts himself as “a big fan” of the DSP. I have vague recollections of a serious DSPsession with Blake way back in 2011, but I digress. While, yes, Swans is a brewery committed to developing and refining a tried and true

formula for top-tier beers, they’re not afraid of experimentation and creativity. The DSP,as mentioned, is truly a modern classic, the Berry Ale is prepared with real raspberries(and you can really taste them), while the Coconut Porter (the brewery’s best sellingseasonal) is a refreshing and unique deviation from the eternal onslaught of chocolateand espresso porters (of course, in the words of Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza,“notthat there’s anything wrong with that”). So what’s new at Swans for their 25th anniversary? As an anniversary gift to

themselves, Swans has completely redesigned the Swans beer labels for 2014. While thenew labels pop — the colors are pretty much amazing — the labels’ carefully consideredand striking design sustain the identity and character of Swans that has made this puba Victoria fixture. Outside of this, you can expect a subtle revamp of the already

stunning (and fun as hell) physical space, and monthly seasonal beer releases—eachaccompanied by “a proper launch.” Much to my girlfriend’s dismay, I’m not much of a dancer. We used to frequent Swans

along with friends for that very reason — dancing. Despite my inability to cut a rug, Istill enthusiastically agreed to head to Swans whenever it was suggested because, well,the beer. But that’s not the only reason I’ve always been drawn to Swans. When takinga look around the place on a Friday around 10pm, you kind of see everything: a groupof friends furiously dancing to Michael Jackson covers, a couple sharing an intimatedinner on the patio, or two weirdos refusing to dance and instead drinking (and reallyenjoying) too many DSPs. There really isn’t anywhere like it in all of Victoria, and it’shard not to agree with Theresa in her suggestion that the magic of Swans stems from alovingly crafted combination of hops, malts, and yeasts: “The heart and soul of thisproperty is the beer, and it’s the best in Victoria.”

Swans Hotel & Brewpub, 506 Pandora Ave, Victoria, BC, (250) 361-3310www.swanshotel.com

left: Beer might be the foundation for Swans' success, but it's not the only reason to go. Expectcreative interpretations on pub-grub classics, like the Oven Baked Chorizo Mac & Cheese. right:Swans General Manager Theresa Dickinson (left) and Brewmaster Andrew Tessier (right)."Andrew is absolutely outstanding. I worked a full day in the brewery with Andrew—we madeIPA together. It was totally rewarding, but back breaking work!" General Manager TheresaDickinson explains.

Swans Hotel & Brewpub CelebratesIts 25th Anniversary. By Jon Johnson


To mark 25 years of brewingexcellence, Swans completelyredesigned their beer labels for2014.


THE DEERHOLME FORAGING BOOKby Bill JonesTouchwood Editions, April 2014($29.95)

One of the first things that hits you when you meet Bill Jonesis his unassuming generosity. Whether he is doing a cookingdemonstration at a market, volunteering his time at the seafoodfestival or a fundraiser for Providence Farm, telling a story abouthis great friend and mentor the late James Barber (the “UrbanPeasant”), or inviting you to share a field-to-table feast at hishome, Deerholme Farm in the Cowichan Valley, Jones is eagerto share his time, expertise and passion for all our ediblenatural resources. This generosity is on full display in his eleventh cookbook,

The Deerholme Foraging Book, in which the French-trained chef,mycologist, expert forager and award-winning author offers usan essential compendium that is sure to inspire readers torediscover, as Jones puts it, “the lost close connections andrhythms with the seasons we all used to share.” Jones has beenhosting foraging excursions and other culinary events atDeerholme Farm for the past nine years and draws on thisextensive experience to fill his latest book with helpful tips, hisown colour photographs, and tempting, approachable recipes,each one showcasing wild foods. The Deerholme Foraging Bookcould sit comfortably on a coffee table, kitchen cookbook shelfor even the bedside table, as Jones’s writing is equal partsinformative, entertaining and philosophical, with passagesreminiscent of Thoreau’s nature writing and approach toobserving climate and terrain. Divided into four main sections, the book is flawlessly organ-

ized and user friendly. The first of these sections, Pathway to


Foraging, arms us with basic foraging survivalskills, a wealth of useful information for harvest-ing in the wild as well as potential hazards. Thispart could perhaps have used a few more guide-lines or resources on how to identify or avoidpollutants, though Jones is clear from the outsetthat the book “is not designed to be a field guideto foraging” (and his advice to get “as far away aspossible from civilization” is certainly a good start-ing point). The second section, Building a WildFoods Pantry, shares techniques for preservingwild foods and enjoying them year round: dried,powdered, preserved or canned; infused inalcohol, oils and vinegars; or in salts. In the thirdsection—A Wild Foods Primer—Jones offers anoverview of many of the wild foods found in thePacific Northwest, covering berries, greens, mush-rooms, seaweed, shellfish and crustaceans. The fourth and largest section includes more

than a hundred recipes featuring foraged ingredi-ents and demonstrates Jones’s intimate knowledgeand deep respect for the traditional ways theseingredients have been used. As he writes in hisintroduction, “Here on Vancouver Island, one caneasily imagine the local First Nations villages werea beehive of foraging activity. They were probablyfollowing their favourite food source over theBering Strait (then bridged by ice) to settle on thefertile shores and valleys of the coast. Here, foodwas abundant and rich in nutrients. Largeseasonal harvests of berries, shellfish and salmoncould be preserved and stockpiled, allowing timeto develop a complex culture.” Try the Wild BerryBannock or Smoked Salmon with Honey andGrand Fir Needles to see how Jones employs andriffs on traditional First Nations’ techniques andflavours. Asian influences also play an important role, as

visible in recipes like Warm Wild Sushi andForaged Greens with Spot Prawns. When askedabout this aspect of his cooking, Jones explainsthat his “first culinary love was Chinese cooking,”and indeed his first cookbook was New WorldNoodles written with Stephen Wong in 1997. Hehas worked in Hong Kong and Guangzhou,China, and his “interests have expanded now toinclude Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean andMalaysian cooking.”Foraging will serve you well through all seasons,

but fall is peak time for mushrooms, and therecipes included here, such as Wild MushroomVelouté, Chanterelle Tomato Sauce or GrilledFlank Steak with Wild Mushroom Rub willdefinitely inspire you to get outdoors and takeadvantage of what is readily available in ourforests. If you’d like to visit Deerholme Farm your-self, Jones is hosting several foraging excursionsand mushroom dinners throughout October andNovember. If you can’t visit Deerholme in person,The Deerholme Foraging Book is without a doubt thevery next best thing. www.deerholme.com

BOOK REVIEW By Rebecca Baugniet



Dinner atthe Farm

Stilton, Pumpkin Flan with Poached Pears Bouillabaisse with Mussels, Clams and Crab Legs


Bouillabaisse with Mussels, Clams and Crab Legs

29www.eatmagazine.ca JULY | AUGUST 2014

Photography REBECCA WELLMANArt Direction GARY HYNES andCOLIN HYNESTable Design CYNTHIA ANNETT

Apple Tart Tatin



THE APPETIZERS

Austin’s Citrus PorkBelly with Kimchi

Yield 18 canapesNote: start the kimchi one week prior toserving or purchase pre-prepared kimchi.

Pork Belly3 lbs pork belly… ask your butcher½ cup kosher salt2 star anise1 cup soy sauce1 cup sherry vinegar1 cup cilantro, chopped ,1 thai chili chopped2 zested oranges plus the juice2 zested lemon plus the juice4 cups pork or chicken stock

Heat the oven to 300 degrees.Cover pork bellywith a mixture of the salt, zests, star anise,juices, cilantro and chili. Cover with foil andplace in oven for several hours until tender.Take the lid off and crank the heat for the last½ hour to render the skin.Cool down and slice into small strips.

Kimchi2 lbs napa cabbage, shredded½ cups kosher salt12 cups cold water2 cups daikon radish, shredded1/3 cup Korean red pepper powder¼ cup fish sauce½ cup minced ginger1 tble minced garlic2 tble Korean salted shrimp1 1/2 tble white sugar

Place in air tight container and stir all togetherand then put on lid and let ferment. It is bestto let ferment for 1 week. Open the lid andrelease the gases every few days.

Potato Latka4 yukon potato, peeled4 small carrot, peeled4 tb chives, chopped

With a mandoline (like a Benriner) juliennethe vegetables and press together to get thestarch to release. Keeping the vegetablestogether, press into canapé mold and place onbaking sheets. Bake for several minutes. Onceready to use deep fry until golden brown anddelicious.

To Serve: Use the latka as the base for canapé,layering the kimchi and the warm sliced porkbelly on top.

On a warm, early fall evening, EAT loaded up the car with supplies andheaded to a heritage farm for dinner. We invited friends, chefs from a localcaterer, a winery, and a brewery to help us celebrate the end of a greatsummer and enjoy an amazing outdoor feast. We ate salmon, pork belly with kimchi, and halloumi skewers. We dined onsalads and a great big pot of Island shellfish bouillabaisse, served family-style. Then, we finished with upside-down apple tart tatin and fresh localfigs, spiced fritters, and caramel ice cream.

Grilled HalloumiSkewers withCaponata

Guests walk through the farm to the table set-up in a plum orchard

Menu & Recipes by JP GREEN and JENA STEWART of Truffles Catering

Recipes cont’d on page 32


Austin’s Citrus Pork Bellywith Kimchi

Brûlée Fresh Fig, FiveSpice Apple Fritter, &Caramel Ice Cream

The Drinkspictured above: Italian Sodas - Pink Peppercorn, Thymeand Ginger & Lavender and Babe’s Honey. below left: BlueGrouse Oretega, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir & Quill Red. belowright: Canoe Brewpub Amber Artifact Lager growler.

The table is filled with salads, beer, wine and the first course—SesameSeed Salmon Tartare in cosmo glasses—there’s no question everyone ishaving a great time.

Island Shellfish Bouillabaissewith Rouille & Baguette




Meating

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Stilton, PumpkinFlan with PoachedPearsYield 6/ 3 flans

Equipment 3 x 2 inch flan moldspastry doughA) 2 cups all purpose flour¼ lb unsalted butter, softened 1 tb white sugarPinch of salt1 tb fresh-picked thyme, choppedCold waterB) 1 cup pumpkin, pureed4 egg yolks½ cup whip cream1 tsp. nutmeg, grated1 tsp. salt4 Tble stilton cheese, crumbled1 Tb chives, finely sliced

In stainless steel bowl add the flour andsugar, salt and thyme and mix with yourhands. Add the butter into flour mixture.Make a well in the centre add cold waterand start to knead it together. You do notwant it too tough so be gentle. Place thedough in the fridge for several hours.Take out the dough from the fridge and

cut into 3. Flour your surface and roll outto place in ring molds. Overlap edges andgently push down into the creases. Usinga rolling pin gently run over the edges ofthe mold until it breaks away. Place infridge. In stainless steel bowl with a whisk start

blending the pumpkin with all of the B)ingredients.Place some cheese in the centre of the

chilled dough rings, ladle the pumpkinmixture into centre of the mold just untilthe edge. Garnish with chopped chivesand cracked black pepperGently place inside 350 degree oven

and bake for 30 mins. or until centre isfirm To serve place on passing trays and cut

into small bite size portions with a sliverof poached pear

MAINSBouillabaisse withMussels, Clams andCrab Legs withRouille on Baguette Serves 6Bouillabaise Stock2 large leeks, white part only2 yellow onion, large dice2 large carrots, large dice2 cloves, peeled and smashed1 fennel head, large diceSpicy sausage trim12 strands of saffron6 cups fish stock 1 cup dry white wine2 cups plum tomatoes

In large stock pot, splash canola oil andadd the leeks, onions, carrots, garlic,fennel, sausage and saffron. Sauté untilslightly browned, deglaze with wine andthen add the fish stock and tomatoes.Simmer for 1 hour to develop flavour,adding salt as needed. Strain out thevegetables into another pot and place ona boil.Reserve until you have the seafood

prepared.

