From the GLV archive: December 2016. The Emerald Supper Club closed in 2021. We’re keeping this interview and the Brandy Alexander and house-made Kahlua recipes as part of our cocktail archive. Rachel Zottenberg’s Brandy Alexander at The Emerald Supper Club If you been following the Hand Crafted Spirits Show, you may have caught a few segments where Joe Leary and I search for tasty cocktails on TSN1410. This week we were off for some house-made Kahlua as we catch up with Rachel Zottenberg at The Emerald Super Club. Catch the AUDIO in this clip. Here’s The Emerald’s version of a Brandy Alexander…
Author: Cassandra Anderton
Are you feeling as busy as we are? We haven’t even got our tree up yet, but we’re in full holiday mode. We’ll be heading to the Pan Pacific for the Christmas Wish Breakfast, taking some cookie classes and going out to get that tree this week, well, perhaps after the snow. What do this week! Les Amis du Fromage Pop Up – Dec 10/11 Les amis du FROMAGE will be hosting a pop-up shop in December. Local culinary legends Artisan Edibles and Chef Ann Kirseböm will be selling a full range of gourmet jellies, chocolates, chutneys, antipasti, and sauces. This…
An Adventure to Surrey for Holiday Shopping and Afternoon Tea Celebrations of any sort were big at my house, and Christmas was no exception. Our house was fully decorated with a good measure of garlands, ribbon and the occasional poinsetta, and each year my sister and I would get an ornament on the night before Christmas, adding yet another decoration to the tree. My mother has an eye for creating a festive space, and my parents home is always a welcoming space, at any time of year. In Ontario, where we lived until I was eight, we actually lived just down…
It’s that time of year when you’ve been asked to a party or two and now you’ve got to not only figure out what to wear, but also what to bring. We give you some suggestions and a few thoughts about gift giving etiquette too. Number one rule is if you ask to bring something and you are told no, still bring something. Everyone always appreciates a small gift. When you present it be discreet as not everyone may bring a gift and of course wrap it nicely. If you are going to bring something edible, then it makes…
Steals and Deals at the Liquor Store We were blessed with some decadent wine tasting last week and thought we’d share some of the deals we found on wines that could make great hostess gifts, pair with a holiday meal, be left out for santa, or consumed home alone if you need to drown your holiday sorrows, or merely escape for a night. Mionetto Treviso +86256 – On sale on Dec 4th $2.00 off at $15.99 Bubble is a nice way to start a party and with this sparkle you can pop a few bottles without blowing your holiday budget. It’s dry…
Taking Michelin Premier LTX Tires For a Spin Not sure about you but as I’ve gotten bit older my choices of how to spend money have changed and I’ve opt for a “safer” lifestyle all around (I’m so grown up). When I was in university I remember having a terrible car accident and totaling my car and it was likely preventable should I have replaced my tires regularly with something with a descent tread. However at the time I seem to have had more pressing needs, like dining out, or drinking wine. Now that I’ve now tested a variety of…
What to do in Vancouver this coming week! Okay folks is it just me or does it seem like Christmas is coming even faster this year? I’ve already been through Christmas in November, in Jasper, and been out to Potter’s Nursery and will have a summary of that both of those adventures shortly, and now Vancouver’s streets are all full of holiday hurrah! Why fight it? EMBRACE THE SEASON. #therealsanta CandyTown – November 26 in Yaletown Okay is it just me or do those gingerbread men scare the crap out of you too. Almost like clowns, no? In any case the rest…
Ten BC Chefs Awarded Gold Medal Plates Emblem of Distinction Last week we rushed off to Victoria, and thanks to Helijet, we got there in time to catch the Gold Medal Plates Culinary Competition. If you’ve been following Good Life Vancouver, you’ll know that I am basically a Gold Medal Plates groupie, and that I try make it to the BC Competition in the fall and the finals in February in Kelowna every year. I interview the chefs beforehand for some insight into their approach, and it’s always a pleasure to run into them at the competition, say hello to…
Chef Morgan Wilson from the Fairmont Empress Hotel doesn’t have far to go to compete for Gold Medal Plates, as he’s Victoria-based, but that doesn’t make it any easier. We learn a little more about his thoughts on trends before the competition. Tell us a little bit about your restaurant and/or style of cooking. Q at the Empress is focused on local flavors of the Pacific North West, with a focus on seafood and seasonal ingredients sourced from local farmers, fishers and markets. Where do you eat in your city? I like to discover smaller restaurants, one that I’m…
Gold Medal Plates competitor, Chef Sam Chalmers, is based in Victoria, and I just may have to go for the French Onion Soup he describes below. Tell us a little bit about your restaurant and/or style of cooking. North 48 is a modern comfort food restaurant. We take classic dishes and put our own spins on them. For example, our French Onion Soup: I salt cure half the onions, caramelize the rest, and put them in a mason jar with bacon & duck stock and cook that for 5 hours. We serve that tableside poured over a slice of…
