Don Genova's Blog

New Classes Begin Next Week!

On May 5th and 6th I begin teaching my latest courses in Vancouver and I'd love to have you join me.  I have a few spaces left in my Food and Travel Writing course which begins Tuesday, May 6th for 8 weeks through the UBC Writing Centre.  The class size is small, which gives you a great opportunity to workshop story ideas, query letters and your writing with me, often in one on one situations.   If you've ever thought of sharing your stories of food and/or travel and getting published, this course is a great way to start.  The course includes a 'field trip' to a new Vancouver restaurant for first-hand experience at writing restaurant reviews.  For more details visit the UBC Writing Centre website.

On Monday, May 5th I begin teaching my Food Culture Course at Barbara-jo's Books To Cooks. This is another 8-week program taught on Monday nights in the superb setting of Barbara-jo's cosy kitchen counter area of her shop.  Angela Murrills wrote a great description of the course in the Georgia Straight, you can read it here.  For a more detailed listing of each night of the course, click here.  You save money by signing up for the entire series, or you can order each lesson a la carte.  All lessons include a book or DVD as well as complimentary snacks and beverages.

Bike The Blossoms!

Here's an announcement about a really neat event being sponsored by Slow Food Vancouver:

Join BIKE THE BLOSSOMS and Recklessly abandon your fast life for one day of s l o w . . . savour some Ethical Bean coffee to start at Vandusen Gardens . . . leisurely cycle along city bike routes riding under fragrant pink canopies of cherry blossoms. . . . visit and get to know some local farmers while savouring some of their local products at Kitsilano and Britannia Community Centres.

 

Enjoy a day of S L O W!

For more information go to the Slow Food Vancouver website.

Food For Thought - The Last Food For Thought

This is it.  After ten years on CBC Radio, my Food For Thought column has been canceled.  It's one of those 'CBC' things...where lots of shows across the country have used the program over the past ten years, and enjoy using it, but the department that syndicates the column says they're not really supposed to be funding me and it's time for them to develop new columns so something had to go.  That's me. If you have something to say about the cancellation you can email the CBC Radio Syndication department at radiosyndication@cbc.ca.

If you want to listen to my 'audio retrospective' of the column, please click here.   In the meantime, if you want to hear new food programming I produce, please go to my 'All You Can Eat' podcast page and subscribe by clicking on the 'Subscribe to My Feed' button beside any podcast you see listed there.  There are full instructions available once you click, and for the most ease, open the subscription link in Internet Explorer, and not Firefox.  Meanwhile, now that my regular relationship with CBC has come to an end, I'm seeking sponsors for my podcast, which reaches a wide audience across North America with thousands of downloads each month.  Email me at don at don genova dot com for details if you are interested.

Meanwhile, life goes on.  I have just inked an agreement with FoodTV.ca, the website of Food Network Canada.  I will be a guest blogger for the website, writing short bulletins about interesting West Coast restaurants and food happenings.  I'll post here when the Food Network posts my posts...gee, that's a lot of posting.  Curiously, the name of one of the FoodTV.ca blogs is 'Food For Thought'.  Well, I knew that name wasn't original when I started using it ten years ago!

James Barber Passes On

Sad news came to me on Saturday...a man that I looked up to for many years has passed away.  James Barber, known to many Canadians and people around the world as the Urban Peasant, died suddenly at age 84 in his home in the Cowichan Valley on Thursday, November 29th.

My condolences to his family.  I am planning a tribute to James on my next All You Can Eat podcast.  Check my website or blog for more details in the coming days.  You can read a CBC News story about James here.  I appeared on The Early Edition on CBC Vancouver this morning to talk about James, you can listen to my chat with Rick Cluff, and I've posted a Facebook photo album of some shots I have of James at various events.  You can view it here, even if you don't have a Facebook account.

Parma Palate - I Graduated!

I Graduated!
Earlier this month I received my Masters of Food Culture, Communicating Quality Products from the University of Gastronomic Sciences near Parma, Italy. To see photos from my grad week in Italy visit my Facebook photo albums here and here.

What's Next?
My Food For Thought show on CBC Radio is continuing, as is my All You Can Eat podcast.  In January I will be teaching an introductory course in Food Culture at the University of Victoria. As soon as details are confirmed I'll post them here, but you can expect lectures in my favourite food products such as cheese, olive oil and cured meats, with lots of tasting! 