Seafood & Sausage2 lbs mussels, washed and de-bearded 2 lbs local clams, cleaned6 Dungeness crab legs, portioned andcracked1 lb spicy sausage (like chorizo orItalian), cooked and sliced Any additional fish you want to add.(depending on the season we usehalibut or salmon)Fresh tarragon to taste, chopped

Add the mussels and clams to the heatedstock and steam to open. Add the sausageand the crab claws. Taste for seasoningand add the tarragon.

Rouille (can be made ahead)4 egg yolks1 tb Dijon mustard1 clove garlic½ tsp cayenne pepper4 saffron strains2 cups canola oil Juice of 1 lemon Salt

Using a food processor, add garlic, eggyolks, Dijon and saffron start blending,slowly adding the oil in steady streamuntil thick. Adding the lemon juice,Heading home



PERFECT DOUBLE CUERVO MARGARITAO N SPEC I A L E VERY T H U RS DAY

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cayenne and salt at end. To serve: Place slices of baguette in big

pre-warmed bowls, fill with thebouillibasse stock and the seafood. Topwith rouille. Have plenty of freshtarragon on hand to top the bowls

DESSERT5 Spice AppleFritter, BruleedFresh Fig andCaramel Ice CreamServes 6

Figs

Equipment a culinary blowtorch6 halved fresh figsWhite sugar

Dip the figs into sugar and start tocaramelize using the blwotorch, gentlyturning the torch around so the figs donot burn.

Apple Fritter2 gala apples, peeled and cut in thickrings, core and seeds removed.canola oil or safflower oil, for deep frying

Batter1 cup flour1 tb cornstarch1 ½ cup soda water½ tsp salt½ tsp sugar

5 Spice Sugar1 tb star anise, ground1 tb cloves, ground1 tb Sichuan peppercorns, ground1 Tb fennel seeds, ground1 tb Chinese cinnamon powder1 cup white sugar

Mix the batter together and dip the applerings.In deep fryer, wok or wide saucepan,

heat about 2 inches (5 cm) oil until deep-fry thermometer reads 350°F. Drop

battered apple into the oil. It will rise tothe top. Turn when one side is goldenbrown. When both sides are brownremove and toss in the 5 spice sugarmixture.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream1 ¼ cup sugar2 ¼ cup heavycream½ tsp flaky seasalt½ vanilla pod1 cup wholemilk3 large eggs

In a heavybottomed skillet heat 1 cup of sugar overmedium heat until the sugar starts to turndark amber colour (if the sugar gets toodark it will be bitter tasting). Turn offheat. Add 1¼ cup heavy cream stirringcontinuously until all the sugar isdisolved .In a new pot bring the milk, remaining

cream and sugar to a boil with vanillapod. Stir occasionally.Lightly whisk eggs in a bowl, than

temper the eggs with a slow, steadystream of the hot milk and creammixture. Stir constantly.Pour the whisked mixture back into the

pot pot over medium heat and thickenthe custard, stirring with a woodenspoon. Cook the mixture until it reaches170 degree, then chill in the fridge for 3-6 hours. Place the mixture in an ice creammaker and freeze. Once finished place inan air tight container and put it into thefreezer until hard.To serve: In a bowl or a small jar, place

an apple fritter on top of a scoop of thecaramel ice cream and then place abruléed fig on top of the fritter.

You can find the complete collection ofrecipes at eatmagazine.ca under the title“Dinner at the Farm”.

CREDITS:Shot on location at Starling Lane Vineyard (starlinglanevineyard.com).Food: Truffles Catering - Executive Chef JP Green, Chef Jena Stewart and TarynStewart (trufflescatering.net) Wine: Blue Grouse Estate Winery (bluegrouse.ca).Beer: CANOE Brewpub (canoebrewpub.com). Cookware: Staub Cast Iron FrenchOven for the Bouillabaisse courtesy of Cook Culture (cookculture.com).

GUESTS: A big thank-you to our guests for taking time off from their busylives to join us for the EAT farm feast. Ryan Clarke, Claire Clarke, Megan Larson,Cameron Northover, Jeff Sparling and Pico Whittier.

OUR FRIENDS

E



For a romantic day-date in Sidney, whatcould be more romantic than a picnic onthe ocean? Pick up items for your picnic

from the many local cafes, grocery stores, orrestaurants in Sidney. As there are so manyparks and beaches in Sidney, you will beassured a nice quiet spot to relax and enjoy theviews. After your lunch take a leisurely walkalong the waterfront and take in the breath-taking views of Mount Baker and enjoy watch-ing the active sea life along the way. Theseawall in Sidney stretches 2.5 KM from down-town Sidney featuring the Sculpture Walk,which includes over 25 original works of art,each with its own story. Impress your date andtry your luck at fishing from the Sidney Pier. Ifthe fish are not biting there, check out all thefreshly caught ones for sale at the Satellite FishCo. located in the iconic and historic bluebuilding on the Sidney Pier. For an adventurous date on the water, visit

the Sidney Whale Watching desk in theCannery Building located just off the water-front and rent a kayak for a half or full dayadventure. If you’ve never kayaked, plan totake some lessons or a three or eight hourguided paddle.�After your date on the water, nourish and

rejuvenate at The Love Café, a vegan andgluten free café and juice bar which servescreative dishes packed with nutrients, flavourand of course lots of love! The Buddha Bowl

includes a little taste of everything on theirmenu and does not disappoint.It's not hard to make the connection

between romance, great food and music, so ifyou're looking for a way to spend a romance-filled evening with your sweetheart, Haro’sRestaurant & Bar located at the Sidney PierHotel, offers entertainment every Thursdayand Friday night in September and onThursday nights in October.If a more casual date is what you had in

mind, perhaps go with the tried and testeddinner and a movie option. If you have notbeen to Woodshed Pizza in Sidney, you aretruly missing out! The talented kitchen staffnot only create amazing dishes but they do sowith an audience. The open-concept kitchenwith its wood-fired oven, allows the entireroom to see the most traditional, authenticand delicious way to make a pizza. Sidney alsoserves up an array of international restaurantsto choose from including Swiss, Thai,Japanese, Mexican, Chinese, Greek andItalian. If you want to tuck away in a quaintneighbourhood pub, Sidney has a wideselection of those too. For the movie portionof your night, Sidney has its own great movietheatre with two screens showing all of thenew releases at affordable ticket prices. Thebest thing about the Star Cinema is that all ofits seats can be converted in to a single loveseat! That’s pretty romantic, right?


Sidney may not yet be known as the most romantic town in Canada;however, with all of its unique offerings, beautiful oceanfront setting andcharming qualities, it’s quite surprising that it isn’t!

Sidney, The Perfect Date



Impress your date with a different take on dinner and a movie by taking them to atheatrical performance or live concert at the Mary Winspear Centre. Locals lovecoming here for the impressive line up of concerts, art shows and theatre, but they donot come only for these reasons, but to relax during a show in the Charlie WhiteTheatre in the plush, red velvet seats! A couple of upcoming shows not to miss includethe Johnny Cash tribute on September 19th and a Buddy Holly and Beatles tribute onOctober 9th.

Did you know that Sidney has it’s own five-pin bowling alley? Ultra retro andoffering up rock and glow bowling at its finest Miracle Lanes is a great addition toyour date night in Sidney!For more information and contact details for all of the businesses in this article and

many more ideas of things to do in Sidney visit: www.DistinctlySidney.ca—by Donna Petrie, Executive Director, Sidney BIA


Time was most people had a little fermented food intheir everyday diets, whether it was a sour dill picklefrom a barrel at the local grocer or a side of sauerkrautfrom a bubbling crock of cabbage in the cellar.This stuff was created with very little fanfare—the

excess harvest combined with salt and left in a cool placeto do its thing, the salt drawing the moisture from thevegetables and the friendly probiotic bacteria in the airturning the whole thing into a sharp, vinegary pickle,the classic foil for hearty winter meals.Fast-forward 75 years and pickled foods had fallen out

of favour, at least in North America, deemed too saltyfor a healthy diet and industrialized to the point thatnatural fermentation is not even part of the process.But old-fashioned sauerkraut is sexy again. And in

today’s shoot-to-root world of locally minded cooks, apickle is not just a pickle—it’s a way to preserve theorganic harvest and develop a powerhouse of probiotics,functional foods that can be an antidote to our over-medicated, sugar-addled, antibiotic-resistant world.

Sexy SauerkrautSince Sandor Katz penned The Art of Fermentation in2012, arguably the bible of these bubbling brews, itseems everyone is getting into the act—from Noma’scelebrity chef René Redzepi in Copenhagen toMomofuku’s David Chang in New York. In Redzepi’sNordic Food Lab, they play with Lactobaccillus to createFinnish viili, kefir and lacto-fermented plums, while for


kraut, kimchi, pickles, & living drinksFermenting is fomenting a probiotic revolution.

Chang it’s koji, the fungus that ferments grains to createsoy sauce and miso. Things are bubbling away closer to home, too. North

Van’s Ethical Kitchen has its own house-fermented sodasand sauerkraut, while David Gunawan’s vegetable-forwardmenu at Farmer’s Apprentice on Vancouver’s westsideincludes tasty ferments like his own kimchi. Lunch atVictoria’s Nourish Bistro is a feast of fermentation, withsomething freshly pickled on nearly every plate, from theaddictive cashew cheese, pickled radishes and rhubarbflavoured with turmeric and ginger, to the fuchsia ribbonsof turnip fermented in beet brine and stacked atop the kaleCaesar salad.There’s literally a pickle in every pot.

Fermentation 101Recipes for DIY-fermented grape soda, lacto-fermentedpickles and kimchi are popping up in magazines like BonAppetit and Saveur, and all over the Web. In Victoria,Alexandra Pony and her partner, Olympic rower WillDean, are hosting fermentation workshops at Nourish andother spots around town.If anyone can make sauerkraut sexy, it’s this glamorous

young couple. When Dean isn’t training or competing onCanada’s rowing team, they’re in their kitchen creatingfizzy kombucha, kefir water and naturally fermentedradish, carrot and beet pickles, soon to be sold at local mar-kets through their nutritional consulting company,Lifeology.“This is the scoby,” explains Pony, scooping out a slimy

disk that looks a bit like a waterlogged Portobellomushroom from her jar of fermenting kombucha tea.A celiac who turned to fermented food to help her

digestion, Pony says kombucha was her “gateway” to theworld of fermentation. “I started brewing it when I wasliving in San Francisco,” says the California native, “and Ijust felt so much better.”Unlike pickles made with “dead” commercial vinegar,

her pickled carrots, beets and radishes are alive with themicrobes plucked from the air in her Saanich home, tinybubbles rising to the surface like champagne in the bubblybrine.“The longer you wait, the more it ferments, eventually

turning to vinegar,” she says, offering a lightly pickledcarrot that has effervescence alongside the crunch.While many foods will spontaneously ferment in a

salted brine when exposed to air (think cucumber picklesand sauerkraut), some require the addition of livingbacterial cultures like the kombucha scoby, the milk kefirgrains that ferment milk products or the water kefir grainsthat work in sweetened water. It’s merely a matter of feed-ing the starter a sugar of some kind, and soon it will beworking away, creating acidity, CO2 and those healthyprobiotic by-products.

