Catching Up With Winnipeg Chef Jesse Friesen This weekend eleven of Canada’s top chefs will head to Kelowna to compete in the Canadian Culinary Championships. We’re learning a little bit about them before they compete. Here we throw a few questions out to Winnipeg’s representing chef, Chef Jesse Friesen from The Merchant Kitchen and Pizzeria Gusto. Tell us a little bit about your restaurant. I currently operate two kitchens, Pizzeria Gusto & The Merchant Kitchen. Gusto is a trendy neighborhood restaurant with great guests, a great room and a modern yet classic bar and kitchen offering. The Merchant, who I will be representing…
Author: Cassandra Anderton
Canadian Culinary Championships Compete In Kelowna February 1-2, 2019 This year we’ll be heading up to Kelowna again for the Canadian Culinary Championships and are looking forward to hearing back from the chefs as we’ve sent them a series of questions leading up to the big competition to get to know each of them better. Regional competitions were held in eleven cities across the country and the regional qualifiers – called Canada’s Great Kitchen Party – pitted 5-10 regional chefs against each other. In each city, there were three who stood on the podium but only one awarded the opportunity…
Rocky Mountain Flatbread Does Dine Out Right We headed out to Rocky Mountain Flatbread to check out their Dine Out menu and wondered why we don’t eat here more often. For $25 it’s a great deal, the food is super healthy, fresh, sourced locally AND this is one of the most sustainable restaurants out there. Service is friendly and the kitchen turns out food in no time; perfect for a quick lunch, or more leisurely dinner out and kid-friendly too! The portions are so generous, I’m currently eating my leftovers for lunch! So, what’ s on the menu? HOUSE CRAFT…
Dine Out Vancouver Bookings Open Today Canada’s largest food and drink festival adds breakfast menu offerings in 2019 We got a quick preview of a couple spots and can tell you that Granville Island has some great menus! A couple pictures of Dockside above. These last three are Sandbar. From the news release: Resolutions can wait, but reservations can’t! The full list of Dine Out Vancouver Festival’s participating restaurants and their menus were announced today on www.dineoutvancouver.com. Book your table now and let the feasting begin! With menus from over 300+ restaurants participating in Dine Out Vancouver Festival’s 17th year there’s no shortage of…
Ancora Ambleside – Peruvian-Japanese Cuisine Ancora Waterfront Dining and Patio brings its celebrated brand of Peruvian-meets-Japanese cuisine to the North Shore today when it officially opens its second location at 1351 Bellevue Avenue in West Vancouver’s Ambleside neighbourhood. Open for dinner service from 5 p.m., Ancora Ambleside showcases the same Nikkei-style cuisine, focus on fine wine and cocktails, and nautically inspired décor that has earned the original Ancora False Creek location numerous accolades since it opened in 2015, including consecutive annual placement on the prestigious list of Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants. The latest project for the Viaggio Hospitality Group — which also owns…
Eight of Vancouver’s most innovative chefs are banding together in support of the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House This extraordinary six-course chef collaboration dinner will be experienced at Torafuku Asian Eatery on January 14, 2019. Inspired by the DTES Neighborhood House’s need to secure more funding for their healthy food programs, Torafuku’s Clement Chan reached out to his chef community in order to create a dinner that would contribute to these programs in a meaningful way. FARE: For the Human Right to Healthy Food – A chef collaboration dinner in support of The Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House January 14, 2019 7pm (6:30pm doors) Torafuku…
Update Your Kitchen Easily With A Few Simple Tricks We sent out Cathy Browne to an event hosted by Best Buy to gather some information on how to get your kitchen in order. Designer Aly Armstrong was on hand with some kitchen styling tips and Chef Ned Bell provided dinner using many of these appliances available at Best Buy. Here’s some tips to help you get a styling kitchen in 2019! Last year Michael and I got married and instead of registering for wedding gifts, we decided to ask for something that we’d find truly helpful, Best Buy Gift Cards.…
Favourite Cookbooks From This Year’s Crop I’ve read over 100 cookbooks this year in some form of another and am truly addicted to them and count about 800 in my library that I recently had arranged in a manner that they actually make sense! I pour over these books, reading the stories behind the recipes and sometimes even getting the time to cook more than just a few meals from between their covers. Here’s a few that stuck out this year that are worth adding to your library. I may need additional shelves soon. Everyday Dory by Dorie Greenspan Dory Greenspan…
Science World Presents A Night Of Cocktails and Canapes This is our first official listing of 2019 and while it seems a way off, we know the new year will roar in and before long January will be gone and we’ll be well into February. Although the general tickets are sold out, there’s still some VIP tickets left to this delicious event. Thursday, February 7, 2019 GENERAL TICKETS – $159 SOLD OUT! You will receive: Open bar with 25 bar stations serving unique cocktails crafted by Vancouver’s best bartenders Access to a variety of special cocktail science activities, hands-on demos and Science World programming…
Presidents Choice Insiders Collection Simplifies Holiday Meals We love to entertain, but often just don’t have time to make everything from scratch. Yes, even though I’m married to a chef and have been cooking all my life, it’s just not possible to do it all, so we have to cheat a bit here and there so we don’t drive ourselves crazy when cooking for larger groups. Presidents Choice has lots of tasty bites this holiday season and we’ve got a few items stocked up so we can feed our guests and also have time to visit with them. Roasted Asparagus…
