Thanks to all of you who entered the Best of BC contest. All of the comments below are worthy nominations, and I encourage you to read the comments, seek out these products and support your fellow British Columbians who make them.
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The Fishery’s products — yup, all of ’em — are the best. Even plain ol’ tuna isn’t plain ol’ tuna when it’s from The Fishery on Salt Spring Island. The company offers various types of salmon, smoked and not smoked, and tuna, again smoked and not.
I’ve sent Arnie’s products as gifts to friends and business associates all over Canada. I get can the product here in Ladysmith at Bouma Meats, but I think they are available at fine stores elsewhere.
Speaking of smoked salmon, Mrs. Bouma’s smoked salmon is just over the top in flavour. Mm-mm. UN-real.
Also, I would be remiss if I did not also mention Denman Island Chocolate. The high cocoa content Cocoa Loco is my favourite.
What a bounty we have here in B.C., particularly on the Island. Thanks for asking, Don. We enjoy your progam on the CBC.
Chris Brower
Ladysmith, B.C.
Natural Pastures Comox Camembert – the worlds best. I lived on brie and camembert for two years in France – I know. Rarely ripe enough in the stores ‘cos it sells too fast. They also have a “parmesan” – I have large chunk in our fridge that we have been eating off for a year – It is incredible – not sure it is a production item.
Have you tried Saltspring Mussels?
And, of course, quality assured farmed Atlantic and Chinook salmon!
Hi Don;
I think that you should include any smoked salmon product that comes from Saltspring Island’s Seachange Seafoods.They are simply the best smoked salmon products on this planet or in space for that matter. After all their products have been included on two different spaceflights and enjoyed by Canadian and US astronauts far above this planet.
Bruce Ruddell
Can’t do a real BC basket without Roger’s Chocolates available at fine locations throughout BC! And…if there’s room…most bakeries carry “Nanaimo” Bars.
Westham Island Estate Winery makes a nice selection of berry wines. The blackberry would go nice with the smoked salmon, and the currant is excellent with goats’ cheese from Saltspring.
Cheers.
Another goodie….Summerland Sweets syrups and jams. The fruit syrups are fantastic, and are available in ‘sugar free’ for those of us who can’t have the sugar. Available at many locations throughout BC including major supermarkets.
(Carol, from Chilliwack, BC)
lesley stowe’s raincoast crisps(both kinds)should
be in this basket! I’ll bet you know them and
love them too!
Your BC basket would be incomplete without a Nelson Chocofellar bar! These chocolate bars are made in Nelson, BC and have quite a reputation. In January I was with the West Kootenay Suzuki group, who were visiting Ottawa on a SEVEC exchange. The group left a Nelson Chocofellar gift package with the security staff to be passed along to the Governor General, who was rumored to love Nelson Chocofellar bars. We were only 10 minutes into our tour when one of her staff came to tell us the Governor General woudl like to meet our group to thank us personally for the chocolate. The guides told us that never happens and by that time were wondering where they could get their hands on some of this very special chocolate! This specialty chocolate is widely available throughout the Kootenays. It is even marketed as far away as Toronto, which is where the Governal General first discovered it.
You have to include Little Creek Orignal Dressing from the Okanagan. Goes great with their organic greens too. Too bad it won’t be the summer games as the outstanding produce from Kelowna organic growers at Suncatcher Farms(available at the farm or at Nature’s Fare) and of course Milan Djordjevich’s tomatoes from Stoney Paradise Farm can’t be topped.
I also vote for Denman Island chocolate, or any of the chocolates from Greg Hook at Chocolate Arts – decadent!!!
Hi Don,
The best smoked salmon in BC is smoked by the folks in Albion at Bruce’s Market. The Lower Mainland’s best kept secret is Bruce’s own wild single smoked salmon (they only smoke wild salmon). It is absoluetly sumptuous. Try it with radish sprouts or on a ploughman’s lunch platter accompanied by Mountian Meadow Sheep Diary’s sheep feta in rosemary and olive oil – divine. Mountain Meadow is located in Chase B.C., but its products are avialable in the Lower Mainland.
From the comments here already it sounds like creating the basket will be even more fun than winning it.
