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Posts Tagged ‘Sustainable’

Local Garden Vertical Farm Opens in Vancouver

November 20th, 2012 admin

Mayor Gregor Robertson (centre)

Today was the launch of Vancouver’s Local Garden which is North America’s first Verticrop™ farm, sustainably growing the City’s freshest source of healthy local greens. I was fortunate to attend this rooftop launch party where Mayor Gregor Robertson spoke about this inner-city farm and the first of it’s kind in North America.

Local Garden Vancouver Inc. is set to offer consumers fresh, local produce year-round. It will use VertiCrop, a new technology for growing healthy, natural vegetables in a controlled environment. VertiCrop maximizes space usage and eliminates the need for herbicides and pesticides thereby growing the freshest, healthiest, and best-tasting local produce.

Chef Trevor Bird picking the greens

Chef Trevor Bird making a salad

Chef Trevor Bird serving the Mayor a Local Garden Salad

Produce grown at Local Garden Vancouver will be distributed to stores and restaurants mostly within a 10km radius of its downtown location. This will cut down on vehicle emissions and result in a fresher product. Chef Trevor Bird who is not only the 2nd place winner of Top Chef Canada, he also co-owns Fable Kitchen, a restaurant that prides itself on farm to table dining. Trevor was at the launch today where he picked some of the greens and then made a salad for Mayor Gregor Robertson and the other dignitaries to eat.

Local Garden was built on the roof of a parkade at 535 Richards Street in downtown Vancouver. With its innovative growing system they can yield 4 times more than field grown produce and be at 10 times the productivity.

Farming System

Farming Tray System

A system of 3000 trays is built on a converter belt where in approx. 18-24 days they are able to grow their produce which includes baby greens, baby kale and other loose leaf greens and then harvest. Handpicked at the peak of freshness and delivered the same day to local restaurants and grocers, means the freshest tasting produce available without the loss of any vitamins, minerals or nutrients.

Local Garden brand

Vancity recognized the tremendous potential impact this project could have on our environment and community and provided Local Garden Vancouver with financing for the project. Crew from Mission Possible is the labour force,  they package the products before they are sold to restaurants and stores. Alterrus’ VertiCrop is launching their first farm in Vancouver, however the R & D was done in the UK.

For more information, check out Local Garden or follow them on Twitter @_LocalGarden

By: Richard Wolak

Posted in Eating Local, Latest Tags: , , , , , , , 2 Comments »

The Tiffin Project: Local Food To Go

July 4th, 2012 admin

If you haven’t heard about The Tiffin Project yet, you are about too. First of all you need to get to know Hunter J. Moyes, I had the pleasure to speak at an East Van Love event back in February where I met Hunter for the first time, he was co-emcee at the event. At the time Hunter was a chef at The Waldorf Hotel/Nuba, on the side he was gearing up to launch a non-profit organization called The Tiffin Project. Months forward I invited him to speak at my first Food Talks Vol. 1 event held last month, this is where I got a full understanding of what The Tiffin Project was all about.

Hunter describes himself as a food activist, to get a better understanding on what that really means, you can watch Hunter J. Moyes talk that we filmed when he spoke at the food talks event last month. Next thing is you have to realize that most of the Take-Out containers you get from the restaurants you patronize are going to end up in the garbage and the landfills and that is not a sustainable solution. The Tiffin Project involves you and will benefit you, instead of purchasing food for take-out and receiving a cardboard box or tin at restaurants around the city, you would now bring in a takeout container to pack up your own leftovers at your favourite restaurants, or to use as a takeout container for food to go. $4 from the sale of each Tiffin container will go into a subsidy program that will be paying the project’s restaurant partners to buy more local produce for their menus.

It is a re-usable TO GO container which you can purchase for $26 at participating restaurants, many of the restaurants will then provide you with a discount off of the meals you order each time you bring in this Tiffin for them to fill. I hope this successful as its going to revolutionize food take-out in and outside of Vancouver.