I'm amazed at how quickly the year passed by.  It was a fascinating course in an intriguing country.  No, I don't speak that much Italian now, but I can certainly make my way around, in that I can mostly understand the answers when I ask for directions!  To review the postings I made from Italy, and the places our class visited outside the country, follow this Parma Palate category link on this blog.

enRoute Magazine, my first contribution

I have just had my first contribution to enRoute Magazine published.  enRoute is the inflight magazine for Air Canada, so it means my story will  be traveling all over the world this month.

The story is about Eataly, a wonderful grocery store in Turin that recreates a typical Italian market square.  The picture you see at left doesn't really do it justice, but it was built inside a refurbished vermouth factory and has all kinds of places to eat as well as shop.

Why don't you just read the article?  Download the pdf file by clicking here, or make sure you read the entire November issue of enRoute if you are flying this month, as it is the annual food issue with Canada's top ten new restaurants.  I have another article in the works for enRoute, more about that later!

Take My Course! And Watch a Free Lecture!

Next Tuesday night (October 9th) the course I teach on Freelance Food and Travel Writing begins at UBC, as offered by the Writing Centre.

Professor Ira Nadel, shown with me putting all of our eggs in one basket, will be one of my guest lecturers with a wonderful talk on food literature with samples from some of his favourites, including M.F.K. Fisher and Elizabeth David.

I'll show you how to craft the perfect pitch letter so that your idea stands out to magazine and newspaper editors.  There are lessons in food photography, recipe writing and more. For more information or to register, click here or call 604-822-9564.

Food and Feasting: Ira and I will also discuss feasting in literature and history next Wednesday night. The illustrated talk and discussion will draw from my recent study of culinary arts in Italy. UBC Robson Square (800 Robson St), Oct. 10th, 6 pm, Info: 604.822.5812. Free, all welcome.

Catch Me On the BC Almanac Open Line! (and take my course)

Hi everyone....Tuesday, August 14th I will appear on the CBC BC Almanac Open Line show with host Mark Forsythe (pictured at left) between 1:30 and 2:00pm.  I'll be talking about the Slow Food movement, my travels and studies in Europe, and will answer calls about how your community could become a 'Slow City'.

The number to call in the Lower Mainland is 604-669-3733, long-distance toll-free 1-800-825-5950.

And I still have a few spots left in my class in Freelance Food and Travel Writing that takes place next week(Aug20-24) at UBC.  Find out how you can be a freelance writer, just like me!  Click here for more info or call 604-822-9564.  Hope to see you there!

Blogs Updated

For those of you who didn't get their fix of my wife's trials and tribulations with lasagna making last year, she is still catching up with some postings on her Lasagna Blog.  The lasagna for May has just been posted.  I will be adding some photos of the lasagna (which was really delicious and beautiful), once I poach them off my portable hard drive...which is not with me right now as I am posting from school.

On another note, my recent Food For Thought on Omega-3 fatty acids has brought two interesting responses, one from farmers in BC's Cowichan Valley who raise grass-fed water buffalo, and another alert of a news story that somewhat debunks the reputed effects of Omega-3 oils.  I have added the letter from the water buffalo farmers and placed a link to the news story, so I hope you will visit the updated post.

Congratulations to Quest Outreach Society!

Congratulations to the Quest Outreach Society in Vancouver.  The society was awarded the annual VanCity One Million Dollar Prize this year, which will allow them to triple the amount of needy people helped through the Quest Food Exchange.  You can see the story here on CBC.ca, but you can also listen to the story I did about the Food Exchange in October by visiting this entry on my blog.

Pacific Palate - Contest Winners Announced and My Secret Revealed

This morning I broadcast my last edition of Pacific Palate on The Early Edition, after 10 years of memorable meals. 

On Saturday I climb on board a plane in Vancouver and late on Sunday afternoon I'll arrive in Parma, Italy.  From there it's a short hop to Colorno, where I will be living for the next year while I take a Masters of Food Culture program at the University of Gastronomic Sciences, otherwise known as Slow Food U!

Don't worry, I'll keep writing on my blog as often as possible, and will still be producing my Food For Thought program for CBC Radio One, and my Podcast, All You Can Eat for Podshow.com.

If you want to try the lasagna recipe I talked about on the Early Edition, which was very ably executed by my wife Ramona this weekend, you'll find it here.

And thanks to everyone who entered the contest, there are some truly great stories, and I encourage you to read them by going to the bottom of this posting.

The winner of the dinners for two at Nu, Rare and Senova is Dee Taylor of Maple Ridge.

Daphne Spencer of West Vancouver won 11 different culinary books from Raincoast Books, Douglas & McIntyre and Whitecap Books.

