Coquille Takes Happy Hour To a Whole New Level

Thursday afternoon happy hour at this Gastown seafood establishment is getting more interesting with a calendar of featured Ocean Wise seafood and invited guests to share stories, knowledge and tricks of the trade.

It’s been just over a year since Coquille opened their doors in Gastown and the team have had an incredible year of developing new and existing relationships with shellfish farmers, fishermen and women along with seafood purveyors from near and far.  Seafood Sessions, which will take place every Thursday during happy hour starting on April 25th, is aimed at showcasing the incredible Ocean Wise bounty that Coquille receives on a daily basis.

General Manager, Liam Todd who helped conceptualize the program, says “It’s our way of bringing together and engaging all of our stakeholders; from our restaurant guests, to our kitchen and service teams to our invaluable local suppliers.  It gives us the chance to share the stories behind what’s on our menu.”

Every Thursday will have a different focus and flavour based on the product and the personality of the invited guest or the product being featured with the aim of providing a fun and informal experience to unwind after work or before dinner.

Seafood Sessions will kick off with Malindi Taylor, from Fanny Bay Oysters dropping by the restaurant from 5pm-6pm on April 25th to share some stories about her family’s long history of oyster farming in Puget Sound and share some table-side oyster shucking tips and tricks.  “I’m excited to share some of the Pacific Northwest’s history of shellfish farming directly on your plate.” says Taylor of the weekly program.

The Seafood Sessions calendar will continually be updated on the events page of the Coquille website. The starting line-up is as follows:

April 25th 5-6PM: Featuring Malindi Taylor of Taylor Shellfish Farms and Fanny Bay Oysters

Malindi is a 5th generation oyster farmer with her family’s history in the shellfish industry dating back to 1890 in Puget Sound. She’ll be sharing some tasty oysters, shucking lessons, and her stories from tide to table.

May 2nd 4-6PM: Featuring Dungeness Crab with Coquille Sous Chef Matt Marshall and Matt Sherlock, Winemaker at Lock & Worth Winery

Sous Chef Matt Marshall has been crabbing at his family’s cabin on Gambier Island for many a summer and will be sharing the some table-side stories while Matt Sherlock of Lock & Worth Winery located on the Naramata Bench in the Okanagan Valley will bring his wines and his favourite seafood wine pairing tips.

May 9th 4-6PM: Featuring  Qualicum Scollops with Chef de Cuisine, Chris Jankowski and Jay Drysdale Winemaker at Bella Wines.

Chef Chris will be preparing Qualicum Scallops and telling the comeback tale of this local shellfish that was nearly wiped out in 2013.  Jay Drysdale, an icon in the BC wine industry, will make the trip from his winery in Naramata to share his passion for BC bubbles and make some recommendations for seafood pairings.