Here are the restaurant partners that are now on board along with their launch dates:

The Noodle Box: LAUNCHED: July 1st, 2012 –they have 2 locations in Vancouver and 5 locations on Vancouver Island.

The deal: They are offering $1 off of any transaction using a Tiffin Project container.

Curry2U – Launch: July 9th, 2012

The deal: On Thursdays, you can go to Granville Island to visit Curry2U and fill your Tiffin Project unit for $5 with any of their vegetarian items.

Nuba – Launch: July 15th, 2012 – they have 5 locations in Vancouver.

The deal: in the works

Harvest Union – Launch: July 15th, 2012

The deal: in the works

The Waldorf Hotel – Launch: July 15th, 2012

The deal: in the works

Edible Canada – Launch: July 15th-21st, 2012

The deal: in the works

Tacofino – Launch: July 21st, 2012

The deal: in the works

Fable – Launch: July 21st, 2012

The deal: in the works

The Stock Market – Launch: July 28th, 2012

The deal: in the works

If you are an owner of a restaurant or food truck in the Vancouver area then I would encourage you to get involved and be a leader in sustainable food take-out. If you are a consumer who will benefit from the environment by being sustainable and obtaining discounts on your food purchases then you now know who to patronize.

You can follow @TiffinProject on twitter.

By: Richard Wolak

Posted in Great Ideas, Latest Tags: , , , , No Comments »

Cartems Donuts and the Story

February 21st, 2012 admin

Earl Grey Donut

The other day I heard about a new donut shop that popped up at the corner of Carrall and Hastings. I was curious, and I had to check it out.  Within an hour of them opening just as I got in the door they were sold out. Curious then became furious, how could they sell out of 100 donuts so fast. Cartems Donuterie is owned by 3 partners,  Jordan Cash the guy who dreamt up the concept, along with his partners Mark Tagulao and Rajesh Narine, they opened up last week renting space in Sean Heather’s Penn Bake Shop for a 6 month pop-up donut shop. This is really a social media driven donut shop, even though they have specific hours listed on their facebook page, you have to follow them on twitter @Cartemsdonuts to be kept in the loop on if and when they are going to be open, the donut flavours on hand or that they are all gone. I see a trend @pizzeriafarina does this all so well, when they are running low on dough for the pizzas they tweet it out and within minutes they are sold out, they inform their customers on twitter, first pizza now donuts, what’s going to be next in this social media food game!

Triple Chocolate Donut

The Flavours

I tried the Earl Grey and the Triple Chocolate, I wanted to try the Maple Bourbon Bacon but there were none by the time I got there. They also make up to 40 different flavours for now including sweet snow, gluten free, cinnamon sugar, carrot cake, and sweet heat.

Sourcing Locally

Their ingredients are sourced from as close to Vancouver as possible, the flour comes from Anita’s Organic Mill (Chilliwack), their eggs are from Rabbit River Farms (Richmond), butter comes from Golden Ears Farms (Maple Ridge), the milk is from Avalon Dairy (Burnaby), and their spices come from Gathering Place Trading Company on Cortes Island.

Local ingredients – ethically sourced and sustainable – mean a higher quality donut, could this be the driving force behind this already booming donut company.

Making the Donuts

Now this is where things get really interesting, how do you fry donuts in a pop-up shop that’s located in a bake shop without a fryer. Enter the Woodland Smokehouse & Commissary another newly opened business located at 485 Commercial Drive which is owned by Tyson Reimer and Ryan Murfitt of Gastown’s Peckinpah. Tyson and Ryan opened the Woodland Smokehouse as they ran out of space to expand their product offerings, they needed to expand their meat smoker. One thing lead to another a new commissary was born, the guys from Cartems needed a place to make and fry up their donuts and voila this is just the beginning!

