Giulia Lombardo invites you to join her for a virtual cooking class this Sunday, March 28th. In this 1 hour class, Giulia will show you how to prepare a delicious English trifle dessert with an Italian twist. You will learn step-by-step how to make a trifle that’s layered with lemon curd, vanilla cake, Chantilly cream and fresh peaches. Before your virtual class, you will receive the full Trifle recipe by email with the ingredients and your shopping list. During the virtual class, Giulia will provide step-by-step instructions on how to create this delish dessert. If on the other hand you prefer to watch the video and make the trifle after at your own pace, you have that option as well. This virtual class is by donation with a suggested price of $20 per person. A portion of the ticket sales will be donated to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. To register, visit Eventbrite. You can also visit Giulia on Instagram @justguiliaa to see what else she’s been creating these days.
If want to try another fun creative recipe over Spring Break that’s easy to make at home, check out Giulia’s recent feature on ETalk.
Like many things this past year, Valentine’s Day will be a little different. Whether you believe in the ‘day’ or not, there’s no harm in showing some love to those you care about whether that’s your partner or a close friend. For us cheese, wine, chocolate and bread is just a little piece of heaven. With that in mind, we wanted to share a fun event the good folks at les amis du FROMAGE are hosting. It is a virtual Facebook Live event hosted by Allison Spurrell. Les amis du FROMAGE will set you up with a tasting kit to pick up just prior to Valentine’s Day which includes:
Cheese (8 types) Crackers Chez Christophe flutes Accompaniments Kasama Karkar Island dark chocolate bar Tasting menu
The Facebook Live event runs for one hour. Cost is $95 for your kit loaded with delish goodies which will be available for pick up from the East Vancouver store on 3 different days. Note, wine is not included but they do have some recommendations for you. Cut off for ticket purchase is February 7th. To grab your ticket, or get more information visit, les amis du FROMAGE.
Every once and a while something creative and unique crosses our path that makes us go, yes! Love this! Taste of Main is one of those. What is it exactly? Taste of Main is a not-for-profit run by university students currently living across the country who grew up near Main Street. They wanted to do something to give back this holiday season. They’ve pooled their talents and reached out to partner with Main Street businesses to offer locally-sourced charcuterie boards to be delivered as gifts. They have curated appetizers from a number of Main Street businesses including Swiss Bakery, Goldilocks Bakeshop, Main Street Honey Shoppe, Chef Claire’s, Jasmine Mediterranean Foods, Fine Delectables Charcuterie and Innocent Ice Cream to name a few. Their boards include pastries, breads, cheeses, dips, and spreads. It should be noted vegan and gluten free boards are available. Taste of Main has been designed to bring exposure to the local businesses they love and offer support during these difficult times. 90% of the proceeds are divided between the 10-15 businesses they have partnered with and added bonus is 10% of the funds go to the Vancouver Food Bank. Pre-orders are now available until December 17th. Deliveries and/or COVID-safe pickups will be made on December 23rd. Cost is $75. To place your order, visit Taste of Main.
With Christmas coming we thought it was time to update our Our Favourite East Van Bakeries. Although in theory, you may have some time to bake, but will you? If you haven’t mastered the art, or some say science of baking, good news, you have lots of great options to pick up baked goods in East Van. Whether you are craving an Italian pannetone, a German stollen, cheesecake or Christmas cookies, you will be sure to find it locally. We’d like to add we’ve lost a few bakeries in recent years, so we encourage you to support the ones still here and the new ones that have popped up. Now get ready, we’ve set out a long list. Enjoy!
Is a unique spot with a focus on using 100% traceable grains, beans, and freshly milled flours that support Canadian farmers. All their delish items can be delivered to your door including their flours should you wish to try your hand at baking. Added bonus, they feature quite a few recipes on their website. If you want them to bake, oh you are in for a treat. Many options to choose from including Pumpkin Pie Galette, Butter Tart Bar, Pear Custard Buns, Cinnamon Raisin Bread and so much more.
On The Drive, but tucked away every so slight in the Il Mercato building at 1st and Commercial is the Bench Bakehouse. They have a great selection of naturally leavened breads and French inspired pastries. For the holiday season, you can expect to find gingerbread men, shortbread, macaroons, biscotti, ginger almond crisp, Pfeffernusse along with Stollen and fruit cake.
This Italian bakery makes one of our favourite things, St. Honore cakes. Others may try and imitate, but personally we think theirs is hands down the best. Why accept imitation, as they say. They also carry an amazing selection of dessert items.
