After racing in the rain all morning for the 2010 Coho Salmon Run, my first 14km event, I felt like I deserved a little treat tonight!
Gala apple slices with some of Wendy Boys’ Cocolico burnt caramel sauce, warmed up, and a hot cup of ginger rooibos tea. Yum!
Sunday night treat!
Every time I dine in a restaurant, if I can, I always glance through the kitchen window – where dishes wait to be served, and the restaurant’s front and back of house teams connect. It fascinates me to see how others operate in kitchens; I think life in a professional kitchen may easily be my Pandora’s box.
Fortunately, as I journey Beyond The Dough, meeting people like Dwayne Botchar help me piece together real kitchen experiences from a distance.
Dwayne is a trained Chef with over 33 years of industry experience. Now, he sits on the board of directors of the BC Chef’s Association and is a Corporate Chef and Regional Sales Manager for Rational-Canada – an international company that manufactures specialty kitchen equipment, specifically, combi steamer ovens.
Dwayne Botchar in between meetings in downtown Vancouver.
Due to frequent business travel, Dwayne’s office is mobile, so we met in downtown Vancouver, at Café Artigiano. Among the barista buzz and café chatter, I tuned in to learn about combi ovens, kitchen life, and some food philosophy.
“Being in a kitchen is very difficult. There is a lot of stress – a lot of stress. Especially working on the line, which is where everything happens. It’s very stressful. Would I like to work on the line again? I don’t think so. Would l like to have my own kitchen again? Maybe,” said Dwayne, after I asked if he missed being in a professional kitchen setting.
Later he also added, “It is a very difficult industry. Everyone says look at this great restaurant, great food, and this Chef is famous; he must be rich, etc. It’s not like that. The average salary of the average Chef, is a lot of work for little pay.”
Although he does not work directly in a kitchen anymore, he said, “I don’t have to miss anything really, I still get to do everything I like to do. I cook at home, I volunteer with the Chef’s association and we’re always cooking and doing things. I don’t feel I lack in that area. I could get my hands as dirty as I want, as we say.”
On working for Rational, Dwayne shared that the company only hires Chefs and the oven was also originally designed by a Chef. Among the fun facts I learned about their product line, I was most impressed to hear 95% of kitchens in Europe use them, compared to a mere 10% in Canada. Dwayne said, “we’re about 5-10 years behind Europe in that regard”.
Rational's Self Cooking Center product line. Source: Rational-Canada
What do you enjoy about this role vs. being in a kitchen? There are several things. First and foremost, the machine is an amazing tool and it actually can save time in the kitchen, so it can make a chef’s life easier. One of the reasons I like this company is because I can actually help cooks like myself to breathe a littler easier at end of the day, have more time for creativity, more time to train staff and manage production much simpler. The other reason is I can now have long weekends and holidays…. When you’re out eating that’s when we [Chefs] are in business.
Where do you recommend going for dinner in Vancouver? Well do you have a lot of paper? [pause] A fun and interesting place to go to is SALT. It’s a great little place, like going to a French charcuterie…. There are tons of places though, the Chef [Jean-George] at the new Shangri-La’s Market is fantastic, and smaller places like Cioppino’s are great.
I could tell he wanted to list dozens more, but then he added, “There is a place I bring people to all the time. It’s a burger joint, but it has the single best view in the entire city. The Galley at Jericho Sailing Club…has a 160-degree view of everything from English bay all the way over to Vancouver Island…The food is fantastic. The Chef there is solid.”
As we wrapped up, I was left with a bit of food philosophy, “Vancouver really is a great place for food. It really is. Food, besides the obvious that you have to eat to survive, as humans, we have taken it to a whole other level – its an experience now.”
He added with strong conviction, “And food is social. You can break down more barriers of multiculturalism through food, than you can of any other method. When people sit down and break bread together, you learn about customs and so much happens. What happens around the table is what matters.”