By: Richard Wolak

Posted in Baked Goods, Great Ideas, Latest Tags: , , , , , , , , No Comments »

Ocean Wise Cookbook Launch

November 5th, 2010 admin

On Wednesday November 3rd, I attended “Ocean Wise” CookBook Launch Party at C Restaurant. The book was edited by Jane Mundy who spent a year putting the book together, featuring 139 recipes from top Canadian Chefs.

Jane Mundy

Chef Robert Clark and Chef Lee Humphries team prepared a selection of appetizers some from the book and some of their own recipes. My favourites bites were the Beer Batter Fried Oysters, Tuna Tataki and the and the Sustainable Scallop Canapés!

Tuna Tataki

Beer Batter Fried Oysters

Berry Sockeye

Jane’s cookbook is called “Ocean Wise: Seafood Recipes that are Good for the Planet”

In The Ocean Wise Cookbook, freelance writer Jane Mundy compiles together some of the most popular recipes from chefs and restaurants from all across Canada. Jane shows us that no matter what kind of seafood you need for a recipe, you can help sustain our oceans and the environment by making positive choices.

Ocean Wise is a nation-wide conservation program designed to educate restaurants and consumers about the issues surrounding sustainable seafood. Created by the renowned Vancouver Aquarium, Ocean Wise has an affiliation with restaurants, markets, suppliers and food services, striving to ensure that everyone works together to make ocean-friendly buying choices in an environmentally conscious world.

Now available at local bookstores.

By: Richard Wolak

Posted in Latest, Parties & Events Tags: , , , , , No Comments »

Fresh Local Wild Opening

October 21st, 2010 admin

Chef & Co-Owner Josh Wolfe

Last night I attended the opening party for Fresh Local Wild, a new mobile food cart that opens today on the corner of Granville & Robson downtown Vancouver.

The party was held at a secret offsite location where invited guests mingled about outside lining up for tasters of Chanterelle Mushroom Poutine, Hot Smoked Northern Coho Salmon Burgers, Fried Oyster Po-Boy Sandwiches and Venison Burgers.

Chanterelle Mushroom Poutine

Hot Smoked Northern Coho Salmon Burgers

All their food is sustainable and responsibly harvested and Ocean Wise.

Open Tuesday – Sunday, however I suspect that hours may vary, so you should follow them on twitter @freshlocalwild for updates, you can also visit them online at www.freshlocalwild.com

By: Richard Wolak

Posted in Openings Tags: , , , , , No Comments »

Home Grown: Local Sustainable Food at MOV

August 25th, 2010 admin

I wandered through the exhibit this morning to have a look through this exciting exhibit that runs from August 26th, 2010 through January 2, 2011 at the Museum of Vancouver (MOV) where they have partnered with FarmFolkCityFolk to explore Vancouver’s passion for backyard farming and local food. The large-scale photographic exhibit captures the current momentum behind local food production and urban agriculture. The exhibit Home Grown: Local Sustainable Food, is a visual feast of 39 Brian Harris photographs set across four seasons.

Communal Wall of Preserves

Something unique that caught my eye was the Communal Wall of Preserves which will grow with public participation, as MOV hopes patrons will donate jars of home-preserved fruits and vegetables. Jars of all shapes with a maximum height of 11inches or 28cm can be dropped off at the Museum’s front desk. Cory who is one of the owners of local restaurant Twisted Fork has been making preserves for years and he has donated many jars of all sorts of his preserves to start this Communal Preserves Project at MOV.

Using large-scale photographs Home Grown introduces visitors to the people behind local food. The photos range from proud inner city gardeners to an aerial view of an industrial scale sustainable hothouse. Visitors will gain insight into alternate styles of growing food like house-lot farming and farming co-ops.

“This series of photos is dedicated to those who see the beauty in small scale sustainable farming. Urban agriculture is about how we relate to the physical world and strive to develop a deeper connection to our food. The industrial world doesn’t seem to want people to know how their food is being produced,” says featured photojournalist, Brian Harris.