And Nancy Carpenter of Vancouver won the Breville Panini Press pictured above, courtesy of Breville and Ming Wo Cookware in Chinatown.

Thanks to all of my listeners over the years of Pacific Palate and to all the people I have interviewed who helped make the show what it was, the best-tasting show on the radio!

Ciao for now,

Don

Help Me Help Oxfam

Help Me Help Oxfam - On Wednesday, October 11th I will be master of ceremonies at a special fundraising dinner for Oxfam.  October 16th is World Food Day and I'm going to be taking part in a hunger banquet at JJ's Restaurant at Vancouver Community College.

Tickets are just 25 dollars, there are guest speakers and live music.  The theme of the banquet is unique.  By chance that evening, your meal will resemble one of the three types of people in the world.  15 percent of us eat well, 25 percent eat adequately, while 60 percent eat very meagrely.  Three different meals will be provided at dinner so we can all experience the different circumstances the food supply leaves people in.   For tickets and more information call the BC-Yukon Oxfam office at 604-736-7678 or see the pdf version of the poster here .

True Grain needs you!

If you are young and enthusiastic and looking for a unique career in an amazing part of the world, Jonathan at True Grain Bread in Cowichan Bay has an opening for an apprentice baker.  To read the job description as a pdf file, click here.

More Sardines For Sale!

The following is a press release I received today from the Canadian Pacific Sardine Association.  Apparently you like sardines, you really like them!

FRESH BC SARDINE SALES in STEVESTON • Friday, September 8^th and Saturday, September 9^th, 2006

more BC sardines coming to meet a growing demand generated by BC Sardine Fest!

Richmond, BC:  In response to the great interest and demand generated for BC sardines at the Canadian Pacific Sardine Association’s second annual BC Sardine Fest held on Saturday, September 2^nd, 2006 between 11:00 am and 4:00 pm at the Steveston Harbour Authority Fisherman’s Park (in front of the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site • 12138 Fourth Avenue), fresh BC sardines are on their way to the Steveston Fishermen’s Wharf for sale this Friday, September 8^th (3 pm to 7 pm) and Saturday, September 9^th (7 am to 7 pm) or until supplies last!

Sardine fisherman, Glenn Budden of the Ocean Venture says from his boat, “We sold out of 8,500 pounds of fresh BC sardines at BC Sardine Fest and we will be making our way back to the sales dock in Steveston this weekend with more beautiful fish – about 145 grams each – to meet that growing demand.  We’ll have free BC sardine recipe booklets available too featuring unique recipes created by our local chefs who participated at our event both this year and last year.  It’s just great to see the enthusiastic interest in BC sardines!”

Over 1,500 people attended BC Sardine Fest this year showing such enthusiastic interest in BC sardines as they: attended the cooking demonstrations presented by Karen Barnaby (Executive Chef of The Fish House in Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC and award-winning cookbook author), Stephen Wong (local journalist, food and beverage consultant and cookbook author) and Kosta Zogaris (award winning fishmonger and owner of Lonsdale Quay’s Salmon Shop and Screaming Mimi’s, North Vancouver, BC); sampled the fresh and smoked sardine products; and, bought approximately 8,500 pounds of fresh sardines and 400 pounds of smoked sardine creations provided by Classic Smokehouse of Vancouver, BC.

Don Pepper, Executive Director of the Canadian Pacific Sardine Association adds,  “It was especially wonderful to have the full support of the professional chefs, seafood experts, seafood suppliers, the Steveston Harbour Authority, the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site and Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie who all actively contributed to make this event even bigger and better than last year.  It’s simply great to see the growing interest and demand for BC sardines.  It’s positive news for the 50 commercial sardine licence holders and the new BC sardine industry overall.  We’re already planning for BC Sardine Fest 2007!”

For more information regarding this weekend’s fresh BC sardine sales, please contact Glenn Budden directly at 604-328-7830.

BC sardines are a highly nutritious and delicious fin fish that migrate through the cool coastal waters of

British Columbia

.  With an iridescent, silvery body and fine, soft textured pink flesh, the flavour is described as relatively stronger and heavier than most white fish species providing great versatility in creating sardine dishes.  They are also recognized as a nutritional powerhouse rich in calcium, protein, iron, potassium, phosphorus and omega-3 fatty acids.  The unique story is an amazing natural “boom and bust” cycle that can be traced back 2,000 years  - explaining why BC’s large-scale sardine fisheries of the early 1900s came to an end in the 1950s and then started again in the early 1990s when sardines again re-appeared on the BC coast.  Today, the conservative fishery is committed to sustainability and provides fresh sardines primarily between May and November while frozen, salted and smoked product is available year round.