As we walked away from the table to go our separate ways, I felt like our conversation definitely mattered.
Paul and team prepping the tasting plates.
Not too long ago, I sat down to a Refuel table with some fellow Vancouver food bloggers, where two small plates of decadent sweets – also known as mignardises – were presented to us.
The sweets are the work of Paul Croteau, a pastry chef at Refuel, who also runs the pastry program at Campagnolo Restaurant, which is the production kitchen for Paul’s debut high-end confectionery, PC Confections.
PC Confections, first plate.
My inner child was forced to hold back from devouring all the sweets in one continuous motion as Paul began the tour, complete with his Quebec French accent and bits of broken English.
“Our main confection is the macaron, we have seven flavours right now, and we’re going to have more” he began. With, “a sweet breakfast this morning… [your] front plate from left to right, it’s a good balance, it will not destroy your palate”
The first, a passion fruit jelly, he explained how it was made and as we tasted the first light jelly bite silence found room along with several
smiles. “The passion fruit is very bright, you can see the flavour go through all the sugar. Next is the raspberry jelly. It tastes more like a jam… but its pretty good. They come together in the packaging, nice accompaniment to each.”
Paul Croteau leading the tasting tour of his work.
Nougat was next, “basically egg white with cooked honey and then we add cooked sugar. …it’s hard and soft in texture, with hazelnut, almond, pistachio, cocoa nibs, and covered with chocolate.…to protect the nougat”
Onward to the almond Florentine square – served untraditionally on a sweet dough with a subtle candied grapefruit flavour. He said, “I think it’s my favourite!”
Crackles of parchment unwrapping in the room revealed next, “The little candy is a soft salted caramel, like a caramel but very very soft and very buttery. It’s almost same amount of sugar and butter. And we add cream a little bit. It’s salty a little bit, so it comes through very nice”
We finished the first plate with the grignotines, “…hazelnut caramelized, with salt, and then covered with chocolate, and finished with cocoa powder. It’s very nice when you watch a movie you can eat them instead of popcorn, I like to do that – sometimes.” He smiled and we laughed.
Paul's Macarons
My sugar buzz began to peak, but I forged on with pleasure to the next plate of macarons – French almond meringue sandwich cookies with seasonal flavoured ganache fillings. From vanilla
pistachio, to salted caramel, to chocolate, the light heaven bites of macaron crumble at first in your mouth and then simply melt away. “The
finish should always have a nice sheen to it, and be soft inside with a light crumbly soft texture outside. That’s the sign of a good quality macaron,” he said and I believe him because he makes up to 1000 of them each week!
PC Confection Macarons, plate two.
What makes Macarons so tricky? Pretty much everything. First the egg whites need to be a little bit old. It’s easier to whisk a good strong meringue. Then, this technique…the temperature of the oven, how long you have to cook them, and then the packaging [or they break]. …So it’s a long process.
Why are they more popular out west now? They are so popular in Paris. In New York they started maybe 5 years ago, in Montréal started maybe two to three years ago. Everyone loves macarons. They are delicate, very nice texture and flavour of it. I hope that in Vancouver we are going to have the same trend.
PC Confections packaging
What is your favourite macaron? The caramel one. I love doing the ganache but its too sweet for me. Yesterday I was cutting [almond] Florentines in the squares and I ate all the edges; and as I was wrapping the caramels, I ate a few of them too! So I go for run too.
A sweet guy with a sweet job, check out Paul Croteau’s PC Confections coming soon to 1020 Main Street.
Paul Croteau, photo credit: PC Confections
FreshDish.ca
If you’re a busy parent, or a busy single professional with little time or even inspiration to eat healthy, I recently discovered a convenient solution to add to your regime – it might just save you one or two nights off…
Meet Corrine Stadel, a busy parent herself and owner of Fresh Dish, in South Vancouver. Fresh Dish assembles fresh meals for you, made to order, fresh or frozen, and either in group portions or single servings. They offer a variety of entrees, side dishes, appetizers and desserts even. Operating six days a week, you simply order online, by phone or email, 48 hours in advance, then pick up or have your order delivered to you. Fresh Dish’s monthly menu will save you time in shopping and cooking so all you have to do is heat and eat!
