Despite the fact that we are on a rooftop, we don’t have a patio at Vista 18 so outdoor cooking is a family affair for me. A couple of weeks ago my family and I packed into the Westy and launched ourselves on a road trip to Rathtrevor Provincial Park in Parksville.  Rathtrevor is... »

Big thanks to my friend and colleague Suzanne Little for collaborating on this post with me.  Suzanne edits an amazing blog Salt Spring Community.com. “I dreamed of a better beverage,” says Emory Haines, Director of Operations at the Hotel Grand Pacific in Victoria. Emory grew up in a very small town in the Appalachians... »

The Sticky Wicket is twenty this year and tomorrow night the pub is hosting a birthday bash.  There will be food, music, cake, retro drinks with retro prices and the burgers will cost the same price as they did in the 90s. The Strathcona Hotel was built in 1913.  In 1946 Barney Olson purchased... »

Fresh produce is finally in season and the eggplant is one that North Americans often overlook.  Eggplants are common throughout Eastern Europe and parts of Africa.  My wife and consumed many delicious eggplant dishes while traveling in Romania. The eggplant, also known as the aubergine, melongene or brinjal, is a nightshade plant.  As a... »

Chefs love knowing the provenance of their ingredients.  Get a bunch of us together at one table and it won’t be long before talk turns to cold pressed extra virgin olive oil harvested from two hundred year old trees and ground in a stone mill built by the Romans; or artisanal rare breed goat’s... »