The Canadian Pacific Sardine Association is a non-profit, legally constituted organization representing sardine permit holders in the management and marketing of this BC sardine fishery.  The association is committed to working with the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans to maintain the fishery’s sustainability; working with all permit holders and industry members to ensure consistent delivery of a premium, quality product, and; promoting BC sardines in both export and domestic markets.

Pacific Palate Returns!

Hey everyone, Pacific Palate returns to the airwaves of The Early Edition for another new season!  I'll be on the air around 8:20am on Tuesday, September 5th with a report from the Sardine Festival being held in Steveston this Saturday.  It will be great to be back on the air with Rick Cluff and the whole gang.  Rick, I hope you like sardines!

Some of you know that I own a house in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island.  In the September issue of Saveur magazine, the Valley  figures heavily in a major feature about southern Vancouver Island.  It's a great article, and will no doubt bring more tourism and investment to this little slice of heaven.  As long as it doesn't result in traffic jams!

Night of Artists - please join me!

Saturday evening, May 20th, I'll be the master of ceremonies at the Night of Artists at the Leonardo Da Vince Centre on Bay Street in Victoria.  This is a very fun fundraising effort, this year supporting The Lifecycles Project.

It's an evening of music, food, art sales, silent auctions, performance art and more.  Would love to see you there.  For more info visit the Night of Artists website.

Free Food and Beer at Cookbook Launch!

Hi everyone...my BBQ Buddy, Ronnie Shewchuk, is launching his latest cookbook, Planking Secrets,on Tuesday night, May 16th at the Hamilton Street Grill.

He wants you to come along for the fun!  He'll have some great cedar-planked salmon to offer, along with a keg of beer and even some Appleton Rum cocktails.

What's the catch, you ask?  No catch, just a lot of fun. Tuesday night, 6-8pm at the Hamilton Street Grill, 1009 Hamilton Street, in Vancouver's Yaletown.

The Devil's Picnic - Winners Announced!

Thanks to everyone who entered this contest, there were certainly some strange foods and customs described, and I enjoyed reading them all!

The three winners of a copy of The Devil's Picnic are:

Herb Srolovitz, Shirley Choo and Debora Miscione.  Congratulations!

To read all the entries, click here.

If you didn't win but are still dying to read about Taras Grescoe's adventures with bull's testicles, absinthe and stinky cheese, you can save 34% off retail price by buying the book through amazon.ca.  Just follow this link.

All You Can Eat featured in Seattle newspaper

My podcast, All You Can Eat, was featured in a column by Seattle Post-Intelligencer food editor Hsiao-Ching Chou.  Hsiao-Ching, whom I've met a few times, was writing about, and is a fellow member of the Culinary Podcast Network that was launched earlier this week.  I'm proud to be part of this network, which features some of the best food podcasts in North America.

To read her entire column, click here.  I'll be in Seattle next week for the annual convention of the IACP, International Association for Culinary Professionals, and will be sure to get plenty of material for future All You Can Eat episodes.  Hsiao-Ching and I plan to get together so she can show me part of her Seattle food scene.

All You Can Eat Nominated for James Beard Award!

If you're looking for the 'Strangest Food You've Ever Eaten Contest', click here.

But more importantly, read this!  My podcast, All You Can Eat, has been nominated for a James Beard Foundation Broadcast Media Award.  This is my third nomination...maybe I will actually win this time!  This is the first year that the Foundation is recognizing excellence in webcasts about food.  I submitted Volume 2 of All You Can Eat to the Awards Committee, which featured an in-depth interview with Anthony Bourdain when he was touring Vancouver promoting the Les Halles cookbook and a documentary from my archives that profiled James Barber, who has always been an inspiration to me, on the occasion of the re-release of a series of his earlier cookbooks.   You can read the complete press release on the James Beard Foundation website.  The awards ceremony takes place in New York City on May 8th.

The news today is welcome, as I received the notification after I flubbed my first cooking demo at the Chilliwack Humdinger RV Show.  I tried to do to much in one hour, and ended up making a mess of things.  Still, I managed to turn out two plates of a mixed grill, and the two guys who won the opportunity to eat polished off every scrap on their plate with much appreciation.  Tomorrow I will have more time to prepare and do more talking and cooking than struggling with opening packages and burning quesadillas!