Christine Sanford from Biera in Edmonton
As one of the EAT! Vancouver Ambassadors, we’re catching up with the chefs at this culinary festival and here we have a bit about Chef Christine Sanford from Edmonton’s Biera. EAT! Vancouver takes place from November 4 to 9, 2019 and features culinary collaborations between award-winning local and special guest chefs from across Canada and the United States. Experience a culinary experience like none other from this year’s events including: EAT! Expert Series, EAT! Harvest, EAT! Pastry Day and EAT! dinner series, including one Christine Sanford from Biera at The Acorn with Chef Brian Luptak. Tickets here!
Tell us a little bit about your restaurant and/or style of cooking.
At Biera the focus is always on seasonal cooking with the best products we can source. We do a lot of fermentation, sourdough breads & cooking over charcoal. The focus is to have a unique dining experience where the dishes are paired with house brewed beer.
Where do you eat in your city?
We have some great ethnic restaurants in Edmonton, which I often frequent. I love the Kathir Food Experience (awesome Dosa House) & Pho Han Pasteur. I am also often at Pip, Bar Bricco, Baiju, or Bundok.
What would be your ideal food day?
When I am travelling, I love to hit up a few restaurants in a night. Try and few things from each place. I also love cooking when travelling..hitting up different markets and preparing the local ingredients myself.
What trend do you wish would die?
The avocado trend. I am totally on board with avocado when it’s coming from an area nearby, but avocado is just everywhere now!
What trend/s do you wish would be next?
Maybe not so much a trend, but I really hope to see consumers continuing to search for restaurants/food shops that serve and provide quality ingredients. As chefs it’s really our duty to show our guests how food should taste and make you feel when the products are seasonal and good quality.
What ingredient do you always have on hand?
Salt
What’s your go-to recipe when you’re eating at home?
I love making Fideau, a Catalan noodle paella…must get the nice crust on it too!
What equipment do you wish you had in your kitchen?
A wood burning oven.
What cookbook do you suggest every cook should have?
Larousse gastronomy – It’s in French, but it covers so many varieties and techniques. It’s an excellent reference point.
My current favorite cookbook is Etxebarri -an amazing book and one of the best meals I’ve had.
What is one of the dishes you will prepare for Eat Vancouver?
Still working on this one!
What are you most looking forward to about Eat Vancouver?
I can’t wait to collaborate with The Acorn and meet fellow industry folks. Vancouver is an awesome city and I always look forward to visiting.