This sweet shop, literally and figuratively is run by the lovely Fanny Bay, who is a self taught baker and cookbook author. The shop came to the Drive in June 2019 and her loyal followers have shown lots of love over the years. Fanny is known for her signature cheesecakes, shortbread cookies and modern buttercream cakes. If you are looking for a delish gift, she is also offering Holiday Cookie Gift Boxes (as pictured above).
Livia on The Drive has a loyal following. They offer an array of delish artisan breads and other sweet treats. A definite stop if you are wandering on Commercial Drive.
This spot is just one block West of Commercial Drive and is most certainly a favourite go to spot for two things. One is Ginger Snaps and the second is pie. They generally have small and large pies on hand and on Fridays pie is 25% off which means, get their early or they will be all gone. They do have a wide range of sweet and savoury items including delish scones. This East Van staple has been a part of the community for over 40 years.
This is a favourite spot not only for their amazing bread, but something I’ve come to love financiers made from mostly almond flour. They have some amazing individual decadent desserts for taking away or having in, but their seasonal treat that has us excited is a German stollen passed down from Oma’s recipe (translation grandmother for those not up on their German) and yes for the diehard fans, with marzipan.
I grew up on just about everything from this bakery when it was called Fraser Bakery. It has many German favourites including a variety of strudels, Black Forest Cake, Christmas cookies and a Bee Sting cake or Bienenstich in German which is a white sponge cake with pastry cream in the middle and topped with honey glazed shaved almonds. Delish if you’ve never tried it. One unique thing about Breka, is that they are open 24/7 seven days a week. Don’t let that fool you though, it’s generally a busy spot so be prepared to wait a bit. In latest news, Breka Bakery is opening a new location in Hastings Sunrise at 2434 Hastings Street. It won’t be ready this year, but it will be next. Stay tuned.
Located in Mount Pleasant at the intersection of Kingsway & Fraser with great neighbours Like Matchstick Coffee and Les Faux Bourgeois. Everything here is made in house and is a 100% gluten free for celiacs and those that are gluten sensitive. They have an amazing selection of sweet and savoury ready made and frozen. Be sure to check out this quaint little spot.
Holy cannoli, this spot has a great selection of Italian sweet treats. You won’t be disappointed. They also have a great selection of cakes at the ready.
Tanya Muller is the owner and pastry chef of Le Gateau Bakeshop and we think the creator of some of the most beautiful wedding cakes we’ve ever seen. Outside of wedding cakes, they carry an array of seasonal sweets cupcakes, tarts and cookies all decadent and beautiful.
This one is recommended by our followers as a must try. They have a great selection of artisan breads, celebration cake, pastries and a whole lot more including pizza.
Tall Shadow Bakery is a new craft sourdough bakery located between Nanaimo and Kamloops Street. They have evolved from farmer markets to this new permanent location. Outside of great bread, they offer Holiday Sugar Cookie Decorating and Gingerbread House Kits and Cookie Boxes in small and large.
This sweet shop specializes in Latin desserts, cakes, pastries, empanadas and breads. If it’s cake you are looking for, the Mango Cake and Dulce De Leche Cakes are recommended.
If you’ve attended any farmer markets and craft fairs over the years, you will have found Sweet Thea Bakery with a whole lot of delish goodness. They offer decadent cookies, German stollen, plum pudding and a whole lot more. They no longer do farmer markets or craft fairs, but instead have been doing a Pop Up Shop at Main & 27th Avenue the last few years. In even better news, they are currently working on a permanent location on Main Street. If you can’t make their Pop Up Shop, you can visit them online.
Swiss Bakery, 143 East 3rd Avenue (just off Main Street)
We’ve been hearing so many great things about the Swiss Bakery and readers reached out to say, they need to be on this list. They offer an array of goodies including frissants, carmelized puff tart, stollen, Christmas cookies and Gingerbread House Kits.
Trafiq is a chic little café and has so many delish offerings it is so hard to choose. They have a Lemon Lavendar cake that’s caught our eye and is on our list to try. Their Instagram feed is drool worthy honestly. Give them a follow and do stop by if you haven’t already.
To Live For Bakery is a vegan bakery, but as one that has test tasted a number of delish options, you wouldn’t know the difference. They have an amazing selection of cakes and for Christmas, you can find Turtle cookies, rum balls, gingersnap cookies peppermint chocolate cookies, gingerbread loaf with maple glaze and Nog croissants. Of course, it’s a great spot to stop and take a break for coffee.