Some, like sauerkraut, simply require salt. Salt draws themoisture from the shredded cabbage and, once submergedin the salty liquid, acidifying bacteria in the air turn thewater into vinegar and the cabbage into kraut in just a fewweeks. Add daikon radish, garlic, ginger, green onions,chilies, fish sauce or powdered kelp to your ferment, andyou have kimchi. “I like to tell people that many ferments are consider-

ably easier than baking cookies,” adds Dean. “You don’tneed to be a scientist to make sauerkraut.”

Fuelled By Fermented FoodI’ve always said I can survive on fermented foods—beer,wine, bread, cheese. Add kraut and kimchi and you haveall of the essential food groups.As it turns out, these really are essential. Adding living

fermented food to your diet populates your gut with thekind of flora that helps your digestive and immunesystems run smoothly. Kombucha fans claim itsglucoronic acid binds with toxins to detoxify the body,while lactic acid increases oxygen in the blood and aceticacid balances the body’s pH.Olympic athlete Dean says: “I believe fermented foods

give me extra support when my body is under stress, andthere’s strong evidence to support the role that probioticscan play in immune function.”During the fermentation process, sugars and carbohy-

drates break down, converted to the unique acidity you’llfind in naturally fermented vegetables or even meats likesalami, and making some foods easier to digest.Historically, fermented foods kept people alive. Thevitamin C in sauerkraut kept Captain Cook’s crew healthyon their long voyages.There are all kinds of health claims attached to probi-

otics. Though there’s not a lot of science to back them up,the popularity of probiotic products continues to boom.Many processed foods advertise their probiotics, but you

need to look for labels that list “live active cultures” toderive any heath benefits. Once pasteurized, cooked ordried, it’s unlikely you’ll find any useful probiotics. Lookfor live cultures in yogurt, apple cider vinegar, kefir andother fermented foods.And if you’re worried about food safety, don’t, says Pony.“We’re trying to demystify the scary world of fermented

foods,” she says.When fermenting at home, make sure food is fresh and

fermentation vessels are clean. Vegetables that are sealed ina jar, submerged in a brine of salted water (1-3 teaspoonsof sea salt per litre) will ferment slowly in two to threedays, she says. Lactic acid fermentation actually inhibitsthe growth of many pathogens. But molds can be toxic.“It there’s a white film on top, it’s gone off. You can tell.”

By Cinda Chavich

A kombucha scoby (symbiotic colony of bacteria andyeast) resting on a plate, with a jar of kombucha tea inthe background.


Living DrinksI first encountered a cafedevoted to kombucha tea inMaui. The Maui KombuchaBrewery produced itssparkling sour tea in Haiku,a hippy surfer communityfar from the major resortareas. Along with juicecleanses and yoga retreats,it’s the place to try “booch,”served in a variety of fizzyflavours alongside their rawvegan menu.Kombucha has roots in

ancient China but is nowbottled across North Amer-ica, sold as a natural alterna-tive to soft drinks. TonicaKombucha in Toronto got aboost from CBC’s Dragon’sDen and is now distributedacross Canada, in flavoursfrom ginger to green tea,mango and blueberry. It’sthe same story withMontreal’s Rise Kombucha,sold in major supermarkets.

They even sell their Kombucha Mama starter kits for fermenting the drink at home.Kefir, the fizzy fermented and drinkable yogurt, is also easy to spot in the super-

market—and you can buy the grains in most health food stores to turn milk into kefiron your counter in a couple of days.But it was at Nourish that I first encountered kefir water. It requires a different kefir

grain, the addition of cane sugar to start the ferment and can be flavoured with herbs,spices and fruit. Their latest is infused with lavender and lime.When I ran into Mandolyn Jonasson of Island Sodaworks at the Comox Farmer’s

Market, I tasted a totally different probiotic drink. Jonasson ferments her sodas on afarm near Errington and bottles them in stubby brown bottles. She also sells her sodasby the keg — it’s available on draught at her Brewtopia lunch café and at Comoxrestaurants, including Twisted Dishes, Union Street Grill and the new White WhalePublic House.Jonasson doesn’t make any health claims for her “living botanical sodas” but says

they’re loaded with probiotics and, unlike kefir water or kombucha, are almost sugar-free.“We ferment in salinity—it’s basically like a sauerkraut brine,” says Jonasson, who

creates her seasonal sodas with fruits and vegetables like organic limes and cucumbers,along with herbs and wild-crafted plants from dandelion flowers to salal.“I first learned to make lacto-fermented ginger beer, so I called upon those old

traditions,” she says. “No one else is doing it this way—I don’t use an inoculant andI don’t add sugar.” This means her sodas are safe for diabetics and people withcompromised immune systems, she says.Jonasson’s bubbly and endlessly curious personality is reflected in her seasonal

flavour combinations, from her refreshing cucumber, lime and mint “Mojioto” soda,to Blackberry Rosemary, Sweet Cicely and Pear or Rhubarb and Rose. Raw, unpasteur-ized and unfiltered, there’s a shelf life to these natural sodas, but they’re definitelydelicious.When she’s not manipulating microbes, foraging for wild nettles or selling her sodas,

this busy single mom is building a community around her business, hosting outdoormovie nights at Island Soda Works Brewtopia (free popcorn and healthy soda) ormaking sprouted corn tacos with Tree Island yogurt cheese for lunch.It’s all part of the culturing culture that seems to be growing here on the island as

fast as the wild lactobacillus that’s fuelling these fizzy foods and drinks. Cheers to that!


award-winning, innovative, island-sourced cuisine

509 fisgard street, victoria 250.590.8795ulla.caulla.ca

eet, victoriad strar509 fisg 250.590.8795

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Alexandra Pony with an array or her fermented foods

Cinda C

havich


38

LOCAL KITCHEN

EAT MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

Text, recipes and food styling by JENNIFER DANTER Photography by MICHAEL TOURIGNY Art Direction by JENNIFER DANTER & GARY HYNES

keep calm and pie onThose deep, rich fall flavours shine in this gastro-pub-stylemeal. Big bold herby sausages packed with red wine arebundled with smoky streaky bacon and sweet squashunder a blanket of flaky pastry. Dish up with Bubble ‘nSqueak – fried mashed potato cakes laced with Brusselssprouts to soak up all of the saucy bits and plentyof red wine.

Bordelaise Sausage‘n Bacon Pot Piesrecipe on pg 40



Brandied Sea Salt Caramel Apples

keep calm and pie on A coating of salted caramelturns eating an autumn appleinto the ultimate pleasure

Remove stems from 6 apples* and insert 6 twigs. Place appleson a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. In heavy,large deep saucepan, stir 1 cup whipping cream with 1½ cupssugar, ½ cup corn syrup and ¼ cup brandy. Bring to a boil,stirring often. Once mixture starts to bubble, reduce heat tomedium. Cook until deep amber, 15 to 18 minutes. Mixturewill be very bubbly. Remove from heat and swirl in 2 Tbspbutter.Working quickly, dip an apple in caramel, and then

liberally sprinkle with salt (the caramel hardens quickly).Place back on baking sheet and repeat with remainingapples. If caramel hardens, reheat, stirring often, overmedium heat.

*Try using a variety of heritage apples. Visit the apple festival this fall on

Salt Spring Island.



Cont’d from the previous page

Bordelaise Sausage ‘nBacon Pot PiesChoux Choux’s hand craftedsausages are the definition ofartisanal awesomeness. Theirbordelaise ones are wine-packedflavour bombs, making them aclever cheat for potpies. Makes 4 medium or 6 small pies

4 bordelaise sausages2 strips smoky bacon,chopped15 pearl onions, peeled *3 garlic cloves, minced1 heaping Tbsp flour1 cup robust red wine2 cups beef broth6 cups chopped squash (trybanana or buttercup)3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley1 recipe for pie dough

Coat the bottom of a large widesaucepan or Dutch oven with oiland set over medium-high heat.When hot, add sausages. Cook,turning often, until browned.Remove to a cutting board.Add bacon to pan and reduce

heat to medium. Once fat starts torender, stir in onions and garlic.Cook until garlic is golden andfragrant, 5 minutes.Meanwhile, chop sausages into

small pieces, then return to pan.Sprinkle with flour and stir to mix.Increase heat and pour in wine.Using a wooden spoon, scrape upand stir in brown bits from panbottom. Simmer until wine hasreduced by half, and then stir inbroth. Bring to a boil, and thenadd squash. Reduce to a simmerand cook until squash is tenderand starts to fall apart, about 15minutes. Remove from heat andstir in parsley. Cool mixturecompletely before preparing pies.Divide mixture between 4

individual pie plates. Cut piedough into 4 to 6 pieces. Using arolling pin, roll into circles largerthan the pie plates, then placeover each pie plate, coveringfilling.Using a fork, crimp edges to seal.

Cut a few air vents in each pie,

then brush crusts with milk or eggwash. Place on a baking sheet.Bake in preheated 400F oven for

10 minutes. Reduce heat to 375and continue baking until crustsare deep golden and filling is hot,about 20 to 25 more minutes.*To easily peel onions, blanche in

boiling water for 30 to 40 secs. Coolin ice water, then trim root end. Givea gently squeeze and it should “pop”right out.

Bubble & SqueakCakesMaybe it’s the quirky name, but afry up of mashed potatoes ladenwith buttery leeks and punchyBrussels sprouts is irresistible. Agood pairing with saucy pot pies.Makes 8 to 10 cakes

2 to 21/2 cups leftovermashed potatoes2 to 3 Tbsp butter1 leek, thinly sliced1 garlic clove, minced10 Brussels sprouts, choppedor 1 cup shredded cabbagePinches of sea salt, groundblack pepper and nutmegFlour, for coating

Melt 1 Tbsp butter in a non-stickfrying pan over medium heat. Addleeks and garlic. Stir until leeks aresoft, 1 to 2 min. Add sliced sproutsand cabbage and stir often, untillightly golden, about 5 to 6minutes. Add a splash of water, ifneeded, to soften sprouts.Stir into potato mixture. Taste andgenerously season with salt,pepper and nutmeg. Form intosmall balls, then flatten into cakes,Refrigerate until firm, about 30minutes or overnight.Lightly dredge cakes in flour.

Heat remaining butter in fryingover medium-high heat. Whenbubbly, add a few cakes. Pan fryuntil deep golden on both sides.Place on a baking and keep warmin 350F oven. Repeat withremaining cakes. Reduce heat tomedium, as needed. Serve withdollops of herbed crème fraiche.

