Award-winning filmmaker and producer of famed foodie film, Tableland, Craig Noble, has been named Foodie of the Year in Western Living Magazine’s Top Forty Foodies Under Forty listing.

The annual listing recognizes the new generation of passionate chefs, restaurateurs, food producers, wine and spirits experts and activists who help define and change the way we eat in Western Canada.   Craig joins the ranks of previous nominees like James MacKinnon and Alisa Smith, authors of The 100-Mile Diet; Executive Chef Melissa Craig of the Bearfoot Bistro in Whistler, BC; and winemaker Heidi Noble of JoieFarm Wines.

Craig has been a part of the locavore movement since he embarked on a culinary expedition across North America to discover the people, place and taste of local food in early 2005. Craig turned his travels into a moving documentary called Tableland that has screened hundreds of times and touched thousands of people across Canada and the US.  Noble lives and breathes local food, constantly sourcing out the best product from local producers, preserving the summer bounty by canning and freezing, and even curing and smoking his own bacon on his balcony at home.  Craig is an avid mushroom forager, and enjoys shucking fresh oysters on the beach with friends like Brent Petkau, also known as The Oyster Man.  He has become an expert on sustainable food production and related social and environmental issues, earned extensive first-hand experience in wine production (and consumption), and has developed an impressive command of the best ways to use and preserve each seasons’ produce.

While Tableland’s message continues to spread with screenings locally and abroad, and countless DVDs being sold to schools, libraries, and personal collections, Craig is gearing up for the release of his next foodie project – The Booz How Tooz.

The Booz How Tooz (www.boozhowtooz.com) is a series of instructional videos that will be the definitive knowledge base for home alcohol production, covering the complete spectrum of beer, wine, and spirits production for home enthusiasts.   All tutorial-videos are professionally shot in HD with experienced and enthusiastic instructors, illustrate different techniques and set-ups for all skill levels, and are broken down into chapters to allow viewers to learn at their own pace.  The Booz How Tooz Product Release Party will be held on Wednesday, October 21^st at Heritage Hall on Main Street, from 7:00-11:00 PM.  For more information visit www.boozhowtooz.com.

Delicious recipes from the Top Forty Foodies Under Forty category award winners can be found online at www.westernliving.ca.  Keeping in line with Craig’s affinity for regional flavours, he shares his favourite recipe for “Extra Action Smoked Oysters.”

Extra Action Smoked Oysters
Noble layers regional tastes (mollusks from Cortes Island’s Brent Petkau AKA The Oyster Man, Similkameen Honey) and Asian flavours (sesame, ginger, panko crumbs) in these crispy treats.  Recipes at westernliving.ca.

Sauce:

2 Tbs Similkameen Apiaries Honey

1 Tbs Soy sauce

1 Tbs Red wine vinegar

1 Tbs Grated ginger

1 Tsp Roasted sesame seeds

1 Tsp Chopped chives

1/2 Tsp Sesame oil

1 Chopped scallion

1 fresh chopped chilli (optional)

Oysters:

1 Can Oyster Man’s Smoked Oysters- Viva La Revolution! http://www.theoysterman.com

Sunflower Oil for Frying

2 Tbs All-purpose Flour

4 Tbs Panko Bread Crumbs

1 Egg, lightly beaten

Salt to finish

1.  Mix all sauce ingredients thoroughly

2.  Heat oil to 360’F (shallow fry)

3.  Bread oysters with flour, then double dip in Panko.  Fry oysters until golden, serve immediately.

Plate with steamed short grain rice and bok choy.

Fun Facts about Craig Noble

Birthday:  October 22, 1977

Favourite Restaurants:  La Quercia, Go Fish, Boneta, Thai Son

Best Weekend Getaway: The Joie, or Fairburn Farm in Cowichan Valley followed by a stay at Sooke Harbour House

Favourite Beer:  Crannóg Ales Backhand of God Stout

5 things you always have in your kitchen: Tuscan finishing olive oil, Maldon Salt, 8 year Balsamic Vinegar, homemade preserved fruit syrups (for cocktails), and various forms of cured pork.

Best Meal Ever: The most memorable and romanticized meal was Braised Rabbit at a small agritourismo outside of San Gimignano, in Tuscany at age 11.