We hope you’ll support some of these great local businesses this holiday season.
We don’t have to tell you it’s been a rough year for small business. On recently updating our Places We Love listing, we were saddened to remove some favourite spots no longer in business like Doctor Vigari Gallery and The Flower Box. These were two long time staples on Commercial Drive. As you’ve likely heard, it’s important to shop local this holiday season if you wish to see these businesses on the other side of the pandemic. We have always been passionate about supporting our local business community and wish to remind folks these local businesses are the ones that provide donations for your school fundraisers, sports clubs and other community events. Now they need YOU.
Local business woman and social entrepreneur, Elizabeth McKitrick, who owns Second Nature Home in Cedar Cottage, was recently featured on CTV News discussing her thoughts on shopping local. McKitrick said she’s hoping people “just don’t go to Amazon.” “It’s like a black hole, really, for cash,” she said. “It’s going into Jeff Bezo’s pocket. He’s the wealthiest person in the world, and I just think, ‘Why?’ We have other ways of helping out communities.” And if you missed the recent CBC Marketplace episode showing where all your Amazon returns go, you may wish to enlighten yourself.
When gift shopping this holiday season, you have the opportunity to make a difference and support those makers and creators living among us. They are those micro businesses, side gigs and entrepreneurs trying to stay afloat and stores like McKitrick’s support these businesses. So instead of lining the pockets of the richest man in the world, how about lining the pocket of your neighbour down the street or across town?
To give you a starting point, we’ve set out a few of our favourite stores for shopping local in East Van. One of the many reasons we likes these stores is because they all support other local artisans, makers and small business. So visit them in person or online and see what items they have that might make that perfect gift for someone special this holiday season.
Second Nature Home is a home décor boutique located at 3565 Commercial Street in Cedar Cottage. The store has a wide range of items outside of home décor including jewellery, gifts for the foodie in your life, something cute for the new baby or new mom and much more. They are open Tuesday to Saturday from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm and Sundays from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm. They will also be open till 8:00 on Wednesday in December.
Plenty + Spare is located at 2168 East Hasting Street. It’s easy to miss by the smells of their neighbour Delish Gluten Free Bakery which can draw you in by your nose literally, but do stop into Plenty + Spare. They create an array of beautiful handmade bath and beauty products and stock a number of other items perfect for gift giving. Added bonus, they’ve just updated their website for online shopping and offer store pick up as well as free shipping for orders over $60.
Giving Gifts is a beautiful space located at 4570 Main Street. The store tucked between 30th & 29th Avenue is made of up 5 rooms packed with items from over 100 local as well as fair trade artists from around the world. It is a gift giving boutique so you will easily be able to pick up a few gifts for just about any age. They are open Monday to Saturday from Noon to 6:00 pm and Sundays Noon to 5:00 pm.
Jackson’s General Store located at 1490 Kingsway (at Dumfries) near Knight Street. This space is the epitome of cool with a distinct retro vibe. Store owner, Mike Jackson, has created an eclectic mix of unique items in store which features clothing, gourmet food, books and if you are looking for a candy fix that is a blast from the past, this is your spot. Jackson’s General Store has also created some Care Boxes which support local brands and can be delivered to your door. Jackson’s General Store is open Monday to Saturday 11:00 am to 5:30 pm and Sundays 12:00 to 5:00 pm.
The Coast Goods has just opened their doors in the last couple of months. They are located at 1302 Victoria Drive. This is great neighbourhood shop that focuses ethically sourced home decor and giftware again supporting our local independent artisans. They are open Tuesday to Sunday, closed Mondays. Be sure to check them out and give them a follows on Instagram.
We would be remiss if we didn’t mention this beautiful shop located at 4391 Main Street. They have an amazing array of home decor items and lots of great things on hand for gift giving. They feature local as well as international artists. Olive & Wild is open 7 days a week.
For every $100 you spend with a local business, $46 is re-circulated back into the BC economy (vs $18 for multi nationals). Small business re-circulates 2.6 times more revenue in the local economy as do chains.
The Grandview Woodland Community Seed Library has a new initiative for 2021 that will be run virtually in light of COVID-19. The aim is to teach people how to grow food and save seeds. Those that participate will have the opportunity to learn about planting, harvesting and the seed saving process. Organizers have selected four things to grow that do well in containers so if you don’t have a yard or garden, you will still have the opportunity to participate from your apartment balcony. Participants will learn to grow Oregon Sugar Pod Peas, Lacinato Kale, Little Red Pear Tomatos and Purple Peacock Beans.