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fifteen years of

Okanagan

15th Anniversary Feature

story by JULIE PEGGillustration by LAURA PRPICHwine



my initial foray into the Okanagan was in the mid-’90s.There were fewer than 50 wineries then, nearly all of themin or around Kelowna. I was a B.C. Liquor Board productconsultant and was sent to “help” with the harvest. Mybillet was at Gray Monk Estate Winery with owners/wine-growers George and Trudy Heiss whose B.C. wine rootshearken back to the ’70s. Thanks to the couple, and fellowindustry pioneers Adolph Kruger (Wild Goose Vineyards),Walter and Gordon Gehringer (Gehringer Brothers EstateWinery) and Gunther Lang of Lang Vineyards, cool-climate, aromatic whites—Riesling, Pinot Gris, PinotBlanc and Gewürztraminer—had found a firm footing inthe vineyards and on the table.For me the trick was to get down and dirty in the vine-

yard and really get to know B.C.’s wine grapes. I did alousy job. (Trudy teases me still about my vineyard skills,or lack of them.) The Heisses “suggested” I might like to jump in the

truck and tootle “down south” with them to Oliver andOsoyoos They were going red grape shopping. I recallheady aromas of ripe juice, sagebrush, dirt—and an air ofbrisk business. Forklifts hurried the purple clusters fromvineyard to crush pad as quickly as expert pickers tossedgrapes into bins. Winery dogs bounced about the vine-yards and barked at the dust-covered pick-ups thatwhipped in and out of driveways. Growers and buyerswere bent head to head in discussion.“Red grapes passed the climate test in 1999,” says Trudy

Heiss on this most recent visit. “Frost hit the vineyardsthat year but red grapes, especially merlot, weatheredthrough. It was then that we [the industry] knew redgrapes could and would make it.”In 1993, Sumac Ridge Estate winery founder Harry

McWatters, never one to let grass grow beneath his feet,had planted Bordeaux varieties on fallow land off BlackSage Road, behind Oliver on the valley’s east side. Thiswas received with skepticism by more than a few folks,the Heisses included. But things ticked along rather nicely.Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc weresettled in their sandy, arid soils around Osoyoos andOliver, in particular on Black Sage Bench.I never thought about B.C. wine folks thinking outside

the Schloss Laderheim 3-litre box. Back at the wine shop,“Slosh,” as the German knock-off was coined, was flyingoff the shelves. But in the Okanagan I saw that winetimes—they were a changin’! And folks there were tickledpink.

Bench Warmers Stoneboat Vineyards’ Lanny Martiniuk was an old-hand

grape grower before he launched the winery in 2005. SonTim takes care of the winery’s marketing. Over a sip ofPinotage (a rare treat) in the winery’s lush grounds, Timtells me, “Dad bought our vineyard before the wine rush.During the ’90s, real estate prices were soaring but thatdidn’t stop folks from running to the party.” The “party” included Burrowing Owl Winery’s fanfare

launch in 1998. Nearly 16 years on, the wines have yet tolose momentum. Owner Jim Wyse, a forerunner in push-ing winegrowing toward agro-tourism, expanded thewinery to include Sonora Room Restaurant and the10-room Guest House. Blackhills Estate Winery took offwith Nota Bene in 1999 and continues to sell out everyvintage. Howard Soon didn’t have to hightail it to theshindig. The veteran winemaker for Calona Winery (nowPeller Estates) simply looked south toward the Black Sagearea to begin the successful Sandhill brand of wines, alsoin the late ’90s. Today, Sandhill Small Lots wines gleaned

from tiny vineyard parcels include such unlikely grapecandidates as Malbec, Barbera and Sangiovese. (At thiswriting, I just attended the long awaited opening of anactual Sandhill Winery. Guests represented the past andthe future of the Okanagan—and an enormous amountof respect was shown to Soon.) Tinhorn Creek’s SandraOldfield trucks across the road from the winery’s GoldenMile location to source “bench” Cabernet Franc andMerlot. In 2012, she knocked Cab Franc out of the park.As for Harry McWatters, he left Sumac Ridge six years

ago (staying on as the winery’s CEO after it was sold tothe large Vincor corporation) to start his big-and-boldTime Estate Winery and McWatters Collection. I tasted animpressive line-up at Locals Restaurant, managed by hisdaughter Christa-Lee. The grapes came from, where else?McWatters’s holding of the twenty-year-plus Black SageVineyard, which he christened Sundial VineyardSyrahs soon joined the red brigade. Over the years I find

this grape has come splendidly into its own in theprovince. For me it eclipses Cabernet Sauvignon andMerlot. Deep berry and distinct pepper and dried herbnotes hallmark South Okanagan Syrah. Case(s) in point?The well-crafted Syrah from Le Vieux Pin, Nk’Mip Cellarsand particularly Painted Rock. But they come with a price.Perhaps my favourite (and more affordable) Syrah is

from Nichol Vineyards and not from grapes grown on theBlack Sage or anywhere else in the South Okanagan. Thewine owes its hints of smoky roasted meat, distinct blackolive and zesty fruit—all the elements of a good Rhônewine—to vines that cling to the winery’s steep rocky estatehigh above Skaha Lake on the Naramata Bench. MattSherlock, director of sales and operations, gives input intothe production too. The strict use of oak is gone. “We’relooking to celebrate cool climate growing, bright fruit and

we are not ashamed of acidity. I think that goes for a goodmany Naramata wines.The stunningly beautiful 15-kilometre bench now

clusters together two dozen or so smallish wineries. Today winemaker Jeff Martin proudly shows me the

number of shiny medals he’s garnered since opening LaFrenz Winery in 2000. Lake Breeze’s South African wine-maker Garron Elmes hung his hat not on Chenin Blanc(that country’s signature white grape) but on Pinot Blanc,one of the better in B.C, when he emigrated with theoriginal owners in 1995. Laughing Stock (opened 2005)and Poplar Grove (a breathtaking new facility thatreplaces the 1997 shoe-box original) clock in with lushPinot Gris and sophisticated red blends. Michael Dinnand Heidi Noble, since opening Joie Farm, have hit thejackpot with their aptly named and Alsace-inspired NobleBlend. Much of the province’s grape fanfare may happenalong or near the Black Sage vineyard area in the SouthOkanagan, but the Naramata Bench plays an equallylively tune—just a little quieter.

A View of the FallsOf the dozen or so wineries that twist their way from

the southern tip of Skaha Lake to the northern tip of BlackSage Road, only three wineries—Wild Goose, BlueMountain and Stag’s Hollow—existed before 2000 in thetiny Okanagan Falls community or “the heart of the winecountry,” as the region has recently coined itself.“Riesling is still my favourite drink,” chuckles Wild

Goose Vineyards founder Adolph Kruger, another B.C.wine industry forerunner. The German-born and -raisedKruger immigrated to Canada to start Wild Goose Vine-yards. The winery opened in 1990. Son Hagen took overthe winemaking reins in 1998 amid the craze for heavy-hitting Chardonnay. The Krugers survived Riesling’s upsand downs to much benefit. Wild Goose Rieslings are topdrawer. My favourite is Stoney Slope Riesling from the oldvine site that lies, sun-drenched and pebbly, right outsidethe new tasting room.Grape growers Ian and Jane Mavety didn’t exactly throw

open the doors with the launch of Blue Mountain in1992. “We don’t do T-shirts or baseball caps. What we dois make wine,” I recall Jane saying some years ago in aninterview. You could visit only by appointment. Now BlueMountain’s tasting room is open from May to October.Although Blue Mountain is noted for Pinot Gris and PinotNoir, I’m partial to the Gamay and Pinot Blanc. Son Mattpretty much grew up in the vineyard. He heads up thewinemaking while daughter Christie handles the market-ing. The winery offers very good tasting and vineyardtours. (Things have moved on!)Stag’s Hollow opened in 1996 with a signature

Sauvignon Blanc and fine red blends. More interestingthese days, though, is the winery’s foray into Tempranillo

What I am certain about is that B.C. wines will continueto evolve with panache, and with a fresh juicy style thatdisplay a sense of place—with that hint of local sagebrushmany folks swear they detect in the wines.



and Dolcetto.Blasted Church Winery greeted 2000 with solid wines, particularly white blends, and

crazy labels. Painted Rock (2009) and Meyer Family Vineyards (2008) launched withpremium wines at premium prices. Painted Rock reds are noteworthy as are all of MeyerFamily’s Chardonnays. Kraze Legz Vineyard and Winery is a first for the small historiccommunity of Kaleden, south of Penticton. I’m keeping a keen eye on this lovely backroads area.

Similkameen: A Valley on the RiseSimilkameen Valley, noted more for farm stands than fine wines, has emerged with a

few unique wineries. John and Virginia Weber’s straw bale winery in Cawston, constructedin 2004 by volunteers wanting to learn the craft, is Orofino Vineyards calling card. Butthere’s no faulting the winemaking craft either. Acid freak that I am, I gear toward theslate-and-citrus Riesling 2012 from Orofino’s Hendsbee Vineyard, one of three OrofinoRieslings. “It would be all Riesling all the time if it were up to me” says John. “I love work-ing with the grape.” Orofino’s gently sparkling Moscato Frizzante, now in its secondvintage, scores a hit on the bubble chart.Seven Stones Winery opened in 2007. The modest grey-frame structure above ground

belies what is below—a series of recently built concrete caves (for cellaring and to holdwine events). Master of Wine Rhys Pender, also a garagiste winemaker, produces stellarorganically grown Riesling, Chardonnay and rosé in, well, a newly constructed red barn.(Contact winery for a visit.) Clos du Soleil opened—sort of—a year later in the SouthSimilkameen Valley Upper Bench. Spencer Massie’s Bordeaux-style white wines can betasted only by appointment and, I believe, on summer weekends. The also tiny barn of atasting room can barely handle a couple that roll up in a Smart Car let alone a van orbusload. If you do get to squeeze through the door, try the delicious Capella SauvignonBlanc. The award-winning fruit wines at Rustic Roots Winery, in Cawston hearkens from fourth

generation owners, Nancy and Bruce Harker’s organic orchards

Back to the Future So what of North Okanagan, where it all began? Well, here are just a few highlights.

Since owner Anthony Von Mandl unveiled Mission Hill Winery’s stunning bell-towereddigs in 1999, expert wine staff welcome busloads of visitors to tasting room, restaurantand concerts. Von Mandl also, to everyone’s astonishment, purchased Cedar Creek earlierthis year. We can surmise that this is a good thing given Mission Hill’s track record. Wine-maker/vine grower Eric Von Krosigk returned like the prodigal son in 2006 after a consid-erable hiatus to Summerhill Pyramid Winery, which he helped found in 1991. The whizof a sparkling winemaker keeps things moving in organic fashion. Summerhill’s cellarearned organic status in 2007, and its Cipes Brut continues to reign as one of B.C.’s morepopular bubbles. Fished out of financial doldrums in 2004, Pinot Reach became TantalusWinery. Racy fruit frames Tantalus Old Vines Riesling grown on a tiny block of 35-year-oldvines. It’s now the gold standard for B.C. Riesling. The winery’s very fine Pinot Noir alsohails from older vines.Summerland’s Okanagan Crush Pad may very well indicate the future of the B.C.’s wine

industry. It is not only home to its own wines but a production facility for hopeful wineryowners. Encouraged to keep production small, they coddle grapes from vine to wine viahuge, breathable, concrete fermenters that look like Humpty-Dumpty eggs—the first to beused in Canada.My final visit last September was to Culmina Family Estate Winery in Oliver. I bumped

along the dusty furrows of Golden Mile Bench in a 4x4 with another of the old guard,Don Triggs (yes, the same Triggs associated with but no longer involved with Jackson-Triggswines) and winemaker Pascal Madevon. Triggs came out of retirement to establish CulminaFamily Estate Winery, which opened last summer. The two wave fingers at soils, slopes andgrapes and about future plans. They are as cheerful as a couple of kids in the sandbox.“Life is about changing and learning”, says Triggs. “I had to return to wine. Wine is in mybones.” His bones serve him well. Culmina wines are damn good right out of the gate.Triggs’s words seem to sum up the big picture for B.C.’s Okanagan wine industry.