Cheers,
Sumitra
I think that Natural Pastures Cheese Co.’s Comox Camembert that won 4th in the world last week should be included in the Best Of B.C. basket!!!Natural Pastures Cheese Co. has 3 gold medals for Canada, and are finalists with 3 cheeses again! They will find out Friday how many more Golds they’ve won. Natural Pastures has only been in business 31/2 years!!! A remarkable achievement!
I think that all of their wonderful cheeses should be included in the Best Of B.C. basket!!
Love your feature stories! Mary Ann Hyndman von Erb
My basket would not be complete without the following local delicacies: Indian Candy from the Fisheries on Salt Spring; Over the Moon Cheese; Ronny’s Homous, Archichoke, Spinach and Tzaziki dips; Little Creek Dressing; Chcolate Biscotti from Uprising; Terra Breads; Dutch Girl chocolates (on the drive)and your very own Duqqa spice. I would of course top it all off with our great B.C. wines. If the Olympics were held in the spring I would take them to the EastEnd
Farmers Market and fill their baskets up there with the best that B.C. has to offer. Here’s to great eating on the west coast.
Well, we aren’t shy about it, we at SeaChange think our own smoked salmon is the natural choice for the gift baskets. Award-winning products and packaging that truly represent the taste of British Columbia. We’re tucked away on Salt Spring Island but we p rovide the highest quality all-natural seafood products to over 250 locations in 75 different cities and towns spread throughout British Columbia. SeaChange wild smoked salmon is packed and ready to go. Pick us!›
Siska Traditions is a venture of the Siska First Nation (near Lytton) that produces jellies from berries harvested wild by community members. The venture has catalysed increased learning of traditional knowledge and language, and enables Siska members to attain a livelihood from the resources of their territory. Plus they make a mean huckleberry jelly! Available from the Siska Art Gallery & Museum and at conferences throughout BC.
Donovan Woollard
I think you should definitely include
Orange flavoured sweened dried moist cranberries from Cranberries Naturally in Fort Langley. (888-1989). They are a unique and fresh taste and a great snack.
B.C. is known for its fabulous ice wines, so I would like to suggest the Jackson Triggs Grand Reserve Reisling Icewine. To finish the basket we need Chocolate Sparkle cookies from Senses and fruit for dessert (Royal Gala or Amrosia apples,juicy peaches and Lapin cherries).
Two farmers at Trout Lake–and Granville Island– Farmers Markets have completely changed how I eat tomatoes, beans and potatoes. The basket should include purple potatoes from Helmers Organic Farm in Pemberton and tomatoes (esp. heritage tomatoes) and French green beans from Stoney Paradise Farm in Kelowna. Taste sensations, locally grown!
I think we can make it a one stop basket by shopping at Bruce’s Market in Albion. Their smoked salmon either fresh or canned is excellent. They carry BC made fresh bread. The rosemary thyme with a little bit of Woolwich Dairy goat cheese and lovely bowl of salmon chowder (the recipe which they will not part with) add some local fresh produce (whatever is in season, a bunch of local strawberries and add some Roger’s and Over the Moon chocolates with that apple caramel pie and you have an excellent picnic. How can it get any better than that? Oh right a nice bottle of BC red wine.
You should include in your basket the best smoked Salmon! Double smoked, lemon pepper or honey at Bruces’s Market, Lougheed Hwy. Albion.
Price about $12. per pound which is half that charged at Granville Island Market. If you bring in your own salmon, they will smoke it for you as well.
Please check out the Website of the Vancouver Spice Company. http://www.vanspice.com There are a couple of wonderful spice blends made right here in Vancouver! West Coast Clam Chowder, Pacific Seafood Seasoning or Salmon Seasoning. The blends boast no fillers, msg, salt or sugar. There are also spice Cards with a medley of three spices Boasting west coast flavours. The Company is owned by a woman who created all the blends and markets them to local gift shops and Seafood shops around the lowermainland and Vancouver Island.
Peasant Bread from the Common Loaf Bakery in Tofino. It is a thick hearty bread with ever seed and grain you could imagine. A meal on all it’s own.
I, too, nominate the Natural Pastures cheeses made in Courtenay–they are all delicious, but there is one made with wasabi that is tasty and very unique.
Hello Don Genova,
I would like to nominate John Bull Foods’ Meat Pies for the Pacific Palate Food Basket. These awesome, meal-size pies (over 30 varieties), have been made in Port Coquitlam since 1988. From the British flavour of the original Steak & Kidney, to the Curried Chicken & Vegetable, and everything in between, these pies are representative of the diverse culture of BC.