I met Corrine in her south Vancouver store location to hear about her Fresh Dish experience…
How did Fresh Dish start? I love to cook. …I am a single parent and had a very busy career. Sensational Suppers was a store that I discovered at a trade show, so I went and loved it [similar concept to Fresh Dish]. My teenage daughter started dinner before I got home. Then the franchises became available and I bought a franchise. About six months later, they decided to close. So I rebranded and went independent.
Beef Kabobs one August menu option, photo credit: Freshdish.ca
Do you create your own recipes? We find recipes, there are three of us, and tweak them; and then we use our own family stuff. Like family recipes that we’ve used for years and years.
What are your favourite dishes? Most of them… but the sockeye salmon on a cedar plank [is great]. I love our pork dishes – our pork is great. I haven’t really had [a dish] that I disliked ever.
What do you enjoy most about your job? Being my own boss. The flexibility of having to raise a family, I can be flexible with my hours to be at home. …The customers play a big part too, because they give us a lot of feedback. We cater to all our customers. We are open and flexible with our menu – we get a lot of requests for vegetarian, low-fat, or salt free. As a franchise you couldn’t do that.
The popular seafood lasagna, photo credit: Freshdish.ca
How does Fresh Dish work? The idea is that you buy a series of meat, so that you have a whole bunch of different options [each serves 2-3 or 4-6] and in the morning you just take one out and then cook it at night by following the instructions. [The food marinates during the day as it thaws out]. Some items will come with different steps, like sauté and add sauce; but our soups and chilies are premade and precooked. Our lasagnas are very popular too. Our vegetarians go with vegetarian lasagna, and there’s also a broccoli & spinach, a chicken, a seafood – and our seafood has crab, shrimp, and scallops in it – no imitation seafood. We have customers that order two or three every month. All our cooked [singles] meals come with a protein, a starch, and vegetables. You just microwave and it’s ready. They usually come off our menu and change weekly.
With hopes to expand I into a bigger location, and expand on their singles meal menu options, which are growing in demand, Corrine’s team is working to add some new products to the mix, including tofu options.
“You are not shopping, no prep work, and it saves you money because you’re not buying a bunch of different ingredients. Predominantly, we all have about 6-8 items [in our routine menus]. This gives you some variety and something different. Without having to go buy a whole bottle of something, use it once, and then end up throwing something out.” I related to her instantly, so I am sure you can too…
All of these things is not like the other, but I assure you they all belong… Individually they each have their own flavour, and it was an amazing way to start my day this past Thursday. This is a preview post, of how I recently sampled just a few of pastry chef Paul Croteau’s amazing confections for his new business: PC Confections…
Stay tuned for full story – its a sweet one!
Perfectly plated PC Confections for a delightful tasting session.
The Soupmeister store front sign in Lonsdale Quay Market.
As the heat wave passes over Vancouver, back to school hovers around the corner. Inevitably cooler weather will soon follow, and your iced café becomes an extra hot latte and your salad becomes a soup! While it may not be what you crave on a hot day now, a hearty bowl of soup is a serious staple for fall eating.
But soup takes time, so you can count on your local Soupmeister in North Vancouver’s Lonsdale Quay to dish up the best of the best every time because its all done in house.
Ralf Dauns at work. Photo credit: Soupmeister.ca
This serious soup expert was born, raised, and educated at Masters level in Germany and has now been in soup business in Vancouver for more than 15 years. Ralf Dauns, recently expanded his market location in January 2010 to include more kettles than ever – allowing up to five different soups prepared and served each day during their peak months (September to May).
