Book Launch - Food Artisans of Vancouver Island & the Gulf Islands · Monday March 31, 2014 by colin newell
Andrea and I are going to a book launch at the Victoria Public Market at The Hudson on Thursday, April 24th —
and I thought it would be a great opportunity to coordinate an evening out of sampling food and drink in an open and friendly environment — and throw in a book launch for good measure.
As it happens, CBC Food Matters host and food journalist Don Genova is launching his first book,
Food Artisans of Vancouver Island & the Gulf Islands. This evening event will feature Don talking about his book with
a vast array of special guests — bearing food and drink.
We have attended cooking classes with Don as well as various food history and food security events -
Don is a very well informed food guy – and he is genuinely engaging on one of the subjects we love the most: Food!
Since this is something that most of us can relate to, what better opportunity than to get a few faces from the Victoria together to explore the market and sample some of the fare that will be provided as part of this ticketed event?
In attendance, showcasing their culinary and brewed expertise:
Organic Fair Sodas of Cobble Hill
Dad’s West Coast Awesome Sauces – Hot sauces of Lake Cowichan
Cowichan Pasta – pasta – Shawnigan Lake
Golda’s Pesto, Mill Bay
Tree Island Yogurt – Courtenay
Venturi-Schulze Vinegars and Wines – Cobble Hill
Sea Cider – Cider, Saanich
Merridale Estate Cidery – ciders and spirits (and anything else they make there) – Cobble Hill
The Creamery at Cheese Pointe Farm – cheeses – Cowichan Bay
David Mincey and his wife Paige – Chocolate and Canning – Victoria (see below for more info)
Spinnakers, Victoria, will be sampling vinegar, beers, and shrubs (a drinking vinegar)
Perk up with Drumroaster Coffee, Cobble Hill, serving espressos and macchiatos made from their special Don Genova Roast
Chef and foraging expert Bill Jones will demo some recipes from his new cookbook, The Deerholme Foraging Book.
http://www.deerholme.com/
David Mincey will be talking about Chocolate. http://victoriapublicmarket.com/preservation-foods-chocolate-project-at-the-hudson/
All this is included in the price of admission – $50 for a couple / $35 for singles and 1 signed copy of Don’s book is included.
Bonus – Early bird ticket buyers (first 50) will receive a specially-labeled Bean-to-Bar chocolate bar from Organic Fair! Be sure to select early bird option on the event ticket site if you see that it is still available!
The Ticket event link for the Don Genova book launch is here
Additional vendors of the market in attendance will be:
Ravenstone Farm – Local Artisan Meats, with special guest Cory Pelan of the Whole Beast Salumeria
Salt Spring Island Cheese
Silk Road Tea
Cowichan Bay Seafood
The Spice Trader – (Vancouver Island Salt Company)
A bit more about Don Genova:
Don Genova is a Cobble Hill-based award-winning freelance journalist specializing in food and travel. He also teaches cooking classes, and courses in food and travel writing and sustainable gastronomy. His stories on radio, television, in print and on the web share the fascinating backgrounds of farmers and food artisans passionate about what they raise, grow and produce.
His latest radio column with CBC Victoria is called ‘Food Matters’, and delves into the world of sustainable eating in British Columbia. His first book, Food Artisans of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, was published in April 2014 by TouchWood Editions.
Don earned a Masters of Food Culture from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy in 2007. He also holds a Bachelor of Environmental Science from the University of Waterloo and is an Honours Graduate of the Humber College Radio Broadcasting Program.
MC at the event will be CBC’s own Jo-Ann Roberts! Join us, it will be fun!
The Ticket event link for the Don Genova book launch is here
Colin Newell is a Victoria area resident, and long time writer on the subject of food, adults beverages and coffee culture – he website Coffeecrew.com has been online since 1996.
Coming to Cobble Hill - Amazing Pizza - chef and name sought · Monday March 24, 2014 by colin newell
Who doesn’t love a good pizza place in the neighborhood? You know the kind of home grown, mom and pop operation that makes their dough in house from genuine Italian pizza flour…
and bakes the pizza in a 500-650 degree oven… in and out of the oven in 3 minutes or less.
