Inside Vancouver

Eat Local Think Global Vancouver: 5 Foodie Resolutions for 2014

by Miranda Post in Uncategorized on January 20, 2014

Dungeness Crab: in season now! Photo credit: Andree Lau

January is here and with it is a time for reflection and resolution. Last year I resolved to do a lot of budget-friendly yoga. This year I plan to focus on building my brain and making food choices that will not only feed my growing little family, but also tread lightly on the planet.

Vancouver is a locavore hotspot. Our city is the birthplace of the 100-mile diet phenomenon. Chefs from restaurants like Bishops, Forage, Raincity Grill and Campagnolo regularly change their menus to match the seasons and embrace vendors and suppliers who source local and organic food.

This year I looked for resolution inspiration from two local foodies who are passionate about ‘eating local and thinking global.’ Below you’ll find new year’s resolutions ideas from Lindsay Coulter, David Suzuki Foundation’s Queen of Green, and Katharine Manson of the Chef’s Table Society and Hastings North Business Improvement Association. Their food and drink resolutions inspired me to share my own commitments to becoming a better locavore.

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Eat Local Think Global Vancouver: 5 Foodie Resolutions for 2014

400-Tree Urban Orchard Blooms in Downtown Vancouver

by Remy Scalza in Green City on July 10, 2013

Photo credit: alasam | Flickr

North America’s largest urban orchard is putting down roots in downtown Vancouver.

Some 400 fruit trees have been planted in a vacant industrial lot on the corner of Main Street and Terminal Avenue, according to an article in the Vancouver Sun. In three to five years, the trees should yield a bumper crop of exotic fruits – including figs and persimmons – all against a backdrop of rattling SkyTrains, car traffic and rising condo towers.

The project is another initiative from Solefood, which already operates almost five acres of urban farms tucked away on Vancouver streets and empty lots. (One of the largest is next to Rogers Arena, at Pacific Boulevard and Carrall Street.) Because the land the orchard sits on is contaminated, all trees are being grown in plastic containers. The area, which would otherwise sit vacant, was leased from the city for the bargain price of $1 per year.

In a unique twist, the orchard will be maintained with the assistance of residents from the Downtown Eastside. Continue reading:
400-Tree Urban Orchard Blooms in Downtown Vancouver

Raincity Grill Celebrates 20 Years of Local, Sustainable Food

by Dana Lynch in Food & Drink, Green City on May 17, 2012

Sloping Hills Confitted Pork Belly at Raincity Grill. Photo: Dana Lynch

If you were on Denman Street or English Bay Beach today, you may have seen the yellow and purple balloons decorating the patios of Raincity Grill, one of Vancouver’s most famous and beloved restaurants. Those balloons were part of Raincity Grill’s anniversary party—the iconic restaurant turned 20 today!

Back in 1992, when Raincity Grill opened, locavore / local food sourcing wasn’t the mainstream trend it is today. As Raincity Grill’s owner, Harry Kambolis, explained to the Vancouver Sun, because he wanted to serve authentic West Coast cuisine, he and his first chef relied on fresh ingredients from the Granville Island Public Market, which in turn led to weekly menu changes (based on those fresh ingredients). Locally-sourced food and weekly menus were a novelty in 1992, but, as we see today, Kambolis and Raincity Grill were simply ahead of the curve.

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Raincity Grill Celebrates 20 Years of Local, Sustainable Food