Changing and learning. But to predict precisely the next fifteen years would require a ballmade of very clear crystal. What I am certain about is that B.C. wines will continue toevolve with panache, and with a fresh juicy style that display a sense of place—with thathint of local sagebrush many folks swear they detect in the wines.

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British Columbia’s vibrant wine industrycontinues to spoil West Coast residents with anabundance of sipping choices. While Victoriacontinues to embrace a brewery culture, it’s

fitting (and high-time) that the capital city had aninternationally-focussed wine festival to call its own. The Victoria Wine Festival (vicwf.com) hosts a one-day

event September 26, offering two public and one tradetasting. With a focus on diverse, international wines thatare also affordable—eighty per cent of the vino comes inunder $22 a bottle—organizer David Bain wants the eventto educate consumers. “We want the average consumer, like myself, to walk

out of the event and not shop by labels at the liquor store.That’s the gap we’re trying to fill,” says Bain, who doesn’tconsider himself a wine expert, purely an appreciator ofwine. A pair of local sommeliers, Josh Clark from Il Terrazzo

and Jacques LaCoste from Lure , are tasked with selectingthe 200 wines for the event, the majority coming frominternational wineries. “We’re proud of what we do in BC, but we want to take

people out of their comfort zone. You like a BC pinotnoir? Here’s a variety from France or Oregon you mightenjoy,” says Clark, who observes his diners are oftenreluctant to try a new wine, ordering what they knowagain and again.

LaCoste would also like to see the festival inspireconsumers to try something different. “How about I feedyou only chicken for the next two weeks? It’s the sameidea. That’s the beauty of international wine, so manydifferent tastes,” says LaCoste. In additon to the public and trade tasting seminars are

planned for the day. Sponsored by EAT MagazineAustralia’s Yalumba winery will hold a sit down tastingthat will feature a number of Yalumba’s top wines. Inattendance will be prominent winemaker andcommunicator Jane Ferrari to lead the tasting. EAT wineeditor Treve Ring will host. (2:30pm, Sept 26, $25)With just under a month until the festival, Clark and

LaCoste have been tasting and selecting the wineries forshowcase. So far, they haven’t disagreed on a singledecision. Already, they’ve given the green light to aKettle Valley chardonnay, a Bird in Hand shiraz fromAustralia and a Tedeschi amarone from Italy. Devil’s LiarWinery from Australia and Painted Wolf from SouthAfrica are also confirmed. “We want to focus on affordable wines that everyone

can buy. Wine is all about the mood and meal. You wanta good balance of sweet and dry. Good fruitiness andacidity that cleans the palate,” says LaCoste. A focus on international and affordable allows

consumers to sample a wider variety of wine over thecourse of the tasting. Bain and the sommeliers emphasize

this will be a traditional wine tasting, not a food and winepairing event. Guests can expect local meats, cheeses andbread for nibbles in-between their sips. Music from Jon Middleton (one half of local duo Jon

and Roy) and a pop-up liquor store round out the indoorand outdoor venue at the Parkside Hotel & Spa. Ticket prices include all-inclusive access to eighty per

cent of the wines, plus two silver tokens for varieties inthe $22-$35 range and one gold token for pours over $35. Additional silver and gold tokens will be available for

purchase the day of the event, which Bain hopes to keepunder $5. Tickets are $75 after September 1 until the day of the

event. Tickets can be purchased in-person at anyDiscovery Coffee location and online through Ticketzone.

Victoria Wine FestivalSeptember 26, 2014� Parkside Hotel, 810 Humboldt Street, Victoria BC�Trade: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Public Tastings: (1) 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. (2) 6:30 p.m. to9 p.m.www.vicwf.comThe VWF will benefit the BC Hospitality Foundation.

WINE FESTIVALS By Rebecca Baugniet

A New Wine Festival for Victoria By Kaitlyn Rosenburg



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FRUITYSummerhill Pyramid WineryOrganic Gewürztraminer 2013Okanagan Valley, BC*$20 +446468

This mid-sweet gew is positively glowingwith peach nectar, blossoms, mandarin,tangerine peel, dried herbs and apricotfuzz before ending on a dusty froot loopsnote. Certified organic.

DRIVINGZind HumbrechtGewürztraminer 2012Alsace, France$30 +510693Impressive and serious, this winechanges with the temperature and growswith each day opened. Savoury stone,dry rasped spice, delicate wild flowerblossoms, lime pith and bitter melon.Fantastic oily concentration on thepalate before a very long finish.

FRESHBicicleta Gewürztraminer 2013Chile$10.99 + 494708This spring-fresh wine is just off-dry,with white and pink flowers, ripe peach,pink grapefruit juiciness and babypowder perfume. A nice ribbon of con-centrated spice throughout. Fantasticvalue for textbook gewürztraminer.

DRYAlois LagederGewürztraminer 2010Sudtirol Alto Adige, Italy*30 +366765

Terroir trumps grape here, in this agedexample of gew from the mountains ofnortheast Italy. Oxidized notes workbetween lean orchard fruit, green apple,pear peel and dusty stone. The oilypalate carries heaps of stony spicethrough to the bone dry finish.

RIPEPJ ValckenbergGewürztraminer 2012Pfalz, Germany$19.95 +541573Great example of the generouslycushioned, balanced wines characteris-tic of Germany’s warmer Pfalz region.Cinnamon and peach fuzz lead into amid-sweet, round gew with headyblossom, ripe white peach and juicypear. Enough pink grapefruit acidity tocarry.

ORCHARDJoieFarmA Noble Blend 2013Okanagan Valley, BC$24 +13826345% gewürztraminer joins friendsriesling, pinot auxerois, pinot blanc,muscat and schoenberger in this verypopular orchard basket blend. Crafted inthe spirit of Edelzwicker, the traditionalblend of Alsace, this off-dry medium-bodied aromatic is teeming with limepulp, granny smith apple, lychee andbaked spiced apples on the finish.

VINCABULARY By Treve Ring

Gewürztraminer {geh VAIRTZ trah mee ner}

Not familiar with gewürztraminer? The name itselfquite literally tells you what to expect. Gewürztranslates as spice, and refers to the fact that the grape,originating from Alsace, is a spicy mutation of thetraminer grape. The scion has eclipsed the parent;though traminer today is not well known,gewürztraminer (or gewurz, or gew) has proven itself apopular white aromatic wine, grown successfullyacross numerous regions and climates. The pinkskinned grape has high natural sugar and thereforealcohol, and lower acidity. Though most gew are off-dry, styles range from rich and sweet to bone dry andtaut. All well-made gewürztraminer characteristicallycarry a spicy note, that can range from a tickle to a fullon Moroccan market. Other notes to look for in theglass include rose petals, lychee, cold cream andperfume.

*Asterisks denote wines that are only available at the winery or select private liquor stores.



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Comfort Food with Wine

THAT SUDDEN NIP IN THE AIR has us mourning the long lazy days of summer. Wemiss hanging out in the backyard at impromptu barbecues with whichever friendshappened to drop by. With back-to-school season, socializing becomes complicated.The busier days and cooler nights shouldn’t be an excuse to cease last-minute gather-ings, though. And there is no shame in inviting over the gang to share your favouritetakeout or do-it-yourself meal. For inspiration, we look to cultures that have masteredcozy, fun, low-pressure dining. Four of them get our vote: Mexican, Italian, Japaneseand Swiss. To relax fully, spice up familiar dishes with a wine you have not triedbefore.Mexican food immediately suggests a fiesta. Conveniently, many of the specialties

are easy to prep. Who doesn’t like nachos? A more imperative question is what todrink with that pile of tortilla chips smothered in melted cheese, spicy salsa, tangysour cream and rich guacamole. Margaritas and beer are the obvious choice, but theoenophile in us believes there’s a wine that works. A Sauvignon Blanc will cut thoughthe cheesy richness but also stand up to the aggressive raw vegetables in the salsa. Foroff-the-beaten-track alternatives, Verdejo from Spain or Assyrtiko from Greece willhave a similar effect.Throwing a taco party requires a bit more planning, but it’s still fairly simple. You

just need to provide the fixings and let your friends assemble their own. Spice factoralert: avoid high-tannin, high-alcohol (13%+) wine if you like your tacos piquante.With fish tacos, try an Albariño from Rías Baixas. For tacos al pastor (slow-cooked porktopped with onion, cilantro and pineapple), serve a fruity Garnacha. And with lambtacos, go for a full-bodied Shiraz or juicy Tempranillo. For a large crowd, whip up abig batch of chili. The classic con carne always satisfies, especially when paired witha hearty, fruit-forward red like Zinfandel or a Monastrell from southern Spain.Vegetarian chili requires a lighter red or a zesty white from Spain’s Rueda region. ForMexican food in general, Argentine winemaker Susana Balbo tipped us off to anintriguing union. After tasting multiple wines with a variety of Mexican fare, she andher Mexican friends agreed that the winning pairing was Argentina’s flagship white:Torrontés. Tropical yet fresh with an invigorating lime-zest quality, you could callTorrontés the margarita of wine. Test it out with her delicious Crios Torrontés.Italians have nailed informal and convivial feasting. Their alla famiglia approach

involves large plates of food to share with loved ones. Even the humble pizza can bedivvied up. Pie joints continue to pop up all over B.C. (we aren’t complaining). Checkout the newest spot near you and grab a few pizzas to go. The more people you haveover for dinner, the more kinds you can try. It’s a good occasion to sample all thoseweird and wonderful Italian grapes you’ve been curious to discover. Try a quality Soavewith a pesto pizza or a zippy Verdicchio with a pizza bianca. For a classic marriage,open a Chianti with the traditional—and in our minds the finest pizza—theMargherita. The bright acidity in this Sangiovese-based wine creates a bridge with thetomato sauce and refreshes the palate between cheesy bites. The list goes on: a juicyBarbera or earthy Nebbiolo will complement a pizza topped with funghi (mushroom),affable Montepulciano d’Abruzzo charms with pepperoni pie while a bold redNegroamaro stands up to spicy sausage. The very un-Italian ham and pineapple combocalls for an unorthodox pick. Why not try an off-dry Riesling from Germany or B.C.?Above all, remember that a pizza party is anything but highbrow. So mix, match anddon’t overthink it.With a steady diet of California rolls, B.C.’s top takeout must be sushi. It’s so easy to

order a few party trays when the invitation list has gotten out of control. As for find-ing a wine partner, Japanese food can be deceiving. While intrinsically light, it hasbig punchy flavours like wasabi, ginger, soy sauce and green onion. These intenseingredients require an equally assertive wine to stand up to them. Moreover, the vine-gary, citrusy nature of the cuisine calls for high-acid wines. With plenty of botharomas and acid, Riesling is a classic match. Australia and Austria’s versions tend to be*Asterisks denote wines that are only available at the winery or select private liquor stores. Some may be inlimited quantities. All other wines are available through BC Liquor Stores. Prices may vary.