Harris’ images take MOV visitors to the city’s rooftops where a beekeeper tentatively lifts a tray of bees from a hive atop of the Vancouver Convention Centre’s living grassland roof.

“The living roof is 20 acres of grassland – it’s like a prairie up there – smack bang in the middle of a city, a powerful juxtaposition to the cityscape behind it,” remarks Harris.

MOV will host a series of food-based events throughout the fall, a Food and Beers speaker series, Family Workshops, and Talks and Tours.  Watch the museum’s website at www.museumofvancouver.ca for details and dates.

By: Richard Wolak

Posted in Great Ideas, Latest Tags: , , , , , , , No Comments »

COMMUNE CAFE

August 14th, 2010 admin

1002 Seymour Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-681-2551


Twitter: @communecafe

Advice: Sit at the Communal Table or on the outside patio.

Loved the communal table in the center of the cafe with the bright red chairs as well as the cork light fixtures that hang above the table. Here you can dine solo or with friends, read a book, sip a glass of wine.

I sat at one of the tables on the side with my friend Pedro, we both admired the sense of design and sustainability with the high ceilings and wood paneling throughout. The magnet menu board (offers ease in menu changes) as well as the outside patio were both well designed.

Sangkak Iranian Flatbread

The food is local, sustainable, organic and free-range and is either made in house or by local producers. Pedro and I shared the tasty Sangkak Iranian Flatbread ($9) topped with garlic roasted portabello mushrooms and goats cheese.

Iced Espresso

Blackout Raspberry Cupcake

Food for the Gods

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

Each of us had an Iced Espresso ($2.45) and then we shared a few desserts including the Filipino inspired Food for the Gods ($1.75) square; the Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble ($3.25) tart and the Blackout Raspberry Cupcake ($2.75). The inventive menu was created by talented Chef Tina Fineza who put together a well thought out menu starting off with breakfast treats such as organic Yogurt and panini to Nutella on Brioche Toast to scrambled eggs. For lunch there is an assortment of panini, cold and hot sandwiches, salads such as the Commune Harvest Salad along with some share plates such as the Commune Hummous. After 5pm, for dinner you will find the Iranian Flatbread as well as a Lemon Roasted Rossdown Chicken that I am going to have on my next visit. The beverage lineup is equally impressive Annette Rawlinson put together a wonderful menu of wines and beer from this area and there are also many different hot and cold espresso beverages and tea. This is a place you are going to want to be morning, noon and night!

Review By: Richard Wolak
Posted in Downtown, Latest, Restaurant Reviews Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , No Comments »

Ocean Wise Mystery Tour

January 28th, 2010 admin

I was invited to take part in the amazing Ocean Wise Mystery Tour on January 21st , a unique event to celebrate 5 years of the Ocean Wise program. The event was kicked off with a champagne reception at the Vancouver Aquarium where we made a toast to the 5th year anniversary for Ocean Wise and their achievements.

Dr. John Nightingale - President & CEO Vancouver Aquarium

The “Ocean Wise Turns 5” Media Dine-Around was very well organized with 6 groups of media along with an Ocean Wise representative sent around on buses to a couple of restaurants that were Ocean Wise certified around the city. Bus transportation was courtesy complimentary from Landsea Tours (sustainable transportation).and they took care of us during the evening. We all attempted to guess on which restaurants we were being taken too. The surprises were well worth the intrigue and mystery. I learned some new things about the Ocean Wise program and why it is such a great model for consumers as well as the suppliers and restaurants.

My group was fortunate to have Dr John Nightingale as our leader for the evening, this gave me a chance to talk to John who is the President & CEO of the Vancouver Aquarium and to learn a lot about their Ocean Wise program. We also were lucky to have Chhaya Jagpal the Marketing & Promotions Manager of the Vancouver Aquarium with us. Our first destination unknown turned out to be to the Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co in Lynn Valley in North Vancouver. I hadn’t been to this location and was pleasantly surprised on how large the restaurant was and to the extent of their participation in Ocean Wise. Here we were fortunate to be able to dine with Dominic Fielden, President of Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co and to here first hand about his experiences being a part and supporter of Ocean Wise. We had an enjoyable tasting menu here that included 3 courses and pairings.