To be savored in a comfortable pizzeria or taken home to enjoy…
Where the pizza recipes are not your standard multiple toppings, but healthy and fresh ingredients from a menu designed by an actual award winning chef and food expert?
Well, there is one such place only weeks from opening on the Cowichan Bay turn-off on the Island Highway – in the Valley View Mall – where the Country Grocer and Drumroaster Coffee are located…
They need two things:
They need a name.
And they need a Pizza chef!
The name needs to be short, catchy and original – and they are putting out a little contest to reward the person that comes up with a name that sticks.
And they need a passionate and motivated self-starter Pizza chef that is going to love the rural life in the Cowichan Valley as well as the upscale vibe of this new pizza joint.
Jump in with your ideas in the comment field or send me a note!
Book release - Deerholme Farm Foraging. · Friday March 14, 2014 by colin newell
The Deerholme Foraging Book
We are pleased to announce the publication of Bill’s new cookbook The Deerholme Foraging Book. It is an exploration of the wild foods of the Pacific Northwest and includes products from the forests, fields and ocean shores of the region. The book brings you into the world of the forager, drawing on 10,000 years of experience that have allowed us to evolve from the foraging society we once all belonged to.
These ancient lessons are modernized to create delicious recipes and allow you to build a knowledge base, create items for the pantry and to capitalize on the delicious and health promoting foods from the wild.
From the back cover:
Open your door to the wild foods of the Pacific Northwest with the Deerholme Foraging Book. In this comprehensive cookbook, award winning writer, chef and experienced forager Bill Jones shares his foraging tips and more than 110 unique and delicious recipes, each featuring a type of wild food. Global in influence, these recipes use simple techniques woven in with expert processes to create good, homemade food.
Learn to identify, source, and preserve local mushrooms, edible plants, sea vegetables, and shellfish. And gain knowledge of the traditional uses for wild foods as well as future possibilities for a healthy diet, while enhancing your appreciation for the natural environment. In The Deerholme Foraaging Book, food lovers will experience the joy of uncovering the bounty of the wild.
Excerpt from the Introduction:
“How can foraging help? First of all foraging is about acquiring and using knowledge. Secondly, it is all about respect. Acquiring this knowledge may empower you to look at your world with a more questioning glance. Who made up the rule that all safe food must be grown in industrial controlled production? When did we decide if you pay nothing for an item it is worthless? Why are we obsessed with controlling nature? You may end up seeing the world as more than black and white—it may be tinged with seaweed green and chanterelle yellow.”
Advance Praise for The Deerholme Foraging Book:
It’s rare to find an expert forager who is also an inspired chef. But from Weed Pie to Smoked Salmon with Honey and Grand Fir, Bill Jones reveals a trove of wild delights with recipes easy enough to whip up at home but that would also dazzle if served at a great restaurant.
—Ron Zimmerman, Proprietor, The Herbfarm Restaurant
I have seldom felt more connected to food, than foraging the Cowichan Valley with Bill. A meal he made ranks as one of my most memorable, foraged food prepared with skill and creativity. This book will inspire you to get off the couch and jump into the forest.
—Rob Clark, Chef/Owner of The Fish Counter
Bill Jones is THE authority on foraging and mushrooms in British Columbia. Deerholme Farm is a mecca for culinarians who love the outdoors and Bill captures the beauty and essence of the Vancouver Island wilderness in his recipes and writing. A must have book for anyone who delves into the wild!
—Eric Pateman, Chef/Owner of Edible Canada
Bill Jones is one of those rare chef-foragers who combines the skills of an excellent chef and teacher with an extensive expertise in the foods of field and forest. This is an exceptional combination and that is why you must add this book to your library.
—Dr. Sinclair Philip, Co-Owner of Sooke Harbour House
About Deerholme Farm
Deerholme Farm is a culinary destination in the Cowichan Valley of Vancouver Island. We offer local food experiences that introduce you to the wild and untamed side of Vancouver Island’s food system.
We are famous for our unique and often spectacular local food events based on seasonal themes and local foraged foods. Our work has been profiled in the New York Times, Bon Appetite, Saveur, Travel and Leisure, Harrowsmith, the Globe and Mail and many prominent publications.