TERROIR By Michelle Bouffard and Michaela Morris

Matching high-quality wines to food for fun,low-pressure entertaining.


dry while Germany and B.C. offer both dry and off-dry examples. For deep-fried treatslike tempura, Vinho Verde from Portugal is another great pick. With pure and simplesashimi, opt for a discreet wine such as Muscadet Sur Lie or a minerally Chablis.Sparkling wine works well with all of the above, and we’ve been known to splurge onChampagne with takeout sushi. We will forever be in debt to the Swiss for their formidable contributions to the

culinary world. Yes, we are referring to cheese fondue and raclette. They may seem likea throwback to the 1970s, but there’s a reason they were so avidly embraced in NorthAmerica. Simply put, lingering around a communal cooking vessel provides the perfectsetting for a laid-back social evening. The Swiss generally enjoy cheese fondue withtheir local whites, especially Chasselas, but good luck finding any here in B.C. Whetheryou choose white or red, the key is to pick a crisp, high-acid wine that cuts through allthat cheese. In lieu of Swiss wine, we look to the French region of Savoie, whichborders Switzerland. It offers fascinating options, and there is a slightly better chance offinding a bottle from Savoie than Switzerland on our shelves. Try the Domaine la RosièreJongieux, made from the obscure Jacquère grape. More readily available and equallysuitable is Austria’s lively Grüner Veltliner varietal.When it comes to raclette, we worship our Stelvio. This modern raclette cooker is ideal

for a dinner party of eight. Each person gets a paddle upon which to place potatoes piledwith cheese and sliced ham for cooking under the grill. Make sure you have plenty ofmustard and cornichon as condiments. A local Pinot Blanc or Loire Valley Chenin Blancwill have the weight to stand up to the decadent morsels and at the same time counterthe richness. For reds, something light-bodied and vibrant is the way to go. Pinot Noir,Gamay/Beaujolais and Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley work like a charm (look forthe appellations Chinon, Saumur, Bourgeuil).The reality is that darker, rainy days lie ahead. Rather than hibernating, seek comfort

with good friends, social food and new wine discoveries. Spontaneous social gatheringswill re-energize you while allowing you to expand your wine horizon.

Tasting NotesWHITE

2012 Pezoules, Sauvignon Blanc Assyrtiko, Greece $14-16 (SKU #790519)Greece’s assertive citrusy and refreshing Assyrtiko grape is given an herbal lift from Sauvignon Blanc. Plana rendezvous with nachos.

2011 Heitlinger, ‘Smooth Leaf’ Pinot Blanc, Baden, Germany $18-20 (SKU #223487)Luscious Asian pear and peach against a minerally and steely backbone. Try this with raclette.

2013 Domaine la Rosière, Jongieux, Savoie AOC France $19-21 (SKU #493593)Delicate apple blossoms on the nose. Brilliantly lively on the palate with hints of pine honey and wet stone.Simply made for cheese fondue.

2011 Réné Muré, Signature Riesling, Alsace AOC, France $24-27 (SKU #354381)A dry Riesling with pronounced flinty and floral aromas and spine-tingling lemony acidity. Bring on the sushi.

2010 Salomon Undhof, Grüner Veltliner, Weiden Kremstal DAC, Austria $27-30 (SKU# 843045) White grapefruit pith, hints of peach and white pepper notes with bright acidity. Another worthy candidatefor cheese fondue.

RED

2012 Emiliana, ‘Novas’ Garnacha/Syrah, Cachapoal, Chile $18-20 (SKU #879635)A succulent mouthful of juicy wild raspberries, cherry pits and fragrant dried herbs. A friendly choice fortaco night.

2011 Barone di Valforte Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOP, Italy $20-23 (SKU #887430)Earthy and robust with luscious flavours of black plum. Pepperoni pizza pie please!

2010 Volpetto, Chianti Riserva DOCG, Italy $20-23 (SKU #525535)Red berries, savoury herbs, bright acid and assertive but ripe tannin. It simply begs for a Margherita pizzatopped with fresh basil.

2012 Jean Maurice Raffault, Chinon AOC, France $22-25 (SKU #75440)Mouth-watering red currants, mineral and tobacco stimulate the appetite. Serve with a slight chill to washdown your raclette feast.

2012 Rodney Strong, ‘Knotty Vines’ Zinfandel, Northern Sonoma, California $24-27 (SKU#264739)Rich soft fruit with smoky, peppery and blueberry bramble flavours. A crowd- pleaser, especially with chilicon carne (don’t overdo it on the spice though!).

2012 Meyer Family Vineyard, Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, BC $28-32*Bing cherries and crunchy acidity. This local gem is a great foil for raclette.


TERROIR By Michelle Bouffard and Michaela Morris

E

Let us take care of your holiday event so you can focus on what’s important - enjoying yourself!



What to drink with that! —By Treve Ring

Corned Beef Terrine withBrown Ale JellySC. Corned beef terrine has a wonderful texture with richcondensed flavors. It will require a wine that can align withits weightiness. I would head straight to the region of Alsacefor this dish, and reach for an aged Grand Cru Pinot Gris.The opulence from the age and quality of wine, combinedwith complex notes of spice, honey and hints of exotic fruit,will offer a lively roundness to the dish. Pinot Gris from this

climate retains enough natural acidity to balance thesucculence of the terrine. The developing flavors of an agedPinot Gris will lend mushroom and gingerbread notes,which will truly bring it home with the accompanied BrownAle Jelly.

AJ. These are big strong flavors and requires a similar wineto match. For a local flavour, Marechal Foch/Cab-Foch fromVancouver Island would be ideal. The blackcurrant, darkplum, smoky, cedar box aromas will marry well with thisdish.

T H I S M O N T H ’ S E X P E R T SSally Campa (SC)

General Manager - Vino Volo, Vancouver

International AirportSally Campa is both a trained chef from the celebratedDubrulle International Culinary and Hotel Institute ofCanada and an ISG certified Sommelier. Sally spent 15years as a personal chef and caterer before turning towine full-time in 2007. Following three years in wineretail in Vancouver, she returned to the restaurantindustry in 2012 to open the Vino Volo locations at YVR,where she is the General Manager and Sommelier.

Andy Johnston (AJ)Owner, Averill Creek VineyardsIn 2002 Andy established Averill Creek Vineyard on the

south slope of Mt Prevost. with the sole goal to become one

of the premium Pinot Noir producers in Canada.

Over the past 15 years Andy has worked to identify and

develop the best varieties for this cool climate oenological

area of Cowichan Valley, helped to establish new techniques

of viticulture for this area in order to improve the fruit quality

and establish the Cowichan Valley as the best area in

Canada to grow Pinot Noir.

Jowl of Tamworth pork withblack pudding and smokedparsnipSC. This entree is packed full of rich unctuous character.Pairing it with a Sonoma County Syrah will result in amarriage of perfection. Syrah from this region is remarkablypowerful and intensely aromatic. With savory notes, blackpepper and wild berry profiles, these wines are stacked andlayered just as this dish. The deep clove and nutmeg hintsfrom the black pudding will stand to the meaty, smoky,chewy aspects from Syrah. I gravitated towards a Sonoma

Syrah here, as these are typically leaner in demeanor thenthose of Northern Rhone. The mineral character and brightacidity will break through the succulence of the Pork Jowl.Sonoma Syrah can show incredible finesse in its youth, alongwith textural brilliance, just as the components of thismouth watering entrée.

AJ. Another very rich plate with powerful flavors, the blackpudding and parsnip predominating. Syrah/Grenach/Cinsault from Languedoc / Southern Rhone valley would bemy choice. A little acidity combined with big fruit would goa long way to complementing this dish and cutting throughthe lardo in the pork jowl.

A Visit to the Gastropub

DRINK editor Treve Ring asks local wine experts how they would approach pairing dishes and flavours.



By Larry Arnold

Fall Releases are waiting for you…. Come on in!

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S E A F O O D H O U S E

Liquid Assets

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DRINK editor Treve Ring asks local wine experts how they would approach pairing dishes and flavours.

ITALYCarpano Punt E Mes Vermouth Rosso Italy *$30.00-33.00Forgive me if you have read this review before but it is worth sharing. There is noth-ing more satisfying then a tumbler of Punta E Mes on the rocks with a squeeze oforange while waiting for the charcoals to take on a hot August evening. Vermouth, asit is known today, was invented by either the Germans or the Italians sometime inthe sixteenth century. The original was known in German as wermutwein and was alocal wine infused with the bitter herb wermut or wormwood and used as a curativefor parasites. Punt E Mes is considered by many to be the greatest red vermouth madetoday. The recipe for this magic elixir was invented by bartender Antonino Carpano,in 1870, during a slow couple of hours at his bar in a blue collar neighbourhood in theheart of Piedmont, Italy. The 15 herb recipe is still a family secret but I can tell you this:It is slightly sweet, slightly bitter and absolutely delicious.

Villa Sandi Il Fresco Treviso Prosecco NV Italy *$18.00-20.00This charming little spumante from the hills of Triviso is soft and fruity with a finemousse and ripe apple and citrus flavours. Very fresh with lovely balance and agentle finish.

Masciarelli Trebbiano D’Abruzzo 2012 Italy *$16.00-18.00This is the perfect summer sipper. It is light, it has moderate alcohol (12.5%), it isdelicious and it is affordable. I reviewed the previous vintage last fall, it was very goodthen, it may be even better now! Somewhat austere on the nose but the aromaticsbuild across the palate with green apple, spring flower and mineral notes. It is asimple wine with a tight, dry structure. It is a joy to drink.

Santa Cristina Pinot Grigio Terre Siciliane 2012 Italy $17.00-19.00Crisp and refreshing with peaches, citrus and ripe apples on the nose. Clean and brightwith soft acidity, simple fruit flavours that linger through the finish.

Giorgio & Gianni Nero Negroamaro Salento 2010 Italy *$13.00-14.00This hearty Negroamaro from the hot flat dusty plains of Puglia is a rustic mélange ofconcentrated black currant, spice and toasty oak flavours. Dry and full-bodied, with asoft tannic punch and a firm persistent finish.

Marchesi Mazzei Poggio Badiola Toscana 2011 Italy *$21.00-23.00This blend of Sangiovese and Merlot has a lot going for it, with layers of black cherry,spice and cocoa on the nose. Medium-bodied, with ripe berry flavours nicely balancedwith firm acidity and a rasp of fine-grained tannins.

Renzo Masi Erta e China Rosso Di Toscana 2011 Italy *$20.00-22.00Erta e China is a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. Perfectly balanced andvery ripe with dried cherry, blackberry and earth aromas that virtually jump out ofthe glass. Full-bodied and concentrated with rich fruit flavours, fine tannins and along supple finish.

Masciarelli Montepulciano D’Abruzzo 2011 Italy *$19.00-21.00Masciarelli is the largest organically farmed estate in Italy. They don’t tell you on thelabel but it is true nonetheless. Stylistically it rides the wave between the old and newworld. There is an earthy fecundity but this hearty red is oozing with enough brightfruit flavours to please just about everybody. Delicious with dried cherry, blackberryand chocolate on the palate perfectly balanced with a soft tannic structure. A realcracker!

OTHERPascal Jolivet Attitude Sauvignon Blanc Touraine 2012 France *$25.00-27.00Very fresh and clean with citrus and apple aromas, delicate fruit flavours and a bright,tangy finish that just keeps going! Refreshing, to say the least.