To be eligible to participate in this project, you must live in Grandview Woodland, Strathcona, Hastings Sunrise, Mount Pleasant, Kensington-Cedar Cottage or Renfrew-Collingwood. You must also have a personal email address, access to email and internet to be able to receive information and support over the growing season. To learn more, visit One Seed One Community.
Summer weather may be gone, but farmer markets continue into the Fall and Winter seasons. This year more than ever, we encourage you to support our local growers and makers. In East Van, you have 2 options to choose from depending on your location. COVID-19 safety protocols are in place in both locations. Visit Vancouver Farmer Markets for more details on their protocols.
Riley Park Farmers Market– Every Saturday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Riley Park Farmers Market in case you hadn’t already heard is a year round market happening every Saturday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at 30th & Ontario. This is a great space located next to a community garden with ample parking and located on a bike route.
Hastings Park Farmers Market – Every Sunday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
The Hastings Park Farmers Market runs every Sunday from November 1st to April 25, 2021. The market is located on the Centre Grounds of Hastings Park.
Whichever market you choose, we hope you will support local where and when you can. If you want to know which vendors will be at the markets, visit Vancouver Farmer Markets website for more information, or check them out on Instagram @vanmarkets.
Vancouver Farmers Markets bring back summer markets the first weekend of May. Things will be a bit different in light of COVID-19. Having recently attended Riley Park Winter Farmers Market, my experience showed that vendors were well spaced out and counts were being kept on the number of people entering each area of the market. Granted some vendors had some spaced out lines, personally I prefer standing in a brief line outdoors vs. a long line indoors.
What’s new if you haven’t heard is vendors are now accepting online orders. Currently, you need to pick up your online order from each vendor, but Vancouver Farmers Markets are looking to implement a centralized pick up and delivery in the near future. Our local farmers and producers need our support during this time and we invite you to keep them in mind when making your weekly grocery shop. We’ve set out below the markets taking place in East Van. To see a full listing of Vancouver Farmer Markets, visit eatlocal.org.
Trout Lake Famers Market 13th Ave & Lakewood Drive
Saturdays 9:00 am – 2:00 pm
May 2, 2020 – October 24, 2020
Riley Park Farmers Market
30th Avenue & Ontario Street
Saturdays 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
May 2, 2020 – October 24, 2020
Mount Pleasant Farmers Market
8th Avenue & Guelph Street
Sundays 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
May 24, 2020 – October 25, 2020
Main Street Farmers Market
1100 Station Street (Thornton Park)
Wednesdays 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
June 3, 2020 – October 7, 2020
Dine Out Vancouver Festival returns January 17th to February 2, 2020. This festival brings together over 300 restaurants, wineries, craft breweries and suppliers for 17 days of dining and culinary events. This festival evolves each year and provides a little something for all tastes. The big reveal of which restaurants are participating happens Thursday, January 9th. Once the list is revealed, you are invited to check out the price fix menus online and make your reservation for brunch, lunch or dinner. Price fix menus are $15, $25, $35 and $45. Beverages, tax and tip not included.
Each year a number of special culinary events take place during Dine Out and we have to say there are some pretty great ones happening this year. We’ve highlighted a few that caught our eye, but check them out for yourself. Note, if you like what you see, we recommend booking your space, these events do sell out. Here’s, a sampling of what’s available. For the full rundown of special culinary events during Dine Out Festival Vancouver, visit Special Events.
BBQ, Fried Chicken & Brewery Tours With Vancouver Brewery Tours
January 17, 2020; January 18, 2020; January 24, 2020; January 25, 2020; January 31, 2020; February 1, 2020
4:00 PM to 7:30 PM
$105.99*
Vancouver Brewery Tours invites to come and enjoy Vancouver’s best barbecue, fried chicken and craft beer. They’ve handpicked three of their favourite businesses in Vancouver for this tour. Your journey begins with some delicious free-range chicken at Juke Fried Chicken – voted #1 for Best Chicken in the Georgia Straight Golden Plates Awards 2019. Next on down the line is award winning pit stop at Memphis Blues for some messy, low and slow cooked barbecue. Finally, you will visit Vancouver’s newest craft brewery Container Brewing. For tickets, visit Dine Out Vancouver Festival.