So before the soup season kicks into high gear, I sat down with Ralf across from his shop in the market, to learn more about his experience, great soup, and a bit about community…
What are your most popular soups? We have a few staples like clam chowder, seafood chowder, Italian wedding. …Some soups fall out of favour and some come back or some ingredients are not available. [It also depends on] the market price, usually the higher the price the lower the quality – so you want to make good quality.
What is your favourite? I like soups with beans and meat, for example, the Sicilian connection: prawns, sausage meat, different beans, a little parmesan cheese, its almost like a chili. It depends on the time of year and what mood you are in.
Do you oversee every batch of soup? Yes. Between [my sous chef] and me we taste the soup. Sometimes we bring in the younger guys as well, to taste, so they understand when you add this, they see what makes the difference.
After being in the business this long, what inspires you to make soup now? Number one, as my friend also says, I really love to cook. …And the other thing is the satisfaction you get from all the variety of customers. You get customers of all ages and backgrounds. Then I run into somebody who used to come here as a kid. 89% of our customers are regulars.
Many of your staff are local kids, do you have apprenticeships? Not directly the cooking part, but I try to teach them work ethic, and a bit more independent thinking. …I’m not a big fan of writing a list of what to do all day, like franchise style. There are so much structures everyone has these days, so I give them room to grow and have some creativity – it’s a bit harder that way [laughs], but its better in the end.
Outside the market, what is your favourite place to eat? At Home [laughs] …I don’t go out very much, but if we do go out for a fancy dinner we usually go to Le Crocodile downtown – it’s very traditional French, and very consistent.
One of the Soupmeister's daily menu lists.
Lastly, what is the key to good soup? Main thing is a good stock. If you don’t have a good stock then it gets really tough. Then you have to have fresh quality ingredients. You can’t rush a soup. Soup is not something you can make by weighing things out all the time because your ingredients taste different all the time…. The main thing is a good stock, good ingredients, and time. You have to put some TLC in there or its not going to happen.
____________
This serious soup master enjoys what he does and has taken soup to a fine art level. His soup has become a staple in the community, and that is heart warming in itself. During our chat, Ralf said, “what I like about it too, it’s become part of the community,” he pointed out a customer at the counter and continued, “his dad used to come here and now he comes here,” you could tell he was proud, and with good reason – it’s more than just soup, it’s soup with a community story.
Courtesy of the Art Institute of Vancouver, I received an insider copy of the culinary school’s newsletter and this is one of the recipes they are sharing for the summer – so I am sharing with you before summer escapes us!
Great for apartment size patio dining; and although this is a virgin cocktail recipe, you could certainly make your own non-virgin-version!
Servings: 4 (8 oz. servings)
Ingredients:
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ginger root chopped
3 cups mini watermelon pieces cubed (any kind)
1/2 cup lime juice freshly squeezed (~4 limes)
16 oz. ginger ale
ice cubes as needed
Directions:
Place water and sugar in a sauce pot and bring to a low simmer to dissolve sugar. Set aside. In batches, puree watermelon and fresh ginger and strain through a fine sieve into a large pitcher [you could make it mojito style though, and crush with a fork for a more rustic look]. When cooled, add sugar water. Stir in lime juice and ginger ale. Pour over fresh ice and serve.
Summer in a glass – Enjoy!
MikeBurger Madness runs from July 18 – August 26, 2010: Mr Mikes’ aims to raise $50,000 for local charities!
Claire Booth, of Mr Mikes Steakhouse & Bar, stands next to some fun artwork displayed at their corporate office - same artwork found in the franchises.
Not many places in BC can say they’ve been making the same burger for 50 years. Well Mr Mikes steakhouse chain can, and are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year by highlighting an original menu item: the MikeBurger. Fifty years later, they are still making MikeBurgers and now are giving back to local charities through the sale of each MikeBurger.
At their head office in Vancouver recently, I chatted with Claire Booth, Vice President of Brand Strategy, to learn more about Mr Mikes story and this anniversary campaign.