Calliope Sauvignon Blanc Okanagan VQA 2012 British Columbia *$16.00-18.00Crisp and refreshing with intense citrus, peach and passion fruit nuances, nicelybalanced with good acidity and a long clean finish.

Adegas Valminor Rias Baixas Albarino 2010 Spain *$16.00-18.00There is absolutely nothing reserved about this gripping Spanish white. It is veryrefreshing with a saline intensity and a beguiling nose of spring flowers, green appleand lime leaf. Very smooth and easy to enjoy with fresh fruit flavours, supple acidityand a long minerally finish.

Delas Cotes Du Ventoux 2012 France $17.00-19.00A blend of Grenache (80%) and Syrah Delas Ventoux is soft and juicy with deliciousraspberry, cherry and earth flavours, medium to full bodied with a blush of fine grainedtannins and a long tasty finish.DRINKing Guide: How to use our purchasing information.*Asterisks denote wines that are only available at the winery or select private liquor stores. All other winesare available through BC Liquor Stores. The price is suggested retail price, and may fluctuate depending onsource.

Focus on Italy


VICTORIA: Fall has always been my favourite season. Crisp apples, sweet pears, tart blackberries andall things pumpkin are just a few of the edible reasons why I count down the days to autumn. When I livedback east I couldn’t wait for the fall foliage, but in my adopted hometown I look forward to the annualmeandering food events that occupy my weekends, like the ever-entertaining Chef Survival Challengeat Madrona Farm on Sept 7 (chefsurvivalchallenge.com) or Feast of Fields, this year taking place atKildara Farm on Sept 14 (feastoffields.com). Both events are great ways to support sustainable, localfood systems and hang out with our region’s best chefs in a beautiful setting. It’s also a great time to hopa ferry over to Salt Spring Island, for the 4th annual Sip and Savour Salt Spring Festival, running Sept19-21 (sipandsavoursaltspring.com) or the Apple Festival held Sept 28 at various orchards across theisland (saltspringapplefestival.com). In the city, we look forward to quieter streets as the cruise ship season winds down and the kids head

back to school (hopefully). This year, we’ve got an impressive lineup of beer, wine and cocktail festivalsto keep us going until we hit holiday season, starting with the annual Great Canadian Beer FestivalSept 6-7 (gcbf.com). If you haven’t yet heard, 2014 will be the inaugural year for the new Victoria WineFestival, taking place Sept 26 at the Parkside Hotel and Spa, and featuring trade and public tastings,as well as a seminar with Jane Ferrari of Yalumba, Australia’s oldest family owned winery, sponsoredby EAT Magazine and hosted by our own Treve Ring (vicwf.com). The Art of the Cocktail festival returnsOct 4-6 with perennial favourites such as the Grand Cocktail Tasting, workshops and other special events(artofthecocktail.ca). Victoria is set to host its second Gold Medal Plates competition at the VictoriaConference Centre on Oct 30. This celebration of Canadian excellence in food, wine, entertainment andathletics is held in 11 Canadian cities and has raised over $7.4 million to date for Canada's Olympicathletes. (goldmedalplates.com) Victoria has a beautiful harvest of new eateries in the downtown area this year, with The Churchill - an

offshoot of Garrick’s Head in the Bedford Regency Hotel, described by the Local Beer Museumwebsite (victoriabeers.com) as “a cozy, yet spacious beer hall that has an old world charm to it and asuperlative selection of beers on tap.” The Drake Eatery and Craft Beer Parlour, on Pandora inMarket Square, had their soft opening in early August and is named after the old Victoria Saloon thatused to stand nearby. The focus is on Pacific Northwest beers, also serving a few select wines and localfood. (facebook.com/thedrakeeatery) The Tapa Bar on Trounce Alley is expanding, taking over thecorner unit to accommodate a new Spanish food destination; La Bodegas. Sen Zushi has spent thesummer in the former Kaz location on Store St.. Sen Zushi will be leasing the space for another 10 monthsuntil their Fort Street location has recovered from the fire damage (senzushi.com). Johnson St. gets a newcoffee shop called Hey Happy (heyhappycoffee.com) and Yates St. is awaiting a fall opening for a neweastern European restaurant called Sult Pierogi Bar, not to mention the highly anticipated arrival of Meatand Bread (meatandbread.ca). After several unoccupied months, the little fish shop on Fort St just aboveBlanshard formerly known as Hook has been reinvented as Fish Hook. Former “Top Chef Canada”contender and Red Fish Blue Fish mastermind Kunal Ghose has joined forces with Hook Fine Foodsentrepreneur Steve Kerr to offer downtown Victoria a unique take on the tartine. Serving both sit downand take away customers, Fish Hook offers tartines, as well as a wide selection of salads, soups (includinga brand new signature chowder!) and daily-produced pickles, all featuring a variety of sustainable, locallysourced and farm fresh ingredients. (fishhookvic.com) Local industry news includes an exciting new venture for Cook Culture, which recently bought

Cookworks in Vancouver (find the full press release on the EAT website) (www.cookculture.com), and abeautiful new product for Silk Road, which introduced a line of teabags this summer. The teabags are madefrom compostable plant material, brew two-cup servings of tea and use innovative, ultra-gentle packagingequipment that doesn’t crush or damage tea leaves so they retain maximum nutrient value and taste.(silkroadteastore.com) —REBECCA BAUGNIET

COWICHAN VALLEY | UP ISLAND: I’m lucky enough to reap the rewards of living where most thingsgrow well and it's not often that I'm unable to locate produce I wish for. One exception is the iconicItalian San Marzano tomato. (Of course not the 'authentic' ones because like true French champagne theymust be grown in Italy). But this summer I stumbled upon a basket and marveled at the scope of what ourfarmers and purveyors are growing here. Since fall is the best time to take advantage of special harvesttime foods, enjoy them at your favorite festivals, restaurants and markets such as these.The much anticipated Savour Cowichan Wine Festival runs from September 26th to October 5th

hosting more than 50 epicurean and wine events. A full celebration of local wines, ciders, spirits andartisan foods of the region. Drink, eat, and enjoy! (tourismcowichan.com) September 28th kicks off the 2-day Salmon & Mushroom Festival at Cowichan Lake, featuring cook-

ing demonstrations, mushroom field trips, identification and of course fresh caught salmon.(salmonmushroomfestival.com)

Sip & Savour Salt Spring arrives with a flourish September 19th-21st; the gourmet food and beverageextravaganza offers a large selection of winemakers dinners on Friday, a Saturday morning market tour,the grazing event Saturday afternoon - featuring an amazing array of locally prepared goodies andlibations - and finishes with Bubbles and Brunch Sunday morning. One of my favorite events of the year.(sipandsavoursaltspring.com) October 18th brings us the Harvest Grape Stomp and Oysterfest at Salt Spring Vineyards; stomp

just - picked grapes, sample fresh shucked Cortez Island Oysters, and special tastings of award winninglocal wines. (saltspringvineyards.com) Downtown Nanaimo's Harvest Festival on September 20th includes a 'fresh food fair' featuring local

chefs and food trucks cooking tasty dishes as well as a fresh produce market. (You never know whereyou'll find that vegetable you've been craving!) (facebook.com/downtown.nanaimo.bia) On September 21st, find your way to Costal Black Estate Winery in Black Creek for the 3rd annual

Flavour Festival. The finest chefs, vintners and farmers show off their talents as you meander through theestate sampling everything all in support of culinary culture in the community. (gourmetpicnic.ca) There have been some changes of late in the restaurant scene. In Nanaimo, at what used to be David

Wong's Jar on Applecross Rd., Sushi Ryu has opened to an appreciative audience. The new owners offerperfectly presented, fresh sushi at a reasonable price. In Comox, the beautifully situated Monte Cristo'son the river has become The White Whale and is gradually adding an enticing menu of local fare. Gigi'son Comox Ave will once again meta morph - watch for a new Indian restaurant and in Courtenay theGuerrilla Food Company opened, offering homemade, ready to go comfort food to take on the fly orstock up your freezer with for those dark rainy nights you can't think what to cook. This harvest will be gone before you know it so don't wait to feast on the best of the season and enjoy

the bounty - next spring is a whole winter away! —KIRSTEN TYLER

TOFINO: The Ice House Oyster Bar is in full swing on the waterfront in Tofino this summer. This newventure by resident Allan Beesley is housed in a former fish plant located on one of Tofino’s originalworking docks. Though not processing fish the plant is still producing ice for your catch of the day, hencethe name. When I visited, the patio was the place to be with live music and stunning views of ClayoquotSound. The menu has plenty of local seafood and shellfish, including fresh oysters, scallops, tuna, salmon,halibut and more. It also features Common Loaf Bake Shop focaccia, Pemberton Meadows beef, anda solid cocktail and drinks menu. The Ice House, located at 81 West St., is serving lunch and dinner, aswell as drinks and dessert. (icehousetofino.ca or call (250) 725-4239). Marina West Resort is gearing up for another fall Beer Fest on Saturday, Sept. 27th. This annual

event takes place dockside outside Jack’s Pub and the Greenroom Diner, rain or shine. This year theyare expecting as many as 20 breweries and cideries from all over the Pacific Northwest. Best to get yourtickets early, as the event normally draws around 400 people. (marinawest.com). Rhino Coffee House is now offering pizza from 5:30pm daily until chef Ron Weeks’ dough runs out.

Like Rhino’s housemade donuts, wraps and sandwiches Rhino’s pizza comes in a variety of inventivechoices, including the Pear Pecan Pesto. In collaboration with Picnic Charcuterie, there is a Tofino Picnicpizza featuring Tina Windsor’s bacon, fennel sausage and pepperoni. (rhinocoffeehouse.com). Picnic Charcuterie has also expanded its offerings with a variety of variety of artisan cheeses and Julie

Lomenda’s 600 Hundred Degrees bread. French, Quebec and Vancouver Island cheeses dominatethe new cooler so you can put together the ultimate Tofino picnic. (picniccharcuterie.com) Tofino Brewing Company has added a tasting room to the brewery space at 681 Industrial Way

(Units C & D). You can now stop in for a flight of beer or a glass while filling up your growler or grabbingbottles. For more information and a list of locations where the brews are available on the Island and theLower Mainland. (tofinobrewingco.com)Jamie’s Rainforest Inn has live music in the lounge and restaurant every Tuesday night. Not only can

you catch local talent, but you can also catch a free ride on their shuttle bus back into town.(tofinorainforestinn.com)A nod goes to the Wickaninnish Inn and Pointe Restaurant team for being named the top resort in