John Bull Foods can be found in downtown Port Coquitlam, at 2540 Shaughnessy Street. 604-464-2099.
John Bull’s Meat Pies can be found at the better butcher shops and delis around the lower mainland.
At Granville Market, most weekends, I find wonderfully thin wafers with a BC sunshine face imprinted on one side, and on the other, a saying: “THE SIGHT OF THE SUN IS LIFE AND LIFE IS LOVE” all around the word: Vancouver. These wafers are delicious with coffee or tea and are much appreciated as a gift box by any light sweet snack connoisseur. Created by Vlado.
A “must” in the Pacific Palate Food Basket!
Hi Don.
Love your show. So glad to see that one of your fans nominated Indian Candy as their selection for the basket. Although I’m located in Toronto, I always make sure I get my double smoked salmon fix when I visit B.C.
I also strongly recommend including your very own Dukka in the basket. I am particularly fond of the spicy blend. It is fantastic on it’s own as an appetizer with virgin olive oil and fresh bread. I’ve visited the Common Loaf Bakery in Tofino and would wholely recommend the peasant bread.
I would like to second the nominations by Chris Brower and M. Favaro of Natural Pastures cheese. Chris picked my favorite, Comox Camenbert. I read at http://www.wischeesemakersassn.org that Comox Camenbert recently tied for 4th place at the World Cheese Contest in Madison, Wisconsin, in the Brie,Camembert category, with a score of 99.1 out of 100. We can never keep enough of the heavenly Comox Camenbert in our house, as my son and I hoover down whole wheels of it as soon as my wife buys them. She has taken to buying three wheels at a time so that she can lay claim to one.
Salt Spring island flower chevre should be included in your “best of B.C.” basket. The simple but beautiful presentation reflects the style of west coast cuisine ( it tastes pretty darn good too!)
The most delicious of cheeses is a hand made goat cheese with a pansy or other colourful flower on top. Made by David Wood’s Salt Spring Island Cheese Company, it can’t be beat for flavour and visual beauty. Then there is my other favourite from Barb’s Buns on Salt Spring Island, a delicious cinnamon flavoured twisted flaky pastry. Dip that in your coffee on a the deck and inhale the fragrance of summer days on Salt Spring. In Vancouver, take a jaunt through Meinhardt’s with your basket and you’ll have it filled with exceptional foods in no time, almost like shopping in an art gallery. d
Hi Don, of course you have to include the world famous, B.C. made Tequi-Lime Gourmet Sauce! On any westcoast seafood or Saltspring Island Lamb it is the best!We now have 3 sauces including O’Rumba (Bacardi Black Rum, ginger & Freshly squeezed orange juice)and O’Plum Sesame with Sherry. Late April we will launch Teriyaki Sake with Pineapple! Love you show and your spices! Chef Ann Kirsebom P.S. Congrats on the James Beard nomination!
I nominate the original Little Creek Dressing from Kelowna. It is the only store bought dressing I like! In fact, I think I’ll go make a salad with some nice local organic mixed greens right now!
May I suggest a selection of Vancouver Island’s own Galloping Goose Sausages. My three favourites are herbed lamb; Tuscan; and Hot Italian. These are the ultimate sausage treat- lean and delicious links which are equally good long-simmered in a rich tomato sauce or grilled on the barbeque. Mmmmm.
In the world of everyday foods, might I suggest the sandwich breads, white or brown, at Middlegate bakery. All through my childhood, my mother made school sandwiches with the always fresh bread. My mom liked it for the most practical of reasons, it freezes well. She would buy 4 loaves and freeze 3 of them. The thawed bread was fresh and soft, just like it was fresh. The family has moved away, my sister and I living in different neighbourhoods and my mom lives in Victoria. Nonetheless, she makes a special trip to Middlegate Mall in Burnaby every time she comes over to the mainland. Now she buys 8 loaves, two for herself and the rest for the 3 good friends in Victoria that place their order for this very pleasant staple.
Hi Don,
I’m a big fan of Happy Planet beverages. I think they are the perfect example of a small BC company that grew from a great idea and would make a great addition to the Best of BC basket. I like how they promote the use of local, fair-trade and organic products and support environmentally friendly initiatives by donating proceeds to various organizations.