What is the story behind Mr.Mike’s? It was a coupe of brothers. It was on Granville st. [911 Granville St to be exact]. They started off with this ‘steak for everyone’ making steak inexpensive. And they had this salad bar concept and when people think back to the Mr.Mikes they know and love, they think about the salad bar. They remember the baked potato wrapped in foil. ….But times have changed and we’ve moved on. Comparable to other steakhouses, our steaks are much better quality now. There is no story to the name though. [Just the name the brothers chose]
Tell me more about MikeBurger Madness? This is our 50th anniversary campaign. We wanted it to be community focused. We wanted to highlight out MikeBurger because that is the only product that is still on our menu from 50 years ago. It is the same MikeBurger served in the same way. So we wanted to make that the focus. …[It was key for us] to ensure we were giving back the community that is supporting us. …We aim to sell 50,000 MikeBurgers, and so far we are on track, we’ve already sold over 11,000 [as of day nine of the six-week campaign].
For a list of the charities each franchise is supporting, visit MrMikes.ca!
What are the franchises saying about MikeBurger Madness? They are really supportive. Corporate office is going to match the winner [most sold burgers], so if the winner manages to raise $5000 then we’ll match it. A great example is Dawson Creek, they are using the money to go towards building the community a new water park. Chilliwack is also a good example, they sold the most MikeBurgers on the first day [and are going strong still].
On a personal note, have you always worked in the food industry? [Claire joined the Mr. Mikes earlier this year, but has always worked in food related industries] I really enjoy working in the food & beverage world. You’ve got to be so cutting edge and so aware of what’s going on competitively. …It keeps you on your toes, because there are so many trends when it comes to food and beverage.
…Working for a company like Mr.Mikes, and being so community focused, you can’t help but have a good time at work as well. Because what you are doing is bringing joy to other people so it reflects in the corporate culture as well.
Mr Mikes menu Mike Burger options! Source: MrMikes.ca
Can you describe a MikeBurger? It’s different from other hamburgers. Its one of those foods that Mr.Mikes is known for. …It comes on a garlic buttered toast, and the bun itself is a piece of French loaf. A large oval beef patty, our special sauce and served with fries. Its one of those burgers that you bite in and it is just messy, yummy, and rich! You have to try one if you haven’t! There are different types as well, I just described the Classic MikeBurger, but there is the Bacon, Avalanche, or Mushroom MikeBurger too.
The massive MikeBurger experience is worth the trip to Langley, Coquitlam, or Surrey for GVRD residents. Summer is the perfect time to explore new places, burgers, and give back to charity as well!
How food is made and where it comes from is always fascinating for me to learn about. Recently, I literally watched the cows come in to be milked on a trip to a family owned and run BC cheese farm, Kootenay Alpine Cheese Co.
Their farm dog guided the herd, with very full udders, into the barn, where the cows are milked twice daily, and receive a hay mixture / treat before each milking. It sounds simple, but this routine is a big process and amazing to witness.
Smelling the mountain air and hearing cow bells jingle, we suddenly had a craving for cheese and headed to the cheese shop for some samples.
The Kootenay Alpine Cheese company makes three cheeses named Nostrala, Alpindon, and Mountain Grana, respectively, each with a slightly stronger taste and firmer texture. After seeing the cows that produce the milk that makes the cheese, the flavour experience was certainly heightened.
Later I was able to ask Denise a few questions about her family’s farm; and I learned some interesting facts that just might aMOOse you too…
The cows enjoy their treat just before milking.
How did your cheese farm start? We started making cheese three years ago but have been dairy farming for about 20.
What does your family love most about your farm? We all get satisfaction from farming the way we do and we like to see it reflected in the end product.
How many cows approximately do you have at your farm? We milk ~75 cows and then have about that many again that are young stock and dry cows (on vacation from milking for two months)
How much milk does each of your cows produce in a day? Our cows produce about 60 pounds of milk each a day (24 litres each).
