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stovetop

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    Tips in Western Canada - all about them

    in Western Canada: Dining

    Posted

    It is fairly common.

    Think about it though.

    A $2,000,000 restaurant has $300,000 floating around in tax free income.

    The temptation is huge to see that the manager gets a taste of the tax free money, as there is so much of it. That is $25,000 a month.

    This tax free money will not be tax free for long, with computer technology and the fact that so many tips are on credit cards which accounts for a lot of the sales in a restaurant. The paper trail is clear for restaurants to be audited and the waiters made to pay tax on those tips. They are out there!

    steve

    Hats in an open kitchen

    in Restaurant Life

    Posted

    it is not about Ego :cool: but the customer- hats lessen the hair in food syndrome but you have waiters and of course the customer who's own hair can fall on the food or even the next table, hair does move through air.

    Whose hair is in the air and floated into my dinner. :blink:

    steve

    Urgent info needed on origins of red beans & rice

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    The Kidney bean know as “Phaseolus Vulgaris” also know as the common bean and it probably originated from a bean from Peru that was developed by the Incas. In Brazil Rice and beans ("arroz e feijão" or "feijão com arroz"- in Portugeuse) has been part of their culture f or over 400 years and Brazil was one of the first countries to cultivate rice. Moros y christianos the Cuban version once again ties itself to spain. The conquering Spanish and with help from the Dutch and Portuguese who were also big in slave trading, this made Brazil become one of biggest ports of the area and beans one of the most traded commodities in the new world. Brazil was a major trading post in slaves as well as in food so the slaves who mostly originated from Africa brought their food styles with them. In Brazil alone there is many versions of beans and rice using different kinds of beans and cooking methods. Some cook the products separate then add while others like the Cubans cooked them together.

    From Brazil and all down the coast and into the Caribbean and finally the American coast you have so many variations of beans and rice, why is that? As I said before the common variables are the Spanish- Portuguese who were one of the first and largest slave traders and with the Dutch and Spanish and of course the African Slaves who made this combo a main part of their diet.

    Louisiana was also a major trading post being a Spanish colony and French then American. All the big players of the day brought the commodities in Louisiana to trade. Many peoples made Louisiana home, the African slaves (Creoles) and the French Acadians (Cajuns) and the Germans become part of the food fabric.

    The Caribbean and all of South America and southern states was under different colonial rule, each one left their mark.

    steve

    Seasonal Menu @ Rare...

    in Western Canada: Dining

    Posted

    http://www.secondwindfarms.ca/

    http://www.lwtruscottfarms.homestead.com/

    http://www.integrityllamafarm.com/

    http://www.hannaorchards.com/

    http://www.k-l-o.com/

    http://www.pioneercountrymarket.com/

    http://www.gortsgoudacheese.bc.ca/

    Summerland Trout Hatchery

    The Ministry of Fisheries offers a self-guided tour of this hatchery, which raises two million Rainbow Trout and Eastern Brook Char for release into 300 lakes each year. Free admission. Open daily year-round, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

    Address: 13405 South Lakeshore Dr. Summerland

    1 494-0491

    http://countryroads.shuswap.net/members.htm

    http://www.buyalpacas.com/

    http://www.larchhillswinery.bc.ca/

    http://www.villagecheese.com/

    http://www.recline-ridge.bc.ca/

    openmouth

    in Western Canada: Dining

    Posted

    I have been in the restaurant bus all my life and from what I have seen in different Can. publications or media. I have found that most of the publications have multiple ads, you pay you get editorial; many are guilty of that.

    Please lets get some objective angles on this new Vancouver Multimedia.

    I remember in the old days in van most restaurant cross media was all paid except for a few critics.

    Steve

    fruit wines-Van island- canada

    in Western Canada: Dining

    fruit wines-Van island- canada

    in Western Canada: Dining

    Posted

    The convergence is happening on Vancouver Island this year- The Artisans are breaking out of the home kitchen and hundred of years of Canadian food Culture are being brought out to the Consumer. It is not only the convergence on Vancouver Island when it come to food but there is a huge growth in fruit wines, ciders, and meads in all of Canada and the Tourism and Local Agricultures are moving with the times. Many Canadian born and European trained chefs are also calling the Island home. Markets are bursting out with produce and food and arts and crafts. The big stores are not fulfilling any of our desires and are stuck in the past. The farmers and consumer are in a dance- tangoing across the pages but no big media is really there. They are touching the edges but when you go to all the great markets around Western Canada you see all the small producers moving forward without the help of the big five-We are here and now.

    The Governments in all provinces in Canada are letting go of their old ways and letting the creative loose. The desire for local and fresh food and drink based on old tried and true recipes and pre prohibition days.

    We have been making variations of fruit instilled concoctions for hundreds of years. The home wine maker has been busy and now they are let loose to fulfill our greatest wine fantasies. The wineries, bakeries, cheeses and food around Vancouver island is amazing, it is a food lovers dream; for me it is my convergence of years of work and research to finally get to live in the Cowichan valley, Duncan to be exact. I will be one of the chefs at a Pub called Blackberries opening around nov-dec on Beverley Corners in Duncan. There is also a liquor store that will focus on local brew and wine and will have the biggest floor fridge around – get this it is around a hundred feet long and is like 13 doors on it, very big.

    Here is some links and WebPages to some amazing product like Thetis Island Blackberry port 2004- it has a really rich and desired aftertaste; smooth-rich-dry-and love those legs.