Goh Ballet’s The Nutcracker runs December 21 – 23 at Queen Elizabeth Theatre We go every year and wouldn’t miss it! See you Saturday night. Last chance to see this year’s dream come to life….With five performances featuring international dance stars, and accompanied by Vancouver Opera Orchestra, Goh Ballet’sThe Nutcracker runs December 21 – 23 at Queen Elizabeth Theatre. It’ll be a stellar 10th anniversary season! But the enchantment and glamour won’t stop there… “A holiday production we can call our own…endlessly entertaining… impossibly pretty” – The Georgia Straight Unique Interactive Activities Join in on holiday festivities with unique interactive activities and photo…
Say Hello to Hundy New Burger Concept Arrives in Kits by AnnaLena’s Michael Robbins & Jeff Parr We sorrily miss Mission, but this makes the pain a little less severe. There’s a new burger spot in Kits and this chef knows burgers (remember Oakwood Bistro’s epic burger?) Creative burger concept, Hundy is set to launch 2042 West 4th Avenue in Kitsilano on December 22nd. From the team that brought you AnnaLena and Their There, Michael Robbins’ and Jeff Parr’s, Hundy is a thoughtful, minimalist approach to burgers and fries. A signature bun and special sauce, and top quality Two Rivers beef blend of brisket and shoulder make up the…
Alex Black and Christina Hartigan Join Wildebeest And We’ve Got Their Drink Recommendations The team behind award-winning Gastown restaurant Wildebeest continues to raise the bar by adding industry stars Alex Black and Christina Hartigan to the roster as Bar Manager and Wine Director, respectively. Scroll down for their holiday drink and wine suggestions. Black brings an award-winning bartending acumen and convivial nature to his new role as Bar Manager, where he will help curate Wildebeest’s innovative list of handcrafted cocktails and display the warmth and skills that recently earned him the 2018 Golden Owl Hospitality Award as Best Vancouver Bar Personality. Originally from Winnipeg, Black adopted Vancouver as his…
Wild Sweets® Cocktail For The Holidays Why not sweeten up your holiday party with a little something special. Mulled wine is so last year. Ingredients: 8 oz / 250 mL Cherry Cocoa Tea (1 bottle) from Wild Sweets® By Dominique & Cindy Duby 1/2 orange flesh (± 45g) 1 pinch Ancho chili powder 1.5 oz French Brandy 3” piece / 3 g Cinnamon stick Procedures: Add all ingredients in a mason type glass jar except for the brandy Heat mixture in microwave to about 80°C, cover with a plastic film to create a vacuum and let infuse for at least 5…
What Drinks To Bring to Holiday Parties Sure cookies and candies are great, but if you really want to be a hit at a party bring some stellar booze to share. Parallel 49 and Central City 2018 “Alpine Adventure Pack” Beer Advent Calendar Parallel 49 Brewing and Central City Brewers and Distillers have another great version of their yearly joint annual beer advent calendar. This year’s version is called the Alpine Adventure Pack and has contain 12 mystery beers from P49 and 12 from Red Racer, with plenty of different styles to please everyone, some new beers and old favourites. Pick up the Alpine Adventure Pack at the Parallel…
Caren McSherry And Her Gourmet Warehouse Are Full Of Culinary Treasures Any cook in the city that knows what’s what has been to Gourmet Warehouse and surely come home with much more that they went for, as there’s just too many good ingredients and tools to play with her. I’m an addict and always leave with something I never thought I needed, but once used, I can’t imagine living without. Caren McSherry is one of the founding members of Les Dames d’Escoffier, an organization of women leaders in food, beverage and hospitality whose mission is education, scholarship and philanthropy and…
Treat Those You Love To Some Self Care This Holiday Season If your friends and family members are always on the go, it may be necessary to give them something that they will be forced to slow down because of. A good book, some beauty treats, a candle, tickets to a play, or a gift certificate to a spa perhaps. Here’s a few things for those gals who need to slow down. The ultimate cleanse & glow trio from dermalogica I use a variety of different skin products, but these three products are always on my shelf. The PreCleanse gets…
Some of my favourite Canadian Christmas gifts can be found in a single shopping trip around Vancouver. Wrap a packet of BC porcini in a tea towel printed in town and you’ve got dinner for a friend who cooks. For someone who always brings dessert, BETA5 makes a chocolate bar that tastes like a London Fog, right down to the biscuit on the side. This guide first appeared in 2018. For Christmas 2026, we’ve revisited the list, starting on Granville Island and finishing in the Okanagan. BC porcini for the risotto cook Granville Island Spice Co. sells wild BC porcini…
Make The Holidays Sweet With Jacek Chocolate The 2018 Holiday Collection from Jacek Chocolate Couture, is both gorgeous and delicious includes a perfectly curated selection of hand-crafted chocolates, artisan bars like The Audrey (tart cherries & pistachio) or The Colette (marbled chocolate), and other delicious surprises your readers will enjoy gifting to their list this year! Made in Alberta, this post is mainly for my Alberta readers, but they do also sell online. They’ve even got a selection of Vegan Chocolates. We’re loving: Box of Joy – Holiday Edition $54 – $130 For the book-loving BFF – the Artisan…
Good Earth Coffeehouse Offers Up $$ to Food Bank If you check our Instagram account you’ll see there’s some festive cinnamon buns at a nearby coffee shop on Alma, so why not make a stop in just down the street and pick up some Gingerbread too? The holidays are all about giving. With your help, Good Earth Coffeehouse will give to families in need. For every Gingerbread Family you purchase at Good Earth, they will donate $1.00 to our local Food Banks. We also encourage you to share a picture of the Gingerbread Family on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram with the hashtag #FamiliesFeedFamilies, and…