Canada by Travel and Leisure magazine. The Wickaninnish has consistently been on the top 10 list overthe years, but this is the first time it has reached top spot. The awards focus on guests’ experience anddetermined by readers of the magazine. Congratulations to Charles McDiarmid and staff.(wickinn.com). Look for a special section on Ucluelet in an upcoming edition of the Tofino Buzz, as well as details on

fun and exciting events coming up this fall and winter. —JEN DART

The Buzz WHO’S DOING WHAT IN VICTORIA, VANCOUVER, THE OKANAGAN, TOFINO, THE COWICHAN & NANAIMO




VANCOUVER: The curious thing about Montri Rattanaraj is that, while he may have “retired” fromhis formidable Montri’s Thai some eight years ago, it seems like he’s never really left. Even when hewas shuttling for a while between here and Thailand, Montri kept popping up at tastings where, with acoy smile, he’d just say he was busy. Up to something. And he’d “let us know.”Now that ‘something’ has evolved into reality as, no doubt to the delight of many, Montri has

resurfaced in his old neighbourhood, in the space, very briefly occupied by the short-lived Kitsilano out-post of Salt Tasting Room. (Thai Cuisine by Montri, 2585 West Broadway, 604-221-9599.)Chef Alex Tung has covered a lot of ground since he left Steveston’s Tapenade, opened Burnaby’s

successful Cotto Enoteca, and launched his own Yowza! Culinary Concepts. Along the way he’salso taken on the role of Corporate Chef at La Grotta Del Formaggio, on whose behalf he recentlytriumphed at a major international culinary contest in Italy. Tung scooped top spot at the Rustichellad'Abruzzo 2014 Primo Grano Pasta International Competition. The ever humble Chung says hewas “fortunate enough to win Best Dish (Spaghettoni primoGrano with seafood, sausage meat and chilipepper) as well as Best Overall. I was very honoured to represent Canada and am very proud oftoday's accomplishment.”If new restaurant openings can be construed to signal a resurgent economy, then judging by the slew

of new arrivals, maybe things are looking up. Either that or the City of Vancouver finally found itsmisplaced Occupancy Permit stamp.Chambar (chambar.com) has re-emerged in positively palatial digs, just up the street. The heritage

interior (still refurbished red brick) is greatly expanded, with extended long bar, greatly increased loungespace (with custom Italian overstuffed sofas and chairs) and a late night bar menu, until midnight, to goalong. All day service includes breakfast with Café Medina faves, lunch and dinner. (Medina has de-camped to The Hermitage—780 Richards St.—in the ever-capable hands of chef JonathanChovanchek medinacafe.com).In addition, you can sip fancy sodas on the new patio (beside the public mini-park and steps to

Stadium Skytrain), or pull out the Gold Card to rent the exclusive rooftop patio or a new private wineroom. No need to add, but chef and co-owner Nico Schuermans’ kitchen is also considerably ex-panded.Over at Left Bank (formerly Le Parisien), owner John Blakeley is reaping the benefits of the West

End’s first lane way patio (and likely not the last) leftbankvancouver.com. Right around the corner on‘lower’ Robson, the original team behind La Brasserie have launched Pizza Fabrika—a no nonsensepie parlour that keeps it simple (just eight 12-inchers) using specialised ingredients, such as only DOPSan Marzano tomatoes, kosher salt and more. Early facourites include the duck prosciutto and peashoots, while smart wine picks (glass and carafes) and local craft brews (pizzafabrika.ca). Still on thepizza express, James Iranzad and Josh Pape’s Neapolitan inclined Bufala has arrived at 5395 WestBoulvard (bufala.ca).Last but not least, the wraps are finally off Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar

(boulevardvancouver.ca), the stylin’ and long overdue remake of the Sutton Place dining room. Thenew kitchen, under chef Alex Chen, with a distinguished team that includes Director of OperationsSteve Edwards (ex Cibo, Bearfoot Bistro, Araxi) and “Oyster Bob” Skinner (ex-Joe Fortes) looks setto become the kind of destination hotel seafood hotspot not seen since the days of legendary “The Dev”,at the Devonshire Hotel, demolished to make way for Cathedral Place. No doubt soon-to-be hallmarkofferings include an all-sustainable seafood tower, tableside Ahi tuna tartare, Pacific Provider wild salmonwith pomme purée and truffle vinaigrette, as well as the now de rigueur ‘signature burger. Come to thinkof it, we’re thinking it’s only a matter of time before White Spot has a ‘signature’ seafood tower...—TIM PAWSEY

OKANAGAN: A visit to the Okanagan in September or October often means less traffic, fewer lineups,and ample room to picnic at the beach or park. Wineries are gearing up for harvest and chefs rejoicein the abundance of fresh everything; there’s a good chance you get a table more quickly, too. Whetherit’s a day of urban exploring or an evening of wine events, tomorrow’s memories await.

Kelowna & AreaOrganic growers Sunshine Farm host a Tomato Festival on Sept 7 with heirloom tomato tastings, farmtours, and wood fired pizza made from wheat grown on site – tickets are $50 and available online.Bacaro Kitchen & Drink opened at 231 Bernard Avenue in early August, offering tapas bites andtasty cocktails and adding to a new Okanagan cocktail movement. Open soon (or by publication time)at 281 Lawrence Ave is Krafty Kitchen + Bar, where farm-to-table and grape-to-glass is their mantraand a focus on local prevails. Dine out, and dig in.

Penticton & AreaGet to know wine and cheese making duo Gavin and Shana of Upper Bench Winery & Creamerywith a guided tour of their joint on Oct 5; email or phone for tickets ($35 plus tax). Soak up the viewfrom atop Peach Cliff Bluff in Okanagan Falls on Oct 11 with Jak and Janice of Meyer Family

cont’d on page 55



What the Pros Know

For this issue, EAT asked local beekeepers andpollination experts to tell us a bit about the situationfacing BC’s honeybees and other local pollinators.Here’s what they had to say.

TALK By Rebecca Baugniet

Bob Liptrot and Dana LeComte, Tugwell Creek HoneyFarm and Meadery, www.tugwellcreekfarm.comIsland bees are in a state of decline. Over 40 % losses are average this year accordingto provincial statistics. The main reasons for this are pests and pathogens, thecontinued use of insecticides (both in and outside the hive), weak genetics due to theimportation of off shore bees, and a large increase in new beekeepers. We are havingsome success (losses were 5-7%) by breeding for pest and pathogen resistance over thelast 10 years. We avoid putting bees in areas where pesticides are in use and are try-ing to increase the knowledge of beginner beekeepers by teaching courses (at RoyalRoads), holding field days, and hosting a Honeybee Awarenesss Day at our farm andtasting room for non-beekeepers.

Matt Tooley, Cottlestone Apiary, www.cottlestone.comI do believe that it's getting more difficult to keep bees alive, especially over thewinter here. There are success stories but even some professionals are seeing and com-ing to accept losses that a decade or two ago would have been completely unaccept-able, or at the very least worrying. I'm not certain if this is related to our changingweather patterns, pesticides, people failing to recognize and treat diseases, mites...thelist of challenges is long. This is no longer the simple hobby of a few generations agowhen you put a hive out the in yard and got honey four months later.

Barry Denluck, Bee Master, President of BC Bee BreedersAssociation, www.barrysbees.ca All bees are important for pollination, which is the critical process that plants requireto produce their seeds for the next generation. Although honeybees are not indigenousto North America, bumblebees are, they both have well-established populations in theVictoria area. As the ban on cosmetic use of pesticides grows in our area, there appearsto be a resurgence of these feral colonies. Today, these local populations appearhealthy enough to be sustainable regardless of the natural pests and diseases attack-ing them. To report a feral colony of honeybees for monitoring or to have a bumble-bee colony that may be a hazard relocated, please visit www.BarrysBees.ca.

Gord Hutchings, Hutchings Bee Service,www.sites.google.gom/site/hutchingsbeeservice/ I shudder to speculate how many resources have been invested over hundreds of yearson one species of non-native bee to perform the pollination service we require forfood production. Such heavy reliance on a single exotic species greatly risks a food-production crisis should this species suffer its sudden demise as a result of disease orsome other calamity. Fortunately, a solution exists: more reliance on our native beespecies. Many of us are unaware that British Columbia is home to more than 450species of native bees—a significant share of the world’s total diversity, which isestimated to be around 25,000 different species. Many people are also unaware thatmaintaining the high diversity of our native plant species—sentinels of a healthyecosystem—requires maintaining a high diversity of our native pollinators.

Marika Smith, Compost Education Centre, www.compost.bc.ca We tend to focus our education on local pollinators such as the orchard mason bee asthese native bees are highly efficient pollinators and there is a school of thought thatthey may be hardier then their imported cousins, the conventional honey bee. Thereis still much research to be done and we at the Centre are not experts but we do hosteducation days and workshops to bring expert facilitators in to share their knowledge



IN THE NEWS

Culinary Arts: Baking & Pastry Arts

viu.ca/culinary

Researching your options? Come spend a day in our kitchen. Contact: [email protected]

8-06-3320

Skills Canada winners Thalia Austin (left) and Toshi Akama (right) with VIU Culinary Arts instructor Joerg Gabler (centre).

Food, wine and culture � eld school in Italy. For more information visit viu.ca/educationabroadFollow the blog at sites.viu.ca/italy2014

and skills with our community. Some ways in which you can help our localpollinators include planting local native plants in your garden, choosing severalcolours of flowers and flowers of different shapes, planting flowers in clumps, andplanting a diversity of plants flowering in all seasons.

Melissa Cartwright, Mellifera Bees, www.melliferabees.comThe bright side of the challenges currently facing honey bees is increased awarenessof their integral value. I see this reflected in the public support for local honey fromsmall producers, an interest in learning about these insects through activities like hivetours, plus enthusiasm for planting bee friendly plants. I especially encourage folks toplant early spring and later fall blooms so the bees have a greater time span of nectarsources.

Last June a group of Vancouver Island cheesemongers gathered at Ottavio - ItalianBakery & Delicatessen in Victoria where, with great ceremony, big medallions andlong robes, they were inducted into the BC Chapter and the hallowed fraternity ofgourmets, restauranteurs, cheese makers and cheese purveyors around the world.Chairman Roland Barthelmy (pictured bottom center) led the ceremony. The Guild wascreated in 1969 by Pierre Androuet, considered the ‘pope of cheese’.Congratulations to all the inductees: Peter Kouris, Kosta Kouris, Andrew Moyer,

Sandy Burt, Andrew McCarthy, Kirsten Webster, Colin Johnson, Debbie Hamill, FrankTrozzo, Karen Boughton and Eric McLean.

International Cheese Guild Inductees

Vineyards – BYO snacks and water to hike the trail, and be rewarded with brunch and wine. Ticketsare $30. Dine al fresco with Joy Road Catering at God’s Mountain Estate (4898 Eastside Road) atone of their almost-all-sold-out dinners, through early October. Tickets for these go quick.

Oliver, Osoyoos, & The SimilkameenCelebrate the bounty at Covert Farms’ Final Harvest Dinner on September 13 with a multi-coursedinner, and be surrounded by nature – tickets are $85, online. Visit Miradoro Restaurant at TinhornCreek on Oct 2 for Chef Jeff’s “Hops, Grapes, & Grub” 3-course wine and craft beer (FirehallBrewery) paired dinner, communal table style; tickets are $65 and seating is limited. The BC Wine In-stitute partners with VISA for a special VISA Infinite customer dinner at Burrowing Owl on Sept 5.Executive chef Brock Bowes shares his kitchen with chef Derek Dammann (Maison Publique), chefLee Cooper (L’Abattoir), chef Justin Leboe (Model Milk), and chef Geoff Rogers (Fable Kitchen);tickets are $175 per person.

Special EventsSeptember/October means Fall Okanagan Wine Festival and hundreds of events. Opening Oct 1with the BC Wine Awards & Reception at the Laurel Heritage Packinghouse ($50), the festivalspans 10 days. Go to a signature tasting event, take a wine cruise, or sample new wine releases at thewinery. Tickets and schedules available at thewinefestivals.com. Salut!—JEANNETTE MONTGOMERY

cont’d from page 53


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eat magazine september | october 2014

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