We host guests from all over the world, so be sure to book in advance if you would like to join us for a delightful evening of Cowichan Valley cuisine. We live in one of the more amazing places on the planet, where climate, geography and community come together in a unique and delicious way. Please visit us on the web or through social media. You can contact Bill directly:
4830 Stelfox Rd
Duncan, BC
V9L 6S9
tel: 250.748.7450
Saaz Indian restaurant first impressions · Friday March 7, 2014 by colin newell
Andrea and I have been on the prowl for a great Indian restaurant for a long, long time. I will admit it – we both love the intense flavors and aroma of a great curry – and Victoria B.C. although having pretty comprehensive coverage of many a cuisine, Indian food is not something that we seem to do very well.
Well, that all changed with the arrival of Saaz Restaurant at 535 Yates St. in the lower part of Old Town in Victoria. Tucked in an unassuming old office building is an inviting, old school and rustic space that belies the incredible food within. Sure, we had read a few reviews on Urban Spoon and Trip Adviser – reviews I often take with a grain of salt – but in this case, all of the reviews were overwhelmingly positive and blindingly glowing. OK. We are in.
But let’s back up a step. It was our new Canadian English friends that suggested Saaz, because they, more than us really miss a great curry, the likes of which was pretty commonplace in the old country.
Anyway – after an quick e-mail to Gurpreet, director of operations and affable host – and getting a bit of a background on what the Saaz concept is all about – it became pretty clear that the potential for great food was here. So off we went tonight.
Saaz is a pretty rustic space – that once could have been an old school English pub in another life. The decor is pretty simple, clean lines in dark wood and brick. There are 3 distinct rooms in the space – 2 on the main, 1 upstairs – so there is an option for private parties. It is not all that much to look at – but what the heck. It is not so much about the layout as it is about the food, right? Well everything about the food shone bright. So onto that then!
We started with Mustard masala jackfruit with tomatoes, Curried brussels sprouts, onions and tomatoes, Prawns with garlic, coconut and spices, and Vegetables pakoras… there was 4 of us after all!
The Jackfruit (never had it before) is a cross between chicken and artichoke in texture in a mustard masala that is just hot enough but not overpowering. The pakoras were sublime and the lentil daal that came with the pakoras was immensely satisfying – could have eaten a bowl of this alone. The brussels sprouts would have been right at home with a Christmas Turkey dinner – but here they were on an Indian menu! Perfectly cooked with a little bit of crunch left over – but not overwhelmed by spice and a delightful nutty flavor remaining. The prawns were prepared perfectly, impeccably fresh and well spiced — with a bit more of a bite.
For mains, our team of diners tackled Lamb with garam masala and raw brown sugar (for Andrea) – Chicken Tikka , Chicken in yogurt, ginger, garlic cooked in the traditional clay oven for Sharon, Chicken in Kalonji seeds and spices for Steve and Butter Chicken for me. The rice pilaf served with each main is impeccably prepared, fluffy and light – rice that I cannot reproduce at home. I appreciated the portion sizes – by the time we got to the mains, we were pretty full from sampling appetizers – so it all worked!
I was playing it pretty safe with the Chicken but it was well balanced, presented in a, for me, a perfect portion size – with lots of flavor and authenticity.
Steve’s Chicken in Kalonji was very, very interesting – like most of the night, I was experiencing lots of new flavors. Between the 4 of us we also shared a plate of perfect and warm garlic Naan bread… the perfect compliment to everything else that was in front of us.
For dessert: Rose & Mango Kulfi (Ice Cream) – divine, a luscious and sensuous creaminess and fragrant botanical flavor spectrum that you have never had in a frozen bowl! We also had Gulab Jabun (Indian Doughnuts) in a simple cardamom infused sugar sauce. I would happily die eating these little morsels.
Service was professional, engaged and informative – we loved everything and look forward to coming back for more exploration.
Our friends, Steve and Sharon – who are sticklers for a good Indian feast were 100% satisfied – and that was a relief – because we have been at some of those other places in Victoria that left us somewhat heartbroken.
I wish Saaz and the team the very best and hope they succeed – this is a place that I would encourage everyone to try… and soon!
Saaz is located at 535 Yates St #103, Victoria, BC V8W 1K7 – (778) 433-7229
and their website is – Saaz Restaurant
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