Food

Hassib Sarwari and Winnie Sun (Sarwari’s partner at Afghan Kitchen Group). Lia Crowe photography

Hearty and full of heart

Dishes at Hassib Sarwari’s Zarak inspired by his mother’s cooking

  • Nov 15, 2021
Hassib Sarwari and Winnie Sun (Sarwari’s partner at Afghan Kitchen Group). Lia Crowe photography
Robots navigate the Bowling Green State University campus in Bowling Green, Ohio on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2021. Robot food delivery is no longer the stuff of science fiction. Hundreds of little robots __ knee-high and able to hold around four large pizzas __ are now navigating college campuses and even some city sidewalks in the U.S., the U.K. and elsewhere. While robots were being tested in limited numbers before the coronavirus hit, the companies building them say pandemic-related labor shortages and a growing preference for contactless delivery have accelerated their deployment. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Robots hit the streets as demand for food delivery grows

Knee-high and able to hold around four large pizzas, robots are now navigating college campuses

Robots navigate the Bowling Green State University campus in Bowling Green, Ohio on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2021. Robot food delivery is no longer the stuff of science fiction. Hundreds of little robots __ knee-high and able to hold around four large pizzas __ are now navigating college campuses and even some city sidewalks in the U.S., the U.K. and elsewhere. While robots were being tested in limited numbers before the coronavirus hit, the companies building them say pandemic-related labor shortages and a growing preference for contactless delivery have accelerated their deployment. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Cocktail recipes from Ellie Shortt with photography by Lia Crowe

Raising a glass to cocktail recipes

Health benefits hide in mixed drinks

  • Nov 3, 2021
Cocktail recipes from Ellie Shortt with photography by Lia Crowe
Baguettes are removed from the oven at Feru bakery in Louveciennes, west of Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021. A worldwide increase in wheat prices after bad harvests in Russia is forcing French bakers to raise the price of that staple of life in France the baguette. Boulangeries around France have begun putting up signs warning their customers of an increase in the price of their favorite bread due to rising costs. (AP Photo/Michel Euler

Fears of rising baguette prices pose crunch for the French

Bread crunch has been linked to a 30% worldwide increase in the price of wheat since September

Baguettes are removed from the oven at Feru bakery in Louveciennes, west of Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021. A worldwide increase in wheat prices after bad harvests in Russia is forcing French bakers to raise the price of that staple of life in France the baguette. Boulangeries around France have begun putting up signs warning their customers of an increase in the price of their favorite bread due to rising costs. (AP Photo/Michel Euler
September 8, 2021 -Dishes of ( from top left, clockwise) Beef Carpaccio, Spaghetti and Wagyu Meatballs and Prawn Carbonara at the Lot 1 Pasta Bar restaurant. Don Denton photograph

Good pasta, good karma

Lot 1 Pasta Bar changes the game

  • Oct 18, 2021
September 8, 2021 -Dishes of ( from top left, clockwise) Beef Carpaccio, Spaghetti and Wagyu Meatballs and Prawn Carbonara at the Lot 1 Pasta Bar restaurant. Don Denton photograph
Alpina Restaurant at Villa Eyrie Resort on the Malahat was among seven eateries on the Island that made the opentable.com Top 100 best patios list. (OpenTable photo)

Seven Vancouver Island eateries crack national outdoor dining top 100 list

Diner-voted restaurants on Island range from Mill Bay to Oak Bay, Saanich to downtown Victoria

Alpina Restaurant at Villa Eyrie Resort on the Malahat was among seven eateries on the Island that made the opentable.com Top 100 best patios list. (OpenTable photo)
Documentary filmmaker Les Stroud and ethnobotanist Fiona Hamersley Chambers pick salmonberries in the forest for an episode of Wild Harvest. (Photo courtesy of Laura Bombier)

Metchosin farmer lends foraging expertise to documentary filmmaker

Fiona Hamersley Chambers joins forces with Les Stroud on Wild Harvest foodie series

Documentary filmmaker Les Stroud and ethnobotanist Fiona Hamersley Chambers pick salmonberries in the forest for an episode of Wild Harvest. (Photo courtesy of Laura Bombier)
A traditional salmon barbecue on Newcastle Island near Nanaimo. Black Press File Photo

Indigenous Food Sovereignty helps with wellness, and sense of identity

Goal is to ‘reclaim decision making power’ — Indigenous Health Dietitian

A traditional salmon barbecue on Newcastle Island near Nanaimo. Black Press File Photo
Chef Scott Geiring_Photograph by Lia Crowe

Good Taste with Chef de cuisine Scott Geiring

Food and wine at O’Rourke’s Peak Cellars

  • Sep 24, 2021
Chef Scott Geiring_Photograph by Lia Crowe
Twa Dogs Brewery in Saanich, just outside Victoria. Photo courtesy BC Ale Trail