Coffee, Brunch, Donuts & Beer Tour With Vancouver Brewery Tours
January 18, 2020; January 19, 2020; January 25, 2020; January 26, 2020; February 1, 2020; February 2, 2020
10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
$105.99*
You’ll want to roll out of bed early for this tour. Vancouver Brewery Tours is hosting an epic morning of coffee, brunch, donuts and beer. You will kick off your morning at Agro Roasters coffee shop which will include a behind the scenes coffee tasting and info about bean sourcing and roasting processes. After that, you will make your way to the Truck Stop (at Red Truck Beer Company) for a tasty brunch. Next you will land at Brassneck Brewery for a tour and flight of beer and mere steps away you will end your tour on a sweet note at Cartems Donuts. For tickets, visit Dine Out Vancouver Festival.
Dim Sum ChinaTown Tour – January 18 – February 2, 2020
50 East Pender Street January 18, 2020 – February 2, 2020
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
$94.50
Did you know Dim Sum means “Point of the Heart”. We did not, but they say it lives up to its name in Vancouver’s Chinatown. It was originally a Cantonese family tradition (sometimes called Yum Cha (drink tea)) with small, shared dishes, often served in bamboo steamers, Dim Sum has become a staple for lovers of food worldwide. You are invited to come learn more about Chinatown’s history and visit a couple of Dim Sum restaurants for tastings as well as a tea ceremony. This tour is provided by Canadian Craft. For tickets, visit Dine Out Vancouver Festival.
We are big fans of gifting experiences which is not only fun but creates lasting memories for the recipient. There are many options locally here whether it’s brewery tours, gourmet tours, dining and dancing, cooking classes and more. We have set out below a few of our favourites. We have included links which take you directly to each site to make gift giving that much easier.
Vancouver Brewery Tours does great brewery tours in and around East Vancouver and is a perfect gift for the beer lover. Vancouver Brewery Tours has regularly scheduled brewery tours which run approximately 3 hours.
Off The Eaten Track offers a number of culinary tours including Railtown Urban Eats Tour and Olympic Village Tour. Tours all begin at the Waterfront Station and times vary but are approximately 2 ½ hours for each.
Commercial Drive is host to many delish food spots and Taste Vancouver Food Tours offers regularly culinary tours on The Drive Saturday afternoons from 2:00 to 4:30 pm. It starts at Fratelli’s Bakery and hits 8 spots. Cost is $79 per person and they are currently offering 15% off gift certificates.
What about a gift certificate for an evening of dinner and dancing. Federico’s Supper Club offers amazing Italian food, wine and impeccable service. You will regularly find owner, Federico Fuoco, belting out tunes but they regularly bring in lots of local talent to mix things up.
If you know someone that loves cheese, you may wish to consider purchasing a ticket(s) to one of Les Amis Du Fromage’s upcoming wine & cheese tasting classes. The regularly host tastings, but heads up, these classes do sell out quick. Alternatively, what about a gift certificate to use in store. Trying a variety of cheeses is certainly a delish experience and can get costly, so a gift card to this spot would be welcome in our Christmas stocking.
There is some amazing live theatre that happens in East Van. Some productions are on now into the New Year at The Cultch, The York and the Firehall Arts Centre. Gift Certificate for an evening out makes a great gift.
Have a friend on the artistic side, or someone that wants to get in touch with their creative side? What about a gift certificate to a glassblowing workshop at Terminal City Glass? Terminal City Glass offers a host of classes including a Make A Heart Glassblowing Workshop February 1st that looks pretty cool.
Do you know someone that loves cooking, or wants to learn how to make easy meals. Gourmet Warehouse offers a wide variety of demonstration cooking classes for all skill levels and you get to eat what was made after class then shop in store with a discount. In the New Year, they are offering Healthy Choices on January 16th or learn how to make a Mexican Fiesta at Home on January 23rd although we have our eye on hands on class Crazy For Chocolate Class on February 5th. To purchase tickets, call the store at T: 604.253.3022 or visit Gourmet Warehouse online.
Are you buying a gift for a family? What about a Park Board Gift Card. Right now a $50 purchase gets you an additional $10 which the recipient can use at any local community centre to swim, skate, do yoga, play golf, take a cooking class, enroll kids in swimming lessons and much more.
These are just a few ideas, but there are many more. Know someone interested in yoga? Why not a gift certificate to a local yoga studio. For something on the artistic side, Collage Collage offers a wide range of craft making workshops for all big kids and wee ones as does 4 Cats on Main Street. The ideas are limitless and the memories are forever.
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