Make Love, Not Fruitcake
My friend Sean and I made our first batch of fruitcake in 1995; I was 16 and he was 17 years old. It started as a joke. See, we had this theory that nobody actually ate…
Meditations - Enlightened gastronomic insights
Does A Negroni Improve With Age? Yes. Especially If You Age It In An Oak Barrel!
Aging cocktails isn’t a new technique—in fact it used to be the norm a century ago—but only in recent years has aging cocktails in oak barrels made a come back…
CONTEST: Unquenchable thirst for a bargain
You’re either a wine person or you’re going to be one. When you start out, you might be less inclined to spend the big money on a single bottle of wine…
Roger Mooking Can Fit His Whole Hand Into His Mouth
Increasingly we’re asked by food industry folks to interview them for this site, which is an honour and appreciated, and fun (the reason why we do this!). Such was…
Butchers of Gastown III…The Video
The Butchers of Gastown (BOG) is all about sharing in the sourcing of a whole beast (or beasts), learning how to take them apart and then making a feast fit for kings with…
The MSG Dilemma
It’s almost inevitable that at some point in the career of an Asian chef, one faces the big decision: MSG—To use? Or not to use? In some Asian countries, such as…
It’s High Time Scout Magazine’s Andrew Morrison Answered a Few Questions
It’s entirely likely that if you read this website, you’re quite familiar with the Vancouver-based food and culture site Scout Magazine. and its outspoken…
pushing the boundaries of urban foraging
When I was a kid we would spend our entire summer, from the end of June to the end of August, at our family property on the Sunshine Coast of BC. Most days there were…
Two Alternative Magazines for the Food-Obsessed
Hitting my local newsstand, it’s not hard to find the usual suspects vying for your attention, featuring the sexiest food photography to make you forget you just had…
Butchers of Gastown III: The Seafood Session
It has been awhile since I have written a post for Foodists. A bloody long time to be quite honest. Even as I write this I am searching my brain for some small scrap that…
Guidance - Recipes & tips that will convert you
Still smokin!
It’s time to slow things down a bit. I mean low and slow, it’s time to make that charcoal grill into a smoker. Why? Because you want whatever comes off your grill to…
There Ain’t No Party Like a Spot Prawn Party
One of the best things about moving from the prairie to the coast is access to things such as in season seafood. So I was more than excited when on the long weekend in May…
2011 National Chefs Conference in Vancouver
From June 10th – 16th, Vancouver will be hosting the 48th annual National Chefs Conference. This prestigious event arrives in Vancouver every 10 years and will be…
I dream about Yew’s Chef Grant Macdonald
Confession time: I dream about Grant Macdonald, Chef at Yew Restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver. OK, I don’t actually dream about Grant specifically—though…
Tiramisu (“Pull Me Higher”)
My Aunt Bina (in Italian, “Zia Bina”) is a woman of admirable talents. As a member of the Catholic Women’s League, she routinely solicits her fellow parishioners on…
Gluten-Free Lemon Meringue Pie
This was our first attempt at a lemon meringue pie and seriously, it was so exciting! Tina’s husband parked himself in front of the oven window in anticipation of our…
Eat San Francisco in Two Days
In the past month, I had 3 different out-of-town visitors who came and asked of me one thing: “Pailin, take me to the best place to eat in San Francisco.” This…
Savory Summer Watermelon Salad Recipe
Playing around with contrasting ingredients to create unlikely flavours riles me up. I love it when my guests look hesitantly at their plates at first, then burst out…
British Columbia Spot Prawns are in Season! Now what?
I’m guessing that most people don’t think of fish is having seasons. They do. And one of the most delicious seafoods is in season in British Columbia right now…
Alsatian Appreciation
Hot on the heels of Burgundy Appreciation Night, some fellow Foodist friends planned a night of Alsatian food and wine tasting. I am cramming for France! So any excuse to…
Worship - Feasting at the temples of others
Tasty Read for Food-Lit Lovers
New book of literary food writing offers a buffet of poetry, nonfiction and visual art.
NFA Revs up new Summer Menu
Pssst, hey, wanna eat at an underground restaurant? Okay, slip on this blindfold and follow me! Well, it’s not quite like that, but it is fun, kind of like a…
Crazy for CocoaNymp Chocolates & Confections
I love chocolate (who doesn’t really?) and Ben frankly has an unhealthy obsession with the dark brown delights (you’d be well advised not to leave any quality…
Toronto Street Food… More Please!
Last weekend Toronto was treated to 1000 tastes, a street food Festival on John Street in the heart of downtown. Some 20 or so restaurants lined the street with their…
Viva Bouchon Las Vegas!
It was Easter weekend and our small group was heading to Las Vegas for some shopping, a Cirque show and general merriment. I volunteered to handle restaurant duty, knowing…
Damn You Chex And Your Delicious Gluten-Free Yumminess
I hate feeling obligated or manipulated. Who doesn’t? And I refuse to write about anything on Foodists unless I genuinely enjoyed it or found it to be…
The Great Canadian Cheese Festival
This past weekend I journeyed to the idyllic Quinte’s Isle, just East of Toronto, to (over) indulge my culinary passions at the first “Great Canadian Cheese…
MARKET’s Patio is Open! For Brunch!
MARKET (by Jean-Georges) has always been more of a late-night favorite for me, but after taking a cruise through their brunch menu it seems likely I’ll be persuaded…
A London Lunch—at Dinner
I am not one of those traveling foodists who makes reservations at all the top-tier restaurants in town when visiting a new city. In fact, I usually make none—when I…
Take a bite out of BC
There are a couple of places in Vancouver that have managed to successfully transcend their tourist appeal and evolve to offer locals plenty of reasons to convene at. Then…