Sip and savour: Artisanal beers abound on Vancouver Island

When it comes to voting for the BC Ale Trail’s Best Brewery…

Twa Dogs Brewery in Saanich, just outside Victoria. Photo courtesy BC Ale Trail
Rodrigo Pinto, General Manager for the Vancouver outlet for Finest At Sea holds up live crabs in front of a shellfish tank. Don Denton photograph

Finest At Sea is a different kettle of fish

Fresh seafood from the deli or the restaurant

  • Aug 27, 2021
Rodrigo Pinto, General Manager for the Vancouver outlet for Finest At Sea holds up live crabs in front of a shellfish tank. Don Denton photograph
It’s all hands on deck to serve customers for Public Market in Chemainus owner/operator Patricia Berry and employee Leah Howard. (Photo by Don Bodger)

Worker shortage leave Vancouver Island business owners scrambling

Lack on interest in customer service jobs about to take another hit with back-to-school

It’s all hands on deck to serve customers for Public Market in Chemainus owner/operator Patricia Berry and employee Leah Howard. (Photo by Don Bodger)
A tasty breakfast treat. (Philip Wolf photo)

COLUMN: Does your guilty pleasure involve a captain, a tiger or a cartoon monster?

WOLF: The siren song of sugary breakfast cereals remains hard to resist

A tasty breakfast treat. (Philip Wolf photo)
Friends of Dorothy. Lia Crowe photography

Fun, food and drink at Friends of Dorothy

A lounge fit for a queen

  • Aug 16, 2021
Friends of Dorothy. Lia Crowe photography
A new volunteer program led by the Tofino Community Food Initiative is aiming to stop unpicked fruit from attracting bears into backyards while also tapping into a delicious local food source. (WildSafeBC photo)

‘Glean Team’ set to transform bear attractants into local food source in Tofino-Ucluelet

The Tofino Community Food Initiative is hoping a new volunteer program will bear fruit

A new volunteer program led by the Tofino Community Food Initiative is aiming to stop unpicked fruit from attracting bears into backyards while also tapping into a delicious local food source. (WildSafeBC photo)
Bending lengths of chicken wire into arches, Philip Smith constructs trellises for beans to run their way up. Drawn to the work and the cause, Smith has been volunteering at the farm three days a week since March. “It’s fun because there’s different stuff all the time and it’s outside and I’ve got a wonderful boss – don't tell him I said that," he says with a cheeky smile. “It may not be for everybody but I enjoy it.” (Jane Skrypnek/News Staff)

Farm to food bank: Volunteers ensure free, fresh produce for Greater Victorians in need

Fruits, vegetables delivered directly from Gatton House Farm to free food markets

Bending lengths of chicken wire into arches, Philip Smith constructs trellises for beans to run their way up. Drawn to the work and the cause, Smith has been volunteering at the farm three days a week since March. “It’s fun because there’s different stuff all the time and it’s outside and I’ve got a wonderful boss – don't tell him I said that," he says with a cheeky smile. “It may not be for everybody but I enjoy it.” (Jane Skrypnek/News Staff)
Nanoose Bay animal and environmental activist Kingston Walters has published his first cookbook, ‘King Zoom’s Quarantine Cook Book.’ (Photo courtesy Gillian Walters)

Nanoose Bay teenager releases vegan cookbook

Kingston Walters presents ‘King Zoom’s Quarantine Cook Book’

Nanoose Bay animal and environmental activist Kingston Walters has published his first cookbook, ‘King Zoom’s Quarantine Cook Book.’ (Photo courtesy Gillian Walters)
Travel inspired recipes from Ellie Shortt. Lia Crowe photography

Great Escapes with Travel-Inspired Recipes

Think global and source local with these international tastes

  • Aug 6, 2021
Travel inspired recipes from Ellie Shortt. Lia Crowe photography
Destination Greater Victoria has used Stats Canada data to confirm Victoria as the Canadian city with the most restaurants, eateries, pubs and bars per capita. (Black Press Media file photo)

Victoria leads Canadian cities in restaurants, pubs, bars per capita

Victoria’s 4.6 hospitality businesses per 1,000 residents tops Vancouver, Niagara Falls: Stats Can

Destination Greater Victoria has used Stats Canada data to confirm Victoria as the Canadian city with the most restaurants, eateries, pubs and bars per capita. (Black Press Media file photo)
Last year, Port Alberni’s Twin City Brewing earned the BC Ale Trail’s Best Brewery Experience award for the quality of its beer and food as well as the way it adapted to the pandemic.

Which BC brewery do you think offers the best overall experience?

Voting is underway for the BC Ale Trail’s Best Brewery Experience award

Last year, Port Alberni’s Twin City Brewing earned the BC Ale Trail’s Best Brewery Experience award for the quality of its beer and food as well as the way it adapted to the pandemic.