What separates you from other local cheese farmers? We are the only certified organic dairy in our area, we are the only ones in our area that intensively graze, we feed a high forage, low grain ration and no corn silage. We have gone away from large high producing pure bred Holsteins and experimented with cross breeding to come up with a herd well suited to organic production (high fertility and health traits and good production on forage)…. Our cheese is unique in that it is a raw milk, naturally aged cheese.
Is there a story behind the names of each of your cheeses? Nostrala means “local cheese” in some Italian dialects so we chose it to reflect our area. “Alpindon” means Alpine Gift to reflect the traditions of Alpine Cheese making. And Mountain
Nostrala cheese served with gently salted rosemary crackers. Yum is the word.
Grana because it is a hard grainy cheese.
Where can Vancouver folks buy your cheese? les amis du FROMAGE and Benton Bros distribute for us.
It can be easy to forget where things come from when grocery shopping in the city, perhaps an out of sight out of mind concept, but this cheese is milked and made in BC! So the next time you indulge on some cheese, maybe to pair with a new wine, I suggest this organic handcrafted mountain cheese made in the Kootenays!
Courtesy of the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival’s 2010 Top 25 Under 25 event – that I attended earlier this year. On arrival, the staff handed out wallet sized cards, as a takeaway, which listed all 25 wines.
Because summer time is a great time to try new wines, here is the list:
From 2010 Buyer’s Guide: 25 under $25, PlayhouseWineFest.com
1. Argentina: Bodega Catana Zapata Alamos Malbec ’08, $15.99
2. Argentina: Bodegas Francois Lurton Pinot Gris Reserve ’08, $18.99
3. Argentina: Familia Zuccardi Santa Julia Reserva Cab Sauv ’08, $15.99
4. Australia: d’Arenberg The Custodian Grenache ’07, $23.00
5. Australia: Evans & Tate Margaret River Chard., ’08 $19.99
6. Australia: Hardys, The Chronicles Butchers Gold Shiraz Sangiovese ’08, $15.95
7. Australia: Peter Lehmann Wines Clancy’s Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc, ’08 $16.99
8. BC: Gray Monk Estate Winery Pinot Auxerrois, ’09, $15.99
9. BC: Tinhorn Creek Vineyards Cab. Franc ’07 $17.99
10. Chile: Vina Cliterra Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon ’09, $12.99
11. Chile: Miguel Torres Cordillera Chardonnay, ’08, $21.99
12. France: Blason de Bourgogen/ La Chablisienne Cremant De Bourgogne NV, $24.99
13. France: Reutenauer les Vins du Sud Quest Chateau Croix du Mayne ’07, $19.99
14. Schloss Reinhartshausen Estate Riesling QBA Troken ’07 $19.99
15. Italy: Altesino Rosso di Toscana IGT ’06, $21.99
16. Italy: Santa Margherita Prosecco Brut Valdobbiadene, DOC NV $21.99
17. New Zealand: Allan Scott Family Winemakers Marlborough Pinot Noir, $24.00
18. New Zealand: Stoneleigh Riesling ’09 $19.99
19. New Zealand: Sacred Hill Marlborough Sauv. Blanc ’09 $19.99
20. South Africa: Nederberg Winemaster’s Reserve Riesling ’08, $22.99
21. Spain: Grupo Faustino Fortius Tempranillo ’07 $13.99
22. Spain: Freixenet Cordon Rosado NV, $14.99
23. LJ. Lohr Estates Riverstone Chardonnay ’08 $22.99
24. US: MacMurray Ranch Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, ’07 $24.99
25. US: Stonehedge Winery Cab. Sauv. ’06 $19.99
At the tasting event, I tried almost all of the wines and all were enjoyable. Most liquor stores or wine stores should carry these.
But if you can’t find them, sometimes, I confess, it is simply fun to pick a new wine purely based on the label… Regardless, happy patio dining!
Beyond The Dough 