All that aside, it’s their great tasting juice that makes them a candidate for the basket!
Hi Don,
I nominate Cannery Bay Smoked Salmon Chowder, from the Sea Change folks on Saltspring. This canned chowder tastes like homemade, or fine restaurant quality, because they make it from scratch in small batches, with Wild B.C. salmon and fresh vege tables. The label is reminiscent of the historic BC canneries. You can find it at Longliner on Granville Island, Meinhardt, Urban Fare & Thrifty Foods on the Island. It’s AWESOME!e
Hi Don,
I had lots of fun thinking up my top 5 for your Best of BC list (and was happy to see I’m in agreement with several of the others who’ve posted messages here). My picks are:
1) Inniskillin Ice Wine (either Reiling or Vidal depending on the budget)
2) Lesley Stowe’s Raincoast Crisps (great on their own or with a little cheese)
3) David Wood’s Salt Spring Island Chevre
4) Peasant Bread from Common Loaf Bakery in Tofino (a hearty treat on a cold storm-watching day!)
5) Ann Kirsebom’s Tequi-lime Gourmet Sauce (particularly good on big fat, west coast prawns)
Thanks for asking! I can’t wait to see the final list.
Cheers!
Hi Don.
I see somenon’s already mentioned my favourite BC product – Cannery Bay Salmon Chowder. It is so very tasty and smells like – well- the best wild salmon in the world. It’s made by Sea Change Seafoods on Saltsspring. In Vancouver, I see it at IGA, Choices and other stores. It’s also at the new Planet Organic in Coquitlam. I call it “essence of BC”.
Hi Don,
I’d like to recommend Kiwi vinegar from Marley Farm Winery, located on the Saanich Peninsula. It’s a light, fragrant vinegar that can be splashed on a salad as-is or used as a salad dressing ingredient. The kiwis are grown on the Saanich Peninsula – walking distance from the farm.
Hi
Last time I went to Piedmont for our Mama Margaret Barolo cooking & wine tours, I took my tour partner a bottle of Canadian Club whiskey. He seemed to like that better than our wonderful B.C. salmon. The Piedmontese are great grappa drinkers so some Canadian whiskey would definitely please them.
I would like to nominate ‘Golda’s’ Pestos; I just sampled the newest, an olive tapenade which is instantly a food addiction for me. Richard Lewin, the chef and past ‘mayor of Kenneth Street’, and dahlia king has turned his talents to making a dozen varieties of pesto all from BC certified organic farms. Yum. Let me repeat. Yum.
(the url posted his his website)
Hope that I’m not too late for this. Guess I was just putting a little too much thought into what I’d add to the basket.
For all the time spent, I can’t say that I’m going to be all that imaginative or innovative. Plus, some of my favourite BC food icons have already been mentioned. But here goes it for my top 5:
1) I definitely think we need to add a great BC wine and my recommendation would be Black Hills Nota Bene. Small producer, high demand, wonderful wine. If BC is developing anything that touches on cult wine status, this is an early contender.
2) I love a lot of the cheeses that were recommended; however, my favourite remains Blossom’s Blue produced by Moonstruck Organic Cheese Co. (also on Saltspring). I would easily be able to replace it with many of their other wonderful products though, particularly White Grace.
3) BC cherries are simply to die for and the best of the best are generally bought right on the fruit strip leading to Keremeos – either at Sanderson Farms or Mariposa. The big dessert cherries (I can’t remember their actual name) would be a particular treat.
4) Some fallow deer from Hill’s Foods in Burnaby can always be relied upon for a special dining treat (particularly with a dried cherry sauce and Nota Bene accompanying it).
5) Finally, I wouldn’t consider any basket complete without a bit of chocolate. While Roger’s is the epitome of all that is Victoria (maybe except for the Empress), I think I’d go with something from Chocolate Arts on 4th Avenue – maybe one of their West Coast Native motif medallion boxes.
In any event, my mouth is now watering and I’d best take a visit to the fridge and see what’s good for a snack.
There are many great cheeses made in B. C., but for me, the best has to be the Camembert made by Poplar Grove Winery on the Naramata Bench. It is available in Vancouver at Les Amis du Fromage on West 2nd Ave.
