Tag: comox valley

Ace Brewing (Courtenay, BC)

Shawn 2 Comments

During a couple days off this summer Crystal, me and our MTB buddies Jen and Sean spent a scorching afternoon thrashing around Hornby Island’s beautiful Mount Geoffrey trail network. After packing up the bikes the crew needed shade, food and alcohol and seeing as the local Meadery was closed we headed to nearby Courtenay where the breweries are plentiful and the IPAs flow like Mrya Falls.

The newest of these watering holes, Ace Brewing opened up in 2019 just in time to fill the vacuum left by the now- defunct Forbidden Brewing. This cemented Courtenay’s hipster cred as a two brewery town and gave people a place to enjoy craft beer and a bit of socially-distanced social time during the worst of the pandemic.

Read More

Edible Vancouver Island Magazine is Here!

Shawn 2 Comments

After keeping it under my toque for the last couple months, the wait is finally over and I can talk about another of my extra-curricular writing activities.

This week the inaugural issue of Edible Vancouver Island Magazine is available at fine food purveyors island-wide and features a two page article on my friend and garlic guru Brent Garstin, written by your truly. It’s my very first published bit of writing! I feel so legit!

Big thanks to Dawn, the publisher for bringing me on board and Editor Julie ‘n photographer Danika for making my words better than they have a right to be! Hopefully I’ll be able to do an article or two for them in the future.

Check out the EVI website for tons of online content and a map of where the physical magazines are distributed.

RIPE: Local Fruit – Use it fresh, preserve the rest

Shawn 2 Comments

A couple months ago Ann Kask got a hold of me through the NVICA grapevine and asked me to contribute a recipe for her new berry-themed cookbook. Flattered as all get out I readily agreed and proffered my classic Blackberry Hoisin BBQ Sauce recipe to add to the already stacked list. Now just in time for Christmas the cookbook of your dreams has arrived: RIPE: Local Fruit – Use it fresh, preserve the rest features recipes from over thirty Campbell River and Comox Valley food service folk that run the gamut of restaurant-ready (lookin at your chicken recipe Ronald!) to simple home kitchen afternoon affairs. The best part is that Ann is donating all proceeds from the cookbook to Diabetes Canada!

So if your holiday shopping for that foodie freak who already has every gadget and tome, pick up a copy of RIPE, I guarantee they won’t have it in their collection yet. The book is available around the Comox Valley at various booksellers and gourmet shops and Ann has a booth at the Saturday Comox Valley Farmer’s Market. Toss some sheckles her way, it’s for a good cause and the recipes are really top-notch… Especially mine. *laughs*

 

Grain & Glass

Shawn Leave a comment

Grain and GlassSoon after stumbling into The Edible Valley, I’m hit with the soon-to-be arrival of another big bit of Comox Valley food media. Grain & Glass will be an online magazine dedicated to food, drink and storytelling by Bon Vivant dude Hans Peter Mayer. It looks pretty cool. Very… what’s the word? Designery! Yeah that’s a word!

Also, the guy can write:

“Grain & Glass is a new online publication being created to showcase the producers and purveyors of fine food on Vancouver Island and beyond. It’s fine wine paired with the perfect cheese; a new IPA alongside the most decadent slice of pizza; the sweetest fireweed honey and the mead that it might become.”   

It’s not gone to (Word)press yet, but you can click here to subscribe to the Grain & Glass Email list which should get you all the details and more.

So, this is what it feels like to be part of a scene that’s blowing up!