One more day until Gold Medal Plates in Victoria and prior to this yearly face off, we try to catch up with all the chefs competing. Chef Nicholas Waters from Toque Catering in Victoria gave us a little insight into his culinary world. Tell us a little bit about your restaurant and/or style of cooking. We are a full service catering company that custom designs each menu to our client’s tastes. We specialize in Vancouver Island Cuisine. Where do you eat in your city? Wild Mountain, Relish & Dad’s Soup & Sandwiches What would be your ideal food day? Culinary food trips to…
Chef Jefferson Alvarez has had a busy fall as he’s recently opened Cacao, inspired Latin American plates in Kitsilano. We had a few questions for him as he preps for Gold Medal Plates to compete for Gold, but there were no hints as to what he’ll be serving! Tell us a little bit about your restaurant and/or style of cooking. We are a latin American restaurant style progressive Latin Where do you eat in your city? Where chefs are hands on! What would be your ideal food day? Food from my mom What trend do you wish would die? ALL…
Our next interview is with Chef Mark Filatow from Kelowna who’s also on his way to Victoria to compete in Gold Medal Plates Culinary Competition. He’s competed before and taken the gold so it could be a repeat performance if all goes well! Filatow answered a few questions about ingredients he always has on hand, and who’s coming with him. Tell us a little bit about your restaurant and/or style of cooking. We really focus on the seasons and use our travels and research to combine for new ideas. What trend do you wish would die? Picture perfect food that tastes like nothing! What…
Chef Ned Bell is on his way to Victoria this week to compete for the in Gold Medal Plates culinary competition and we posed a few questions in advance to get a feel for just what he might be preparing. Tell us a little bit about your restaurant and/or style of cooking. My Focus is on Wild Seafood from the Pacific Ocean, and responsible aquaculture, farming seaweeds, shellfish and fin fish in a responsible way from a clean ocean. (Chef Neb Bell is at the Vancouver Aquarium) Where do you eat in your city? At home with my family, having 3…
Counting down to Gold Medal Plates in Victoria November 17! Top chefs from British Columbia compete for the gold, silver and bronze medals in this ultra-tough culinary competition. Prior to this yearly face off, we catch up with the chefs competing for and next up is Chef Rob Walker. Tell us a little bit about your restaurant and/or style of cooking. My style is very simple, local, seasonal, and sustainable ingredients treated as simply as possible Where do you eat in your city? Well I have two young children so we don’t get out much and if we do the places we choose to go have to be…
I walked home last night just as the US election results were being finalized, the streets were empty and it began to rain hard, hopefully not a complete foreshadowing of what’s to come in this new era of Trumpism. We can only hope that the ugly thoughts of those who who seem to feel that hatefulness has any place in this world and will serve anyone well in any manner at all, can be peacefully addressed and dissipated, but this is very hopeful thinking. I am sad and shocked that this is where we find the world today and don’t look forward to…
This summer when I was searching for some sturdy portable BBQs that could be wheeled out to our local beach, or park, and wouldn’t fall apart after merely one use, I came across a super cool site, UncommonGoods, that featuring a super cool BBQ that I had to have. At the time they weren’t shipping to Canada, but they thankfully now are, and I’m thinking I may just do a little more shopping this season for some holiday gifts. The company has been around since 1999, is based in Brooklyn, is privately-owned and features unique jewelry, designer décor, tabletop items, and…
Welcome to the dreary days of November folks. Sorry to report that there will be rain for a while now. If you are lucky you are booking a sunny escape, or perhaps you’re more of a snow fan and thinking about Christmas in November at the Fairmont in Jasper, where I’ll be next week. In the meantime stay dry and head inside to one of these “you’ve got the blues”-busting events. November 5 – Sparkle Gala Fundraiser for Starlight Children’s Charity This year’s event will feature local chefs partnered with local Starlight children and teens to create a culinary…
Make Your Home Smarter, Lighter and Safer, with Best Buy If you call yourself a techie, you may have the latest smart phone, smart watch, pimped out car and camera, but what about the latest in home technology? While your television may unlock the full potential of HDR, and you’ve even got a home 3D printer, have you updated to the latest in home security? Are your your lighting and thermostat controls amped up? And can you monitor the temperature, air quality and even noise pollution inside and outside your home? If not, you may not be worthy of that nerd shirt…
Visit Oakland Where Wines Aren’t Always Among the Vines Heading to California and looking for some wine tasting? There’s no need to venture right into the vineyards of Napa or Sonoma, (although we wouldn’t frown upon that) instead hit the new urban wine trail right around Oakland. Oakland’s a quick jaunt from the San Francisco Airport and the trail is even easily bike-able! I ventured down to California this spring and have the scoop on this hip destination. Stay You’ll want to check yourself into the Waterfront Hotel Oakland in Jack London Square, the only publicly accessible mixed-use waterfront in the…