BC soft drink: SoBe
BC chips + salsa: Que Pasa
BC roasted coffee: JJ Bean
Hi Don,
Just wanting to affirm so many of the entries posted thus far – my mouth is watering. I concur with so many of the suggestions: Saltspring Island chevre (with truffle, though), local bakeries like Terra (two in Victoria – Cascadia Breads, La Collina Italian Bakery)…
But three BC made, comfort foods that I would love to see in the basket are:
– Happy Planet juices
– Que Pasa tortilla chips (blue corn flour) -lightly salted – compatible with so many dips and kinds of salsa
– Creekmore Coffee – Blackbird Espresso Bean roast (I’m sure it will impress those Italians!)
Thanks Don – Hope your arm gets better soon!
Lisa Ludwig, Victoria, BC
Hi Don,
Just wanting to affirm so many of the entries posted thus far – my mouth is watering. I concur with so many of the suggestions: Saltspring Island chevre (with truffle, though), local bakeries like Terra (two in Victoria – Cascadia Breads, La Collina Italian Bakery), the Galloping Goose Sausages, etc…
But three BC made, comfort foods that I would love to see in the basket are:
– Happy Planet juices
– Que Pasa tortilla chips (blue corn flour) -lightly salted – compatible with so many dips and kinds of salsa
– Creekmore Coffee – Blackbird Espresso Bean roast (I’m sure it will impress those Italians!)
Thanks Don – Hope your arm gets better soon!
Lisa Ludwig, Victoria, BC
I’d like to suggest a few BC products for the basket…
1] Wildflower honey from Babe’s Honey Farm
2] Crack of Dawn coffee from Highland House Farm
3] Ostrich jerky from Saanichton Christmas Tree & Ostrich Farm
4] Lingonberries from Silver Rill Berry Farm
5] White Asparagus from The Asparagus Farm[Cobble Hill]
6] Stir-fry Emu meat from Code’s Corner Emu Farm
7] Mozarella di bufala & water buffalo pepperoni from Fairburn Farm
8] Beaujolais Blanc wine from Echo Valley Vineyards
9] Verdelait Garlic & Chives and Comox Camembert from Natural Pastures Cheese Co.
10] Welsh Lamb Pie from Westcott Farm
11] Cranberry salsa and cranberry peach butter from Cranberry Cottage and Greenhouses
I love touring local farms in the summertime and these are products that I’ve sampled in the past on my tours.
~ Qué Banh
Victoria, BC
Many of my top items have already been cited- Little Creek Original Dressing is to die for, and their new one, Cherry Balsamic, is just as good. Also Summerland Sweets, Happy Planet juices, Saltspring Island Chevre, B.C. wines (especially the award winners from Burrowing Owl, Gray Monk,
Sumac Ridge, Quails’ Gate, and Mission Hill), and B.C. fruit fresh from the Okanagan- peaches and apricots that glow with summer sunshine. One product I haven’t seen mentioned is another salad dressing- Marilyn’s Tantalizing Thai dressing and marinade, from Abbotsford.
In addition to the winners that go into the basket, I hope we will see a list of all the nominees. I can see myself ticking them off as I search out and sample every single one!
Take care of that broken wing- Rick will be one sorry guy without his weekly special breakfast!
B. -Vancouver
Hey Don,
I am a huge fan of anything happyplanet as well as these other B.C. goodies;
another Don, “Big Don”, whose pickles, relishes, and sauces can be found during the summer at any of our friendly neighborhood farmers markets in Vancouver, is another favorite, we find ourselves buying enough to stock our pantry for the year!!
Qualicum cheese works has a great lineup of local cheeses, bries, feta, curds, as well as the lucious and wonderful farmhouse raclette, perfect for a B.C. fondue party paired with a treat from uprising breads in Vancouver
Saturna Island Winery has the perfect selection of wines to tickle any palate
Que Pasa chips and other products are always travelling with us to make sure we don’t miss out on some good mexican eats, sometimes enjoyed with Yves mexican veggie ground round, but any Yves product is worth mentioning.
and chocolate lovers we are, enjoying Denman Island Chocolate wherever we go.
PS Saturna Island bakery has an amazing cookie called a loon…perfect to finish of the ultimate B.C. basket!!!
Hi Don,
The best coffee beans are from Viva Java (11180 Cambie Road, Richmond). It’s the best and most consistently GREAT coffee I’ve ever had! Artie makes my daily latte, with fresh roasted beans; the flavour is truly memorable. He is passionate about his product and so are his customers.
Beverley