    Ladysmith, Duncan, Cowichan Bay, Cowichan Lake, Salt Spring, The whole inside Passage, The Sanich Peninsula, the Malahat, Victoria and the whole West Coast. This whole area is overfilling with food and drink. It is just beginning- over the next ten years it will be overflowing with food.

    http://pages.prodigy.net/sharonlance/ black diamond

    plum- rhubarb-logon-strawberry-red current

    http://www.wellbrookwinery.com/ -delta-fruit

    http://www.westhamislandwinery.com/ delta- fruit

    http://www.drinkfocus.com/apple-cider/history-of-cider.php

    http://www.elephantislandwine.com/ naramata fruit

    http://www.thefortwineco.com Langley fruit

    http://www.blueheronwinery.ca/ pitt meadows fruit

    http://www.bbwinery.com/ Cache creek fruit

    http://eastkelownacidercompany.com/index.htm kelowna cider

    http://www.hornbywine.com/ Hornby island fruit

    http://www.middlemountainmead.com/ Hornby island dmead

    http://www.k-l-o.com/ kelowna cider

    http://www.silversagewinery.com/ Oliver raspberry

    http://www.spillerestates.com/ Penticton fruit

    http://www.thetisislandvineyards.com/ thetis island blackberry port

    Rocky creek-Ladysmith

    Malahat Estate Vineyard- Malahat

    Glenterra Vineyards- Cobble hill

    Victoria Estate Winery- Brentwood bay

    Chateau wolf- Nanaimo

    http://www.gbvineyards.com/

    http://www.hornbywines.com/

    http://www.marleyfarm.ca/index.cfm

    http://www.churchandstatewines.com/index.php

    http://www.winchestercellars.com/

    http://www.morningbay.ca/events.php

    http://www.echovalley-vineyards.com/

    http://www.saltspringvineyards.com

    http://www.merridalecider.com/

    http://www.saturnavineyards.com/

    http://www.averillcreek.ca/index.shtml

    http://www.bluegrousevineyards.com/

    http://www.chaletestatevineyard.ca/

    http://www.chaseandwarren.ca/

    http://www.cherrypointvineyards.com/

    http://www.zanatta.ca/

    http://www.venturischulze.com/

    steve

    Food Periodicals

    in Western Canada: Dining

    Posted

    I have been on the move the last few years- traveling light but always reading three or four food magazines, on the continuous search for new ones. I started out in Port Alberni (van island) for two years, then I was on the road across great BC and the Nelson around almost a year then off to Alberta oil- working up north making some real money at Nor Alta lodge in Slave lake Alberta. I dragged these magazines around with me and at the end they started to have their own suitcase.

    Here is the top ten list of my favs out of the collection I dragged around Western Canada.

    1) Saveur US

    2) Waitrose Food Ilustrated England

    3) Delicious Australia

    4) Gastronomica US

    4) Wine Spectator US

    5) Food Arts US

    6) Gourmet US

    7) Food and Wine US

    8) Culinary trends US

    9) Burnt Toast (CND)- Ottawa

    Rachael Ray

    in Food Media & Arts

    Posted

    maybe she is just a bi-product of society

    The producers write the stuff she just does it in her as you say: { "rachel ray is the romantic comedy of the food world. not trying to change the world, but some people enjoy something simple and lighthearted. and that's ok."}

    steve

    Rachael Ray

    in Food Media & Arts

    Posted

    I am a chef and have been in the restaurant business all my life, like 26 or so years- I like Rachel Ray, I like both her shows and all her quirky crazy and annoying antics, I like her the way she presents herself and how she teaches, it might not be for everyone, we all learn by different methods.

    As for the talk show- well that is going a bit to far; but look at all the crap the average North American is looking at, Reality crap. That stupid reality cooking shit show is way worse then Rachael ray and many people can even last a whole show. I could not even make five minutes even if it has the big chef running it.

    most of those loosers would not last five minutes in a real kitchen and the person who won will bunkrupt the res he/she will run.

    steve

    Looking for Cuban food in Vancouver

    in Western Canada: Dining

    Posted

    Went by Havana, last week after my summer in Alberta and looking at the menu, it really does not have any dishes it used to have; there were some which where Cuban related. There is no beans and rice- no Ropa Vieja, no paella or any dishes that used to be on the menu. When I was chef a few years back it did have some good food and after I lefty it did carry on with good food but now it really does not have any menu items from old menus except for two sandwiches.

    It is a cool place though and I see it is still the rocking deck.

    I am wondering though if an ownership change has occurred?

    It was always a service hindered place even in the begining but it was always the place to be.

    Steve

    Vancouver Chef Labour Shortage?

    in Western Canada: Dining

    Posted · Edited by stovetop (log)

    Hi all

    Paul that is a funny story, I am sure you have many more; it reminds me of a cook who prepped about a pound of Jalapenos then he hadto go to the bathroom, about ten minutes later they had to take him to the hospital. The sad thing here is it was not even a practical joke or initiation, just plain bad luck or lack of knowledge, I am sure he wore cloves or washed his hands well after doing them, the memory probably sticks in his brain for ever.

    Vancouver Chef Labour Shortage?

    in Western Canada: Dining

    Posted

    It is all about expectations and this is where all involved are letting the kids down; creating very false realties about what is really going on in the trade. We all cannot be rock stars and only 2% of the cook populous becomes media friendly. Most big name chefs have money before they become famous so it is not the trade that makes them rich. They also have a lot of other skills besides cooking- such as they were a lawyer or engineer, they come from money and go into business for themselves; this is where it is at, not working as a domestic for someone else.

    Steve

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