Pizza Chef - Rocky Mountain Pizza Co.

Our menu at Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co, 1255 Lynn Valley Road, North Vancouver

Fresh Baby Shrimp Bruschetta – warm slices of garlic brushed organic bread with fresh baby shrimp and diced marinated local tomatoes, fresh cilantro and asiago. This was paired with beer – the Howe Sound Three Beavers, Imperial Red Ale.

B.C. Pasta Special – hand cut organic pasta with garlic seared Qualicum scallops, yellow onions, portabello mushrooms, roasted B.C. beets & butternut squash in a lemon, white bear wine cream sauce & topped with crumbled goat’s cheese and chopped arugula. This was paired with a B.C. wine – White Bear, Sauvignon Blanc.

Ocean Wise Flatbread Pizza – organic handcrafted flatbread brushed with garlic oil and based with organic tomato sauce & mozzarella cheese. Topped with in-house orange maple cured wild salmon and fresh shrimp, artichokes, red onion, nut free herb pesto & asiago cheese. This was paired with a B.C. wine – Larch Hills Winery, Gewurztraminer, Organic.

Fresh Baby Shrimp Bruschetta

B.C. Pasta Special

Ocean Wise Flatbread Pizza

Back on the bus we all went onto the second stop on the tour destination unknown, all we new was that we were going higher in elevation. Down the highway we went and up the mountain arriving at a wonderful restaurant that is owned by well known Chef Wayne Martin at Fraiche Restaurant. Here we were treated to a menu prepared by Shaun Snelling Chef de Cuisine.

Chef Wayne Martin - Fraiche Restaurant

Our menu at Fraiche Restaurant, 2240 Chippendale Road, West Vancouver

Dungeness Crab Cakes with bouillabaisse, Fennel and tomato ragout

Qualicum bay scallop carpaccio with pickled fennel, preserved lemon and mustard sprouts

These 2 dishes were paired with a French wine – Chateau Guiraud, 2007, Bordeaux Blanc, France.

Dungeness Crab Cake & Scallop Carpacio

Back on the bus we were headed for C Restaurant our last stop of the evening to rendezvous with everyone at the founding restaurant partner of the Ocean Wise program. Here we were hosted by Chef Robert Clark at C and were treated to a wonderful plated dish.

Chef Quang Dang & Chef Robert Clark

Our menu at C Restaurant, 2-1600 Howe Street, Vancouver

Smoked Baynes Sound Scallop – Denman island herring “escabeche” peashoots in multiple textures, compressed cucumbers, shallot vinaigrette. This was paired very well with a wine from Germany – Selbach-Oster, Reisling, Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, 1998.

Salt Spring Island Goat Cheese and Vanilla Mousse – sapo bravo stone fruits, spiced liquid marshmallow.

These 2 dishes were paired with 2 BC dessert wines and both very good and very different.

Forbidden Fruit Winery – “iced apple dessert wine” Similkameen Valley, B.C., 2007 and the

Vista d’oro Winery – fortified port style wine with Walnut brandy, Langley, B.C., 2007.

Smoked Baynes Sound Scallop

Salt Spring Island Goat Cheese and Vanilla Mousse

On our tour the rest of the dine-around groups spent their evening prior at these other fabulous restaurants who worked so hard to treat us all so well: Aria Restaurant – Westin Downtown, Burrard Bridge Marine Bar and Grill, Revel Room, The District, The Edge Bistro, Griffins – Fairmont Hotel Vancouver; Tapenade Bistro and Zen Japanese Restaurant.

By: Richard Wolak

Posted in Culinary Adventures, Stories Tags: , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment »
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