We’ve Got Big Plans For Self Care and Improvement This Fall September is always a time for renewal for me. It’s a month until my birthday and I start reflecting on aging and generally make some resolutions for the fall around self care; it’s MY NEW YEAR. It’s been a busy summer as I went back to full time work and I’ve had less time to sleep, work out, clean, and generally look after myself, and I’ve not worked on creating time for myself. Now I’ve decided to really make some changes and I’m hoping to inspire some of you…
Author: cassandra
What To Do In Vancouver This Week It’s the end of August and we’re so ready for fall and a reprise from the heat and smoke. As Labour Day weekend approaches we’re going to try to get in a few more sunny walks, some patio dining and maybe a bike ride or two. Here’s a few suggestions of where to head this weekend. Taiwanfest 2018 September 1-3 The annual event includes concerts and other live entertainment as well as lectures, films, culinary shows, visual arts exhibits, family-oriented activities and a giant street party with food and market stalls. Don’t miss…
Wild Salmon Dished Up at Fisherman’s Wharf Last night was a lot cooler than last year’s Wild Salmon Celebration, but that didn’t stop chefs plating up some very creative and wildly different dishes, all made with Sockeye Salmon. The wines were all salmon-safe and Shelter Point Distillery was onsite generously sampling their stellar whisky! Thanks to the Chefs Table Society for pulling this all together. Ned Bell, Ocean Wise Cured and Crispy Wild BC Sockeye Salmon with Lime and Poblano Dressing, Cashew Cream and Crumble Darren Clay. Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts Baked Salmon, Horseradish Crust, Pickled cucumber salad, beets, dill oil…
Dinner In The Sky by Chef Ned Bell The first question almost everyone asked when I told them I was participating in Dinner In The Sky, a dinner where your table is 150 feet in the air, is what if you have to pee? And honestly, it was my biggest worry too, but after I was told it is only an hour up in the sky I thought I could probably handle it. The dinner is in North Vancouver until July 28 and starts in West Vancouver on August 4th. There are a few different options ranging from $149 -…
A Neighbourhood Dining Showcase In Burnaby A quick trip out to Burnaby this week will take you to Crave the Heights to celebrate delicious food and lively entertainment. Fun fact? Yours truly worked at Cristos Greek Restaurant, one of the participants, and lived in the Heights during my University Days. Boy that restaurant has been around a while! Oh how different the rest of the Heights is now though! Until August 6, 10 participating restaurants have specials ranging from a Iced Brew-berry Coffee with Blueberry Coffee Choux at Chez Christophe for $9.95 to a rotating list of five appies for $50…
Featuring: Chef Curtis Luk with Long Table’s Brand Ambassador, Tarquin Melnyk For those who have been desperately missing Chef Curtis Luk since Mission had shuttered, and we count ourselves in this crew, here’s your chance to experience his cooking again. Long Table Distillery is presenting ‘The Apothecary Journey’, two nights of a one-of-a-kind collaborative pairing dinner on Tuesday, August 21 or Wednesday, August 22. The menu features pairings of culinary and cocktail expressions across a four-course meal featuring the flavorful science of Vancouver Top Chef Canada contestant, Curtis Luk who’s incorporating a range of botanical herbs and apothecary ingredients that are…
Local chefs show support for sustainable BC salmon Summer in British Columbia means that the seasonal delicacies appear, and that includes fresh, ocean-caught wild salmon! In collaboration with BC Salmon Marketing Council, the Chefs’ Table Society of British Columbia(CTS) hosts the second annual Wild Salmon Celebration event at the dockside of False Creek Fishermen’s Wharf on Saturday, August 25 (6:30pm-9:00pm). Tickets available online for $59 per person (plus taxes and fees). Tasting dishes featuring BC wild salmon will be prepared by six well-known BC chefs sharing a love of the ocean. The dishes prepared by our chefs for the dinner are exclusive to the…
Help Fraser Common Farm Raise The Barn It’s Fraser Common Farms annual farm field dinner on August 19th in Aldergrove and we’re heading out to the valley to celebrate! The farm is partnering with DL Chicken Shack, and will be the much loved Merchant’s Workshops last supper. Glorious Organics produce will be present, as well as K&M chicken, Giesbrecht pork and dessert from The Pie Shoppe. As if that’s not enough of a powerhouse lineup, Dickie’s Ginger Beer will be making a custom lemon verbena and mulberry ginger beer to pair with Wild Turkey Bourbon. Also beer from Brassneck and wine…
What To Do Around Vancouver This Week I can’t believe we’re half way through August! Where did the summer go? I walked outside this morning and it looked like the trees were turning colour, but apparently they are just dried out from lack of water. With no rain in site and temperatures up to 25 degrees this week, that’s not good news for the trees or lawns, but it is good news for those who want to enjoy the outdoors. Here’s a couple things you can do to enjoy the sun and get out of it. Disco Dumplings at Burdock…
Cooking Classes From In My Kitchen I attended one of the very delicious Tayybeh Syrian Catering pop-ups last year and luckily met Paula Mohammed, a women with a mission to bring eclectic cooking experiences from home cooks to Vancouver through “In My Kitchen”. I was thrilled to hear about the possibility of learning home cooking techniques from around the world and serendipitously introduced her to my friend Chef Karen Dar Woon, from Your Secret Chef, whom she brought on board to provide additional training to the instructors. Several months the cooking classes were ready to go and I was invited to try…
