Communist Ales
Beer has long lifted the burdens of the working class, and so it is fitting that Karl Marx who toiled to relieve the working class’ burdens was oft to lift…
Meditations - Enlightened gastronomic insights
Russian Tea: A Soulful Experience
Russians love tea more than vodka. Even though it is vodka, bears and Siberia that became the ubiquitous symbols of Russian culture in North America, for Russians it is…
The Truth About Sriracha
Every foodie seems to know what Sriracha is—the hot sauce with a cock on the bottle. It has become associated with Vietnamese restaurants, yet the current version was…
Ten Commandments of Dining Around
When it comes to Dine Arounds, Dine Outs or any “Eat At [INSERT CITY NAME HERE]!” complaints tend dominate the accolades. Why? In my experience, diner…
Vodka Saves the Day
There are moments when you get slapped out of apathy and assumption-making that resonate a while. Meeting Elena was one such moment. In a few spoken words she shattered…
YOU be the chef
I’ve had a few conversations regarding some customers wanting to customize their food to such an extent that it drives chefs up the wall and begs the question…who’s…
Striking French Gastronomy
Many revolutions start in the belly. Empty stomachs and bare cupboards feed rhetoric, ideals and slogans. Sparked by food prices too high or food stocks too low revolution…
Blue Dragon Heat
The ‘heat’ referenced in the post title is as much about competition as it is about spice At Foodists, we get a fair amount of attention from PR people…
Naples: Authentic, Gritty + Raw
When my friends and I decided to go to Naples we were warned by others who had visited not to stay for too long because it was gross, dirty and disgusting. To the contrary…
It’s Time to Tailgate!
Forget the presidential election noise, or the start of the school year. A crisp September Saturday in Iowa means only one thing to the entire state: It’s time to…
Guidance - Recipes & tips that will convert you
Jaew Bong: Magical Laos Chilli Paste
I was completely hooked the first time I tasted Jaew Bong and knew I had to figure out how to make it at home.
Salted Smelt with Cumin and Thyme
Growing up in Ontario, my dad used to come back from wintertime east-coast work trips with a bag of frozen smelt, but I never really understood where they came from…
Winemaker’s Grape Cake
If you aren’t familiar with Patricia Wells, you should be. She’s the doyenne of bistro cuisine, and runs what I’ve heard is the best cooking school in…
Silken tofu, chocolate torte and a revelation
Last week I was sent on assignment to Halifax, Nova Scotia* and stayed with friends. It was a glorious visit, and we made some pretty spectacular food, including a…
Kale & Nori Turchetta with pumpkin seed salsa verde
Our latest new contributors are Lauren Mote and Jonathan Chovancek who are the co-owners of Kale & Nori Culinary Arts, and makers of Bittered Sling Extracts. This…
Thai Up Your Leftovers
I did something for dinner yesterday that was so brilliant in its future usefulness I couldn’t wait to share it. Not only is it delicious, it’s also extremely quick to…
The Fry
The last two summers that I’ve been in Edmonton I’ve been lucky enough to be around for The Fry party hosted at my friends Andrew and Fiona’s house. Not knowing what…
Blueberry Almond Financier Cake
My favourite part of the summer harvest season is eating through all of the different types of fruits. The beginning of summer (whether the Vancouver weather knows it or…
Eventail d’aubergines à la provençale
In this first week of my French stage, I’ve learned all kinds of tips and tricks . This ranges from suspending a soupy salad (like bulgur-less tabbouleh) in a tamis…
Campfire Yumminess: The Jaffle Iron
I’m always excited when my friends Denise and Darren come to the lake as that means they are bringing their jaffle iron. When they first told me about it I had no…
Worship - Feasting at the temples of others
25 Things To Taste Before You Die
When I first pitched this idea to Alec in December, it seemed obvious that we should do it. Consume all of Vanmag’s “25 things to taste before you…
Porchetta Crawl
How do you truly compare four different porchetta sandwiches from across Vancouver? Eat them all at the same lunch! To help burn off the 10,000+ calorie carbo load,…
A Totally Offal Experience
When a friend of mine found out I’m writing a magazine piece on offal in the Maritimes, he said, “You have to meet Jesse Vergen.” Well, last week I had…
Bocuse d’Or Team Canada 2013
“The simpler the food, the harder it is to prepare it well. You want to truly taste what it is you’re eating. So that goes back to the trend of fine ingredients”…
The Chiveto – A Peerless Sandwich
I’ve had a few great and memorable sandwiches in life, as well many purely functional ones and far too many feeble ones imprisoned tightly together aboard industrial…
The Pigs in the (Swabian) Hall
(OK the title doesn’t quite make sense but I’m still going with it.) When I was back in Iowa for a few weeks this September, a story in the Des Moines Register…
Foodists Cutter Ranch Trip 2012
In order to appreciate the food we are consuming, I believe that one should have some idea of where their food comes from. As you can imagine I was very excited when the…
Tulum: Part 1
The last time I was in Mexico, I was a pale 17 year old, away from home and my family for the first time. I was sent to Monterrey as part of an exchange program, and…
The Waldorf Food Truck Fest Brings Community Together (With Killer Tunes to Dine By)
When I brought a fellow Iowan, and soon-to-be new Vancouverite, to the Waldorf Hotel’s now-weekly Food Truck Festival meet-up, he looked around in awe.…