This summer, short as it’s been, has once again supplied us with an abundance of wonderful local produce. As the season starts to turn, most summer fruit is still widely available but soon it will be time to pick our apples, tomatoes and squash. Less time in the garden means we’ll soon be spending more time in our kitchens: baking more, having friends over, preparing large-enough-for-leftovers meals and planning Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts.
Meanwhile, we’ve been bringing in an exciting harvest of new items. Just as some of you save by getting fruit by the caseload, we’ve been taking advantage of many supplier specials so we can make sure you’re always getting the best value.
In the coming months, look for more frequent letters from us highlighting these tasty new products, and if you want up-to-the minute news and special offers, you can follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook. We’re here to help make your time in the kitchen as fun – and efficient – as possible!
Farewell, Chef Mara!
It is with mixed emotions that we say goodbye to our dear friend, Chef Mara Jernigan. She has taken an amazing opportunity in Belize, starting in October. Many of you have been lucky enough to have taken her classes, especially her very popular 4-part basics series. For those of you that haven’t yet, this is your last chance! Mara will offer her last 4-part series starting September 7th. More information here
We have been so fortunate to work, play and eat with such a dedicated and passionate slow food advocate and instructor. We wish Mara a safe and exciting journey and look forward to learning all that she picks up on her way!
New in Store – Global Knife Sharpening Stones
Global Knives continue to be our most popular brand. Is it their precision craftsmanship? Perfect balance? Incredibly strong Japanese steel? All our customers tell us is “they just feel great!”. We love Global, too, and we should all look after the things we love. Because Globals (like most Japanese knives) are made differently than Western knives (such as Wusthof or Henkels), you should not use a traditional sharpener on them. Even a regular grinder isn’t good – we see ruined knives all the time! Global suggests a ceramic stone, or a steel. We already carry the simple 3-stage ceramic water sharpener for the Globals, but we know some people want more sharpening control. We have now brought in the Global whetstones. Both work well, but aficionados will tell you that with a whetstone you can get a sharper knife. If you’d like to try one out, or just have your knife sharpened, please drop in anytime and we’ll be happy to help you bring back your razor sharp edge.
Brad and His Amazing Bread is Back!
Brad the Baker has been busy with the Farmers’ Market circuit this summer but we’re very happy to say he’ll be back to teach this winter! The course is now a 4.5-hour class that covers all the basics of bread, including the extremely popular “no knead” bread. Trust us – it’s as good as everyone says! Click here for more info.
Prescription Chocolate?
Last week the CBC ran a story on Chocolate Click here to read it highlighting the health benefits of “good chocolate”, that is, 70% and higher. In case you haven’t seen the spectacular display in our store, we now carry the largest selection of high quality chocolate in Canada. It’s a big country, but we’ve got a selection to match it – and it’s all available over the counter!
If you have a craving to learn more about the world of chocolate, we are offering a 2 part workshop October 12th and 19th, 6 hours of instruction plus tasting of over 30 bars for $85.00. More details
The Truth About True Grain
One of our favourite stops in Cowichan Bay is True Grain Bakery. Wonderful bread, killer cookies – and all made (mostly) with freshly milled organic flour and grains from their in-house mill! We love it so much, we’ve saved you the trip – we’ve brought in a careful selection of their irresistible cookies for you and your fellow monsters: cranberry pecan spice, dark chocolate with roasted almonds, carrot, and dairy-free ginger. We also now have four of their fabulous flours: sifted red fife, sifted spelt, sifted island- grown wheat, and organic unbleached white. And to round it out, their granola and oatmeal as well.
Cool Product Alert: Couche!
No, we’re not carrying furniture. Savvy bread bakers know that the best way to form a beautiful homemade baguette is to nestle the loaves in the folds of a natural linen cloth during final proofing. We are happy to say we now carry these linen cloths – or couches – in the 24” x 36” size. And speaking of better bread, we also carry brotform moulds (bread proofing baskets) and their linen liners.