Wine Festival Celebrates Smaller Garagiste Wines! If there’s only one wine festival you get to this summer, this should be the one! August 19th in Kelowna the Garagiste North returns to wow wine lovers with a unique taste of the future of wine country. Garagiste North “The Small Producers” Wine Festival, celebrates the artisan winemaker creating commercially produced small case lot wines (under 2000 cases). The Garagistes are an eclectic blend of passion and experience, new and old, the cult and the boutique, some with tasting rooms and many without – all gathered in one spot. This is an evolutionary…
Pangea Pod Hotel in Whistler, BC, now taking reservations This week I took a day off for an escape up to Whistler to check out the new Pangea Pod Hotel. Yep folks, pods, not the spacious rooms we’ve been lounging about in lately. However, for those solo travelers and those looking to getaway without the price tag that most Whistler accommodation comes with (an overnight stay is $99-$149) these pods are a pretty cool way to stay and play in Whistler. Unlike traditional hostels, the hotels 88 “rooms” are divided up into eight units so you are really only sharing…
Summerdine 2018 – One Night, Many Dinners and Many Already Sold OUT! As many of you know I am a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, an invitational organization of women leaders in food, beverage and hospitality whose mission is education, scholarship and philanthropy. Much of our fundraising goes towards scholarships for women in the culinary, wine and hospitality industry and last year we gave out $40,000 in scholarships. One of the events that we hold every year is Summerdine, a very special evening where guests can dine at different restaurants, wineries, and culinary venues all across BC. This year the date is…
Have One Final French Fête Before August 20th After more than twenty years in business, another neighbourhood gem will disappear from West 4th Avenue. Bistro Pastis has been serving diners some of the best French Onion Soup, Steak Frites, Escargot and Duck Confit Cassoulet in the city; many guests have been dining here for decades. Owner Stefen Langford purchased Bistro Pastis in 2016 and continued the restaurants traditional approach, keeping the menu simply French, but what once was a recipe for success is no longer. Langford felt the economic pinch that many restaurateurs are now feeling and was left with…
Mix Up Some BC Blueberry Cocktails With These Local Libations It’s BC Blueberry season and there’s plenty of berries this year. They’re great in muffins, salads, in pies, sauces jams, and, of course, cocktails! There’s even a locally made Blueberry Vodka made with Bremner’s Blueberries by Marcus Von Albrecht at XFour Vodka(they’re also a client of mine). Here’s a few recipes to help you enjoy BC Blueberries while they last! Blueberry Mule ½ oz lime juice (approximately ¼ lime) 2 oz XFour Bremner’s Blueberry Vodka 4 oz ginger beer Fresh blueberries and rosemary to garnish Squeeze lime into a glass and…
Simply Beautiful Box By Janine Verreault, Editor, BCLiving For a very limited time you can purchase the Simply Beautiful #editorsbox spring edition $190 Value for $79. I’ve received two boxes now and I love the products that Janine Verreault, the Editor at BCLiving, has chosen for each one. They’re items that I wouldn’t necessarily have chosen for myself, things I didn’t know I really needed, but I did! My favourite from the spring box is definitely the rose gold measuring spoons, they went missing and I found them in husband Michael’s knife bag, so I’m not the only one crushing on these.…
An Invitation to ALL Canadians – Help Put CANADA on the Menu! Celebrate Canadian Food with Great Ingredients, Top Chefs, Amazing Farmers and Canada’s Most Iconic Icon, the CN Tower Fifteen years ago in 2003, our borders were closed to Canadian beef. It may have been an economic disaster, but it was not a culinary one. In response, The World’s Longest Barbecue was born: Canadians rallied, went to their grills, and barbecued Canadian beef to show their support. According to one spokesperson for Canada Beef, this event “saved the industry.” Over the years, many renowned Canadian chefs have joined the annual…
What To Do Around Vancouver I can’t believe it’s the last week of July! June and July just flew by as we took some time to head to the Island, had lots of family visits and then there’s the fact that I am working full time in ECommerce now. I’ve got much less time to blog, tweet and Instapost, but I’m loving it here at Satel where I’m around people, learning new skills and then there’s that whole thing called a paycheck! There’s so much to do around Vancouver right now, but here’s a few things that you may want…
PC Garden Centre Sources from 100% Canadian Growers Throughout the summer there’s always some replanting that’s needed on our little balcony and that’s generally husband Michael’s role, part of the jokingly blue vs pink jobs that we have a home (trust me it’s a total joke there are no defined sexist roles around our abode). PC Garden Centres makes this easy and he’s just somehow better at arranging things and keeping them watered, and always knows that I need marigolds, one of those flowers that just make me so damn happy. It’s easy to replenish your garden with a quick…
From July 5 – 15 the Indian Summer Festival Spreads Out Across Vancouver We were lucky enough to stop in for the opening of the Indian Summer Festival this week, and yesterday, the first ever outdoor space PAUSE opened, located at Vanier Park. PAUSE will host 15+ fascinating, family-friendly and unique free events July 6-15. The opening included dishes from Vancouver’s top culinary artists, international musicians and the Roundhouse transformed like I’d never seen it before. This year Vij’s, Blue Water Cafe, Cedar Feast House, Jamjar, Cacao, Tayybeh, ARC at the Fairmont Waterfront dished out culinary treats! July 7 head o Main Street, to The…
